Ravana
Ravana | |
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Kaikasi (mother) | |
Siblings | Kumbhakarna Vibhishana Shurpanakha |
Spouse | |
Children | Indrajit, Atikaya, Akshayakumara, Narantaka, Devantaka, Trishira |
Part of a series on |
Hinduism |
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Ravana (
Ravana is widely portrayed as being an evil character, though he is also a learned scholar. He was well-versed in the six
Etymology
The word Rāvaṇa (
Ravana was a title later taken on by Dashānana, and it means "the one with ten (dasha) faces (anana)". Further, roravana is Sanskrit for "loud roaring." In Abhinava Gupta's Krama Shaiva scripture, yāsām rāvanam is used as an expression to mean people who are truly aware of the materialism of their environment.[citation needed]
Ravana has many other popular names such as Dasis Ravana, Dasis Sakvithi Maha Ravana, Dashaanan, Ravula, Lankapati, Lankeshwar, Lankeshwaran, Ravanasura and Ravanaeshwaran.[14]
Iconography
Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads, although he is sometimes shown with only nine heads since he cut one off to convince Shiva.[15] He is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler, and a maestro of the Veena. Ravana is also depicted as the author of the Ravana Samhita, a book on Hindu astrology, and the Arka Prakasham, a book on Siddha medicine and treatment. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Siddha and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored inside his belly thanks to a celestial boon from Brahma.[16][page needed]
Life and legends
Birth
Ravana was born to the sage
Ravana's paternal grandfather, the sage
Boon from Brahma
Ravana and his two brothers, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana, performed penance on Mount Gokarna for 11,000 years and won boons from Brahma. Ravana was blessed with a boon that would make him invincible to all the creations of Brahma, except for humans.[19] He also received weapons, a chariot, as well as the ability to shapeshift from Brahma.[citation needed] According to the Ramayana, demigods approached Brahma since Ravana was causing harm on Earth. Lord Vishnu appeared and gave blessings that he will incarnate as a human (Rama) and kill Ravana since his invincibility boon did not include humans.[20]
Devotee of Shiva
One of the most popular images of Shiva is called "Ravananugraha", which was popular in the
Family
Ravana's granduncle was Malyavan, who opposed the war with Rama and Lakshmana. He also had another granduncle named Mali who was killed by Vishnu.[23]
Ravana had seven brothers and two sisters, named
Ravana had three wives,
.Priestly ministers
In some accounts, Ravana is said to have had
One account narrates how Ravana ordered Brihaspati to recite the Chandi stava (mantras of Chandi), more specifically the Devi Mahatmya, in order to stave off defeat. According to the Krttivasa text, Ravana arranged for a peaceful yajna, and invited Brihaspati to start the recitation of Chandi.[24][full citation needed]
Other legends
Vishnu's cursed doorkeeper
In the Bhagavata Purana, Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna are said to be reincarnations of Jaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers at Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu), and were cursed to be born on Earth for their insolence.[26]
These gatekeepers refused entry to the
Vishnu agreed that they should be punished and gave them two options. First, that they could be born seven times as normal mortals and devotees of Vishnu, or strong and three times as powerful, but as enemies of Vishnu. Eager to be back with the Lord, they chose the latter option. The curse of the first birth was fulfilled by
Other Conflicts
In
Once, upon hearing a discourse from Sage
He killed Anaranya, the king of Ayodhya, although he cursed Ravana to be slain by Rama.
Ravana had wrestled his brother Kubera for the Pushpaka Vimana.
He also fought Marutta (Chakravarti King of Ushiraviga), Gadhi (
Rape of Rambha
Ravana is regarded to have once caught sight of the apsara Rambha and was filled with lust. Even as the apsara resisted his advances by asserting that she was his daughter-in-law, he raped her. When she reported this to her husband, Nalakuvara, he cursed Ravana to be unable to cause violence to any woman who did not consent to being with him, his head splitting into a number of pieces if he did so. This incident is stated to explain why Ravana could not force the abducted Sita to submit to his desire.[28][29]
Worship and temples
Worship
Ravana is worshipped as one of Shiva's most revered followers,[30] and he is even worshipped in some Shiva temples.[30][31][32]
Ravana is worshipped by the Kanyakubja Brahmins of the Vidisha region, who see him as a savior and a sign of prosperity, claiming Ravana was also a Kanyakubja Brahmin. Thousands of
King Shiv Shankar built a Ravana temple in
Ravana is also worshipped by Hindus of Bisrakh, who claim their town to be his birthplace.[34]
The Sachora Brahmins of Gujarat claim to be descendants of Ravana, and sometimes have "Ravan" as their surnames.[35]
Saraswat Brahmins from Mathura claim Ravana as a saraswat Brahmin as per his lineage.[36][37]
There has also been reference to "Ravani", the lineage of Upadhyaya Yasastrata II, who was of the Gautama gotra and Acharya Vasudatta's son, and described as "born of Ravani".[38][full citation needed]
The
Temples
The following temples in India are for Ravana as a Shiva Bhakta.
- Dashanan Temple, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh[40]
- Ravana Temple, Bisrakh, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh[40]
- Kakinada Ravana Temple, Andhra Pradesh[40]
- Ravangram Ravana Temple, Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh[40]
- Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh[40]
- Mandore Ravan Temple, Jodhpur[41]
- Baijanath Temple, Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh[41]
Influence on culture and art
Ravana-Dahan (burning effigy of Ravana)
Effigies of Ravana are burned on Vijayadashami in many places throughout India to symbolize Rama's triumph over evil.[42]
Ravanahatha
According to mythology, the ravanahatha, an ancient bowed string instrument, was created by Ravana and is still used as a Rajasthani folk instrument.[43]
In other religions
In the Rin-spuns-pa Tibetan Ramayana, it is prophesied that Ravana will return as the Buddha incarnation of Vishnu in Kali Yuga.
The Arunachal Pradesh Tai Khamti Ramayana (Phra Chow Lamang) shows Rama as a Bodhisattva who was reborn so Ravana could torture him.
In the Laotian Buddhist text
In the Cambodian Buddhist text Preah Ream, Buddha is an incarnation of Rama and Ravana is a rakshasa.[citation needed]
In the Thai Buddhist text Ramakien, Ravana is a rakshasa[44] known as "Thotsakan" (ทศกัณฐ์, from Sanskrit दशकण्ठ, Daśakaṇṭha, "ten necks"), and is depicted with green skin.[citation needed]
In the
Jainism
Dravidian movement
Pulavar Kuzhanthai's Ravana Kaaviyam is a panegyric on Ravana that is made up of 3,100 poetic stanzas in which Ravana is the hero. The book was released in 1946, and was subsequently banned by India's Congress led government. The ban was later lifted in 1971.[48][49][50]
In popular culture
Sri Lanka named its first satellite Raavana 1 after Ravana.[51]
Ravana appears as the primary antagonist in films and television series based on the Ramayana. Movies like Bhakta Ravana (1938) and its Telugu (1940 and 1958) and Kannada (1958) adaptations as well as television series Raavan (2006-2008)[52] are focused on the tale on Ravana. The Tamil film Raavanan (2010) and its Hindi counterpart Raavan (2010) narrate the epic from Ravana's perspective in a modern setting.
See also
References
- ^ "Ravana". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
- ^ Cartwright, Mark. "Ravana". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ Wheeler, James Talboys (1869). The History of India from the Earliest Ages. Vol. II The Rámáyana and the Vedic period. N. Trubner & Co. p. 281.
- ISBN 9781101517529. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Sunderkand explanation" (PDF). sunderkandsatsangsamuh.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Das, Subhamoy. "The Ramayana". Learn Religions. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
Summary by Stephen Knapp
- ^ "Ravana". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-86547-695-0.
- ^ a b c Pankaj, Bhavana (31 July 2019). "Where Ravana is Vishnu's true Bhakta". The Statesman. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ a b Aiyangar Narayan (1909) "Essays On Indo-Aryan Mythology-Vol.", p.413
- ^ a b "Cologne Scan". sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de.
- ISBN 9788120831636– via Google Books.
- ^ Hopkins, Edward Washburn (1915). Epic Mythology. Strassburg, DE: K.J. Trübner. p. 142.
- ^ "10 Names of Ravana". LifeStalker. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "When Ravana tore his head and a hand to apologize to Lord Shiva". www.mensxp.com. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ Valmiki. Ramayana. Tulsidas. Vibhishana, Lanka Kanda; Samvaad, Rama (eds.). Ramcharitmanas.
- ^ Dutta, Prabhash K. (10 October 2016). "Did you know? Ravana was born in Greater Noida West". India Today. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Rajarajan, R.K.K. (2018). "Woven Threads of the Rāmāyaṇa The Early Āḻvārs on Brahmā and Rāvaṇa". Romanian Journal of Indian Studies. 2: 9–45.
- ^ Manglik, Reshu (29 September 2017). "Happy Dussehra 2017: 11 important facts to know about Ravana, primary antagonist of epic Ramayana". indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- OCLC 70775665.
- ^ a b Kala pp. 38–42
- ^ Rathore, Vinod (29 June 2020). "Know the unique story of Ravana's devotion to Shiva". News Track. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-269-0615-4.
- ^ Nagar, Shanti Lal. Genesis and Evolution of the Rāma Kathā in Indian Art, Thought, Literature, and Culture: From the earliest period to modern times. Vol. 2.
- ^
Chākyār, Māni Mādhava (1996). Nātyakalpadrumam. New Delhi, IN: Sangeet Natak Akademi. p. 6.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4382-2820-4.
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- ISBN 978-0-19-936007-9.
- ISBN 978-81-208-3164-3.
- ^ a b "Ravana has his temples, too". Spectrum. The Sunday Tribune. 21 October 2007.
- ^ Vachaspati, S. (2005). Ravana Brahma. Tenali, India: Rudrakavi Sahitya Peetham, Gandhi Nagar.
- ^ Dave, Kamalesh Kumar (2008). Dashanan (in Hindi). Jodhpur, India: Akshaya Jyotish Anusandan Kendra.
- ^ Siddiqui, Faiz (10 October 2016). "A temple where demon king has his day". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
- ^ "Only the elderly come to mourn Ravana in 'birthplace' Bisrakh". The Indian Express. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ People of India. Vol. 4: A–G. Oxford University Press. p. 3061.
- ^ "Mathura lawyer seeks ban on burning of Ravana effigies". The Indian Express. 26 September 2017.
- ^ Qureshi, Siraj (12 October 2016). "A Dussehra without burning Ravana: This Brahmin community in Agra wants an end to practice". India Today.
- ^ "[no title cited]". Indian Culture: Journal of the Indian Research Institute. 15. I.B. Corporation.
- ^ Rashid, Omar (24 October 2015). "Celebrating Ravan". The Hindu.
- ^ a b c d e "Five temples of Ravana in India where demon king is worshipped". India TV. 11 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Unique Ravana temples in India". Travel guide. Native Planet. 27 April 2018.
- ^ "Dussehra 2018: What is the significance Of Ravana Dahan?". Dehli news. NDTV.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Sri Lankan revives Ravana's musical instrument". The Island. Sri Lanka. 9 March 2008.
- ^ Vyas, Lallan Prasad. Prachi Darshan. p. 98.
- ^ Sharma, S.R. (1940). Jainism and Karnataka Culture. Dharwar, IN: Karnatak Historical Research Society. p. 76.
- ISBN 9780143414216.
- ISBN 978-0-520-07589-4.
- ^ Pandian, M.S.S. (2 November 1998). "Ravana as antidote". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ Nalankilli, Thanjai (April 2006). "Censorship of Dravidian voices in Tamil Nadu (India) in 1948, 1949". Tamil Tribune. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018.
- ^ Sivapriyan, E.T.B. (5 August 2020). "Ram Temple: Tamilians praise Ravana on Twitter". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ Yamunan, Sruthisagar (6 July 2019). "Why Sri Lanka named its first-ever satellite after Ravana". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Zee TV enters new genre with 'Ravan' on Saturdays at 9". Indiantelevision.com. 16 November 2006.
Bibliography
- ISBN 9780791413814– via Google Books.
- Udayakumar, S.P. (2005). Presenting the Past: Anxious history and ancient future in Hindutva India. Greenwood Publishing Group.
External links
- "Rawana the Historical King of Heladiwa". Ramayana Research. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013.