Ravana: Epic Characters of Ramayana

By Sri Hari

Ravana was born to Kaikasi and Vishravasa, and Pulatsya (son of Prajapathi Brahma) was his grandfather. Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana were his brothers and Shoorpanakha was his sister. As he was born with ten heads, he was known as Dashagreeva, Dashanana, etc. He went to Gokarna with his brothers and performed such severe penance that Lord Brahma appeared before him and granted him a boon by virtue of which he would be immune to death at the hands of devas, danavas, yakshas, nagas and garuda. He also got back his nine heads that he had offered to Brahma as well as the power to take any form he liked. Following Sumali's advice he demanded Lanka back from Kubera and waged war against him too. Later he married Mandodari and due to arrogance, came to be cursed by Nandikeshwara, one of Siva's followers, saying that his end would come at the hands of monkeys. He received the divine weapons, Shakthi and Chandrahasa. He misbehaved with Vedavathi who swore that she would take birth again only to destroy him. He fought with many kings and this brought him to Ayodhya where again he fought with King Anaranya of the Ikshwaku dynasty. Before dying, the king proclaimed that Sri Rama of his dynasty would destroy him. Taking up Narada's challenge, he laid siege on Yamaloka. There was no end to his evil ways as he went about challenging, killing, fighting and reveling in his victories. It was however left to Sri Rama, Lakshmana and the vanara warriors to bring about Ravana's end as well as the end of many other rakshasas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana
• Release date: May 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9789389020748

Book preview

EPIC CHARACTERS OF RAMAYANA

Ravana

Written by

Sri Hari

Translated by

Prof. G. S. Mudambadithaya

© Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, Bengaluru. All rights reserved.

Published by:

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana

C/o. Bharatha Darshana,

163, Manjunatha Road, 2nd Block,

Thyagarajanagar, Bangalure 560 028,

Ph: [phone], [phone]

bharathasamskruthi.com

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FOREWORD

Sri Ranga Sadguruve Namaha

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, the intellectual and spiritual offspring of Bharatha Darshana, a premier publishing house of Bangalore, has been rendering yeoman services to the cause of literature, culture and its blossom, ‘The Epic Characters of the Mahabharatha,’ has bloomed in all splendor in the world of children’s literature and we have welcomed and blessed it. Now the second bud has blossomed in the form of ‘The Epic Characters of Ramayana’ and has already begun spreading its fragrance around. It is a set of books based on Ramayana. We welcome it and bless it.

There is a difference between the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha in style and treatment. There is no second opinion about differences regarding form, magnitude, delineation of characters and the time of composition of these two great epics. Srimad Ramayana is a pure epic in seven cantos. There are twenty four thousand stanzas. It is an epic par excellence dealing with a theme and characters who lived in tretayuga, composed by a contemporary poet. The Mahabharatha is essentially history. It is in eighteen parvas having hundred thousand stanzas. It deals with a theme and characters who lived in dwaparayuga, again composed by a contemporary poet. (There is a view that these two great epics depict the culture of different regions of this holy land and are composed by many poets and they portray the various events and circumstances which took place during the Aryan invasion of India. We do not agree with such views).

All the same these two epics provide us with the images of the Vedas. These are the essence of vedas, national epics of Bharatha and sources for thousands of books on our culture which followed them from the natural stream of poetical composition and enjoyment of literature. At the same time they are never drying sources of Purusharthas namely dharma, artha, kama and moksha. In the background of the struggle among human beings, they paint the struggle between the good and the evil very beautifully and announce to the world the message of victory of the good over the evil. These eloquent and learned creations, have a few universal and sovereign truths to give to the world and as a result they have occupied the pride of place among great literary works in the world.

Let the new series which is written in the same style and rhythm of the first, become popular among readers and become succour to our youth whose shelves are invaded by dirty and harmful