We all know him as the villian of Ramayana—the evil demon who kidnapped Sita and took her away from her Lord Rama to his Golden city of Lanka.
This is the story that we narrate our kids as well whenever we sit down to tell them about Rama and the great Indian epic Ramayana. In fact, some parents even give Ravan's example to their kids on how evil people can come to kidnap you in the garb of a saint.
A photo posted by Delhihai (@delhihai) on
However, when it comes to the story of Ravan there's more to it than what meets the eye. Here are five interesting facts about this demon king that you must tell your kids this Dusshera:
1. Ravan was an incredible Veena player
While the whole world talks about his evil qualities, mythology says that Ravan was actually a learned man and an exceptional Veena player. He was a learned man and had mastered all the Vedas and Shaastras.
2. Ravan was actually an avatar of Vishnu's gatekeeper
Many stories also say that in his previous life Ravan and his mighty brother Kumbhkaran were Vishnu's gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya. As they were the gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu's abode Vaikunth, they became arrogant.
A popular story goes that once when Brahma's four Kumars came to Vaikunth to visit Vishnu, they made fun of them. The sages got enraged and cursed them that they would never be close to their Lord Vishnu and would part from him.
A photo posted by Abhishek Chowdhury (@aakkirock) on
However, when they asked for forgiveness, they were given an option of either spending seven of their lifetimes as Vishnu's allies or three of their lives as his enemy. They chose the latter option and in one of these three lives they were born as Ravan and Kumbhkaran.
3. Ravan had mastered the four Vedas and the six Shastras
His proficiency in the four Vedas and six Shaastras gave him his symbolic ten heads which signified his immense knowledge and wisdom. Scriptures say that such was his knowledge that he even knew how to control planetary movements.
Continue reading on the next page to know other interesting facts about Ravan!
In another mythological story, it is said that in order to gain Shiva's attention and blessings, Ravan cut his own head into 10 pieces, but his utmost devotion and dedication made each piece spawn into a new head.
4. Ravan was an ardent Shiva Devotee
Ravan was a Shiva devotee and wanted that his dear Lord moved from Kailash to Lanka, which was an impossible task. However, to make it possible Ravan tried to lift Shiva's abode Mount Kailash. Shiva got really angry and put his foot down onto the mountain, crushing Ravan's finger in the process.
A photo posted by Nafeen Khan (@itz_vampy) on
Ravan roared in pain, but in pain also he chanted the Shiva Tandav strotam and Shiva gave him the name 'Ravan'— the one with a loud roar.
5. Ravan Sanhita was written by Ravan
Ravan's power of knowledge made him a great learner of astrology and many stories say that he was the original author of Ravan Sanhita—a book that is considered as the holy grail of Hindu astrology. Such was his knowledge of astrology that many scriptures say that he could control the sunrise and the sunset with his power.
Also read: 5 strong women of Ramayana that you must tell your kids about
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the article, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ and Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest from theIndusparent.com
[Images courtesy: Instagram, Main image courtesy: Instagram]
