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Ravan was very knowledgeable and well learned in all the scriptures, but none of this knowledge prevented him from doing crime against humanity. Ravan himself admits this during his last moments when he's giving his knowledge to Lakshman (as per Valmiki). He tells Lakshman that a man may be the most intelligent person in the world, he may have the entire knowledge in the world, but when ego and arrogance comes in the way of knowledge, all that knowledge goes to waste. It doesn't matter how smart a person is. In the end, only moral values will save them.
Also, Ravan did not force himself on Sita, not because of any good intentions or because he respected her, but because he was cursed by Nalkubera. Nalkubera, the son of Kubera (Ravan's half-brother) had a beautiful wife who was the apsara Rambha. Once when Ravan had defeated his half-brother Kubera and stole the pushpak vimaan from him, he was travelling through Kubera's kingdom and came upon Rambha, who he immediately lusted for. Rambha rebuked his advances and told him she was Kubera's daughter-in-law, so she was also his daughter-in-law in relation. Ravan laughed off her warning and raped her, leaving soon afterwards. Rambha went to Nalkubera and told him what had happened, and a furious Nalkubera cursed Ravan that since he'd forced himself upon his wife, the next time he forces himself on any woman against her will, his head would split into seven pieces and he would die on the spot. Ravan was informed about this curse, and when he abducted Sita, he only kept her in the ashok vatika because he had no other choice.
Before raping Rambha, Ravan had forced himself on many women, and in fact he'd brought many women to Lanka against their will after kidnapping them from their homes. Those women also cursed Ravan that since he has such low respect for womankind and sees them as inferior, it will be a woman who will be the cause of his death and the destruction of his clan.
Ravan may have been knowledgeable, and he may have been a good King for Lanka, but his crimes make him one of the most despicable demons of our epics. Today, we have no sympathy for the rapists in our society. We want our rapists to be castigated immediately. We don't sit here asking for the rapist to be understood, for his story to be told, so why should we be sympathetic towards Ravan when in fact, he deserves no sympathy?
Kumkum Bhagya
Hollywood
