jayvenk thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#1
On the occasion of the 10th day when Victory is of Good Over Evil I would like to post this topic of
RAVAN .. Supposed to be considered as evil / symbolically killed .
So who was this evil RAVAN . Lets take a look

Ravana is described as a devout follower of the god Shiva in addition to his tribe's religious beliefs, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the Veena. He has his apologists and staunch devotees within the Hindu traditions, some of whom believe that his description as a ten-headed person (Dasamukha or Dasagriva) is a reference to him possessing a very thorough knowledge over the 4 Vedas and 6 Upanishads, which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. However, there is mention in Atharvaveda of demonic Brahmans called Dasagva (ten-headed) and Navagva (nine-headed) and the metaphor of a supernatural number of bodyparts to symbolize powers is an ancient one in Indian mythic depictions. Yet another interpretation of the ten-headed Ravana describe him to be a complete man with nine of his heads representing nine emotions that a man may possess (viz.anger, pride, jealousy, happiness, sadness, fear, selfishness, passion, ambition) and one representing the intellect.

Ravana also authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma. According to some theories, he was a historical emperor who reigned over Sri Lanka from 2554 BC to 2517 BC.The lake Rakshastaal, a salt water formation in Tibet, high up in Himalayas located right next to fresh-water lake Manasarovar is considered to be the place of severe penance tapasya by Ravana.

Ravana encountered Shiva at his abode in Kailash. Ravana at first went to meet Shiva. Nandi the vehicle of Shiva, refused to let Ravana in. He got annoyed and started teasing Nandi. Nandi in turn got annoyed and cursed Ravana that Lanka would be destroyed by a monkey. To show Nandi his love for Shiva, Ravana attempted to uproot and move the mountain on a whim. Shiva, annoyed by Ravana's arrogance, pressed his littlest Toe on Kailash, pinning him firmly and painfully under it. His ganas informed Ravana of whom he had crossed, upon which Ravana became penitent. He plucked his nerves and used them as strings to compose music and sang songs praising Shiva, and is said to have done so for years until Shiva released him from his bondage.

Pleased with his resilience and devotion, Shiva gave to him the divine sword Chandrahas (Chandra-Moon, Has-laugh, literally 'the laughter of the moon' but referring to the shape formed by a crescent moon which resembles a smile). It was during this incident that he acquired the name 'Ravana', meaning "(He) Of the terrifying roar", given to him by Shiva - the earth is said to have quaked at Ravana's cry of pain when the mountain was pinned on him. Ravana in turn became a lifelong devotee of Lord Shiva and is said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra.

Lord Shiva had given his sword Chandrahasa with a caveat that if it was used for unjust causes, it would return to the three eyed one and Ravana's days would be numbered. After Ravana had been given the Celestial juice of Immortality by Brahma, he went on to please Shiva. He cut his head & put it as sacrifice for pleasing Shiva, but Shiva replaced his head with a new one. This was repeated Nine times, on which Shiva was happy & pleased with Ravana's resilience & devotion. Thus he also got name Dasa-sheesha.

The article is really extensive. Those who are interested can read it in Wikipedia. 😊



Created

Last reply

Replies

6

Views

1.1k

Users

6

Likes

23

Frequent Posters

flamingo_aries thumbnail
15th Anniversary Thumbnail Dazzler Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#2
Ravana is the best example of one not able to be digest the valor while being so scholar n learned.v have one saying in gujarati.." vidhya vinay thi shobhe'..(.knowledge is adorned by politness.)...

Ravana represents us..😕.v all have ego,pride,etc as our heads which v show off here n there somehow somewhere...🤢

HAPPY DUSHERA...may v all get the strength to cuff off our so called heads..😆


sukhi... thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail Networker 1 Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#3
Thanks Jaya for the info...
mnx12 thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#4
Happy Dashera to all😊
Arijit007 thumbnail
12th Anniversary Thumbnail Sparkler Thumbnail Networker 1 Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#5
You know what jaya? In kaliyuga, its hard to find raam but even harder to find ravan
Edited by Tarakari - 12 years ago
jayvenk thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Rocker Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#6

Originally posted by: Tarakari

You know what jaya? In kaliyuga there is no one like ravan. It's hard to find raam and it's harder to find ravan.


So absolutely true 👍🏼
Nitu2002 thumbnail
13th Anniversary Thumbnail Explorer Thumbnail
Posted: 12 years ago
#7
Thank you so much for sharing. Happy Vijiya Dashami to all.😊

Related Topics

Top

Stay Connected with IndiaForums!

Be the first to know about the latest news, updates, and exclusive content.

Add to Home Screen!

Install this web app on your iPhone for the best experience. It's easy, just tap and then "Add to Home Screen".