1. The mystery
Ravana is depicted as the king of Rakshasas. He is said to have ten heads. But not many people know that he was not born with ten heads. Let's unravel the mystery...
2. Ravana's Penance
Ravana performed an intense penance - tapasya - to Brahma, lasting several years. During his penance, Ravana chopped off his head 10 times as a sacrifice to appease Brahma. Each time he sliced his head off, a new head arose, thus enabling him to continue his penance.
3. Brahma's Boon
4. Anti-Hero Like No Other
Ravana, one of the most powerful beings ever to roam the earth, is also known as the supreme anti-hero in Ramayana. He was the king of rakshasas and is depicted with 10 heads and 20 arms, which lent him the name "Dasamukha".
5. But Why Ten Heads?
Ravana's 10 heads symbolise the six Shastras and four Vedas, making him a great scholar and the most intelligent person of his time. But the question still remains unanswered...Why ten?
6. Hidden Meanings
Indian mythology is very tricky. On one side you see the story, but on the other side, there is a deep, hidden meaning to every story. The 10 heads of Ravana signify the 10 forms of love - yes, love!
7. Ten Loves
The ten loves are: 1. Loving your designation, your post or qualifications - ego or ahankara;
2. Loving your family & friends - attachment or moha;
3. Loving one's perfect self - which leads to regret or paschyataap;
4. Loving/expecting perfection in others - leading to anger or krodha;
5. Loving the past - leading to hatred or ghrina;
6. Loving the future - leading to fear or bhaya;
7. Loving/wanting to be no.1 - this is jealousy or irshya;
8. Loving things - which brings in greed or lobha;
9. Loving parts of the body of the opposite gender - which is lust or kama;
10. Loving fame, money, and children - brings inertia/insensitivity or jaddata;
8. Love As A Negative Feeling
An important thing to notice here is that all the negative feelings are also forms of love. Actually, they are said to be "distorted forms of love". Indeed, every action, everything, every feeling is a form of love. Ravana too was said to be obsessed with these negative feelings, which led to his destruction.
9. When Knowledge Fails
Despite Ravana being a master of 64 types of knowledge, of what use was all the learning when he did not put them into practice? Though he had all the wealth, he could not enjoy anything because of his excessive desires. He became a slave to his feelings which finally led to his death.
10. Ten Heads Are Useless
Thus, Ravana's ten heads signify that when you have more than you need, it serves no purpose
