Ravana -The breaking of the Veena string

Labels: , Monday, February 6, 2012 12:12 AM

It is quite a surprise that Ravana was a good poet and an exponent of music. Normally, persons with negative traits, such as Ravana had, lack finer instincts and do not have inclination for fine arts and music. These activities are for mild and sensitive persons. But Ravana, in contrast to his bearings, had these hobbies.

Being a staunch ‘Shiv bhakta’ (devotee of Shiva), he had created ‘Shiv Tandava’ (dance of Shiva) which is even practiced today. There is an interesting incident in an ancient scripture which shows Ravana’s devotion to music and poetry. Once, Ravana and his wife Mandodari were on a pilgrimage. Both were deep in meditation through music and dance. Ravana was playing the ‘Veena’ (an ancient Indian instrument) and Mandodari was practicing dance on Ravana’s music. All of a sudden, a string on the ‘Veena’ broke. So worried was Ravana that this accident would distract Mandodari’s meditative and devotional dance that he cut a vain from his hand, attached it to the ‘Veena’ to replace the broken string and continued to play the instrument. Mandodari never came to know of this and continued her dance blissfully. Such was Ravana’s devotion to whatever he did. Be it battle, be it administration, be it learning, be it worship or art. Such diverse interests and activities are rare, even in scriptures.

This is also a fact that after taking over Lanka from Kubera, Ravana made it prosperous. That is why it was called ‘Sone ki Lanka’ (City of gold). It is said that every household had gold worth a fortune. And because of this prosperity, his subjects were involved in hobbies like music and sculpture.

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Srawan Kumar

Labels: , Friday, January 20, 2012 11:21 PM

There is an incident in Valmiki Ramayan, that of Srawan kumar, which is thought provoking. During that time too, that is, the time of this epic, caste system was in existence. And of course, hunting of animals was not a sin but a ‘game.’

Once king Dashratha, Rama’s father, went into forest for the game of hunting deer. After roaming around fruitlessly he went deep inside the jungle, got separated from his troop and reached the bank of river ‘Sarayu.’ It was quite dark and the king was tired too. So he decided to rest under a tree for a while. Just then he heard a sound of water being drawn from another side of the river. King Dashratha thought it was a deer having his fill. The king was an expert marksman and could aim even at the sound of an object. Though it was pitch dark he aimed at the sound and released his arrow. He heard a scream of a wounded man. He realized his folly, ran to the spot and found a young boy lying in the pool of blood.

The king was taken aback and immensely regretted his act. He asked the boy who he was and tried to seek his apology. The boy, dying, said: “O king, I am Srawan, a rishi kumar (son of a sage). I am the only child of my blind parents. We are very poor, we maintain ourselves on fruits of this forest. I was taking my blind parents on a pilgrimage in two caskets balanced on my shoulders. We have no enemies, O king, why did you kill me? Now what will happen to my parents, who will look after them?”

Dasharath’s sorrow knew no bounds that he had fatally injured an innocent, more so a muni kumar, a Brahmin, and lamented in front of the boy and asked for his forgiveness. Whereupon Srawan told him: “Hey Rajan, I am born of ‘Vaishya and Kshudra’ parents. So I am not a Brahmin and there is no question of ‘Brahma hatya’ (killing of a Brahmin) on your part. Your act was not intentional. I forgive you. Look after my parents.” And he died. (The king was later cursed by Srawan’s parents, more details in later articles).

This proves that even in Ram Rajya (Ram’s reign), caste system was rigid. Brahma hatya was different from killing an ordinary soul of another lower caste. Interestingly, Srawan’s act of giving solace to the king and forgiving him was an act of a Brahmin, even though he was not one by birth.



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Ravana's Lanka

Labels: , , Saturday, January 14, 2012 11:39 PM

Here in India, there are a few places where Ravana is worshipped. In the rest of the country, he is a symbol of all that is bad and evil. As such Ravana’s effigy is burnt every year on Dashera, the day on which Sri Ram killed him, as a symbol of Good winning over Evil.

But there is one country, Sri Lanka (earlier Ceylon) where Ravana is held in high esteem and worshipped throughout the state. Today’s Sri Lanka, a small island, is supposed to be the old Lanka which belonged to Ravana. One prominent Sri Lankan researcher (Mr. Kariella) has made an in-depth study of today’s Sri Lanka in connection with old Lanka and has declared that there are considerable evidences and similarities to believe in the story. He has also written a book of his historical research to prove his point.

There are quite a few places in Sri Lanka which are supposed to be the remnants of the old Lanka, that is, Ravana’s Lanka. For example there is a fall in a small town named Ella which is known as Ravana Dhodh (fall) from time immemorial. Throughout the country, there are many old temples dedicated to Hanuman, Sri Ram and Sita. They are all worshipped there but it is Ravana who is considered a great ruler and held in high esteem. Strangely, there is no temple solely dedicated to Ravana. The place where Sita was kept in captivity is a popular spot known as Ravana goda. There is also a cave on the top of a mountain which is known as ‘Ravana gufa' (Ravana’s cave). There may be other spots devoted to Ramayana and Ravana which we are not aware of. So Ravana and other characters connected with Ramayana are symbolically present throughout Sri Lanka. What is more, there is a modern resort named after the great ruler-‘Ravana resort’.

P.S.: I have also heard of a musical instrument called ‘Ravan haththa’. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about it. But the very fact that Ravana’s name is attached to it signifies some importance.

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Ravana's undoing

Labels: , Tuesday, January 10, 2012 12:01 AM

Since the beginning of this series in Ramayana, we take characters and incidents ad hoc that is, in no particular order. In this page we will take the incident which was the beginning of Ravan’s downfall.

It is of common knowledge that Ravana was highly educated, intelligent and a great devotee of lord Shiva. Being a Brahmin by birth, it was natural for him to study scriptures and know all mantras and stutis (prayers). After he finished his formal education, he started a tapa (meditation)) to please his beloved deity, Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is also known as Bholenath (the innocent one) and as such it is very easy to please him. But somehow in the case of Ravana it was not so easy. Now, Ravana being Ravana, continued to meditate to please his Lord for years on end. It is also said that Ma Parvati (Shiva’s consort) was instrumental in delaying The Lord’s blessings to Ravana. Parvati insisted that the Lord should check Ravana’s perseverance. But finally after years and years of Ravana’s meditation, the Lord could contain himself no more and blessed Ravana that he (Ravana)could not be killed by a demon or an animal or a devta (God), not even Mrityudev (God of death).

Out of ego and over confidence, Ravana tried to shake Mount Kailash, the very mountain that Lord Shiva was meditating on. He tried his strength against his own mentor. This disturbed Shiva’s concentration. When he learnt that it was Ravana’s deed, he pressed his toe on the side of the mountain which Ravana was trying to lift and shake. Ravana’s hand was pressed under the mountain and try as he may could not take it out. At last Ravana realized his mistake, understood the limitations of his strength against his mentor and decided to please Lord Shiva and started to meditate all over again. It took him years of meditation to please the Lord but finally Shiva relented and released his hand. It appears that this act of going against his Lord immediately after receiving the boon was the beginning of his undoing.

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Ramayana - The Mumbai connection

Labels: , , Monday, January 2, 2012 12:01 AM

As we already know, there are many legends and stories connected with the epic ‘Ramayana’. Very few people outside Mumbai know that there is one place right here in Mumbai which has its connection with the great epic. The place is our very own Walkeshwar and the legendary Banganga Lake.

Legend has it that when Ravana kidnapped Sita, Sri Ram was inconsolable for awhile. Lakshman, Ram’s younger brother gave him solace and the two of them set about the task of finding Sita. Their wandering brought them to the place where Walkeshwar is now. The place was a thick jungle then. Only Rishis (sages) and Brahmins ventured there for meditation and penance. Among them Gautam Rishi had his Ashram there which was quite secluded from others. When the two brothers reached there, they stayed there for awhile in service of the Rishi. Gautam Rishi was very pleased with the two brothers, particularly with Ram for his polite and humble nature. A few days later, the Rishi asked them the purpose of their visit where upon Ram told his story and asked for his guidance and assistance. Gautam Rishi, already impressed with Ram, suggested that Ram should appease Lord Shiva and for that he would need a ‘Shivlinga’. Lakshman was sent to Kashi the same evening to bring ‘Shivlinga’. After a few days the Rishi observed that the wait for Lakshman’s return was painful for Ram and he was getting restless.

The Rishi suggested that Ram should make a ‘Shivlinga’ from the sand available at the shore of the sea and get on with his job. Ram did just that. Sand is called ‘balu’ or ‘walu’. Since the Linga was made of walu, it came to be known as ‘Walukeshwar’ and during course of time both the Linga and the area nearby became ‘Walkeshwar’. The Linga which Lakshman brought from Kashi was installed on an adjacent slot and it was known as ‘Lakhmaneshwar’. When foreigners invaded the place later, the original sand Linga was destroyed. The present Linga, which is now there is the one which Lakshman brought from Kashi, so the legend goes.

In order to install the Linga and for other rituals, they needed water, Lakshman hit the earth deep with his bow and arrow (some say Ram did it) and water came out from Patal (deep inside earth) and formed a lake. The lake came to be known as Patalganga and still later Banganga as it was Lashman’s ‘Ban’( bow and arrow) which had formed it. Even to this day there is a stream which flows throughout the year, nothing less than a miracle. So the legend goes.

Source:Gujarat Samachar: 23rd Nov. 2011.

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The birth of Ravana

Labels: , Friday, December 30, 2011 8:11 AM

Since time immemorial, as far back as you can remember, mighty importance has been given to ‘Sandhyakaal’, that is, evening time when the sun sets and the moon rises. In other words, meeting time of the sun and the moon, a little dark and a little fading light which is ‘Godhuli’ (when cows return home). It is a pious time and people light Diyas (earthen pots) and engage themselves in ‘Sandhya puja’ (evening prayer) with pure mind and good thoughts forgetting all traumas of the day for a while. It gives solace to the mind.

At such a pious time when everyone was deep in prayer with total Bhakti (devotion) in their minds and nothing but God Almighty in their thoughts, Kekasi, already married to Rishi Visrava, approached Visrava’s Ashram and wished for their copulation with intention to bear their child.
Now it was customary at that time for Rishis to fulfill any demands made at that pious time of Godhuli by any person. Following that tradition, Visrava who could not reject or even overlook Kekasi’s request, accepted her demand and satisfied her.

But immediately after that, he warned Kekasi: “Hey Devi (godess), this action of ours at this time of Godhuli is against religion and is prohibited. But I am bound with our Rishi parampara (tradition) and could not refuse or disappoint you. The deed is done and it is bound to have its consequences. The child conceived today will have few good but more adverse virtues which will overshadow his good ones.”

Thus Ravana was born. Ravana was the eldest of Ketaki’s four off springs. He was known as ‘Dashanana.’ Dashanana means ten heads. That again means one who is egoistic and proud of his genius, wealth and immense strength, the one who scares others, becomes dangerous for others as well as himself. Such a person has tremendous faith in his own strength, can take any risk in life, even risk to his own life in order to fullfill his desires. Such a man was Ravana, who once even dared ‘Yama’ (god of death) for a combat.

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Who was Ravana?

Labels: , Thursday, November 24, 2011 7:34 PM


Who was Ravana?

When we think of Ravana, we think of a giant figure of great height, bearing ten heads, each sporting a big mustache and a cruel face, horrible to look at, with ego and cruelty in his being. These are all legends to simplify the tale and make the story interesting. But who was Ravana really? Was he a Rakshasha (demon) or an ordinary human?

Ravana, by birth was a Brahmin and by action, Asura. It seems all beings were born as Aryas and later, divided into humans, Gods, Asuras, Yakshas, Daityas, Vanar (monkey) etc. and all could speak. Ram was human and Sita used to call him ‘Arya putra’, Ravana was a rakhasha but Mandodari too called him ‘Arya putra’, and so did Taramati to her husband Vali who was a Vanar.

Ravana was son of Rishi Visrava who in turn was son of Rishi Pulastya. Pulastya was again the son of Lord Brahma. So it can be concluded that Ravana was a great grandson of God Brahma, as such, incarnation of God.

Rishi Visrava had another wife. Her name was Devranini. She had a son named Kuber. So Kuber was Ravana’s step brother. Kuber used to work for Lord Indra as his finance minister. Though Kuber, was a Yaksha, he worked for Indra (a God) and Indra trusted him enough to make him his finance minister. And Ravana, though a Brahmin by birth, is burnt every year as a symbol of a demon because of his deeds.

Ravana’s father-in-law Sumali, was a Rakshasha. Kekasi, Sumali’s daughter was married to Visrava Rishi and Ravana was born to her. So Ravana, though Brahmin, had elements of Asura too because of his mother Kekasi. This is one aspect of Ravana’s birth..

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