Ravana

Ravana
Ravana, South India, 18th century AD
Ravana, South India, 18th century AD
Devanagariरावण
Sanskrit transliterationRāvaṇa
AffiliationLanka, Rakshasa
PredecessorKubera (King of Lanka)
SuccessorVibhishana (King of Lanka)
AbodeLanka
MountPushpaka Vimana
TextsRamayana and its versions
Personal information
Parents
SiblingsKumbhakarna
Vibhishana
Shurpanakha
Spouse
ChildrenIndrajit, Atikaya, Akshayakumara, Narantaka, Devantaka, Trishira

Ravana (/ˈrɑːvənə/;[1] Sanskrit: रावण, IAST: Rāvaṇa, pronounced [ˈraːʋɐɳɐ]) was a multi-headed rakshasa king[2] of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana.[3][4] In the Ramayana, Ravana is described as the eldest son of sage Vishrava and Kaikasi. He abducted Prince Rama's wife, Sita, and took her to his kingdom of Lanka, where he held her in the Ashoka Vatika.[5] Rama, with the support of vanara King Sugriva and his army of vanaras, launched an invasion against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana was subsequently slain, and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita.[6][7]

Ravana is widely portrayed as being an evil character, though he is also a learned scholar. He was well-versed in the six shastras and the four Vedas, including the Shiva Tandava Stotra.[8] Ravana is also considered to be the most revered devotee of Shiva. Images of Ravana are often seen associated with Shiva at temples. He also appears in the Buddhist Mahayana text Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, in Buddhist Jatakas, as well as in Jain Ramayanas. In Vaishnava scriptures, he is depicted as one of Vishnu's cursed doorkeepers.[9]

  1. ^ "Ravana". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
  2. ^ Cartwright, Mark. "Ravana". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  3. ^ Wheeler, James Talboys (1869). The History of India from the Earliest Ages. Vol. II The Rámáyana and the Vedic period. N. Trubner & Co. p. 281.
  4. ^ Brown, Nathan Robert (2 August 2011). The Mythology of Supernatural: The signs and symbols behind the popular TV show. Berkley Boulevard books, Newwork. ISBN 9781101517529. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Sunderkand explanation" (PDF). sunderkandsatsangsamuh.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. ^ Das, Subhamoy. "The Ramayana". Learn Religions. Retrieved 12 May 2020. Summary by Stephen Knapp
  7. ^ "Ravana". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  8. ^ Vālmīki; Menon, Ramesh (26 May 2004). The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-86547-695-0.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pankaj-2019-07-31-Stsmn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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