Our story begins long before Lord Ram Himself was born. With the birth of the demons who will one day, oppose Him. Powlasti, a son of Bramhadev, the creating God of the Universe, was married to Deva- varni, and he had a son called Vaishrava. A daughter of Bharadwaja, a rishi, was given away in marriage to Vaishrava; and she had a son called Kuber. Bramhadev had created Lanka and given it to Kuber. While Kuber was ruling there, a demon came from Patal, the netherworld in the form of a Brahman and became very jealous of him.

The demon said to himself, ” Lanka is my country and this man has no right to rule here.” So saying to himself he gave away his daughter, Kakesi, in marriage to Vishrava with a view to drive out Kuber of his country, Lanka, with the help of the sons who would be born to her by him. Vaishrava had got by Kakesi three demons, Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Vibhishana and two demonesses, Tataka and Surpanakha. Ravana and his brothers went to Gokarna, where they performed severe penances.

Siva, the destroying God of the universe, was propitiated by Ravana, Bramhadev by Kumbhakarna, and Vishnu, the protecting God of the universe by Vibhishana. Bramhadev was pleased with them and called upon them to ask him for blessings. Bramhadev was pleased with them and called upon them to ask him for blessings.

Ravana was blessed with a power to imprison all Gods and also with wealth and learning. Kumbhakarna wanted such a blessing from Bramhadev as would enable him to devour heaven and earth. All the Gods were, therefore, alarmed and prayed to the Goddess Saraswati, who induced the demon to ask the God for sleep. Bramhadev blessed him with sleep, saying that the demon would rise every six months to eat his meals and indulge in all other luxuries. Vibhishana was blessed with a power to pray always to Vishnu.

Ravana and Kumbhakarana then collected all demons including Kharadushana and Trishira and marched against Kuber to conquer Lanka. They fought with Kuber with bravery, but the latter repulsed them with heavy loss. Ravana then went to Vaishrava and brought his letter to Kuber asking him to give Lanka to the demon without any resistance. On reading the letter from his father he gave the country to Ravana and proceeded to heaven by a Viman, a conveyance or a chariot serving as a throne through the skies, self-directed and self-
moving.

Mayasur, a demon, gave away his daughter, Mandodari, in marriage to Ravana. Pirghajwala, a grand-daughter of Bali, was married to Kumbhakarna, and Sharma, a daughter of a Gandharva, a demi God, to Vibhishana. Ravana conquered all countries and devoured a large number of Brahmans and cows. He robbed Kuber of his treasure and oppressed all other people. He had eight thousand wives, one lac of sons and one lac and twenty thousand grand-sons. He had eighteen kshoyanis (one kshoyani consists of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,350 foot, and 65,610 horses) of musicians, who entertained him with music. All kings were his slaves, and eight thousand torches lighted his sabha, the court, every night.

All mountains for fear of Indra, The king of the Gods, prayed to Ravana for protection, who told them to become elephants. They
accordingly became elephants, whom he engaged as his servants. He then marched against Indra with his eldest son, Meghanand. A severe battle took place between the Gods and the demons, but the former were defeated by the latter. In that battle Meghanand flung down Indra with his Hairawati, Indra’s elephant, and hence he was called Indrajit, the conquerer of Indra.

All the Gods were seized by Ravana and released on the condition that they should serve him in his household in different capacities. All the Gods became his slaves; Indra served him as his butler, Chandra held a chatra, a large and lofty parasol, over him, Kuber and Anil cleaned and washed all the things in his house. Agni served him as his washerman, and Gabhasti as his page. Brahaspati was his pleader, Bramhadev his priest, and Narada always entertained him with singing.

Ravana became a great favourite of Siva; and by his blessing he had got ten faces and twenty hands. One day he, proud of his prosperity, went by his viman to Kailasa, the place of Siva, when Nandi, the bull on which Siva rides, who was guarding the door of the abode in which the God lived, prevented him from entering it. The demon was greatly insulted at the conduct of Nandi, and said “I do not care a fig of thee and thy master.” So saying he began to force his way in, when Siva cursed him and said to him, “A human being and monkeys will kill thee in a battle.”

Enraged at this curse he tried to pull off the mountain on which the abode of Siva stood with a view to carry it to Lanka, when the God pressed it in such a manner that the domon-king was confined to it for one thousand years. He always cried and prayed to Siva during the time for his release. One day the God pitied him and set him free. Thence, he went to Sahasrarjun and praised his own strength there, when the latter caught hold of him and put him in his arms. He was ashamed and went to the kingdom of Bali, who possessed prodigious strength.

He entered the palace of the king and praised his valour and bravery, when the latter said in order to test his strength, “There lie the kundalas, ear -ornaments, of the demon, Hiranyakashapu, whom Vishnu had killed to protect Prahlada. Just go and get the ornaments here.” Ravana went to bring them, but he could not lift them up, when Bali said to him, “If thou canst bring the kundalas, just get that die which fell down there, while my wife and I were playing together.” Ravana accordingly went to bring the die but, to his great surprise, he could not remove it, when both Bali and his wife heartily laughed at him.

Ravana, humbled as he was, set out for Lanka; but on the road he was robbed of his clothes and ornaments and let off with soot being applied to his ten faces and with his hands tied up behind like a prisoner. He was much troubled by the people on the road. Some threw dust at him, some slapped him in the face, some pulled him by the beard and others made him sit down on a dung-hill. A maid-servant of Bali caught him so forcibly that he implored her to spare his life.

Vaishrava then came there and begged of Bali to make a present of the demon to him. His request was granted and Ravana was let off. The demon-king returned to Lanka with shame and confusion. Ravan’s thirst for power was not yet quenched. Soon, he would turn his eyes towards  the very dynasty where Lord Ram was destined to be born. Until next time, Jai Shree Ram!

|| OM SAI SHRI SAI JAI JAI SAI || 

|| SHRI SATCHIDANANDA SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI ||

Note: This narration is based on Ramavijaya: The Mythological History of Rama (Bombay, 1891, Dubhashi & Co.), a public domain text shared here for free reading.