WHAT IS THE HIDDEN MYSTERY OF TEN HEADS OF RAVANA?
THE HIDDEN MYSTERY OF RAVANA:- 10 FACTS;- 1-Dussehra might be a festival to celebrate the victory of good over evil, but it's only a minor part of Hindu mythology. Ravan was one of the most important characters ever in the scheme of things. He's seen mostly as a villain, but surely he's much more than that. 2-There are some facts about Ravan that show the other side of the demon-king of Lanka.Technically, Ravan was Brahma's great-grandson.Ravan's father was the famous rishi, Visravas, who himself was a son of Prajapati Pulastya, one of Brahma's ten 'mind-born' sons. 3 -Ravan performed a yagya for Ram. In one of the many versions of the Ramayana, it is said that once Ram's army had created the bridge to Lanka, they needed to get Shiva's blessing for which they set up a yagya. But the biggest bhakt of Shiva in the entire region was Ravan, and since he was half-brahman, he was also the best qualified to perform the yagya. Displaying honour, Ravan actually showed up, performed the yagya and gave Ram his blessing. 4- As he lay dying, Ravan imparted valuable knowledge to Lakshman.Since Ravan was one of the most learned scholars to have ever lived, Ram asked his brother Lakshman to sit beside the dying demon-king and learn from him important lessons in statecraft and diplomacy. 5-Ravan was an extraordinary veena player. In many depictions of Ravan, he can be seen carrying a veena. It is believed that he had a keen interest in music and was a highly accomplished veena player. 6- Ravan was so powerful, he could even interfere with planetary alignments.During the birth of his son Meghnad, Ravan 'instructed' the planets to stay in the 11th house of the child, which would grant him immortality. Saturn, or Shani, refused to do so and stood in the 12th house instead. It irked Ravan so much, it is said that he attacked Shani Dev with his mace and even imprisoned him. 7- Ravan was well-aware of his impending doom. Most powerful Asuras (demons) knew that they were sent to earth to perform a particular role. Ravan knew that it was his fate to die by the hands of an avatar of Vishnu, something that would help him attain moksha and give up his demon form. 8-Some versions of the Ramayan say that Ravan did not in fact have ten heads, but it appeared so because his mother gave him a necklace of nine pearls that caused an optical illusion for any observer. In another version, it is said that to please Shiva, Ravan hacked his own head into pieces, but his devotion made each piece spawn into another head. 9-He got the name Ravan later in life, and that too from Shiva.Ravan wanted Shiva to relocate from Kailash to Lanka, and to make this possible, he tried to lift the mountrain. But Shiva, being who he is, put down his foot onto the mountain, thus crushing Ravan's finger with his one toe. Ravan let out a huge roar of pain, but at the same time, he was so enamored by Shiva's power, he performed the Shiva tandav stotram. It is believed that Ravan plucked out nerves from his own hand to provide accompanying music. Shiva, thus impressed, named him Ravan (the one who roars loud). 10-The essence of Indian mythology is obviously beyond the simple good vs evil trope. If you care to dig deep, there's an interesting story at every step.Ravan played his role as a villain, but it was that of a much-needed villain, that brought balance to the equation. No wonder there are many people in the world, who still worship him. UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERY OF TEN HEADS;- 15 FACTS;- 1-According to the legend, Ravana, an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva, went to please him on the banks of Narmada river. As an ultimate sacrifice, he axed his head in front of Shiva's idol, but every time he would cut his head, another grew in its place. He cut his head for Lord Shiva 10 times, and as a blessing, Ravana was blessed with 10 heads. 2-Even though Ravana was considered evil, he was the most knowledgable scholar of the epic Ramayana, and was expert in all the forms of art.Ravana’s 10 heads denote 6 shashtras & 4 vedas that he mastered in his lifetime. 3-His ten heads also represent 10 human emotions: 1- Kaam – Lust 2 -Krodha – Anger 3 - Moha – Delusion 4 -Lobha – Greed 5 -Mada – Pride 6 -Maatsarya – Envy 7 - Manas – Mind 8 -Buddhi – Intellect 9 -Chita – Will 10 -Ahamkara - Ego 4-In the battle of epic Ramayana, it takes seven days for Lord Rama to defeat the Ravana, thereby chopping off his 10 heads. According to the legend, every time Sri Ram cut Ravana’s head, another head appears. 5-Being a true devotee of Lord Brahma, the creator, Ravana chopped off his head in reparation.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. 6-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. 7-At last, Brahma, pleased with his austerity, appeared after Ravana's 10th decapitation and offered him a boon. Ravana asked for immortality, which Brahma refused of course, but gave him the celestial nectar of immortality, which we all know was stored under his navel. 8-HIDDEN MEANING;- 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 .Ravana's 10 heads symbolise the six Shastras and four Vedas, making him a great scholar and the most intelligent person of his time. Namely: 1-Sankhyashastra (Mathematics) 2-Yog Shastra (Yoga as a way of life, meditation) 3-Nyayashastra (Law and administration) 4-Vaisheshik Shastra (Physics, astronomy, mechanics) 5-Purvamimansa (Philosophy, Justification) 6-Uttar Mimansa Shastra 7-Rigveda 8-Yajurveda 9-Samveda 10-Atharvaveda. 9-Ravana was a master in astrology, it is said that he broke one of Saturn’s arms, when Sani deva refused to be in a perfect position which would have made Meghnad immortal. 10-While Ravana was dying, Lakhsmana ran towards him so that he can learn the knowledge of diplomacy, since nobody in this planet had better knowledge and experience of administrative diplomacy over Ravana. His 10 heads represented a mammoth pool of knowledge and experience as a ruler, king and as a Brahman. 11-From another perspective, the 10 heads signify the 10 negative forms of love. 1-Kama – Lust 2-Krodha – Anger 3-Lobha – Greed 4-Ahamkara – Ego 5-Moha – Attachment/Delusion 6-Irshya – jealousy 7-Ghrina – Hatred 8-Pakshpath-Partiality 9-Jaddata – Insensitivity 10-Bhaya – Fear 12-His ten heads also represent 10 human emotions .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 Partiality or Partiality; 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 -Love of the opposite gender - which is lust or kama; 10 -Loving fame, money, and children - brings inertia/insensitivity or jaddata; 13-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. 14-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.Thus, Ravana's ten heads signify that when you have more than you need, it serves no purpose... 15-Despite having superpowers and boons from Lord Brahma and Shiva, the king of Lanka was defeated in the battle because his emotions overpowered his intellectual capabilities.Thus, every year on Dussehra, the 10-headed Ravana is set to fire across India. With the ablaze, people are expected to shun the aforementioned negative emotions for a peaceful life. ....SHIVOHAM....