Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Ravana included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of 屹ṇa
The ṣa King of ṅk who had ten heads.
Genealogy.
Descended from վṣṇ ٳܲ:��Pulastya�վś�屹ṇa.
Birth.
վś, grandson of and son of Pulastya married 첹ī, daughter of Sumālī. While վś and 첹ī were living in the forest Śleṣmātaka, 첹ī became pregnant. She delivered four children in four 峾, with an interval of one 峾 between them. The elder three were the famous ṣas, 屹ṇa, ܳ첹ṇa and վīṣaṇa; the fourth one, a girl, was named Śū貹ṇa. (Kamba 峾ⲹṇa, Bālakāṇḍa).
Kubera was another son of վś born of another wife called ٱ𱹲ṇ� alias Īlabilā. As soon as he came of age Kubera captured the ʳṣp첹 chariot and began ruling the kingdom with ṅk as capital. (Uttara 峾ⲹṇa).
Previous lives of 屹ṇa.
See under Jaya XI.
屹ṇa secured boons.
첹ī (屹ṇa’s mother) who became envious of the pomp and prowess of Kubera advised her son to secure boons from by tapas and become equal to Kubera. Accordingly he went to Ҵǰ첹ṇa with his brothers and began tapas. ܳ첹ṇa did tapas for 10,000 years; վīṣaṇa also did tapas for 10,000 years standing on one foot. 屹ṇa, standing in the middle of the five fires, meditated upon . Though 10,000 years passed thus, did not appear yet. 屹ṇa then cut one of his ten heads and made an offering of it to in the fire. Thus, within 9000 years he cut nine of his heads and offered them to in the fire. Lastly when he was about to cut off his tenth head, appeared and asked him to choose whatever boon he wanted. 屹ṇa chose the boon that from none but men should he meet with his death. ܳ첹ṇa desired to secure the boon of 'nirdevatva' (Absence of the devas) but secured by a slip of the tongue 'nidrāvatvam' (sleep). վīṣaṇa chose devotion to վṣṇ. On his return after securing the boons, 屹ṇa occupied ṅk, drove away Kubera and took his puṣpaka chariot. 屹ṇa further declared Ѳ屹ṣṇ to be his eternal enemy. Hearing about 屹ṇa’s victory the ṣas from came to live in ṅk.
Family life.
Rāvana married ѲԻǻ岹ī, fosterdaughter of Ѳܰ and three sons, ѱ岹, پⲹ and Akṣakumāra were born to the couple. He then conquered the whole world with the cooperation of his sons and other ṣas. The ṣṭ徱첹 (protectors of the eight regions) were subjugated. He attacked Devaloka, but was defeated and imprisoned. ѱ岹 by magical trickery captured Indra and released 屹ṇa from custody. ѱ岹 came to be called Indrajit from that day onwards.
ٲīܲԲ and 屹ṇa.
Curses heaped on 屹ṇa.
As a result of ruling the land, as a terror to the whole world, for many years and of his triumphal journey 屹ṇa had invited on his head eighteen ś貹 (curses) as follows.
(i) ū ś貹. 屹ṇa once insulted 鲹, the betrothed wife of ū during her tour at a place near . On hearing about the insult ū cursed that 屹ṇa should die with his ten heads broken.
(ii) ձ岹īś貹. While ձ岹ī, the only daughter of sage śᲹ, was doing tapas to secure Śrī as her husband. 屹ṇa committed rape on her and she cursed him ٳܲ:�"You and your family will be ruined by Lord ⲹṇa on account of me."
(iii) Brāhmaṇaś貹. He invited a Vedic brahmin to install the idol of հܰܲԻ岹ī given to him by Ś. As the brahmin happened to be a bit late to come, 屹ṇa imprisoned him for seven days, and the old brahmin cursed that 屹ṇa would be imprisoned seven months by a man.
(iv) Ի徱śś貹. For calling him 'monkey' at , Ի徱ś cursed that 屹ṇa and his kingdom would be destroyed by monkeys.
(v) ղṣṭś貹. As ղṣṭ refused 屹ṇa’s invitation to teach the Vedas etc. he took the former captive. When he was released from captivity by the solar King ܱś, ղṣṭ cursed that 屹ṇa and his family would be destroyed by those born in the solar dynasty.
(vi) ṣṭ屹ś貹. 屹ṇa once saw sage ṣṭ屹 at Śleṣmātaka and gave him a kick saying, 'Oh! handsome fellow! I shall cure your eight hunches", and the sage cursed 屹ṇa as follows:—For kicking me, a poor innocent sage, you will be kicked from head to foot and foot to head by monkeys."
(vii) ٲٳٰⲹś貹. 屹ṇa once poured on his own head water kept purified by mantras by ٲٳٰⲹ to bathe the head of his Guru, and the latter cursed that 屹ṇa’s head would be polluted by the feet of monkeys.
(viii) ٱⲹԲś貹. When 屹ṇa molested and wounded the lips of ٱⲹԲ’s sister in his own presence he cursed that 屹ṇa’s sister would be mutilated by a man and he would be humiliated by monkeys.
(ix) Māṇḍavyaś貹. During a pleasure trip of his with ѲԻǻ岹ī 屹ṇa cruelly manhandled Māṇḍavyaṣi, when the latter cursed that 屹ṇa too would be roughly handled by a monkey.
(x) Atriś貹. 屹ṇa once dragged by hair the wife of Atri in his very presence, and Atri cursed that 屹ṇa will have to witness his wife being denuded of her dress and dragged by the hair by monkeys.
(xi) 岹ś貹. 岹 refused to explain the meaning of 'Om' to 屹ṇa and the latter threatened to cut the tongue of 岹. 岹 then cursed that all the ten heads of 屹ṇa would be cut by a man.
(xii) Ṛtuvarmaś貹. 屹ṇa once raped Madanamañjarī, wife of Ṛtuvarman, who lived as an anchorite in the marutta forest, and the latter cursed that 屹ṇa would be killed by a man.
(xiii) Maudgalyaś貹. Once ṣi Maudgalya was sitting in the svastika pose resting his neck on the Dz岹ṇḍ (a short stick-like piece of wood with a handle) 屹ṇa happened to come there and he cut into two the Dz岹ṇḍ with his Candrahāsa (sword) with the result that the ṣi fell down with face upwards and broke his back-bone. The ṣi then cursed that 屹ṇa’s Candrahāsa would prove ineffective in future.
(xiv) Brāhmaṇajananīś貹. Certain young brahmin girls who had gone for sea-bath were humiliated by 屹ṇa in the presence of their mothers when they cursed that the wife of 屹ṇa would be insulted in his very presence by monkeys.
(xv) Agniś貹. 屹ṇa once humiliated Svāhādevī, wife of Agni in his very presence and Agni cursed that 屹ṇa’s wife would be humiliated by monkeys in his presence.
(xvi) Բṇyś貹. 屹ṇa killed by one blow on his chest King Բṇy of the solar dynasty who sought refuge with him, and the King cursed that 屹ṇa would die with all his ten heads cut by the arrows of a prince of the solar dynasty.
(xvii) ṛh貹پ ś貹. When 屹ṇa was about to return after conquering Devaloka and taking the devas captives, Sulekhādevī, daughter of ṛh貹پ tried to take shelter somewhere when 屹ṇa attempted to catch her by force. Then ṛh貹پ cursed that 屹ṇa would die hit by the arrows of 峾.
(xviii) Brahmadevaś貹. 屹ṇa tried to humiliate Puñjikādevī, daughter of , and the latter cursed that 屹ṇa would die with all his ten heads broken if he touched unwilling women.
屹ṇa got Candrahāsa.
See under Candrahāsa.
He threatened Devas.
屹ṇa, during his triumphal march with the armies, once came to the Uśīravīra mountain. Then the King called Marutta was performing Ѳś ⲹñ on the plains of the mountain. Indra and the other devas came to receive their portion of the offerings. But they ran away in fear on the arrival of 屹ṇa. Indra assumed the form of a peacock, Yama that of a crow, Kubera that of a chameleon and ղṇa that of a swan, and the devas, thus assuming various forms went away in different directions. Marutta got angry and got ready to fight 屹ṇa. But, as the ṣis prevented him from it no fighting took place. 屹ṇa returned with the glories of victory.
He defeated .
Once 岹 felt the urge to witness a quarrel. He went to ṅk and told 屹ṇa tales about , that was more powerful than 屹ṇa, that would soon be causing 屹ṇa’s death etc. These stories awakened the anger in 屹ṇa against , and the former, with a strong army challenged , and war between the two started. was in a fix, for he had given 屹ṇa the boon that the latter would be killed only by a man. At the same time he had given the boon to that anybody thrashed with his ('s) club would die. , therefore, decided to end the fighting between and 屹ṇa somehow, and he approached and requested him to withdraw from fighting. Accordingly acknowledged defeat and thus the fighting ended.
屹ṇa attacked .
Afterwards 屹ṇa marched with his army to where he defeated ղṣa첹, the 岵 King and exacted tributes from him. Then he attacked ٲ첹. When the fighting became very fierce intervened and brought about a compromise between the two. Next, 屹ṇa attacked Surabhi in ղṇa’s palace, but the ṣas who emerged from the pores on Surabhi’s body drove away 屹ṇa.
Raped 鲹.
See under ū.
His death.
屹ṇa’s sister, Śū貹ṇa met Śrī 峾 and ṣmṇa at ʲñṭ� and wanted first 峾 and then ṣmṇa to marry her. But, ṣmṇa cut away her nose, breasts etc. Enraged by this 屹ṇa abducted ī. Śrī 峾, with the help of the monkey-army, killed 屹ṇa in war. (See under 峾.
Synonyms of 屹ṇa.
ٲś첹Ի, ٲśԲԲ, Daśāsya, Paulastya, Pulastyatanaya, Rakṣaḥpati, Rākṣasādhipa, ṣamaheśvara. (ī쾱 峾ⲹṇa and Kamba 峾ⲹṇa).