RAVANA TALES TOLD IN 100 WORDS
This story explains why Ravana could not force himself on Sita, or on any woman:
Ravana Rapes Rambha
One night Ravana found Rambha wandering in the woods; she was a beautiful apsara, and Ravana burned with lust. He grabbed her and whispered, "How lucky for you we have met!"
Rambha protested. "You are my elder, my in-law; Nalakubara, your nephew, is my husband. Let me go!"
But Ravana did not listen, and he raped Rambha that night.
When Rambha told Nalakubara what Ravana had done, he cursed his uncle. "If you ever touch another woman against her will, your head will split into seven pieces."
That is why Ravana had to seduce Sita; he could not force her.
This is a story about when Vali was king of the monkeys, before Sugriva deposed him:
Ravana Fights Vali
Ravana went looking for Vali, the monkey-king, wanting to fight him. He found Vali on the ocean's shore, engaged in worship.
He planned to sneak up on Vali from behind, but Vali grabbed Ravana and shouted, "Got you!" He then tucked Ravana under his arm and soared up into the clouds.
Down below, the rakshasas saw their king struggling to get free. They chased Vali but could not catch him.
After flying around the world, Vali landed and let Ravana go.
"I want to be your friend, great monkey!" said Ravana.
Vali laughed and agreed; thus Vali became Ravana's ally.
Ravana was a follower of Shiva, and in this story, some disturbs Ravana's worship:
Ravana Fights Kartavirya
Ravana was sacrificing to Shiva on a riverbank, singing and dancing in Shiva's honor.
Meanwhile, Kartavirya, Thousand-Armed King of the Haihayas, was relaxing in the river with his wives. As Kartavirya splashed, the waters rose and the flood carried away Ravana's offerings.
Enraged, Ravana fought with Kartavirya in a ferocious battle. Finally, Kartavirya knocked Ravana to the ground, and the gods watching from heaven rejoiced.
Ravana's grandfather Pulastya pleaded with Kartavirya to let Ravana go. Out of respect for the great sage, who was a mind-born son of Brahma, Kartavirya agreed.
Ravana was strong, but there is always someone stronger.
This is probably the most famous legend about Ravana anad Shiva:
Ravana Shakes Kailash
Ravana was riding through the mountains when an invisible force stopped his chariot. There stood Nandi, Shiva's bull. "Turn back, Ravana! This is Shiva's home."
"Nothing you say will stop me!" shouted Ravana. To show his power, Ravana reached out with his twenty giant arms and lifted up the mountain.
Shiva saw this and laughed, and then he pressed down with his big toe, trapping Ravana beneath the mountain.
Ravana screamed, and the mighty roar impressed Shiva.
"You have a fine voice," Shiva declared. "I will free you from the mountain, and in future you will be called Ravana, He-Who-Roars."
Ravana obtained boons not just from Brahma but also from Shiva:
Ravana's Offering to Shiva
After Ravana obtained a boon of protection from Brahma, he then prayed to the god Shiva.
As Ravana prayed, he cut off one of his heads and one of his arms in order to make a veena. He made the strings for the veena from his own guts. Ravana then sang for Shiva as he played this veena made from his own body.
Impressed, Shiva appeared before Ravana. "Behold the indestructible Moon-sword, Chandrahasa!" said Shiva, as he waved a sword that was crescent-shaped, like the moon. I give it to you."
Ravana bowed in reverence, accepting the sword from Shiva.
Rama's birth was foretold by Rama's distant ancestor, King Aranyana:
Ravana and King Aranyana
Ravana had defeated the kings of the earth, one after another. He then marched on Ayodhya, where Aranyana was king.
King Aranyana led his mighty army into battle, but Ravana incinerated them in a blast of fire, leaving only Aranyana alive.
Aranyana fought on, firing hundreds of arrows at Ravana, but Ravana's armor repelled them all. Ravana then struck Aranyana on the head, knocking him to the ground.
As he lay dying, Aranyana cursed the rakshasa king. "An avenger will arise from Ayodhya!" he vowed. King Anaranya's grandson Dilipa had a grandson Aja, whose grandson was... Rama, Prince of Ayodhya.
This is a parable told by the Bengali sage Ramakrishna:
Ravana's Lifetime
The world's maya is like a magician's magic. The magician is real; the magic is not. The illusion lasts for only a moment.
Shiva was sitting atop Mount Kailash with his bull Nandi. Suddenly, a loud shout reverberated through the air and the earth shook.
"What was that?" asked Nandi.
"Ravana is born," replied Shiva.
A few minutes later there was more shouting and the earth quaked.
"What was that?" asked Nandi again.
"Ravana is dead," replied Shiva, smiling.
Birth and death are like bubbles in water; the water is real, but the bubbles arising from the water appear and disappear.
Author's Notes:
Ravana Rapes Rambha. This story is found in the Uttara Kanda of Valimiki's Ramayana. Nalakubara is the son of Ravana's half-brother Kubera. More information.
Ravana Fights Vali. This story is also found in the Uttara Kanda. Vali was possessed of supernatural strength that far exceeded the powers of his brother Sugriva. More information.
Ravana Fights Kartavirya. This too is a story from the Uttara Kanda. I really like the way the illustration from the Freer Ramayana tries to show how Ravana's twenty arms were nothing compared to Kartavirya Arjuna, who had a thousand arms! More information.
Ravana Shakes Kailash. There is a Ravananugraha article at Wikipedia. In other versions of the story, Ravana sings to Shiva, and that is why Shiva frees him. More information.
Ravana's Offering to Shiva. The word "chandra" means moon, and Shiva is associated with the crescent moon; one of his titles is Chandramouli, Moon-crown. More information.
Ravana and Rama's Ancestor. This story is also from the Uttara Kanda. The complete line of descent is: Anaranya - Khatvanga - Dilipa - Raghu - Aja - Dasharatha - Rama. Rama's birth as an avenger is thus determined by many cosmic forces. On the one hand, the gods ask Vishnu to become incarnate to stop Ravana from waging war on heaven, but from this story we learn that one of Rama's ancestor's cursed Ravana so that an avenger would arise to destroy Ravana. More information.
Ravana's Lifetime. I found this story in Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna told many different parables about the "illusion" of the world, also known as reality, which is called "maya" in Sanskrit. More information.
Image Information:
Ravana Rapes Rambha. Apsara painting from Sri Lanka.
Ravana Fights Vali. Illustration from Freer Ramayana.
Ravana Fights Kartavirya. Illustration from Freer Ramayana.
Ravana Shakes Kailash. Photo by Gane Kumaraswamy.
Ravana's Offering to Shiva. Shiva photo from Pikrepo.
Ravana and Rama's Ancestor. Ravana shadow-puppet.
Ravana's Lifetime. Shiva and Nandi at Wayfair.