9.4. The character of Rāvaṇa

Rāvaṇa is the despotic king of Laṅkā. He is very proud and greedy and thinks himself as the most powerful one. Endowed with ten heads and twenty arms, he harasses and humiliates gods and goddesses. But the author Dāmodara Miśra has described him as the contesting bridegroom at the marriage ceremony of Sītā, the daughter of king Janaka. For Sītā only Rāvaṇa becomes the rival of Rāma. His love and longing for Sītā is more prominent than his heroic deed and ferocity.

There is a common saying ‘pride goes before destruction’ and Rāvaṇa’s pride knows no bound. Rāvaṇa arrives at Mithilā. Śiva’s bow and Sītā are shown to Rāvaṇa by the royal priest Śatānanda. Śatānanda says ‘this is the bow and this is Sītā’. This is treated to be an underestimate to him. Rāvaṇa claims himself as superior one and says angrily. Janaka says that there is no doubt about Rāvaṇa’s courage because he has lifted the Kailāśa mountain^[1] (the abode of Lord Śiva).

In the 3^rd Act of the Hanumannāṭaka, Rāvaṇa engages Mārīca as the golden deer, to deceive Sītā.

Rāvaṇa has the power of remaining invincible. Through grace he becomes invincible unless his power of illusion is destroyed. Rāvaṇa abducts Sītā^[2] from the forest coming as a tapasvī.^[3] During Sītā’s kidnapping when Jaṭāyu tries to rescue Sītā, Rāvaṇa hurts him.^[4] In the 6^th Act Rāvaṇa seeing Hanumān with Sītā, becomes very angry and attacks him with his weapon named Candrahāsa.^[5] But Hanumān was not hurt by that. In the last Act of the Hanumannāṭaka, Rāma rescues her (Sītā) fights with Rāvaṇa destroys his illusive power and kills him.^[6]

In the drama Rāvaṇa is presented as the loving suitor of Sītā. He is deeply attracted by the beauty of Sītā. He wonders at the amazing beauty of Sītā. The brightness of the moon, the brightness of the gold; the melodious voice of cuckoo, even the beauty of peahen cannot match the beauty of Sītā.^[7] In comparison with Sītā’s charming beauty all other objects are insignificant for this loving anti hero.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

śambhorāvāsamacalamutkṣeptuṃ bhujakautukī/
māheśvaraṃ dhanuḥ kraṣṭumarhate daśakandharaḥ// ibid., I.16

[2]:

sa vyāharaddharmiṇi! dehi bhikṣāmalaṅghayallakṣmaṇa lakṣmalekhām/
jagrāha tāṃ pānitale kṣipantīmākārayantīṃ raghurāja putrau// ibid., IV.6

[3]:

bāṇena divyena raghupravīrastato mṛgaṃ vakṣasi baddhalakṣyaḥ/
vivyādha yāvattarasā tapasvī daśānanastāvadihā’jagāma// ibid., IV.4

[4]:

kruddhastato dṛḍacapeṭaśilātalena rakṣaḥ pipeṣa gahane’dbhutapakṣirājam/
īṣatsthitāsurapatadbhuvi rāmarāma rāmeti mantramniśaṃ nigadanmumukṣuḥ// ibid., IV.12

[5]:

īṣatsajjanamaitrīva nābhidyata kapestanuḥ/
nihatā candrahāsena rāvaṇenātiraṃhasā// ibid., VI. 23

[6]:

paitāmahaṃ raghupatiḥ samare’tikopādbāṇaṃ mumoca hṛdaye daśakandarasya/
bhittvā śa tadhṛdayaśonitaśoṇagātraḥ prāṇānviveśa dharanītalamasya nītvā// ibid., XIV. 42

[7]:

paitāmahaṃ raghupatiḥ ….. nītvā// ibid., XI.V 42