Story of Rākṣasa

A particular sect of asuras. The ancients had ordained that Rākṣasas should not be killed at dusk. Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Canto 22, Verse 22).

Uttararāmāyaṇa, contains the following story about the origin of Rākṣasas. When Brahmā was reciting the Vedas at the beginning of Kṛtayuga he felt very hungry and certain forms emanated from his face. Those who were born from his anger assumed the form of Rākṣasas and those from his hunger that of Yakṣas. The Rākṣasas turned out to be evil folk killing and eating cows and brahmins. Praheti and Heti were the first born Rākṣasas, the latter of whom wedded Bhayā, daughter of Kāla, and to them was born a son called Vidyutkeśa. He married Sālakaṭaṅkā, daughter of Sandhyā. Though a child was born to them they forsook it in the Himālayan slopes and went their own way.

At that time Śiva and Pārvatī came that way and after blessing the child returned to Kailāsa. The child was named Śukeśa. He married Devavatī, daughter of the Gandharva called Maṇimaya and three children were born to the couple, viz. Mālyavān, Sumālī and Mālī. They did tapas to propitiate Brahmā and when he appeared requested him thus: "We must defeat Yakṣas Kinnaras, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Vidyādharas, Yama, Kubera, Vāsava, Nāga kings and daityas and dānavas and we must not be defeated by any one. We must kill all enemies and they shall not kill us. We three shall never quarrel among ourselves."

Brahmā granted all their prayers. The three, proud and haughty due to these boons, began roaming about consuming cows and brahmins. They asked Viśvakarmā to build a city for them and he built for them Laṅkā on Mount Trikūṭa in the south sea. The three brothers took their abode in Laṅkā Mālyavān, Sumālī and Mālī married respectively Sundarī. Ketumatī, and Vasudhā, daughters of the Gandharva woman Narmadā Mālyavān begot of Sundarī seven sons called Vajramuṣṭi Virūpākṣa, Durṃukha, Suptaghna, Yajñakośa, Matta, and Unmatta, and also a daughter called Nalā.

To Sumālī were born of Ketumatī ten sons and also four daughters.

Four sons were born to Mālī of his wife Vasudhā, and they became the ministers of Vibhīṣaṇa.

Then thousands of Rakṣasas were born as sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, etc. to the above and they lived in Laṅkā, a terror to the whole world.

While the daughters of Sumālī, Vekā, Puṣpotkaṭā, Kaikasī and Kumbhīnasī were once walking in the forest they saw Kubera on a visit to Brahmā in all pomp and glory. They understood that Kubera owed his pomp and glory to his being the son of Viśravas and therefore, the next day one of the four, Kaikaśī, went to Viśravas’s āśrama and prayed for children by him. Three sons called Rāvaṇa, Vibhīṣaṇa and Kumbhakarṇa and a daughter called Śūrpaṇakhā were born to her by Viśravas. They secured boons by performing tapas and Rāvaṇa lived in Laṅkā as king of the Rākṣasas.