Some wise words from Ravan (Part-2)

Let me try to critically examine each of these questions and share my thoughts:

1. Why and how these great words of wisdom from an anti-hero character like Ravan?

2. Why Ravan chose to pursue his battle with Lord Sri Ram despite seemingly recognizing the cause of his agony?

3. What is the message from this episode to common people like us who are still bound to worldly matter and relations?

There could have been multiple reasons why these great words could have been spoken by Ravana’s character. While Ram is personification of compliance to Dharma and better placed to preach the kartavya (or duties) of a human being, Ravana is probably better placed to explain the ill effects of ‘Moha’, the obsession and ‘Lobha’, the greed due to his experiential knowledge.

The consistent trait of Ravan has always been to leverage his strength, devotion to fulfill his greed or obsession. He chased away his own relative Kubera and occupied the Lanka, obsessed by its beauty and wealth. He dared to seek mother Parvathi for himself when Lord Siva and Parvathi transcended to give him a boon. He stooped to steal Sita in the absence of Lord Sriram obsessed by her beauty and charm. His knowledge of Veda’s and scriptures did not prevent him from performing deeds prohibited by those very scriptures.

Ravan is very much attached to the material world and addicted to sensual pleasures (as evident from what Hanuma observed in his palace while searching for Mother Sita). His material attachments have further strengthened his ignorance. The dark clouds of ignorance have totally covered the Sun of knowledge in his intellect (Chit akasa). Similar to a drunkard / drug addict cannot control his actions despite knowledge of ill effects of consumption of alcohol or drugs; he totally abdicated efforts to restrain himself. Extension of same analogy can further explain his preaching.

How is Ravan trying to leverage his knowledge? He is trying to leverage his holy knowledge to console his wife so that she allows him to proceed to the battle field. He further corroborates that he has resorted to heinous deed to liberate himself from the material world. The same knowledge of Lord Rama as Vishnu has led the two brothers Ravan and Vibhishan in two opposite directions. Vibhishan has pursued being righteous and sought Rama’s shelter knowing him as Vishnu. Ravan unable to control his material passion, tried to justify his battle with Lord Rama in the name of liberation. He simply could not overcome his ego, fear of having to lead a life of servitude to Lord Rama and personal grief due to material attachments (of losing brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghanadh in the war).

In my opinion, the message for the faithful is three fold:

• The knowledge without its rightful application is hazardous and not beneficial. The application of knowledge and compliance to rules is equally important to knowledge itself.

• Niyama or control of material senses is important to remain on the path of righteousness. The straying from this path can lead to vicious circle of addiction and finally annihilate the knowledge.

• The ultimate success and glory lies in the very fact of acceptance to dharma and being humble (as in the case of Vibhishan) where as False Ego and false justification of wrong deeds can only lead to destruction (as in the case of Ravan)

We may be bothered by the fact that Ravan getting liberated and his unison with Lord Rama. It was clarified by Narada in verse 83-87 of Sarga 11.

For common men like me, the analogy of coal burning in fire helps. The material body is left dead (similar to ash), where as soul unites with super soul (similar to the calorific value or internal energy of coal adds on to energy of fire itself). After the union, we cannot distinguish source of each calorie of energy.