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Vishrava
Vishrava (), also called Vishravas, is the son of Pulastya, and a powerful rishi (sage), as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through the performance of tapasya, which in turn, earned him great name and fame amongst his fellow rishis. He is best known for being the father of the primary antagonist of the Ramayana, Ravana. Legend Birth The birth of Vishrava is described in the Ramayana. Once, the great sage Pulastya was engaged in austerities in the ashrama of Trinabindu, on the slopes of Mount Meru. Even as he was engaged in a penance in solitude, he was disturbed by a number of youthful maidens, the daughters of other sages, pannagas, as well as apsaras. They played their musical instruments and danced, seeking to divert his attention. Enraged, Pulastya declared that she among them who fell under his gaze would instantly conceive. Terrified of the Brahmin's curse, the girls vanished. During this moment, Manini, the da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaikasi
''Ramayana'' is one of the two major Sanskrit ancient epics (''Itihasa''s) of Hindu literature. It was composed by sage Valmiki. This is a list of important characters that appear in the epic. A Agastya Agastya was a son of sage Pulastya and brother of sage Vishrava. He was an uncle of Ravana. Agastya and his wife Lopamudra met Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana during their exile and gave them a divine bow and arrow. Ahalya Ahalya is the wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures say that she was seduced by Indra (the king of gods), cursed by her husband for infidelity, and liberated from the curse by Rama (an avatar of the god Vishnu). Akampana Akampan was a maternal uncle of Ravana. He was one of ten sons of Sumali and Ketumathi. He also had four sisters. He was one of the survivors of the battle between Khara and Dushana along with Shurpanakha. After escaping the deadly carnage, he instigated Ravana to kidnap Sita, thus indirectly making him one of the mast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kubera
Kubera ( sa, कुबेर, translit=Kuberā) also known as Kuvera, Kuber and Kuberan, is the god of wealth, and the god-king of the semi-divine yakshas in Hinduism. He is regarded as Guardians of the directions, the regent of the north (''Dikpala''), and a protector of the world (''Lokapala''). His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species, and the owner of the treasures of the world. Kubera is often depicted with a plump body, adorned with jewels, and carrying a money-pot and a club. Originally described as the chief of evil spirits in Veda, Vedic-era texts, Kubera acquired the status of a ''Deva (Hinduism), deva'' (god) only in the Puranas, ''Purana''s and the Hindu epics. The scriptures describe that Kubera once ruled Lanka, but was overthrown by his half-brother Ravana, later settling in the city of Alaka in the Himalayas. Descriptions of the "glory" and "splendour" of Kubera's city are found in many scriptures. Kubera has also been assim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ilavida
Ilavida or Idavida (also known as Devavarnini) is a character in the Ramayana, as the stepmother of Ravana and the first wife of Vishrava. Vishrava was the son of Pulastya and the grandson of Brahma, the Creator. I ..., the King of Devas, to manage his treasury. Kubera is best known to Hindus, therefore, not as the erstwhile King of Lanka, but as the God of Wealth. Citations and notes {{reflist Characters in the Ramayana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He abducted Prince Rama's wife Sita and took her to his kingdom of Lanka, where he held her in the Ashoka Vatika. Later, Rama, with the support of vanara King Sugriva and his army of vanaras, launched an invasion against Ravana in Lanka. Ravana was subsequently slain and Rama rescued his beloved wife Sita. Ravana is widely portrayed to be an evil character, though he also has many qualities that make him a learned scholar. He was well-versed in the six shastras and the four Vedas. Ravana is also considered to be the most revered devotee of Shiva. Images of Ravana are seen associated with Shiva at some temples. He also appears in the Buddhist Mahayana text ''Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra'', in Buddhist Ramayanas and Jatakas, as well as in Jain Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pulastya
Pulastya (Sanskrit: पुलस्त्य) is one of the ten Prajapati, and one of the mind-born sons of Brahma in Hinduism. He is also one of the Saptarishi (Seven great sages) in the first age of Manu, the Manvantara.Inhabitants of the Worlds Mahanirvana Tantra, translated by Arthur Avalon, (), 1913, Introduction and Preface. The Rishi are seers who know, and by their knowledge are the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from the root rish Rishati-prapnoti sarvvang mantrang jnanena pashyati sangsaraparangva, etc. The seven great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angira, Pulaha, Kratu, Pulatsya, and Vashishtha. In other manvantara the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shurpanakha
Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's king, Ravana, and the daughter of the sage Vishrava and the rakshasi Kaikeshi. Shurpanakha's role in the original epic is small, yet significant. Appearance Shurpanakha's appearance has drastic differences in the different versions of the epic. Most versions including the Valmiki's Ramayana mention her to be an ugly woman. When Shurpanakha first sees Rama in the forest, Valmiki describes her as facially unpleasant, pot-bellied, wry-eyed, coppery-haired, ugly featured, brassy-voiced, deplorably oldish, a crooked talker, ill-mannered, uncouth and abominable. In contrast, the Kamba Ramayanam describes her as a lovelorn and beautiful woman, attributing her behaviour to loneliness and thus humanising her. Early life Kaikesi, daughter of Sumali, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surpanakha
Shurpanakha (Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic ''Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's king, Ravana, and the daughter of the sage Vishrava and the rakshasi Kaikeshi. Shurpanakha's role in the original epic is small, yet significant. Appearance Shurpanakha's appearance has drastic differences in the different versions of the epic. Most versions including the Valmiki's Ramayana mention her to be an ugly woman. When Shurpanakha first sees Rama in the forest, Valmiki describes her as facially unpleasant, pot-bellied, wry-eyed, coppery-haired, ugly featured, brassy-voiced, deplorably oldish, a crooked talker, ill-mannered, uncouth and abominable. In contrast, the Kamba Ramayanam describes her as a lovelorn and beautiful woman, attributing her behaviour to loneliness and thus humanising her. Early life Kaikesi, daughter of Sumali, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful rakshasa and younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character and a great warrior in Hindu texts. He is said to have slaughtered 8,000 vanaras over the course of Rama's invasion of Lanka. Vibhishana narrated that Kumbhakarna had been born with immense strength, having subdued both Indra and Yama, striking the former in the chest with the broken tusk of Airavata. At the bequest of Indra, Brahma cursed the rakshasa to "sleep like he is dead". On Ravana's request, he commuted the curse to have the rakshasa sleep for six months at a time, and wake up for exactly one day to wreak havoc and devour to his heart's content. In a popular retelling of this tale, Kumbhakarna, accompanied by his brothers Ravana and Vibhishana, performed a major yajna to please Brahma. Indra was worried and jealous of his strength ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vibhishana
Vibhishana () is the younger brother of Ravana, the King of Lanka, in the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. Though a rakshasa himself, Vibhishana turned his back on Ravana, and defected to Rama's side, owing to his dharma. After Rama defeated Ravana, the former crowned Prince Vibhishana as the King of Lanka before returning to Ayodhya. Ramayana Prince Vibhishana is portrayed as a pious and pure of heart in the epic. After performing a penance to invoke a boon from Brahma, he begged the deity to always set his mind on the path to righteousness, and nothing more. Vibhishana was the youngest son of the rakshasi Kaikesi and the sage Vishrava, who was himself a son of the sage Pulastya, one of the Prajapati. Vibhishana was the younger brother of the King of Lanka, Ravana, and also the sibling of Kumbakarna. Even though he was born as a rakshasa, he was pious and considered himself a Brahmin, since his father was a sage. Due to Vibhishana's differences with Ravana, and because he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lanka
Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains. The ancient city of Lankapura is said to have been burnt down by Hanuman. After its king, Ravana was killed by Rama with the help of Ravana's brother Vibhishana, the latter was crowned king of Lankapura. His descendants were said to still rule the kingdom during the period of the Pandavas. According to the ''Mahabharata'', the Pandava Sahadeva visited this kingdom during his southern military campaign for the rajasuya of Yudhishthira. Ramayana The island was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known as the Trikuta Mountains. The ancient city of Lankapura is thought to have been burnt down by Hanuman. After its king, Ravana was killed by Rama with the help of Ravana's brother Vibhishana, the latt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bharadwaja
Bharadvaja ( sa, भरद्वाज, IAST: ; also spelled Bharadwaja) was one of the revered Vedic sages (maharishi) in Ancient India. He was a renowned scholar, economist, grammarian and physician. He is one of the Saptarishis (seven great sages or Maharṣis). His contributions to ancient Indian literature, specifically the ''Rigveda'', provide significant insight into ancient Indian society. He and his family of students were the authors of the sixth book of the ''Rigveda''. In the epic ''Mahabharata'', Bharadwaja was the father of the teacher (guru) Droṇācārya, the instructor to Pandava and Kaurava princes. Bharadwaja is also mentioned in ''Charaka Samhita'', an authoritative ancient Indian medical text. Etymology The word Bharadvaja is a compound Sanskrit from ''"bhara(d) and vaja(m)"'', which together mean "bringing about nourishment". the name also lends itself to more than one yoga asana called Bharadvajasana (“nourishing pose”) named after the sage. Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of . It lies in the Gangdise Shan, Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. Mount Kailash is less than 100 km towards the north from the western trijunction of the borders of China, India, and Nepal. Mount Kailash is located close to Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal. The sources of four major Asian rivers lie close to this mountain and the two lakes. These rivers are the Indus River, Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra, and the Karnali River, Karnali (a tributary of the Ganges). Mount Kailash is considered sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon. Etymology The mountain is known as “'” (; var. ' ) in Sanskrit. The nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
