The Upside-Down King Read online

  Ravana’s Downfall

  King Ravana continued his journey of rampage and conquering kingdoms, killing people, imprisoning kings and taking away the beautiful women.

  When Ravana reached the city of Mahishmati, he headed to the king’s palace. King Arjuna (or Kartavirya Arjuna), the ruler of the kingdom, had a thousand arms and was blessed with the protection of Agni, the god of fire.

  The king, however, was not in his abode. Ravana thundered in impatience, ‘Where is the king? I have come to seek his surrender.’

  The king had gone to the river Narmada for a swim with his wives. The ministers knew this, but no one said anything. One smart minister responded, ‘The king is away from the palace, but he hasn’t informed us of his whereabouts.’

  Ravana was travelling in the Pushpaka Vimana and could easily trace his target from the sky. He thought of tracking down Kartavirya Arjuna but decided to first pray to Shiva and seek his blessings. So he went to the river Narmada, found an isolated spot and had a bath. He came out, made a shivalinga out of sand and began his prayers.

  While praying, the water from the river came gushing out and washed away the shivalinga. Ravana became furious at the river. ‘How dare the river send her water to disturb my prayers?’

  Upset, he abandoned his prayers and sent his servants to find out where the gush of water had come from. They came back and informed him, ‘Sir, a man with a thousand arms has extended his limbs across the river, almost like a dam. His family is playing in the water.’

  Ravana immediately knew that the man was none other than Kartavirya Arjuna. He sent his ministers to the king, who said, ‘The great Ravana of Lanka has come here, and you have disturbed his prayers to Shiva on the banks of the river. There must be a war.’

  ‘Please tell your king that I am extremely apologetic,’ replied Kartavirya Arjuna. ‘I was unaware that he was worshipping Shiva downstream. But I am with my family right now, and it is time for sunset. So if there has to be war, let it be from tomorrow.’

  Ravana, however, refused to wait for the next day.

  ‘Sorry, the great Ravana cannot wait for a time that’s based on your convenience,’ conveyed the messenger to Arjuna.

  So the battle began.

  The two sides were almost equally strong. Ravana fought bravely and with all his might. However, Arjuna curled his arms like an octopus and imprisoned Ravana between them. He defeated Ravana and brought him back as a prisoner to the kingdom.

  Ravana’s pride suffered a severe blow at his first defeat.

  Arjuna said to him, ‘O Ravana, you are not the only one who is strong enough to conquer kingdom after kingdom. Now that you realize my strength, you must also understand that I do not wish to slay people or grab other kingdoms. I do not desire your kingdom either. I only wished to teach you a lesson. If you really want to understand the true meaning of a war, I insist that you meet my guru, Vali, who rules the kingdom of Kishkindha.’

  At this very time, Sage Pulastya, Ravana’s grandfather, happened to come to Mahishmati to visit Kartavirya Arjuna. Pulastya was a great scholar with a spotless reputation, revered wherever he went.

  King Arjuna asked him politely, ‘O Sage, what may I do for you?’

  ‘Arjuna, please set my grandson free,’ the sage replied. ‘There is much to be done if he has to fulfil his destiny.’

  Ravana felt ashamed when he learnt of his grandfather advocating for him.

  Kartavirya Arjuna released Ravana and even bestowed him with royal gifts. ‘You are a great scholar and possibly the greatest devotee of Lord Shiva. Please don’t employ your power and strength for worldly and unimportant goals. Don’t forget that you also belong to a sage’s esteemed lineage. Let us put the past behind us and become friends.’

  There is a blind belief that whenever a person misplaces something, he or she can pray to Kartavirya Arjuna. With his thousand arms, he will search for the lost item and ensure that you find it.

  Ravana had regained his freedom, but he was unhappy. As days passed, he became obsessed with the brave and powerful Vali.

  After much thought and planning, Ravana decided to battle with Vali and was convinced that he would emerge victorious against the monkey king. His victory would show the world his strength. So Ravana set out in search of Vali.

  He found Vali standing in the ocean, performing his evening prayers to Surya, the sun god. Ravana attacked Vali from behind, but Vali’s tail wrapped tightly around Ravana, holding him in a vice-like grip as the monkey king circumnavigated the world, lost in prayer.

  A powerless Ravana called for a truce and promised Vali that he would never fight with him again.

  This was Ravana’s second defeat.

  Ravana soon went back to his old ways. In time, he became obsessed with Sita and hatched a plan to kidnap her. He spoke to his uncle Maricha about his plan and sought his help. Maricha, however, warned his nephew, ‘O mighty king, almost all people you come in contact with will tell you what you want to hear. It is solely because of the position you hold. It is rare to find people who will give you the right advice—advice that may not always be pleasing to your ears. But just like bitter medicine, such words are good for your health. Rama is a great warrior, and no matter how strong your desire, you must not pursue his wife. It is against dharma, and it is your kingly duty to be a role model to your subjects and follow dharma at all times.’

  Ravana, however, did not listen, and forced Maricha to transform himself into a deer so that the deer could lead Rama away on a hunt, and thus lead him away from his wife.

  ‘My death is certain,’ said Maricha sadly before turning into a deer. ‘I will be killed by either you or Lord Rama, and if I get to choose, I would rather die due to the lord’s arrows.’

  When Ravana kidnapped Sita and reached Lanka, his youngest brother, Vibhishana, warned him, ‘Brother, don’t antagonize Rama. It is unjust for you to keep Sita here against her will.’

  Stubborn Ravana ignored the warning.

  Lankini, the powerful demon who protected the city of Lanka, had been warned by Brahma that Lanka’s downfall would begin the day she was defeated by a monkey. When Hanuman emerged victorious in a battle with her, she immediately knew what lay ahead and went to Ravana to inform him. ‘Sire, do not ignore this incident or our kingdom will fall. Please release Sita and let her return to her husband.’

  Well-wishers in the family also advised Ravana, but to no avail. Kumbhakarna too advised his brother to return Sita, but Ravana ordered him to fight Rama.

  When Kumbhakarna arrived at the battlefield, he announced, ‘I have come here to first fight the man who hasn’t cared for food and sleep for the last fourteen years.’

  ‘Who is he referring to?’ wondered everyone.

  Rama stepped forward. ‘You speak of my brother Lakshmana,’ he said. ‘In my service, he has not had deep sleep at night, nor does he long for food.’

  Thus began the fight between Kumbhakarna and Lakshmana, which ended in an almost-fatal attack on Lakshmana. Rama then fought the mighty asura and killed him.

  Ravana, however, was convinced it was impossible to defeat him. Only a select few knew that the secret of Ravana’s death lay in the nectar of his belly button that was responsible for the regeneration of a decapitated head.

  In the end, Vibhishana disclosed this information to Rama voluntarily and sealed Ravana’s fate.

  How Not to Outsmart a God

  King Ravana of Lanka was a devoted disciple of Lord Shiva. His mother, Kaikesi, was also a devotee and responsible for initiating the seeds of Shiva bhakti into her son.

  One day, Ravana decided to go to Mount Kailash and perform a penance to please Lord Shiva. He met his mother before leaving, who advised him, ‘My child, don’t ask the lord for material things. Instead, ask him for the divine atmalinga, the source of immortality and great power.’

  Ravana agreed, left home and began his penance. He had immense confidence in himself and his devotion. Years passed in deep meditation a