Table of Contents
Who is Ravana?
Ravana, the king of lanka was a great scholar, politician, and a vastu expert. In addition, he was also a great tantrik, astrologer and a shiva bhakta. Ravana’s original name was Dasamukha, or the ten-headed one.
He belonged to the glorious lineage of sage Pulastya, the mind-born son of lord brahma. Vishrava, the son of sage Pulastya married Kaikasi, the daughter of the demon king Sumali. The marriage resulted in 4 offspring of which Ravana was the eldest.
Hence Ravana possessed both qualities of a brahmin and a demon.
Ravana writes the Shiva Samhita
Interestingly, Ravana composed the Shiva tandava Stotram and Shiva Samhita.
Notably, Ravana was not just an eminent pandit of his age but also a far-sighted scientist. He had contributed greatly in the field of Ayurveda, Tantra, astrology and music.
Alongside, he had also mastered Indrajal deception mentioned in the Atharva veda. His doctor Sushen was a specialist of rare herbs found in atypical countries.
To tell you, Ravana had only introduced Shiva linga puja and Shiva sadhana for the entire world. All know only of his evilness and consciously discount his virtues. But, today, in this blog we shall reveal some valuable teachings that he rendered to Lakshmana on his deathbed.
During the demon king’s last moments, Sri Rama advised Lakshmana to beseech Ravana as a student and hear his golden words.
Ravana’ Main Teachings
Trust those who care for you
Never be the enemy of your charioteer, doorkeeper, cook and brother. Since I forsook my brother Vibhishana, he sided with you. Vibhishana knew all my personal secrets.
Without his help you could have never entered Lanka and won the war.
Test your Alignment with the Spiritual Subject Matter (only 7 Questions)
The scores generated in this Quiz are relative. There are no right or wrong answers. A percentage towards 100 indicates that you are more aligned to the overall subject matter.
Never be over-confident
Lakshmana, never be confident of your victory. You can never trust destiny. Some day or the other all must embrace death. Hence always fight anticipating defeat. I had conquered all the three worlds. Gods, Demons and Gandharvas were all at my feet. These accomplishments fanned my ego. As a result, I thought I was immortal. This very thought doomed me.
Never Understimate your enemies ever
Oh Lakshmana, never undermine your enemy. I undermined humans, monkeys and bears. Hence, I lost the war. Already, Lord Brahma had warned me against humans, monkeys and bears. Yet, I undermined their strength and saw my downfall.
Have limited wants and never fall for greed
Listen, Oh son of Sumitra, whoever pines for fame, must forsake greed. Whenever greed raises its hood, crush it instantly. Otherwise, this greed assumes the form of a ferocious demon. You never realize when it subjugates you. I have direct experience of this. I coveted power, empire, wealth and women. However, I didn’t; realized when this demon of greed gulped me.
All my knowledge, my powers, my devotion, my boons, my intelligence got destroyed due to greed. Hence be satisfied with whatever you get and keep a tab on your wants.
A king should work only for His people and never for himself
Oh Lakshman, a king should protect his subjects like a father. Here, A great king must take bold decisions for societal wellbeing. He should rise above personal gains and keep the interests of his citizens in mind.
In my lifetime, I failed miserably as a king. During my reign, I preferred maintaining my personal ego and greed. I never thought about my subjects. Therefore, I shunned lord Sri Rama’s peace proposal. This erroneous step not only destroyed me but also my entire clan.
Respect those who criticize you openly, they have a lesson for you
Oh, son of Sumitra, listen to me carefully, Always trust a minister who openly criticizes the king, fearless of the repercussions. Such a minister is not a flatterer, he is your well-wisher. Just like parents chastise their son, similarly, a minister must educate the king on correct conduct.
Keep away from flatterers. Their sweet poison can sabotage your entire empire.
Vidura is relevant
One such example of a fearless minister is Vidura. Irrespective of king Dhritarashtra’s temper, he openly chastised him for his partiality towards Duryodhana. Such souls are respectable.
Stars will get the better of you, so depend only on your Ishta
Lakshmana, Never think you can manipulate your stars. Anyhow, you must suffer for your past and present deeds. There is no way out. Hence, always perform good actions in life and selflessly worship your ishta devata. This shall ultimately grant you liberation.
Never Procrastinate
You would be surprised to know that Ravana had coined the phrase- “Shubhasya Sheeghram.” Ravana: Oh, brother of Rama, a person should instantly perform auspicious tasks and procrastinate inauspiciousness. Once you decide to complete a task, do it at the earliest.
Never delay any task for tomorrow. I had vowed that I shall extract all the elixir from the moon for the demons. I had vowed to construct a staircase that takes us directly to heaven using which my citizens can travel to heaven as they please.
But fate had something else in store. Every time I delayed it. So, my dream remained a dream.
Keep your secrets close to your Heart
Oh son of Sumitra, never disclose the secrets of your life to a second person. Because someone may use them against you. I made that mistake. I revealed the confidential secret of my death to my younger brother Vibhishana. Now I am lying on my deathbed.
Either Love or Hate the Lord with full Heart
Oh brother of the lord, either love or hate the lord. But whatever you do, it must be immense and strong. If you choose to become a devotee, worship the lord with full vigor. Don’t get disappointed if He takes long to answer your prayers.
Instead worship him with complete faith and devotion. This only shall draw the lord and grant you liberation. If you become an enemy, your enmity should be such that you die at His hands.
Those humans who see-saw between the two, suffer immensely in hell. They never taste happiness. Their mind constantly chatters.
I always detested the lord. I became his greatest enemy which is why I died at His hands. Saying this, Ravana breathed his last uttering the holy name ‘Rama’.
How true are the teachings?
Besides, Valmiki Ramayana doesn’t mention this episode. Instead, it speaks of Ravana dying instantly by the fatal Brahmastra. However in other versions he gets to hear of this valuable discourse.
Whatever be the case, we should learn from this episode and apply these golden words in our daily lives since they deliver immense value.
You display your love by reading this valuable material. So kindly read and consider financially supporting us to keep our efforts going with renewed vigor! Supporters in India can donate via Razorpay while those abroad can use PayPal!
