Previous Stories of Ravana -4

Previous Stories of Ravana-4

Birth of Ravana and others

Sumali lived with his family in the nether world,Rasatala for a long time in fear of Lord Vishnu. By this time,Kubera the treasurer of gods occupied Lanka. After some time,Sumali started coming out of Rasatala with his daughter Kaikasi and began wandering around the earth. At that time,he once saw Kubera going in his Pushpaka Vimana to meet his father. Seeing him so radiant like fire,Sumali got astonished. After coming back to Rasatala,he thought over," By doing what can we progress? How can we prosper?"

     He then called his daughter Kaikasi and told her,"Dear daughter! This is the right time to give you in marriage to a proper bridegroom! Youth will pass away! Many young men are not coming forward to marry you in the fear that you may refuse! We all are in fact trying to search a good bridegroom for you! Do one thing! You go yourself and marry Sage Vishravas, who is the son of Sage Pulastya and the grandson of Lord Brahma. If you marry him,you may beget sons as good as his son Kubera!"

    Accordingly, Kaikasi, respecting her father's words,went to the place where Sage Vishravas was doing penance and stood before him. It was evening then and he was performing a fire sacrifice. Kaikasi, without thinking that the period of evening was terrific for sensual thoughts, bent down her head and began scratching the ground with her toe nails. The sage, seeing her, asked her,"O noble lady! Whose daughter are you? Where have you come from? What can I do for you?"

      Kaikasi then said," O sage! You can know yourself! But I shall still tell as you have asked.I am Kaikasi, the daughter of Sumali. I have come here as per my father's suggestion. The rest of the matter, you can know yourself,O sage!"

     The sage went into a trance and by his divine vision,he understood why she had come. He then said to her,"O lady! I understand that you have come here to beget children from me! But the time you have come is not right! It's the evening time not proper for such thoughts. Hence, the children born to us will be cruel Rakshasas!"

    Hearing this, Kaikasi got scared and said folding her hands,"O sage! I don't want your children to be cruel like that! Please offer good benediction!"

     The sage then said again,"Since you requested,your fourth son will be a noble and righteous one befitting my clan!"

     Thus, Kaikasi married the sage Vishravas. After some time,she gave birth to a rakshasa who was of a terrific form! He had ten heads, twenty hands, big face,red lips, and big canine teeth! As soon ashe was born, female jackals started spitting fire balls! Birds of prey began circling in anticlockwise direction! Clouds thundered like donkeys and rained blood! Meteors showered from the sky! Earthquake occurred! Fierce storms blew! Sea gushed forth! Sage Vishravas seeing the child having ten heads named him Dashagriva. This Dashagriva became famous as Ravana later.

      Next was born Kumbhakarna,a great giant. There was no body as huge as his! And then was born a girl child called Shurpanakha,who had terrific face! At last was born Vibheeshana, the righteous. As soon as he was born, flowers showered from the sky! Gods played the kettledrums in pleasure! They said,"Great! Great!" from the sky!