Ravana's Family
Ravana's family are hardly mentioned outside the Ramayana, which is viewed by some as being only the point of view of Rama devotees. According to that:
Ravana's granduncle was Malyavan, who was against the war with Rama and Lakshmana. He also had another granduncle named Mail who was killed by Lord Vishnu.
Ravana's parents were sage Vishrava (son of Pulastya) and Kaikesi (daughter of Sumali and Kethumathi). Kaikesi had ten brothers, the famous generals in Lanka’s army being Dhumraksha, Prahastha and Akampana, which would effectively make them Ravana's uncles and three aunties named Kumbinashi, Puspotkata, and Raka. Kaikesi’s father, Sumali was instrumental in making Ravana, the king of Lanka, by advising him to get boons from Brahma, defeat Kubera, and establish the Rakshasa rule in the three worlds.
Ravana had seven brothers and two sisters:
Kubera – the King of North direction and the Guardian of Heavenly Wealth. He was an older half-brother of Ravana. Kubera was born to Vishrava's another wife Ilavida.
Kumbhakarna – One of the most jovial demons in Hindu mythology. When offered a boon by Brahma, he was tricked into asking for eternal sleep. A horrified Ravana, out of brotherly love, persuaded Brahma to amend the boon. Brahma mitigated the power of the boon by making Kumbhakarna sleep for six months and being awake for the rest six months of a year (in some versions, he is awake for one day out of the year). During the war with Rama, Kumbhakarna was untimely awakened from his sleep. He tried to persuade Ravana to open negotiations with Rama and return Sita to him. But he too failed to mend the ways of Ravana. However, bound by a brother's duty, he fought on the side of Ravana and was killed in the battlefield. Before dying he met Vibhishana and blessed him for following the path of righteousness.
Vibhishana – A follower of Rama and one of the most important characters in the Ramayana. As a minister and brother of Ravana, he spoke the truth without fear and advised Ravana to return the kidnapped Sita and uphold Dharma. Ravana not only rejected this sane advice, but also banished him from his kingdom. Vibhishana sought protection from Rama, which was granted without hesitation.
Khara – King of Janasthan. He was a cousin of Ravana and the son of Kaikesi's sister Raka.
Dushana – Viceroy of Janasthan. Cousin of Ravana and twin brother of Khara.
Ahiravan – In Krittivasi Ramayan, Ahiravan was king of the Underworld ruled by the rakshasas by Ravana and the demon king Maya.
Kumbhini – Older half-sister of Ravana and the wife of the demon Madhu, King of Mathura. She was the mother of Lavanasura.
Sahastra Ravana - He is mentioned in Adbhuta Ramayana as elder brother of Ravana, one thousand armed and thousand-headed, living on an island named Pushkar, he was much more powerful than his younger brother. He is slain by Sita who takes the form of Mahakali to slay him.
Shurpanakha – The sister of Ravana. She was the ultimate root of the kidnapping of Sita. She was the one who instigated her brothers to wage a war against Rama.
Ravana was married to Mandodari, the daughter of the celestial architect Maya, Dhanyamalini, and a third wife. His sons from his three wives were as follows
- Meghnaad (also known as Indrajit because he defeated Indra), the most powerful son of Ravana. He was born to Ravana's elder consort Mandodari.
- Atikaya
- Akshayakumara
- Narantaka
- Devantaka
- Trishira
In the Bengali ballad "Meghnad Bodh Kavya" by Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Beerbahu is said to be Ravana's son.
Priestly ministers
Ravana is said in some version to have had Shukracharya, the priest of the Asuras, as his minister, and in some versions Brihaspati, the priest of the Devas.
One of the most original, which is not found in earlier manuscripts, tells how Ravana orders his court priest Brhaspati (all the gods being his slaves) to read the Chandi stava (mantras of Chandi), that is, the Devi Mahatmya, in order to stave off defeat if he can recite it. According to the Krttivasa text, Ravana arranged for a peaceful yajna (sacrifice) and to start the recitation of Chandi, Brihaspati was invited. Accordingly, Brihaspati recited the same correctly.
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