This Dussehra Let’s Remember And Teach Our Kids The Good Qualities Of Ravana, The Lord of Lanka
Dussehra is one of the most important festivals celebrated by Indians. The past two years have been tough for us but this year people are all geared up to celebrate it on Friday, October 15, 2021.
It is a ten-day festival that is celebrated on the tenth day of the Ashwin month of the Hindu calendar. After 9-days of Navratri, it signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Huge effigies of Ravana are burnt on Dussehra with fireworks which also signify the dispelling of darkness by light.
Ravana had kidnapped Lord Rama’s wife Sita and held her accountable in Lanka due to which a battle ensued between the two warriors and Ravana was killed at the hands of Lord Rama. Usually, we signify Ravana as the bad guy but he also had some redeeming qualities.
The beauty of the Hindu Religion is that nobody is colored as truly good or truly evil. Everyone has some good and bad qualities. The mythological stories about Hindu Gods always offer some learnings and lessons that can be emulated in our daily lives. Similarly, Ravana was not all black, he had many good qualities, and when he was about to die Lord Rama had asked Lakshmana to go and seek his blessings and learn from him since he was a learned man.
So this Dussehra, let’s teach our kids about the brighter side of Ravana. Here are some good qualities of Ravana.
#1. He was a Great Poet and a scholar of Vedas
Ravana was a great poet. He was a learned man and was well versed in Vedas and is attributed to have written the Shiva Tandava Stotram praising Lord Shiva. Ravana mastered all four Vedas and was a chanter of Sama Veda.
#2. A Great Shiva Devotee
Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Shiva and he even obtained Chandrahas from Lord Shiva. He lifted Mount Kailash to show his powers and devotion to Lord Shiva and but Lord Shiva placed it back just by pressing his toe-crushing Ravana’s fingers, seeing Lord Shiva’s power and might Ravana sings Shiva Tandava Stotram.
#3. A Science Master
Despite being a great warrior, Ravana had mastered many subjects and was a scholar of science. He wrote a treatise on astrology called Ravana Samhita. He also possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda.
#4. Great-Grandson of Brahma
Ravana was the son of Rishi Visvara who was a Brahmin. His grandfather was Prajapati Pulastya, one of Brahma’s ten mind-born sons. He was a Brahmarakshas. Whereas his mother was Kaikesi, a rakshasa thus attaining the status of Brahmarakshas.
#5. An Excellent Warrior
Ravana was a very powerful warrior and he had all the skills needed to win a battle. Lord Rama could not kill Ravana easily, it was only on the tenth day of the battle that he could kill Ravana. Ravana overcame many territories and won against asuras as well as devas. He also possessed Shiva’s weapon Chandrahas.
#6. A Music Lover
Ravana was a great musician and played Veena exceptionally well. He is credited to have invented an instrument called Ravanhatha.
#7. A Good King and Politician
Ravana took Lanka from Kubera forcibly but he was a very able administrator. Even the poorest of people in his land had gold utensils. Ravana is said to be a great politician and had immense knowledge of political science, so much so that Lord Rama asked Lakshman to go and learn the politics and duties of a King from Ravana when he was on his deathbed.
The Takeaway
Ravana was a great king and he had many good qualities. Later, he got carried away and became egoistic and stubborn. He thought he is the best and no one in the whole universe could conquer him. Due to this, his destruction became a necessity and Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Lord Rama to conquer Ravana. Dussehra is celebrated not only because Lord Rama killed Ravana but it signifies the fact that every individual is a mixture of good and bad qualities but your good qualities can become redundant if you become too egoistic, boastful, and ambitious.
Dussehra is a festival to celebrate kindness and love. Lord Rama was a devoted son and husband; even though he was the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu he did not let that fact make him boastful. He was gentle, approachable, and polite and did the right thing by always choosing the right path rather than the easy one.
This Dussehra lets us teach our kids to be intelligent, strong, and powerful like Ravana and kind, gentle, and loving like Lord Rama.
Comments are closed.