Book I : Bala Kanda - The Youthful Majesties
15. Rishyashringa officiates putrakAmeShTi ritual for Dasharatha
भगवन् त्वत् प्रसादेन रावणो नाम राक्षसः |
सर्वान् नो बाधते वीर्यात् शासितुम् तम् न शक्नुमः || १-१५-६
सर्वान् नो बाधते वीर्यात् शासितुम् तम् न शक्नुमः || १-१५-६
6. bhagavan = oh, god; raavanaH naama raakshasaH = Ravana, named, demon; tvat prasaadena = with your, blessings - as you have blessed him;viiryaat = by his intrepidity; naH sarvaan baadhate = us, all, is torturing; tam shaashitum na shaknumaH = him, to control, we are not, able to.
"Oh! God, the demon named Ravana is torturing all of us with his intrepidity, as you have blessed him, and we are unable to control him. [1-15-6]
त्वया तस्मै वरो दत्तः प्रीतेन भगवन् तदा |
मानयन्तः च तम् नित्यम् सर्वम् तस्य क्षमामहे || १-१५-७
मानयन्तः च तम् नित्यम् सर्वम् तस्य क्षमामहे || १-१५-७
7. bhagavaan = Oh, god; priitena tvayaa = appreciating [his ascesis,] by you; tasmaiH varaH dattaH = to him - Ravana, boons, given by you; tam= that boon of yours; maanayantaH = keeping high regard for it; tadaa nityam = from then, always; tasya sarvam kshamaamahe = all [his cruel acts,] of his [Ravana,] we are tolerating.
"You have given boon to him appreciating his ascesis and oh, god, with high regard to that boon of yours we are tolerating all the cruel acts of Ravana from then onwards [1-15-7]
Hindu mytholoj~n has no devils, but has only raakshasa -s, who can hardly be called demons, either. Not all the raakshasa-s are evil-doers. Some of the raakshasa-s are the fallen angels who take birth as mortals. They have their Vedic education, and they perform Vedic rituals and penance etc., thereby they get the patronage of any one of the gods among the Hindu Trinity, viz., Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. On attaining the cherished boons, they suddenly revolt against their own patron deities and commence the atrocities only to conquer the Heavens, knowing well that they cannot be attained with a mortal body. In order to snub the upsurge of such violence or the unnatural ascension to Heaven, the deity who gave the boons seeks the help of any of the other two of the Trinity. Then one from the Trinity will take birth as mortal, as an incarnation of god on earth. Usually Vishnu incarnates himself to eradicate the evils created by the intrepid raakshasa-s.
Here the celestials bring in a preamble for Vishnu's incarnation as Rama and thus the topic of Ravana occurs in this chapter of Ramayana. Ravana need not be taken as an evil spirit, devil, hobgoblin or a monstrous being. He is said to be a Brahman well versed in all Vedas, musicologist, and a great king of Lanka, with unlimited riches, and very many of his clansmen with their vast dominions, and what not. Though Brahma and Shiva bless Ravana with boons, Ravana flouts all the norms in conquering Heavens in which course he did not hesitate to torture anyone who becomes his personal hurdle or hindrance. Hence it is inevitable for the Trinity to curb Ravana's atrocities, and Vishnu will now be requested by all the deities to incarnate himself on earth. As such, the expression of the word "DEMON" may not always be taken as an ugly and monstrous looking devil or Satan, as per the usual religious conceptualisation of evil.
In Hinduism evil is not a separate entity from humans, but available in the same personification and resides along with virtue, like the two sides of a coin. These raakshasa-s are also mortals, extraordinary beings with extraordinary powers like god incarnates. But, with wickedness in their will, monstrosity in mind and a conqueror's ambition in their heart, they are rendered themselves as demons.
उद्वेजयति लोकान् त्रीन् उच्छ्रितान् द्वेष्टि दुर्मतिः |
शक्रम् त्रिदश राजानम् प्रधर्षयितुम् इच्छति || १-१५-८
शक्रम् त्रिदश राजानम् प्रधर्षयितुम् इच्छति || १-१५-८
8. dur mati = that evil, minded one - malevolent; triin lokaan udvejayati = three, worlds, he is tormenting; ucChritaan dveSTi = functionary deities of cosmos, he is hating; tridasha raajaanam shakram pradharSayitum icChati = celestial's, king of, Indra, to assail, desires to.
"That malevolent Ravana is tormenting all the three worlds, hating the functionary deities of cosmos, and always desires to assail Indra, the king of all the functionary deities of universe. [1-15-8]
There are eight functionary gods for cosmos in Hindu mytholoj~n that keep the cycle of natural law going. Each one is assigned with each of the eight sides of the universe along with a natural function. They are: 1] Indra, Heaven : East, 2] agni Fire-god : southeast, 3] yama Death-god : South, 4] naiR^iti Demon-god : southwest, 5] varuNa Rain-god : west, 6] vaayu Air-god : Northwest, 7] kubera god of wealth management : North, 8] iieshaana god of bliss : Northeast. The governance of all these deities is Indra's function, since he is the presiding deity of Heaven.
ऋषीन् यक्षान् स गन्धर्वान् असुरान् ब्राह्मणान् तथा |
अतिक्रामति दुर्धर्षो वर दानेन मोहितः || १-१५-९
अतिक्रामति दुर्धर्षो वर दानेन मोहितः || १-१५-९
9. durdharsha = invincible one; vara daanena mohitaH = by boon, given [by you,] becoming self-conceited he; R^ishiin yakshaan sa gandharvaan asuraan = sages, yaksha-celestials, with, gandharva-celestials, demons; tathaa braahmaNaan = like that, Brahmans are also; atikraamati = overbearingly [torturing.]
"That invincible one is further self-conceited by the boons you have accorded, and he is overbearingly torturing the sages, celestial beings like yaksha-s, gandharva-s, asura-s, and like that even the Brahmans. [1-15-9]
The sura and a-sura nomenclature is the one that is commonly found in Vedic literature. sura is a celestial being and asura is its antonym, usually referred as a demon. Here it is not so because there are many asura-s who made their abode in heaven, like Rahu, Ketu, and others who attain salvation in this mortal life. Even Ravana came from Heaven, and returns there only at the end of the war with Rama. Thus a-sura-s are not earthly demons but celestial beings of a kind like other demi-gods, namely yaksha, gandharva, kinnara, kimpurusha etc.
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