Once Ravana had tried to move Mount Kailash, the abode of Shiva and his wife Parvati. Annoyed with him, Shiva pressed the mountain down and Ravana’s hands were caught under it. He screamed with pain, and was advised to please Lord Shiva. So when he recited and sang songs in praise of Shiva, he was mercifully released. That is when he was named Ravana which means ‘scream’ in place of his old name, Dashagreeva, or the ten-headed one. He was the son of a saint and a demoness, Kaikasi. Kubera was his step-brother. His siblings were Kumbhakarna, Shurpanakha and Vibheeshana. The brothers wished to be rich and powerful like Kubera, so they performed austerities to please Brahma. Ravana asked to be indestructible from devas, any celestial being or asuras. Kumbhakarna wished to sleep for long and Vibheeshana asked that he might be steady in right conduct. All their wishes were granted.
Ravana’s History
