Vishrava
Encyclopedia
Vishrava was the son of Pulastya and the grandson of Brahma, the Creator, and a powerful Rishi as described in a scripture epic
of Ancient India
. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through Tapasya, which in turn, earned him great name and fame amongst his fellow Rishis. Bharadwaja, in particular, was so impressed with Vishrava that he gave him his daughter, Ilavida
, in marriage. Ilavida bore Vishrava a son, Kubera
, the Lord of Wealth and the original ruler of Lanka.
The accounts of Vishrava's far-reaching Yogic powers reached the ears of the Asura, Sumali
, and his wife, Thataka
. Both sought to increase their own powers through alliances with mighty Kings and Rishis. They decided that their daughter, Kaikesi
would make a worthy wife for Vishrava and orchestrated her chance encounter with the Rishi. Vishrava fell in love with the beautiful Kaikesi and fathered four children with her. The oldest was Ravana
who would eventually oust his half-brother, Kubera, as King of Lanka and usurp his throne. Ravana
was also the villain of the immortal epic, the Ramayana
.
In addition to Ravana, Vishrava fathered Vibhishana
, Kumbakarna and a daughter, Soorpanaka, through Kaikesi. He is said to have disowned his demonic family after witnessing Ravana's disrespectful treatment of his older brother, Kubera
and returned to his first wife, Ilavida.
According to the Mahabharata
, however, Vishrava's younger children were born as a result of a falling-out with his eldest: Kubera tried to placate his father by giving him three Rakshasis (two of whom, Raka and Pushpotkata/Pushpotata, seem to be Kaikesi's paternal half-sisters) and in due course Vishrava impregnated all three of them. Pushpotata gave birth to Ravana and later to Kumbhakarna, Malini bore Vibhishana, and Raka had the unpleasant and unsociable twins Khara
and Shurpanakha.
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...
of Ancient India
Epic India
Epic India is the geography of Greater India traditionally around early 10th century BC and later on from the Sanskrit epics, viz. the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as Puranic literature ....
. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through Tapasya, which in turn, earned him great name and fame amongst his fellow Rishis. Bharadwaja, in particular, was so impressed with Vishrava that he gave him his daughter, Ilavida
Ilavida
Ilavida or Idavida is a character in the Ramayana, as the stepmother of Ravana and the first wife of Vishrava, the son of Brahma, the Creator....
, in marriage. Ilavida bore Vishrava a son, Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
, the Lord of Wealth and the original ruler of Lanka.
The accounts of Vishrava's far-reaching Yogic powers reached the ears of the Asura, Sumali
Sumali
Sumali is the grandfather of Ravana, the principal antagonist of the Ramayana.He, his elder brother Malyavan and younger brother Mali were the sons of the daitya Sukesh....
, and his wife, Thataka
Thataka
Tadaka was a Yaksha princess-turned-demoness in the epic Ramayana. The daughter and only child of the Yaksha king Suketu, she was a beautiful princess that was wooed by and married Sumali, an Asura King...
. Both sought to increase their own powers through alliances with mighty Kings and Rishis. They decided that their daughter, Kaikesi
Kaikesi
In Hinduism, Kaikesi was the mother of Ravana.The daughter of Sumali and Thataka and the sister of Maricha and Subahu, she schemed with her parents to seduce the Rishi Vishrava and through him, produce powerful, demonic offspring...
would make a worthy wife for Vishrava and orchestrated her chance encounter with the Rishi. Vishrava fell in love with the beautiful Kaikesi and fathered four children with her. The oldest was Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
who would eventually oust his half-brother, Kubera, as King of Lanka and usurp his throne. Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
was also the villain of the immortal epic, the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
.
In addition to Ravana, Vishrava fathered Vibhishana
Vibhishana
Vibhishana or Bibhishan is a character in the epic Ramayana. He was the younger brother of the demon Ravana. Though a half-demon himself, Vibhishana was of a noble character and advised Ravana, who kidnapped and abducted Sita, to return her to her husband Rama in an orderly fashion...
, Kumbakarna and a daughter, Soorpanaka, through Kaikesi. He is said to have disowned his demonic family after witnessing Ravana's disrespectful treatment of his older brother, Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
and returned to his first wife, Ilavida.
According to the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, however, Vishrava's younger children were born as a result of a falling-out with his eldest: Kubera tried to placate his father by giving him three Rakshasis (two of whom, Raka and Pushpotkata/Pushpotata, seem to be Kaikesi's paternal half-sisters) and in due course Vishrava impregnated all three of them. Pushpotata gave birth to Ravana and later to Kumbhakarna, Malini bore Vibhishana, and Raka had the unpleasant and unsociable twins Khara
Khara
Khara can refer to* Khara, a character in the ancient Sanskrit epic the Ramayana* Khara-Khoto, the ruins of a medivial city in western Mongolia* Khara, Punjab - town in Punjab, India.* Khara, Nepal* Khara, Punjab - town in Punjab, Pakistan....
and Shurpanakha.