Ravana's ass head

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Hi group.

 

I find in John D. Smith's Epic of Pabuji translation that according to one

story Ravana was given an ass's head on top of his ten human heads in order

to lessen his pride. Rather, this appears in a note to one of the scenes

from the par. It does not say what god did this or where the story is to

be found, nor do I remember such a story from the Ramayana. Anyone know?

 

Filippo

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, phillip.ernest@v... wrote:

 

> I find in John D. Smith's Epic of Pabuji translation that according

to one > story Ravana was given an ass's head on top of his ten human

heads in order > to lessen his pride. Rather, this appears in a note

to one of the scenes > from the par. It does not say what god did

this or where the story is to > be found, nor do I remember such a

story from the Ramayana. Anyone know?

 

Dear Phillip/Filippo,

 

After some browsing on the Web, I found the following:

 

http://www.divinelifesociety.org/ebooks/OTHERS/spotlights_ramayana.htm

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<< Ravana was a strange foe. He was well-read knowing all the Vedas

and Sastras, unbeaten in argument and having great knowledge of

various arts and sciences. Indian artists therefore show him as a

person having the wisdom of ten wise men-with ten heads. In spite of

being so learned and wise, he committed the contemptible act of

taking away forcibly another man's wife. Therefore the artists add a

donkey's head to the personality of Ravana demonstrating his folly. >>

 

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/product/ZJ81/

<< Ravana......was also highly learned, well adept in Vedas and

scriptures and was a great ritualist and exceptional devotee of Lord

Shiva. He is said to have performed a ten thousand year long rigorous

penance at the end of which he was blessed by Lord Brahma with

immortality. He has to his credit over a dozen of texts...........His

Shiva-Shtrota is yet the most popular hymn ever sung in praise of

Lord Shiva. His ten heads thus stood for this multiplicity of his

genius. However, a kind of unsteadiness governed his frame of mind

and led by evil he acted against his sagely descent, as he was in the

line of the great sage Pulatsya, great past pregnant with innormous

penance and against his own being and interests. His wife Mandodari,

a wiser woman, attempted at bringing him to the right path but he

heared her not. In his conflict with Rama he lost his entire clan,

all his subjects, his own life and his Lanka of gold. The folk

tradition, hence, often appends over his ten heads the eleventh head

of a donkey to symbolise that despite his great valour, might and

genius it was a donkey's mind, the most foolish ever conceived, that

led all of Ravana's acts. >>

 

Hope this may help.

 

Kindest regards,

Francesco Brighenti