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R: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

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Hi friend.

 

Only few remarks about this strange ass-headed Ravana.

 

- Can maybe the ass-head only recall to the audience (being the epic of

Pabuji orally transmitted) the abduction of Sita by Ravana driving an

ass-drawn chariot?

- Ravana is a (potential) adulterer. According to Manu, a kshatriya-man who

commits adultery with a woman of higher caste must be shaved with the urine

of an ass.

- Durga as Kalratri is mounted on an ass (just to say that the ass is not

necessarily a bad symbol; on the other hand, many Hindu heroes and deities

drive an ass).

- In some fragments of Ctesia's Indikˆ, the Indian ass is described

(strangely enough) like an unicorn.

- The treatise Ashvashastra can maybe suggest some interesting hypotheses.

- In Buddhism, the warriors of Mara are sometimes depicted as ass-heated.

 

Finally:

 

- How remember not Titania's (recently returned from India) ass-headed lover

in A Midsummer Nights Dream?

- In the Christianity too the ass plays an ambiguous role. On one hand, it

is the symbol itself of the devotion to Christ, evoked by the *cross*

present on the back of this animal. On the other hand, in the first

centuries of the Christianity, Christians are mocked as *worshipper of the

ass-headed god*, as Tertullianus for instance remarks and as some graffiti

(like that named *Palatino*), showing Jesus crucified and having the head of

an ass, testify. Are maybe Indians mocking in their turn Ravana in a similar

way?

 

Sorry for the confusion.

Yours Daniela

----------

>Da: phillip.ernest

>A: INDOLOGY

>Oggetto: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

>Data: Lun, 15 nov 2004 19:51

>

 

>

>

> 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

>

>

Links

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

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>-- Messaggio originale --

>INDOLOGY

>"Daniela Rossella" <ghezziem

>Tue, 16 Nov 2004 12:06:41 +0100

>R: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

>INDOLOGY

 

>- Can maybe the ass-head only recall to the audience (being the epic of

>Pabuji orally transmitted) the abduction of Sita by Ravana driving an

>ass-drawn chariot?

 

Buona sera, dottoressa. Thanks so much for all these connections, one at

least for each head, human and asinine. As for Ravana's ass head in the

Epic of Pabuji, it does not appear, at least not in the version given by

Smith, which is his transcription and translation of the complete account

of the bardic knowledge of his best informant. Ravana does not play a big

part in this bard's version of the epic, at least, but variants in other

known tellings of the epic, by other bards, are noted by Smith in connection

with the images on the par, the painted scroll used by the bards a a narrative

aid. Some of the images on the par Smith reproduces in the book represent

scenes not related by his bard. I wish I could send the picture of the

ass-headed Ravana, with a cute little ass head peeping out of the great

bouquet of human heads.

 

The story of Ravana's humbling in this way sounds like something that would

appear in the little sub epic of Ravana in the Uttarakanda. I don't remember

it but I am slowly rereading the Uttarakanda now. Otherwise, maybe it is

in an oral tradition, and perhaps other Pabuji bards mention it, but I have

not found this information in Smith's book.

 

Estremamente cordialmente,

 

Filippo

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The ass-head seems to be a standard part of the iconography of Ravana

in later Rajput painting, e.g. in 18th-19th century Avatara sets, in

which Rama is shown fighting Ravana. I've never seen an explanation

of it before.

 

Valerie J Roebuck

Manchester, UK

 

>Hi friend.

>

>Only few remarks about this strange ass-headed Ravana.

>

>- Can maybe the ass-head only recall to the audience (being the epic of

>Pabuji orally transmitted) the abduction of Sita by Ravana driving an

>ass-drawn chariot?

 

....

 

>Yours Daniela

>----------

>>Da: phillip.ernest

>>A: INDOLOGY

>>Oggetto: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

>>Data: Lun, 15 nov 2004 19:51

> >

>

>>

>>

> > 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

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>-- Messaggio originale --

><INDOLOGY>

>"rkk" <rkk

>Thu, 18 Nov 2004 14:33:05 +0530

>Re: R: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

>INDOLOGY

>

>

>

>Ravana's ass -head may have been a feature that got added as part of Ramlila

>culture. Ramlila as is known is street theatre.

 

I asked Smith himself, but even he does not know which text or oral epic

the story may appear in. But the work on the par, the information on it,

that is in Smith's book, was originally done by several other scholars who

were collaborating with him on what was to be a broader treatment of the

epic.

 

P

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Ravana's ass -head may have been a feature that got added as part of Ramlila

culture. Ramlila as is known is street theatre.

rajesh kochhar

-

"Valerie J Roebuck" <vjroebuck

<INDOLOGY>

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 1:05 PM

Re: R: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

 

 

>

> The ass-head seems to be a standard part of the iconography of Ravana

> in later Rajput painting, e.g. in 18th-19th century Avatara sets, in

> which Rama is shown fighting Ravana. I've never seen an explanation

> of it before.

>

> Valerie J Roebuck

> Manchester, UK

>

> >Hi friend.

> >

> >Only few remarks about this strange ass-headed Ravana.

> >

> >- Can maybe the ass-head only recall to the audience (being the epic of

> >Pabuji orally transmitted) the abduction of Sita by Ravana driving an

> >ass-drawn chariot?

>

> ...

>

> >Yours Daniela

> >----------

> >>Da: phillip.ernest

> >>A: INDOLOGY

> >>Oggetto: [Y-Indology] Ravana's ass head

> >>Data: Lun, 15 nov 2004 19:51

> > >

> >

> >>

> >>

> > > 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

>

>

>

>

> Links

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

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