The Ten Heads Of Ravana

Dear One,

Ever heard the story of Ramayana. The ageless epic story of a wise King who went in search of his abducted beloved wife. This is the story of a man's singular quest and the numerous hurdles he faced in order to fulfill his earthly duties. Numerous bards have sang the greatness of this wondrous king by the name of Ram. He is worshipped as an incarnation of the Divine because he exemplified the qualities of being human.

One more character stands out in this story. The character of Ravana - The Demon King. Ravana was an repository of innumerable virtuous qualities. He possessed unparalleled mastery over all the vedas. He was a supreme devotee of Lord Shiva. One legend even says that he plucked his very guts and composed divine music to please his dear Lord. He was a past master in all the fine arts, a brilliant strategist and a supreme commander. Lanka in his times was a prosperous centre of learning, wealth and power.

Although Ravana possessed almost all the qualities similar to that of Ram, save one. Humility. He had ten heads to begin with. And each head bore a weight that his strong shoulders failed to support. He took immense pride in his knowledge and devotion. He forced the devas to sing his glory. He made heaven and earth his playground and marauded everything that came in his way. He also took a common man for granted and abducted his pious wife. Thence began his downfall.

Ravana in many ways is like our modern day educated, highly success driven and overtly self-obsessed  man. The only difference is, we are spared of the additional nine heads. We take immense pride in our intellect (Translated numerous university degrees to our credit) and in our accomplishments to a point of being self worshipful. And like the demon king we thrive to hear someone sing our praise 24/7. If we end up being the boss, we use our blatant rights to ensure no one escapes our pious ire. We take pride in displaying our superiority over the lesser mortals by branding them as incompetent and worthless fools.

We have come a long way in this beautiful game of evolution. Yet few things seldom change.

With due respects, give respect to everyone you meet on your way up, because you are going to surely meet them at your downward descent.

Why play the part of Ravana when you have the choice to play Ram.

Stay grounded. Be humble.