As the festival of Dussehra approaches, you must have been hearing or reading so much folklore about this festival, right? The festival is a grand commemoration of the victory of Lord Rama over the evil king Ravana. The festival directs an underlying message of the triumph of good over bad, truth over lies, positivity over negative and dharma over adharma.
Regardless, the evilness of Ravana, there are some traits that he possessed that were truly considered legendary. Shocked, right? No matter all the evilness he had possessed, he is still known for some great traits that every person should have. Curious to know them? Keep reading the article to know them all.
Undying Devotion & Faith:
With his devoted tapasya to please lord Shiva which lasted around more than tens of thousand of years. Meanwhile, during his atonement, he had to sacrifice his head for Lord Shiva and got it chopped in 10 times. All this is followed by Lord Shiva rewarding Ravana with nectar of immortality.
Knowledge:
Ravana came from a family of the powerful and almighty. He was grandson to Brahma, son of Vishara, sibling to Kubera. He was himself an exceptional researcher and had a great knowledge in Ayurveda and political science. His ten heads spoke volumes of his knowledge about the Shastras and the four Vedas. Moreover, he also penned down several books and verses on medicines. So, despite all his ill deeds, his knowledge won him laurels many times.
Leadership:
Valmiki entitled him as a just ruler and an exceptional leader. This fact was proved when he won the battle against denim king Sunali and conquered Lanka. Thus, this is how he bagged the title, “Lanka Naresh.” It was under his rule that Lanka gained its popularity under the name, “Sone Ki Lanka.” Lanka reached heights and witnessed prosperity during his reign.
Ambition:
Ravana was eternally ambitious. After he won Lord Shiva’s heart, he wished for his supremacy, heavenly spirits, serpents and rakshas. He wanted to rule the three worlds and always wanted to emerge victorious. So, his trait of huis tells us that being ambitious is the key to progress. A man without ambition is a dead brain already. If there is no ambition, there would be no growth and no progress.
Staying True To Oneself:
He wanted to become powerful but he never wished to become a god or attain moksha. Ravana lived his life as per his editions guided him. He never thrived to become someone’s mentor or role model. This trait of Ravana teaches us to live our life to the fullest and die as a person true to its character.
So, these were the 5 traits of Ravana which were worth praising despite all his evilness. We should always aim to seek the positive out of the negative first. So this Dussehra, let your virtues triumph over your vices.