Kumbhakarna (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

: कुम्भकर्ण, lit. ''pot-eared'') is a powerful

rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma when ...

and younger brother of

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...

from the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic ''

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

''. Despite his gigantic size and appetite, he is described as a virtuous character and a great warrior in

Hindu texts Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...

. He is said to have slaughtered 8,000

vanaras In Hindu, Vanara ( sa, वानर, , forest-dwellers) are either monkeys, apes, or a race of forest-dwelling people. In the epic the ''Ramayana'', the Vanaras help Rama defeat Ravana. They are generally depicted as humanoid apes, or human-l ...

over the course of

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...

's invasion of

Lanka Lanka (, ) is the name given in Hindu epics to the island fortress capital of the legendary asura king Ravana in the epics of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata''. The fortress was situated on a plateau between three mountain peaks known ...

. Vibhishana narrated that Kumbhakarna had been born with immense strength, having subdued both

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

and

Yama Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...

, striking the former in the chest with the broken tusk of

Airavata Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elephant Airavata, Folio from a Jain text, Panch Kalyanaka">Shachi.html" ;"title="Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi">Indra (alias Sakra) and Shachi riding the five-headed Divine Elepha ...

. At the bequest of

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

cursed the rakshasa to "sleep like he is dead". On Ravana's request, he commuted the curse to have the rakshasa sleep for six months at a time, and wake up for exactly one day to wreak havoc and devour to his heart's content. In a popular retelling of this tale, Kumbhakarna, accompanied by his brothers Ravana and Vibhishana, performed a major

yajna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Boo ...

to please

. Indra was worried and jealous of his strength so he went to Brahma before Kumbhakarna's boon could come to fruition. When Kumbhakarna asked for his boon, his tongue was tied by the goddess

Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...

, who acted on Indra's request. Instead of asking for ''Indraasana'' (the throne of Indra), he asked for ''Nidraasana'' (bed for sleeping). It is also said that he intended to ask for ''Nirdevatvam'' (annihilation of the devas) and instead asked for ''Nidravatvam'' (sleep). His request was instantly granted. However, his brother Ravana requested Brahma to undo this curse as a boon and Brahma reduced it to sleeping for six months, after which he would sleep again as soon as his appetite was satisfied.

Life

Origin

In the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

, Kumbhakarna is said to be the incarnation of the gatekeeper deity Vijaya. Vijaya, along with his brother and fellow gatekeeper Jaya, was punished by the

Four Kumaras The Kumaras are four sages ('' rishis'') from the Puranic texts of Hinduism who roam the universe as children, generally named Sanaka kumara, Sanatana kumara, Sanandana kumara and Sanat kumara. They are described as the first mind-born creat ...

for impiety while they guarded the sacred realm of

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

. Vijaya was initially sentenced to mortality, but after appealing to Vishnu, their sentences were reduced to just three lifetimes, allowing them to return to

Vaikuntha Vaikuntha ( sa, वैकुण्ठ, lit=without anxiety, translit=Vaikuṇṭha), also called Vishnuloka (), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, is the abode of Vishnu, the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism,Gavin Flood, ...

. While his brother Jaya became Ravana, Vijaya became Kumbhakarna during their second of three incarnations on Earth.

Personality

Kumbhakarna is portrayed as a loyal, powerful, and fearless character who fought to defend his brother and land out of obligation and affection. He had an grand appetite and slept for months at a time.

Family

Kumbhakarna's father is

Vishrava Vishrava (), also called Vishravas, is the son of Pulastya, and a powerful rishi (sage), as described in the Hindu epic Ramayana. A scholar par excellence, he earned great powers through the performance of tapasya, which in turn, earned him gr ...

, and his siblings are

, Vibhishana, and

Shurpanakha Shurpanakha ( Sanskrit: शूर्पणखा, , ), also known as Meenakshi, is a ''rakshasi'' (demoness) in Hindu Mythology. Her legends are mainly narrated in the epic '' Ramayana'' and its other versions. She was the sister of Lanka's k ...

. He has two sons, Kumbha and

Nikumbha Nikumbha () is the name of multiple beings in Hindu mythology, a rakshasa and a danava. Legend Rakshasa Nikumbha Nikumbha, the rakshasa, is the son of Kumbhakarna and Vajramala. He is instructed by Kubera to watch over the Pisacas (a t ...

, with his wife Vajrajwala, the daughter of Bali and granddaughter of

Virochana Virochana () is an asura king in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Hiranyakashipu, the son of Prahlada (according to the Atharvaveda (VIII.10.22), and the father of Bali. Legend Being the son of Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Vishnu, Virochana i ...

, who also fought in the war against Rama and was killed. The Demon Kumbhkaran finally wakes up and eats (6125069010)

The Demon Kumbhakarna Is Defeated by Rama and Lakshmana 1

In the war

In defense of his kingdom, Ravana charged into battle and was humiliated by

and his army after underestimating his enemy. He decided he needed the help of his brother Kumbhakarna, who woke up only after 1,000 elephants walked over him. When informed of Ravana's war with Rama, Kumbhakarna tried to convince Ravana that what he is doing was wrong, that Rama is the

avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

, and that

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

is an avatar of

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). A ...

. However, Ravana was deaf to these words and Kumbhakarna chose to fight in the battle due to loyalty and affection to his brother and homeland. He joined the battle and devastated Rama's army. After a battle against

Hanuman Hanuman (; sa, हनुमान, ), also called Anjaneya (), is a Hindu god and a divine '' vanara'' companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and on ...

and

Sugriva ''This character is about the vanara, in the Ramayana.'' Sugriva ( sa, सुग्रीव, , ) is a character In the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kis ...

, he knocked the latter unconscious and took him prisoner.

Lakshmana Lakshmana ( sa, लक्ष्मण, lit=the fortunate one, translit=Lakṣmaṇa), also spelled as Laxmana, is the younger brother of Rama and his loyalist in the Hindu epic '' Ramayana''. He bears the epithets of Saumitra () and Ramanuja ( ...

and Kumbhakarna dueled for a long period, leaving both of them exhausted. In his battle against Rama, Kumbhakarna had one arm cut off by the ''Vayuastra'' and the other mutilated by the Indrastra. Still, he raged towards Rama, opening his mouth to swallow him whole, and was met with a volley of arrows. In the Kamba Ramayanam, Kumbhakarna acknowledges the divinity of Rama, but informs him of his

dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

to fight for his brother, and only urges the prince to keep Vibhishana safe from harm. With his desire granted, he charged against Rama with his feet severed by crescent arrows. He was slain only when the

Indrastra Indrastra was the mythical weapon of Indian deity Indra which was invoked by the main character Arjuna many times in the Mahabharata war. When the divine weapon was shot it transformed into many arrows capable of killing many men. Use in Mahabhar ...

was deployed by Rama. Kumbakarna's head was decapitated, and is described to have smashed several buildings and fortifications before descending towards the sea. When Ravana heard of his brother's death, he fainted and later proclaimed that he was doomed.

Literature

* "Kumbhakarna" in M.M.S. Shastri Chitrao, ''Bharatavarshiya Prachin Charitrakosha (Dictionary of Ancient Indian Biography, in Hindi''), Pune 1964, pp. 149-151

References

External links

Sri Lanka, Virtual Library. KUMBHAKARNAPot-Ear's Awakening
From the Ramayana, as translated by Arthur W. Ryder {{HinduMythology Rakshasa in the Ramayana Asura Characters_in_the_Ramayana