< Author's Note Begins >

From now onwards in all the chapters there'll be two interactions. First the interaction between Anand and Aniket. And second the interaction between the characters of the story which Anand is narrating to Aniket.

Thus, to make it easier for the readers to understand both interactions they will be separated by the following Page breaker designed by TheMusicophileGirl for me:

So happy reading and LOADS OF COMMENTS PLEASE. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A BLAST.

< Author's Note Ends >

"Yes. Please start," I said, eager to listen to what was sure to be the first of many awe-inspiring stories.

"Before we begin I'll make one thing very clear. I'm not going to tell you the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Because that's ... boring. Everyone knows the skeleton of both stories. So telling all those lengthy stories will be boring for you and me. Plus we just don't have time to cover even one of them completely, due to how vast the stories are. So what I'll do instead is I'll pick interesting, relatively unheard stories from these epics alongside other sources and tell them to you. Cool?" he asked.

"Sure. Sounds great," I agreed with a thumbs up.

"Very well. Now where to begin? Where to begin?" he rhetorically spoke to himself, pondering with which story to begin these series of lectures. 

A few minutes passed with me silently looking at him while he tapped his fingers on the arms of the sofa, immersed in deep thought as he sifted through his vast repository of stories.

"Aah. Yes, this will do," he finally snapped his fingers with satisfaction as a beaming smile appeared on his face.

He turned to me and asked, "Tell me, who is the primary antagonist of Ramayana?"

"Ravana," I replied without even a moment's thought.

"Correct. Now here's the thing. Everyone knows about Rama's origin story. Why? Because he's the protagonist and he's also widely worshipped as an idol in our country. But to truly understand the protagonist, one must first understand his opponent, his antagonist. And to truly understand Ravana, you must first understand his origin. Who was Ravana before he became Lankesh? What is his story? What was his rise to power like? These are all fundamental questions every person who wishes to understand Ramayana completely and properly, must ask and find answers to. Therefore today our story will be about the Rise of Ravana," he said.

"Awesome," I replied, never having heard this story till date.

"Great. Now we start the story where all great stories begin, which is with a great king. And in this case, a king with the name, Mahidant," he said.

"Mahidant?" I asked, as my grandfather chuckled enjoying the expression of mild surprise on my face.

"Mahidant was a great Chakravarti Samrat whose kingdom's capital lay in South India. Chakravarti Samrat, if your memory doesn't serve you Aniket, means supreme emperor. An emperor who commands a vast kingdom. A kingdom which is so vast that he has several smaller kings under his authority who become his vassals. Each vassal rules over a portion of the empire in the emperor's name and authority. And in exchange for the right to govern that piece of land, the vassal provides soldiers and taxes to the emperor's personal army and national treasury," he continued.

"Like House Stark has several bannermen from smaller houses like Karstark, Glover, Umber, etc?" I asked.

"Precisely," he said as I nodded, having understood the concept.

"Mahidant was a very powerful ruler. His lands were vast, his wealth was immense, his kingdom's prosperity was at a sky-high, his loyal subjects were devoted to their emperor. But as it always happens, if destiny gives you a lot of good things, it also has a tendency to send a few bad things your way as well. Because no matter how well you select, if you buy a batch of cucumbers, there'll always be a few cucumbers that have a bitter taste in them. In Mahidant's case, it was the absence of a male heir which plagued him and his family, greatly. Mahidant had several wives but none of them was able to beget him a son. As time passed, he became old and without a male heir to pass his empire to, the situation was not looking good for the royal family. It was almost as if the sun of fortune which had risen over his empire under his rule, was slowly beginning to set," he said.

"I can imagine. Because without a successor to pass on his legacy, the legacy doesn't have any value," I remarked.

"Indeed. Now as I was saying, as more and more time passed, Mahidant grew older and taking advantage of Mahidant's age and his lack of a male child heir, his most powerful vassal, Kubera one day without warning declared open rebellion. A battle took place and as fate would have it, Mahidant was defeated and Kubera overthrew Mahidant, proclaiming himself the new Chakravarti Samrat," my grandfather said, earning him a surprised reaction from me.

"Kubera? As in the God of Wealth?" I asked.

"Yes. But we'll get to that title later. Now, having been defeated. Mahidant and his family members were immediately exiled," he said.

"Exiled! Not killed?" I asked, skepticism evident in my tone.

"Yes. Exiled, because, in those times, exile was considered a far more punishing sentence than death which was deemed a relatively redeeming sentence over exile. The reason being that if a defeated ruler lost his life, he would be immortalized in tales of the future, but if a ruler was exiled, he lost all of his majesty, his glory, his purpose, his respect, and like all things as time would pass, the exiled ruler would slowly wither out of existence into nothing. And this is why in those times, exile was considered the harshest sentence. It is because of this reason the Pandavas were exiled in Mahabharata. It is because of this reason Rama, Sita and Laxman were exiled in Ramayana as well. Because exile meant a sentence designed to destroy everything of value the defeated king possesses even after being defeated," he finished.

"OK, I understood that. It's like when Mance Rayder refused to bend the knee to Stannis Baratheon in Game of Thrones. But why do you say, in those times? Are you telling me history or mythology?" I asked.

"Honestly, it doesn't matter. The one indisputable fact that will always remain is that Ramayana, Mahabharata among other stories will always be an integral part of our Indian culture and identity. Some chose to believe it's history, others believe it's fiction. But understand this that when I say 'In those times' I mean according to the norms of society as described in the stories. Whether real or fiction it doesn't matter, what matters are the takeaways from the stories," he answered as I nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Anyway, continuing where we were, Mahidant and his family were now in exile. His limbs were now heavy with age and now separated from a life of comforts and power, needless to say, he was in a deep crisis. He wandered from place to place with his family, trying to make sense of things. Within his tired mind, a storm was brewing, pondering over uncertainty. The uncertainty of what the future was going to hurl at his and his family's way, next. After a long period of time, there was one principal thing that troubled him the most. The one thing that needed to be done at any cost, before death would come to him. Now I ask you this question Aniket, what do you think was that primary thing which Mahidant desperately wanted to be done before he died?" he looked at me, his wise eyes glinting with the expectation of an answer as I entered my own thoughts.

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. Everything had been taken from Mahidant, then what could possibly be something that Mahidant had to do before his death. Maybe something to do with his family? But what? He had no child. If not that then what merited such urgency? After thinking for a while, I threw in the towel and shrugged, conveying I couldn't figure it out.

My grandfather smiled before saying, "The marriage of his daughter."

"What? But you said that he had no heir!" I remarked, rather loudly.

"Don't be so hasty. I said that he had no male heir. I didn't say that he didn't have any children," he replied as I rewinded my memory clock a few minutes back, only to realize that he was right.

"Fair enough. But what was the name of the daughter?" I asked in a softer tone.

"The daughter's name was Mandodari," he replied as my eyes widened with surprise for a few moments.

I knew that Mandodari was Ravana's wife in Ramayana but I was accustomed to a different story and never before had I heard a story like this anywhere.

"The 'Mandodari'?" I questioned.

"The 'Mandodari'," he confirmed.

I sat in silence for a few moments, the story was now beginning to come together. If Mandodari had entered the story then it wasn't long before Ravana himself would enter the story.

"Mandodari was the sole daughter of Mahidant. She was said to be a beauty, the likes of which very few women could rival. And add to that she was an exceptionally gifted woman, being a very scholarly and knowledgeable child," he said before pausing to take a sip of water.

"However being very knowledgeable has its own demerits as well," he continued.

"Demerits?" I asked, confused at what my grandfather was inferring.

"Yes, demerits. Take a diamond for example. The more valuable it is, the lesser are the number of people who can afford it. In Mandodari's case, it was the same. The more virtuous, more skilled,  more knowledgeable, more prestigious the girl was, the groom had to be equally blessed and accomplished. In fact, this is something that persists to this day. When two people marry each other. Things like status, family reputation, salary, educational qualification, caste, class of society, etc. are considered before marriage is finalized," as I nodded in agreement, "This created a huge problem for Mahidant. He was an old exiled emperor and had to marry his daughter off before he died, for it is the duty of a father to marry off his daughter. But Mandodari couldn't be married to just about anybody. She needed to be married to someone who was worthy to have her hand in marriage. Now when he was a Chakravarti Samrat this wouldn't have been a problem, but he wasn't a Chakravarti Samrat anymore. Desperate to find a solution and fearing that he didn't have long, Mahidant sought to approach someone called Tatvamuni Maharaj."

"Tatvamuni Maharaj? Who is that?" I asked, puzzled at the name.

"Tatvamuni Maharaj was one of Mandodari's primary gurus when she was being educated as a princess. As the name suggests he taught Mandodari the science of the Pancha Tatvas. Since he was once Mandodari's guru Mahidant decided to approach him for help," he said.

"After consulting Mandodari's Janam Patrika and checking her Gunas Tatvamuni Maharaj finally spoke up and said, 'Emperor Mahidant, you are right in assuming that it is very difficult to get Mandodari married. I have trained Mandodari myself and now I've read her Janam Patrika. It is highly unusual for any girl to have so many desirable gunas. Therefore, finding a man, who can match your daughter's virtues is an extremely difficult task.' before handing the Janam Patrika back to Mahidant," my grandfather said.

"I see. So what happened next?" I asked.

"Upon hearing Mandodari's teacher's response, Mahidant asked very sorrowfully, 'Then is my jewel of a daughter destined to remain unmarried, oh great rishi, please answer me!', an expression of despair making its way to my grandfather's face as if he were going through the experience himself while narrating it.

"OK," I smiled at my grandfather's little display of emotion as he continued with the story.

Tatvamuni Maharaj said, "Emperor Mahidant, your daughter is in some ways unmatched when it comes to her virtues and qualities. The epitome of a perfect blend of beauty, wisdom etc. While Mandodari's marriage is an exceptionally difficult task, it is not an impossible one. However, you'll have to bend a little bit in order to do that." as a puzzled expression made its way to Mahidant's face.

"Bend a little?" Mahidant asked, a sense of confusion beset in his face.

"Not far from here, there is an ashram. In that ashram lives a hermit by the name of Manichand Brahman. He has a son whose name is Varuna. If there's anyone who can marry your daughter, then it will be Varuna because in my knowledge he is the only person whose gunas can match your daughter's gunas for a successful match. The reason why you'll have to bend is..." Tatvamuni Maharaja was cutoff as Mahidant completed his sentence for him.

"Because my daughter is the daughter of a Chakravarti Samrat and Varuna is the son of a poor brahmin who I know nothing about," Mahidant replied as Tatvamuni Maharaja nodded.

"Like I said, you'll have to bend a little. But this is the only solution to my knowledge. I leave the decision you'll make to your wisdom, my emperor," Tatvamuni Maharaj replied.

"I don't know. Your solution hasn't exactly set my heart at ease," Mahidant replied.

"I understand my king. I don't know whether this will help or not, but Manichand Brahmin is not any random Brahmin. He's the son of your Kulguru Pulatsya. I know how much Rishi Pulatsya's advice matters to you. So as compromises go, I don't think Varuna's family should be an issue now that you know that he's your Kulguru's grandson," Tatvamuni Maharaj remarked, upon sensing Mahidant's uneasiness.

Mahidant silently nodded before he got up, exchanged goodbyes and set out for Manichand Brahman's Ashram. A few days later, he reached the Ashram and of course Manichand brahmin along with the entirety of his family received Mahidant's family with all the courtesy they could muster and afford.

"Emperor Mahidant, it is my great fortune that you have decided to grace my small Ashram with your presence. Tell me how can this small servant of yours serve you?" Manichand Brahmin asked with his hands folded.

"What servant? My days of having servants are over. With the loss of my throne, comes the loss of my authority and with the loss of my authority comes the loss of servants. I have no servants anymore, I just have a request for you. I hope you don't let me down," Mahidant replied.

"Emperor! Someone like you has to beg me? This is beneath you emperor. You are and shall always remain the rightful sovereign in the hearts of your people, I included. So without any hesitation, kindly tell me, what service can this servant of yours do for you?"

"I have brought the proposal of marrying my daughter Mandodari to your son Varuna. I hope you'll not refuse me," Mahidant said, shocking the Brahmin for a little amount of time.

"Must be quite the shock for the brahmin. What happened next?" I chuckled.

"Manichand Brahmin was elated, to say the least. He couldn't believe his luck. He knew that the time to get Varuna married would come soon. But he never expected the proposal to be this grand. For you see, it was a proposal from the house of not just a king but that of a Chakravarti Samrat's and this was a huge thing for a poor Brahmin. So after digesting the shock, he agreed willingly and then Varuna married Mandodari which was attended by several prominent Rishis of the time," my grandfather replied.

"OK. Now I have figured out that Varuna is actually Ravana but you still haven't told me about Varuna, in terms of who he was before he married Mandodari," I remarked.

"Varuna, as the name suggests, means the sky. And as the relevance of names go, Varuna was perfect because just like the sky his expanse of knowledge was literally limitless. He was one of the rising stars in the community of the Rishis. He was a great researcher, a great scholar and was an unbeatable debator. His debating skills were so good that people feared to challenge or get challenged into a debate with Varuna. And this is why Varuna was recommended by Tatvamuni Maharaj to Mahidant because if there was anyone who could match with Mandodari then it would Varuna. Does that answer your question?" he answered.

"It did," I replied before he resumed the story.

While Varuna and Mandodari got married and started living their marital life, news reached Manichand brahmin of a major development which was taking place in the capital of Mahidant's old kingdom which was under the rule of his former vassal Kubera. The news was that Kubera was moving the royal treasury from the capital to the Singhal Dweep.

"Singhal Dweep?" I interjected.

"Yes. And if you are getting suspicious then you're correct in assuming I am talking about Sri Lanka. In fact, it won't surprise you to know that the community which is most prevalent in Sri Lanka till this date are the Sinhalese people," my grandfather remarked.

"I see. But why was Kubera moving the treasury to the island in the first place?" I asked.

"He was doing it because keeping a treasury on an isolated island means keeping it more secure since it's an island cut-off from the mainland. And this is also the reason why Kubera is associated with wealth. Using Mahidant's empire, Kubera gathered massive amounts of wealth via increased taxation and by conducted more trade. This is one of the reasons why Lanka is known as the Swarna ki Nagari or in other words the city of gold," he answered.

"Awesome," I replied.

"Very well. Let's continue with the story," he said as I nodded.

On hearing the news, Mahidant became exceptionally sad. He tried to mask his sadness but this didn't go unnoticed by Varuna. Confused on what to do Varuna went to Mandodari to take her opinion as well. Mandodari told Varuna regarding how Kubera had betrayed her father and usurped the throne from him. She told him how they had been exiled and how much pain she knew her father was in due to the fact that Kubera was ruling over the kingdom which her father had built throughout his entire reign.

"I see. Is there anything I can do to appease your father's pain?" he asked.

"Yes. Take back our kingdom," Mandodari replied after a moment's thought.

"What?" Varuna replied, a little shocked at Mandodari's reply.

"Father told me that you're not just an exceptionally skilled debater and a scholar but you have also been trained in the martial warfare and a preceptor of celestial weaponry in your own right. If you really wish to take my father's and my sorrow away then this is what you should do," Mandodari said.

"Your sorrow?" Varuna asked.

"Yes, my sorrow. Like it or not, this is not my home. My kingdom has been taken away from my family on which I have a birthright. Since you are my husband it is your right as well. If you want my advice, here it is. Take back our homeland," Mandodari answered causing Varuna to go into deep thought.

Mandodari proceeded to place her hand on top of Varuna's in a reassuring manner while she looked at him with a fierce seriousness.

"Very well. But just being skilled in weaponry is not sufficient. Kubera has legions at his disposal. I would be a fool to fight Kubera's army all by my lonesome," Varuna rebuked.

"Then you go to my father for advice. Remember, you're his son-in-law, he won't be able to refuse you if you are persistent," Mandodari said before Varuna went to Mahidant's cottage.

"My son, why do you want to pursue this? You have everything you need here to live a peaceful, content marital life. Then why bother with something of the past? You should instead look to the future with my daughter as your wife," Mahidant replied upon hearing Varuna's request.

The conversation went back and forth with Varuna refusing to relent to Mahidant's repeated requests. Eventually, as Mandodari had predicted, he threw in the towel, giving in to Varuna's request.

"If you are to do this, you will first have to raise an army, a powerful army at that. Because if there is one thing that Kubera isn't, that is a fool or weak for that matter. He is an accomplished, powerful military commander who has even defeated Dashratha, the king of Ayodhya, of the famed Ikshvaku dynasty, in battle. To stand against him in battle, just having training in celestial weaponry isn't enough," Mahidant says.

"OK, then guide me. What do I do?" Varuna asked as Mahidant drew a deep sigh, almost as if he was about to regret what he's going to say next.

"Very well. Back when I was the Chakravarti Samrat, Kubera was my most powerful vassal. But he wasn't the only one. There were several others. You go to these vassals, tell them who you are and demand they stand by their oath of fealty which they swore to me. Start accumulating troops and supplies in my name, one vassal at a time. We start small and eventually build to big," Mahidant advised.

"Very well. I shall leave immediately," Varuna got up, to set about his task.

Before leaving he bent down and touched Mahidant's feet to get his blessing. Mahidant simply said, "May you reap the fruits of your valour in the war to come." as he placed his hand on Varuna's head to bless him.

"So did Varuna get his army?" I asked.

"Of course he did. Who was going to refuse him? Varuna was already exceptionally respected in the circle of brahmins and rishis. Now that he was the son-in-law of Mahidant, who was their Chakravarti Samrat, none of the kings dared to even attempt to refuse Varuna's demands. Soon, a powerful army was raised and both armies, under Varuna and Kubera's leadership clashed in an epic battle, resulting in a decisive victory for Varuna and Kubera's forces being routed from the battlefield with Kubera managing to flee with his life intact," my grandfather finished.

"Damn," I said.

"Indeed. After Kubera was forced to flee the battlefield all the vassals welcomed the old king Mahidant again and they seated him at the throne again." my grandfather continued.

"Wait a second. Mahidant was seated on the throne! Why Mahidant? Surely Varuna should have been the king, for he had won the battle against Kubera," I interjected.

"Normally you would be right but you forget that Varuna amassed his army based on the vow that the vassals had sworn to Mahidant. The army had been assembled in Mahidant's name. Varuna was merely a representative of Mahidant as the commander in chief of the army and this is why Mahidant was the one who was coronated and seated on the throne and not Varuna," he explained as I nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. What happened next?" I eagerly asked.

"Mahidant's coronation took place alongside spectacular celebrations as the public rejoiced at the fact that their beloved ruler had finally returned to his rightful place, after being banished to an exile. Once the coronation was finally concluded Mahidant called Varuna to him and declared that his first act as king would be to coronate Varuna as the crown prince, who will be the next in line for succession," he said as I smiled, having already anticipated where this was going.

"I can't accept this. I am a Brahmin. Someone who does research, conducts yagyas, and imparts knowledge. Politics, warfare, administration, negotiations are things which befit Kshatriyas," Varuna objected to Mahidant's announcement.

Mahidant smiled before saying, "You were a Brahmin by birth but now by your karma you are a Kshatriya. Besides, when I married my daughter to you, I didn't give you dowry when I married her off to you. Therefore, consider this your dowry. I have no male sons, so you are my heir to the throne. I will teach you all you need to know about being a Kshatriya. But you must accept this from me because the truth is that I am indebted to you and this is my way of discharging that debt."

Varuna glanced at Mandodari one final time who gave her nod of approval following which Varuna accepted Mahidant's proposal.

"So Varuna became the crown prince finally," I said.

"Indeed. And it is said here that when all the royal priests coronated Varuna as the crown prince, they bestowed upon him a new name which everyone, including you, knows," he said.

"Ravana," I replied.

"Yes. They named him Ravana which means one with a very pure and pious soul. And this marks the end of this story. But for Varuna, or now that he's known as Ravana, this is just the beginning. This is the start of his journey. His journey in terms of rise to power. This is the beginning of the story for Dashanan Lankesh Tri-Loka Samrat Ravana," my grandfather finished.

"Tri-Loka Samrat?" I asked.

"Yes. While Mahidant was Chakravarti Samrat, Ravana turned out to be an even greater king than even Mahidant ever was. His power, influence and wealth were so much that people referred to him a Tri-Loka Samrat, meaning in the ruler of all three Lokas of the world," he said.

"The three Lokas meaning the three zones in which the world is divided into. In other words, Swarga, Prithvi and Paatala?" I asked.

"Precisely," my grandfather snapped his fingers.

"Awesome," I said before Shanti's voice came from the Kitchen alerting us that food had been served.

"Come let's go. We'll stop here for now. This is enough for today," my grandfather rose up.

"Cool. Can't wait for tomorrow," I said before getting up as well.

As we were walking towards the dining table my grandfather asked, "How many heads do you think Ravana had?"

"Ten," I replied.

"Really?" he replied, with a hint of a soft, subtle chuckle in his voice.

"He doesn't have ten? But you only called him Dashanan, which means ten-headed if my Sanskrit still serves me," I asked.

"You still have a long way to go, thinking a person can have ten heads," he smiled before going into the washroom.

I stood there silently, pondering over his words.

"Go and wash your hands in the other basin Ani. We'll talk tomorrow," he called from inside as I left to wash my hands in the other basin as well.

< Dictionary >

1) 'Panch Tatva' is derived from 'Panch' meaning five and 'Tatva' meaning fundamental elements. 'Panch Tatva' refers to the 5 fundamental elements from which everything is created. They are fire, water, air, earth, and space. 

2) 'Guru' means teacher.

3) 'Janam Patrika' comprises of 2 words: 'Janam' which means birth and 'Patrika' which means chart. 'Gunas' refer to qualities and attributes. Whenever a child is born, traditionally a Janam Patrika is created which highlights all 36 attributes of the child. Whenever a person wishes to marry someone it is a popular belief that a high number of attributes matching between both potential life partners is an indicator of high compatibility and thus better chances for a more successful and happy marriage

4) 'Ashram' means seminary. Another synonym for Ashram is gurukul. It's essentially a form of a school in ancient India which persists even till this day

5) 'Kulguru' is a combination of 2 words. 'Kul' means clan and 'Guru' means teacher. Every dynasty has a clan chief priest who serves as an advisor to the throne and performs yagyas for the kingdom and the royal family's benefit alongside performing the role of being a teacher to the royal princes and princesses.

6) 'Swarna ki Nagari' means the City of Gold. Swarna is Gold in Sanskrit and Nagari is City in Sanskrit.

<Author's Note Begins>

I hope this was an interesting spicy story for you. I also hope you enjoyed the music in the beginning of the chapter as well. If you wish to hear it again then you can listen to it here again:

https://youtu.be/f6tBLiPGg84

I hope you all enjoyed yourselves and don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT on the chapter extensively. See you all soon in the next chapter.

<Author's Note Ends>