Chapter 48: Ravana gets 10 heads!

Ravana is distressed. So he visits his mother and asks her why is he ordering ‘No yagna’ everywhere and why his brother Vibhushan is so much ‘for’ yagna? His mother replies that since his childhood, he (Ravana) wasn’t attending any yagnas and instead was sending his bro Vib to do yagna and hence Vib likes to do yagnas. But ‘No yagna’ policy because Ravana has the same blood of Ravana’s pop, an equal-hater of Vishnu because his pop (Ravana’s granpa) was murdered and put into Pataal loka by Vishnu. So Ravana hates Vishnu.

But mom says you gain the power of all lokas (trilok – paatal lok, maanav lok and devlok), with the help of other brother ‘Kumbhakarna’ - dont let sages perform yagna anywhere. So Ravana goes and meet him, who first scolds him (Ravana) as to why he (Ravana) didn’t use his (Kum) help in defeating Dasharath. Anyway. Now to achieve purpose, Kum says ‘Lets do Yagna!’ ‘What?!!’ Ravana exclaims. ‘Yagna to Brahma, dude, not Vishnu! And then ask Brahma a vow’ Ravana agrees.

The 3 bros (Ravana, Kum and Vib) do yagna to Brahma. But Ravana is not comfortable with yagna and feels out of place. He cannot focus. So, to impress Brahma and speeden the process, he cuts his own head and puts it into fire. Brahma, much too impressed, puts it back. Ravana repeats. Brahma repeats. And so they play on for about 10 times in toto. Finally Brahma, thinks ‘Enough is enough!’ and appears before them. Hence, Ravana is said to possess 10 heads!