Discussion on Ravana's Character and Origins

That's a different controversy. Ravana was a Tamil.

He came and— an Aryan came and killed him. Rama did.

Ravana was from Noida. Did you know that?

It was in that village near Noida that his ancestors came from the Pulastya lineage. Ravana did too.

Pulastya's son was Vishravas. Ravana was Vishravas's son.

Kubera was Vishravas's eldest son. Someone from Vishravas's lineage lived in Noida.

So how did he end up in Lanka? This Kubera was a big private lender.

So he amassed a lot of wealth. That's why he bought an island.

It's become a common practice for everyone to buy an island somewhere, wherever they want.

So he went and bought an island. Kubera was living on that island.

Ravana went to Kubera, showed off his strength, and seized it.

Ravana is from Noida. He has absolutely no connection to Tamil.

If you look through the Valmiki Ramayana, there are two incidents.

Were there any Tamils? One was Agastya. Agastya came from the northern lands, from Agastya's abode, and it says in the Sundara Kanda that the Tamiraparani originated there.

So Agastya came and helped Tamil flourish through the Agastya grammar.

Second, Hanuman must have spoken Tamil. How do we know? He shouldn't speak Sanskrit to Sita.

If I speak Sanskrit, perhaps she might understand, or perhaps she might not.

So Valmiki begins by saying he could speak in the sweet language that humans speak in the Ramayana.

When the commentators ask, "What is the sweet language? Could it be Tamil?"

Since Tamil is also called nectar, he must have spoken Tamil there.

He asked jokingly. Hanuman spoke Tamil. How do we know? Because even today, Hanuman only recognizes prasadam.

He must have spoken Tamil. So Ravana has no connection to Tamil.

No, sir. He was in Lanka. Just because he was in Lanka, does that mean there's a connection to Tamil?

Even if there were, we shouldn't accept it.

Because seven women tweeted about him. In Me Too, seven women said Ravana sexually harassed them.

This sort of man is deeply devoted and diligent.

There was no shortage of strength in Ravana.

In the Sundara Kanda, Hanuman enters Lanka and is amazed.

Who could possibly come and conquer this Lanka, Rama?

How well this Ravana administers! A great administrator.

A great devotee of Shiva, a Vedic scholar, one who performed Agnihotra. Remember that.

Do you know how to perform Agnihotram and tell if he was doing it?

Suppose someone who performs Agnihotram dies, after you have passed away.

As soon as they die, you have to perform the rites for the three sacred fires.

Whichever Agnihotram she had performed, you must use that fire to perform her final rites.

Then Rama says, “Vibhishana,” “Perform the final rites for your elder brother.”

He brings the fire from the Agnihotram Ravana performed.

A Brahmin, a Vedic scholar, a merchant, a devotee of Shiva, an administrator, a mighty man But he had one major flaw: his character.

Everything was good, but Ravana had no character.

Rama stood victorious there like that. What character!

He came all this way searching for Sita, didn't he?

Wasn't she married off by her father, King Dasharatha?

Fine, he could have turned back. I went to Uttar Pradesh trying to search for Sita.

I couldn't find anywhere that she might have gone.

Nothing… She struggled so much. She worked so hard.