Diwali tells us the story of the triumph of good over evil. It portrays how Lord Ram fought the demon king Ravana and defeated him in battle with the help of his many devotees to rescue his wife Mata Sita.
Diwali is celebrated to welcome back Lord Ram, Mata Sita & Laxman after their 14 years of exile. The story of Ramayana has been the major focus of Diwali but are you aware that there are many more behind the scene stories related to Ramayana too? If not, then listen rather read closely for we have the top 10 stories related to Ramayana right here. Read on.
Also Read: Top 10 Mandir Decoration Ideas For Diwali 2020
List of Top 10 Stories Related To Ramayana
1. Surpnakha: The real reason for the battle.
It is believed in the Valmiki version of Ramayana that Surpnakha, the sister of King Ravana approached Lord Ram with the proposal of marriage. Lord Ram, for obvious reasons, rejected her but after that, she approached Laxman who also said no to her. Enraged by the rejection from both the brothers, Surpnakha tried to harm Mata Sita. Seeing this danger Lord Ram ordered Laxman to cut Surpnakha’s nose and ears. To get her revenge on both the brothers Surpnakha ran to her brother a.k.a. King Ravana and manipulated him to kidnap Mata Sita which in turn started the whole battle.
2. 10 Heads of Ravana
Ever wondered how Ravana got all of his 10 heads? Everyone knows that Ravana was a Brahman of great knowledge and wisdom and by using this knowledge he prayed to Lord Shiva day & night. As an offering to Lord Shiva, Ravana would cut his head but another would take its place. Ravana did this, 10 times and his devotion pleased the Lord. Lord Shiva granted Ravana to keep all of his 10 heads thus making Ravana Dashanan.
3. Kumbhakaran and the story of his sleep
What is the matter with Kumbhkaran sleeping for half a year only? How does he get to be so cool? Well, this Ramayana Story is an unheard one. Once Lord Brahma asked, Ravana, Kumbhkaran & Vibhishana for a wish. Knowing Kumbhkaran well for his wit; Lord Indra fearing for his Indrasana asked Goddess Saraswati to tie his tongue during the wish. Due to which Kumbhkaran asked for the wish for eternal sleep or Nidra. Ravana seeing all this asked Lord Brahma to undo his wish, to which, Lord Brahma said that though he cannot undo all of it, he certainly can grant Kumbhkaran to sleep only for half a year.
4. Lord Ram & his Brother
We all know that Lord Ram was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu but what about Laxman, Bharat & Shatrughan? Whom did they represent in the Ramayana Story? Well, Laxman was the incarnation of the Shesh Nag, Bharat represented the Sudarshan Chakra & Shatrughan represented the Shank. This Ramayana story is worth to tell this Diwali 2020.
5. Laxman and his departure from sleep
To protect his brother and sister in law, Laxman decided to not sleep for 14 years. For this Laxman asked the Goddess of Sleep to take away his sleep for the next 14 years. The goddess replied that someone has to take his sleep so that a balance can be maintained. To maintain this balance of sleep Laxman asked his wife, Urmila to sleep for the next 14 years. This Ramayana story is another share for Diwali.
6. The squirrel who helped
While the Vanar Sena was constructing the Ram Setu to rescue Mata Sita, a little squirrel was also doing its share of help by picking up small pebbles in her mouth. Noticing this a monkey told the squirrel to stay away lest a boulder would crush her, seeing this everyone in the Sena made fun of her. Hurt by this, the squirrel complained to Lord Ram about everyone. Lord Ram then took her over to the Setu and told everyone to see how the pebbles were acting as connectors between the larger stones. This teaching us every small effort is as helpful as a big one.
7. Kaikeyi’s hand in the exile of Lord Ram
We all know that King Dashrath sent Lord Ram in exile after being told so by Queen Kaikeyi. But what did Queen Kaikeyi say to King Dashrath to persuade him to do this to his favorite son? Some years before Kaikeyi had been to a battle with King Dashrath and it was during this battle that King Dashrath got badly injured. Queen Kaikeyi risked her own life to save Dashrath and nursed him back to health. King Dashrath thus granted Kaikeyi 2 boons for her bravery. One of which Kaikeyi used to send Lord Ram in an exile.
8. The story behind the name Bajrang Bali
After Lord Ram, Mata Sita & Laxman with all of their companions came back to Ayodhya, Hanuman saw Mata Sita applying Vermilion or Sindoor on her forehead. To which he asked what was the purpose of doing so? Mata Sita replied that this was to ensure the long life of Lord Ram. Hanuman, in turn, went on to apply vermilion on his whole body. Seeing this act of love and devotion for him Lord Ram gave Hanuman the name Bajrang Bali. Bajrang denoting the orange color of the vermilion on his body.
9. Hanuman refused Lord Ram
It is known that Hanuman never disobeyed Lord Ram and worshipped him deeply. After the coronation ceremony of Lord Ram, Hanuman became sad and sat in the corner. He started meditating but tears continued to flow from his eyes. Seeing this Mata Sita informed Lord Ram about the state of Hanuman. Lord Ram said to Hanuman that he cannot give anything in return for the devotion & love of Hanuman. So, he promised that Hanuman will accompany him to Vaikunth. Hanuman became happy and asked him that would Lord Ram accompany him to Vaikunth? To which Lord Ram replied that we would not go there as Ram but as Mahavishnu. On hearing, this Hanuman became sad again and refused Lord Ram that he would rather stay in Ayodhya and meditate rather than go somewhere where Lord Ram was not present.
10. The death of Lord Ram
Death for Lord Ram was a problematic thing to achieve. After Mata Sita was gone back to earth Lord Ram realized that his time on Earth was over as well. But he knew that Hanuman won’t let Yamraj take him to Vaikunth. So, to fool Hanuman Lord Ram threw his ring into the Patal Lok and asked Hanuman to get it back. On reaching Patal Lok Hanuman asked the King of Patal, Vasuki to help him. Vasuki presented Hanuman with a bowl of rings and told him about Lord Ram’s wish.
These were our Top 10 stories related to Ramayana that you should know about this Diwali 2020. We hope that you liked them. Which one was your favorite? Tell us in the comments below. Have a happy & safe Diwali. Keep visiting.
