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Raakshas in Hindu Mythology
[Branched from  V-Raamaayan, 1/4/15]

Hindoo mythology has no devils, but has only Raakshas who can hardly be called demons, either. Not all the Raakshas are evil-doers. Some of the Raakshas are the fallen angels who take birth as mortals. They have their Vaidik education, and they perform Vaidik rituals and penance etc, because of that they get the patronage of any one of the gods among the Hindoo Trinity, viz, Brahmaa, Vishnu, and Shiv. On attaining the cherished boons, they suddenly revolt against their own patron deities and commence the atrocities only to conquer the Heavens, knowing well that they cannot be attained with a mortal body. In order to snub the upsurge of such violence or the unnatural ascension to Heaven, the deity who gave the boons seeks the help of any of the other two of the Trinity. Then one of the other two from the Trinity will take birth as mortal, as an incarnation of god on earth and kill that Raakshas. Usually Vishnu incarnates himself to eradicate the evils created by the intrepid Raakshas.

Here the celestials bring in a preamble for Vishnu's incarnation as Raam and thus the topic of Raavan occurs in this chapter of Raamaayan. Raavan need not be taken as an evil spirit, devil, hobgoblin or a monstrous being. He was a Brahman, well versed in all Ved, musicologist, and a great king of Lankaa, with unlimited riches, and very many of his clansmen with their vast dominions, and what not. Though Brahmaa and Shiv blessed Raavan with boons, Raavan flouts all the norms in conquering Heavens in which course he did not hesitate to torture anyone who becomes his personal hurdle or hindrance. Hence it became inevitable for Brahmaa and Shiv to curb Raavan's atrocities, so Vishnu is now requested by all the deities to incarnate Himself on earth.

In Hindooism evil is not a separate entity from humans, but available in the same person and resides along with virtue, like the two sides of a coin. These Raakshas are also mortals, extraordinary beings with extraordinary powers like god incarnates, but with wickedness in their will, monstrosity in mind and a conqueror's ambition in their heart, they are rendered themselves as demons.

(Reason of Birth of Raavan - read it here)

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