RAVANA was one of the most important characters in the Indian epic Ramayana. He is better known and remembered as the demon king who kidnapped Sita whom Rama defeated and killed, in a battle fought at Lanka. But surely he is much more than that. Raavana’s thirst for knowledge, his desire to please Shiva and his austerities earned him the various yogic abilities. While Hindu mythology expatiates the evil side of RAVANA, his erudite knowledge and extraordinary skills cannot be overlooked. To put it in a nutshell, here we bring few interesting facts about RAVANA that show the other side of the demon-king.
RAVANA was a great Aryuvedic physician and Vaidya Shiromani. He wrote valuable books called Nadi Pariksha (detailing of pulse-examination), Arka Shastra (compiling usage and dosage and cures of every herb for complex diseases), Arka Pariksha (work tinctures and extracts.), Kumara Tantraya (Gynecology and Peadetric Medicine), Uddisa Chiktsaya, Oddiya Chikitsa, and Vatina Prakaranaya. In his book called the Arka Prakasha, an Ayurvedic treatise, Raavan had elaborated on various therapeutic values of essential oils. The book also contains an account of the standard operating procedures of extracting distillates from aromatic plants for internal use. He had the skills of preparing vitaminized rice balls which he had given Sita for refreshment while he carried her on his chariot.
RAVANA was the founder of SINDHURAM medicine. This medicine cured wounds instantly. He authored ‘RAVAN Samhita,’ a famous book which is an excellent compilation of his scholarly works. It talks about the science of ayurveda. RAVAN was also the greatest astrologer of his time, and was aware of esoteric practices similar to black magic.
The Kumara Tantra is a complete health guide to pregnancy and child medicine of the ancient times. It has an elaborate description of causes, symptoms and treatments of over 100 diseases pertaining to motherhood and pediatrics. The book was wriitten by Raavan upon the request of his pregnant wife Mandodari.
With years of penance and dedication, RAVANA was said to have become so mighty that he could even interfere with planetary alignments. It is said that Ravana had instructed all the planets to be in their proper position to create the most auspicious “lagna” for the birth of his second son, Meghnad, which would grant him immortality.  However, it was Shani (Saturn) who changed his position at the last moment which infuriated Ravana so much that he struck him with mace and broke off one of its legs, maiming him forever.
Not only did he have in-depth prowess in Sanskrit, the demon king of Lanka had also authored Sanskrit classics such as Shivathandava Sthotra, Yuddisha Tantra and Prakrutha Kamadenu. He was well versed with the four Vedas, and was particularly a patron of the Sama Veda. He was also known to have mastered the art of pada patha technique, a distinctive style of saying the Vedic chants.
Raavana composed the Rudra Stotra in praise of Shiva, the ascetic-god. He also composed Shiva Tandava Stotram, which is an ode to Lord Shiva as the destroyer.  The poetic aesthetics of Raavan can be seen in the Shiva Strotram. He had exhibited his skills of alliteration and onomatopoeia, the art of forming words to describe sounds, in the Shiva Strotram which is one of the landmarks of Hindu devotional poetry.
It was believed to have been composed in praise of Lord Shiva’s power, when the latter trapped him under Mount Kailash, with just a step of his foot, after the latter tried lifting it.
We adopt the ancient wisdom narrated byRavana in his epics and the other unearthed Ayurveda techniques and procedures for the betterment of performance and lifestyle of the masses without or minimal use of medicines.