Ravan: The Ten Faces of a Man

Ravan - The Ten Faces of a Man

I was never ten heads. I was ten minds... and none at peace.

They say I was born of darkness-of demons, of deceit, of rage.
But let me ask you something: who taught you that light was pure, and darkness unclean?

I was not born evil. I was born extraordinary.

My mother, Kaikesi, bore me in defiance. My father, Vishrava-learned, stern, and silent-infused my blood with sacred knowledge and royal restraint. I was both sage and shadow. Curse and crown. When I was born, the skies trembled-not because they feared me, but because they recognised me.

Even as a child, I could not contain the fire inside me. It burned for knowledge first. Then for power. Then for her.

Ah yes, her.
But that comes later.

You see, the world has known me by many names: Lankesh. Dasamukha. Rakshasa. Demon.
But before I was any of those, I was a seeker.

I sought truth in scriptures, power in penance, glory in conquest, and immortality in the eyes of the gods. I sang praises of Shiva till my throat bled. I conquered worlds with a mere thought. I challenged fate-not because I was foolish, but because I believed I could bend even time to my will.

They said I was arrogant. Perhaps I was. But tell me-can a lion ever apologise for his roar?

People remember the war. They remember the abduction, the burning of Lanka, the final arrow.
But they forget the years before that. The years I ruled wisely. The years I fed the poor, protected sages, honoured musicians, hosted scholars. My Lanka was not just golden in stone. It shone in thought, in culture, in brilliance.

But this is not a defence.
This is not a plea for forgiveness.
This is... confession.

Because the war I fought against Rama was not my first.
My real war was within.

Each head they painted in your tales-those were not ornaments. They were my burdens. Each one carried a face I could not silence: Ego, Desire, Anger, Ambition, Love, Knowledge, Doubt, Logic, Fear, and Pride. They whispered to me. Screamed at me. Lied to me. And I... I obeyed.

I watched kingdoms fall because of one thought I could not quiet.
I lost my brothers to truths I refused to hear.
I buried my son beneath a silence I could not break.
And I watched my empire burn because I could not unlove a woman who never loved me back.

You call me villain.

I call myself unfinished.

So I have come back-not in flesh, but in memory-to show you what I truly was. Not a monster. Not a god. Not a myth.
But a man. Torn between greatness and ruin.

This is not just my story. This is yours too. Because inside you, too, are ten voices.
And the one you listen to most... will decide the life you build, or the empire you burn.

So listen closely.
To me.
To yourself.

I am Ravan.
And this is the truth behind the ten faces of a man.

What if the demon you feared... was just a man like you?

RAVAN: The Ten Faces of a Man is not just a retelling of the Ramayana's most infamous antagonist-it is an intimate, introspective, and deeply human portrait of a misunderstood soul. In this powerful mythological novel, Guru Shivram delves into the psychological and spiritual layers of Ravan, presenting him not as a villain, but as a man burdened by brilliance, driven by ego, broken by desire, and redeemed by self-realization.

Mythological fiction like Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy or Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's The Forest of Enchantments

Spiritual and philosophical fiction in the style of The Alchemist or Siddhartha

Epic retellings of Indian mythology and Ramayana characters

Deep character studies of grey heroes and flawed icons

Stories of inner transformation and redemption