Shiva Mahimna Stotra

Shloka 12

Meaning:  The famous Ravana acquired great strength by worshipping Lord Shiva. But, with that strength, he started to shake your abode, Kailash. However, when you gently pressed the tip of your toe (on Ravana’s head), Ravana could not find a place even in Patala, the lowest plane in the universe. Truly, a wicked person loses a sense of right and wrong when he/she acquires wealth and power.

Reflections: Ravana worshipped Lord Shiva and acquired great strength and wealth. But he forgot that all his glories came from Lord Shiva. At one point he wanted to apply the same strength against Lord Shiva and started shaking Kailash, Lord Shiva’s abode. Lord Shiva gently pressed the tip of his toe and with that force, Ravana went down and down in space and became a laughable person. Pushpadanta writes that a wicked person really gets deluded by wealth and strength, and loses the sense of right and wrong. Wicked people have no sense of gratitude, and they learn their lessons the hard way.  

Question: We know that when one realizes God, one gets liberated. Ravana performed severe austerities and realized Lord Shiva, but why then did he bring his own destruction?  

This is my understanding:

Answer:  God is called a “Kalpataru”, the wish-fulfilling tree. Ravana had a desire to conquer the world and acquire all the wealth of the world. With that desire in mind, he intensely performed austerity, much more than any ordinary person can perform. God must fulfill his desire. But that desire led him to destructive ideas which brought destruction of himself, his followers, and his kingdom. 

The theory of Karma says that if we have a desire, then we will act accordingly, and we must go through the consequences of our actions. However, if we have a desire for knowledge of the Ultimate Reality and love for God, then this desire will liberate us from all other worldly desires, and make us free from all our bondages.  

People whose minds are filled with tamas and rajas have desires to harm people or to acquire worldly gain. Many of them pray to God to fulfill their desires. The power which creates, preserves, and dissolves the universe gives strength to these people to fulfill their desires, but then they must suffer the consequences of their actions.  Therefore, if we do not want to suffer anymore, and want to be liberated from all our bondages and experience infinite bliss within, then we must pray to God for Knowledge and Devotion.

One more lesson we learn from this shloka is to recognize all the help we have received and to be thankful to all who have helped us.  Parents help us to grow, teachers help us to learn, and many people and objects of the world help us in various ways to survive, work, and for our achievements. We must recognize this help, be thankful to all, and do our best to return this favor in some way. Even if we live a decent life grounded by morality and spirituality, then all who have helped us will be happy for the sacrifices they have made for us.

The ego is the main obstacle to recognizing other people’s help. It wants to boast thinking that ‘I have done everything by myself’. Developing a sense of gratitude does not make us smaller, but it makes us humble, and it adds up to our self-dignity and awareness of reality.