Prahasta
Encyclopedia
In the Hindu
epic the Ramayana
, Prahasta was a powerful rakshasa
warrior, and chief commander of Ravana
's army of Lanka
.
Prahasta leads Ravana's army in the wars against Yama
, Kubera
and the Devas
, and the Asuras and Daityas, through which Ravana establishes his sovereignty over the three worlds. He also leads the initial Lankan response to the invasion led by Rama
, Lakshmana
, Sugriva
and the Vanara
army.
Prahastha was the younger brother of Indrajit
, who died at the hands of Lakshmana on the first day of the Battle between the forces of Rama and Ravana on the Soil of Lanka. By some other accounts, he was maternal uncle of Ravana and Kaikesi's brother.
Prahasta was killed by Rama's younger brother, Lakhsman, on day one of the battle. Killing several important warriors of the Sugriva's army was actually proving to be real threat to the army of Rama, so Lakshmana had to move in to the rescue of the beleaguered army, who was suffering at the hands of the Prahastha (quoted directly from the Tulasidas Ramayana). Even Valmiki has gone in to describe that the ruthless warrior Prahastha was, and Lakshmana had to use all the celestial weapons to kill this warrior.
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
epic the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, Prahasta was a powerful rakshasa
Rakshasa
A Rakshasa or alternatively rakshas, is a race of mythological humanoid beings or unrighteous spirit in Hindu and Buddhist religion...
warrior, and chief commander of Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
's army of Lanka
Lanka
Sri Lanka is the name given in Hindu mythology to the island fortress capital of the legendary king Ravana in the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata...
.
Prahasta leads Ravana's army in the wars against Yama
Yama (Hinduism)
Yama is the lord of death in Hinduism, first recorded in the Vedas. Yama belongs to an early stratum of Indo-Iranian theology. In Vedic tradition Yama was considered to have been the first mortal who died and espied the way to the celestial abodes, thus in virtue of precedence he became the ruler...
, Kubera
Kubera
Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
and the Devas
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
, and the Asuras and Daityas, through which Ravana establishes his sovereignty over the three worlds. He also leads the initial Lankan response to the invasion led by Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
, Lakshmana
Lakshmana
Lakshmana was the brother and close companion of Rama, and himself a hero in the famous epic Ramayana...
, Sugriva
Sugriva
In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Sugriva , also spelled Sugreeva or Sugreev, was the younger brother of Bali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara or monkey kingdom Kishkindha. Ruma was his wife. He was the son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun...
and the Vanara
Vanara
Vānara popularly refers to a group of ape-like humanoids in the Hindu epic Ramayana who were brave and inquisitive by nature. They possessed supernatural powers and could change their shapes...
army.
Prahastha was the younger brother of Indrajit
Indrajit
Indrajit or Meghanatha , a warrior mentioned in the Indian epic Ramayana, was the son of the Lankan king Ravana. The word 'Indrajit' literally means the 'conqueror of Indra '....
, who died at the hands of Lakshmana on the first day of the Battle between the forces of Rama and Ravana on the Soil of Lanka. By some other accounts, he was maternal uncle of Ravana and Kaikesi's brother.
Prahasta was killed by Rama's younger brother, Lakhsman, on day one of the battle. Killing several important warriors of the Sugriva's army was actually proving to be real threat to the army of Rama, so Lakshmana had to move in to the rescue of the beleaguered army, who was suffering at the hands of the Prahastha (quoted directly from the Tulasidas Ramayana). Even Valmiki has gone in to describe that the ruthless warrior Prahastha was, and Lakshmana had to use all the celestial weapons to kill this warrior.