Kumbhakarna

Origin In the Bhagavata Purana, Kumbhakarna is said to be the incarnation of the gatekeeper deity Vijaya. Vijaya, along with his brother and fellow gatekeeper Jaya, was punished by the Four Kumaras for impiety while they guarded the sacred realm of Vishnu. Vijaya was initially sentenced to mortality, but after appealing to Vishnu, their sentences were reduced to just three lifetimes, allowing them to return to Vaikuntha. While his brother Jaya became Ravana, Vijaya became Kumbhakarna during their second of three incarnations on Earth. Personality Kumbhakarna is portrayed as a loyal, powerful, and fearless character who fought to defend his brother and land out of obligation and affection. He had a great appetite and slept for six months at a time. Family Kumbhakarna's father is Vishrava, and his siblings are Ravana, Vibhishana, and Shurpanakha. He has two sons, Kumbha and Nikumbha, with his wife Vajrajwala, the daughter of Bali and granddaughter of Virochana, who also fought in the war against Rama and was killed. ==In the war==

In defense of his kingdom, Ravana charged into battle and was humiliated by Rama and his army after underestimating his enemy. He decided he needed the help of his brother Kumbhakarna, who woke up only after 1,000 elephants walked over him. When informed of Ravana's war with Rama, Kumbhakarna tried to convince Ravana that what he was doing was wrong, that Rama is the avatar of Vishnu, and that Sita is an avatar of Lakshmi. However, Ravana was deaf to these words and Kumbhakarna chose to fight in the battle due to loyalty and affection for his brother and homeland. Lakshmana and Kumbhakarna dueled for a long period, leaving both of them exhausted. In his battle against Rama, Kumbhakarna had one arm cut off by the Vayuastra and the other mutilated by the Indrastra. Still, he raged towards Rama, opening his mouth to swallow him whole, and was met with a volley of arrows. In the Kamba Ramayanam, Kumbhakarna acknowledges the divinity of Rama, but informs him of his dharma to fight for his brother, and only urges the prince to keep Vibhishana safe from harm. With his desire granted, he charged against Rama with his feet severed by crescent arrows. He was slain only when the Indrastra was deployed by Rama. Kumbakarna's head was decapitated, and is described to have smashed several buildings and fortifications before descending towards the sea. When Ravana heard of his brother's death, he fainted and later proclaimed that he was doomed. ==See also==

• "Kumbhakarna" in M.M.S. Shastri Chitrao, Bharatavarshiya Prachin Charitrakosha (Dictionary of Ancient Indian Biography, in Hindi), Pune 1964, pp. 149–151 ==References==