Kirti leaned forward, clearly wanting to know more.
"So… what exactly happened that changed your entire life?"
Vishakha's expression became serious.
Her voice grew heavier as she recalled those moments from her past.
"There was a Rakshasa who was performing intense tapasya to Lord Shiva, hoping to become immortal."
Kirti frowned.
"Rakshasa means demons, right?"
Vishakha nodded.
"Yes."
She looked into the distance as the memories continued unfolding around them.
"There was a time when demons and gods both lived on Earth. Even one of the most powerful beings in creation, Lord Shiva, lived here in the Himalayas, at Mount Kailash."
Kirti looked surprised by that revelation, but after a moment, she slowly nodded.
Vishakha continued.
"During that era, one Rakshasa was considered one of Lord Shiva's greatest devotees."
She paused.
"His name was Dashaanan."
Kirti tilted her head.
"Dashaanan?"
"Dash means ten, and aanan means head. He had ten heads, so he was called Dashaanan."
The description suddenly felt extremely familiar to Kirti.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait… are you talking about Ravan?"
Vishakha looked confused.
"Ravan? I don't know anyone by that name."
(Author's Note:
For clarity, Dashaanan and Ravan are the same person.
Dashaanan was his original name. The name Dashaanan literally refers to his ten heads—Dash meaning ten and Aanan meaning head.
Later, during the Treta Yuga, when Dashaanan attempted to lift Mount Kailash, Lord Shiva pressed the mountain down with his foot, trapping Dashaanan's hands beneath it. He remained trapped there for an entire year, crying out in pain.
Because of his cries, he eventually came to be known as Ravan.
Therefore, characters who knew him from his earlier life refer to him as Dashaanan, while people familiar with his later life know him as Ravan, the King of Lanka.)
Kirti stared at her for a second before explaining.
"Ravan. The King of Lanka. He was also a Rakshasa, and he had ten heads. He had three brothers, including Vibhishan and Kumbhakarna."
Kirti didn't know every detail about the story, but living in India and growing up around the Ramayana made it almost impossible for her to know nothing about Ravan.
Vishakha listened carefully to Kirti's description.
Slowly, realization appeared on her face.
"So… you're talking about Dashaanan."
Kirti nodded.
"Exactly."
Vishakha looked at her curiously.
"How do you know about him?"
Kirti then explained everything she knew about the Ramayana, including the story of Ravan and his war with Lord Rama.
Vishakha remained silent for a while.
Then she sighed.
"So, in the end, he also became a tyrant… and humanity now uses his name as a symbol of darkness."
Kirti looked at her.
"But you knew him before all of that?"
Vishakha nodded.
"Yes."
Her expression became distant.
"This was back when Dashaanan was only twenty years old."
She paused before continuing.
"At that time, he wasn't trying to conquer the world. He wanted recognition for the Rakshasas."
According to Dashaanan's beliefs, the gods had always treated the Rakshasas unfairly. He believed they had been betrayed and denied justice for generations.
"And he wanted to change that," Vishakha said.
"He wanted to bring justice to all Rakshasas."
Kirti listened quietly.
"When he was only eighteen, Dashaanan left with his three brothers to perform tapasya to Brahma, the Creator God."
The scene around them shifted, revealing a younger Dashaanan standing alongside his brothers.
"All three brothers were performing tapasya for their own desires."
Vishakha's voice became quieter.
"But Dashaanan had only one wish."
Kirti already knew the answer.
"Immortality?"
Vishakha nodded.
"Yes. He wanted to become immortal."
She paused.
"But there was a problem."
"Brahma himself isn't immortal. So how could he grant someone true immortality?"
Kirti frowned slightly.
"So what happened?"
"Brahma couldn't grant Dashaanan the immortality he wanted."
Vishakha looked toward the distant image of the young Rakshasa.
"So instead, Brahma told him to perform tapasya to Lord Shiva."
"That was exactly why every divine presence was afraid."
Vishakha's voice became serious.
"Lord Shiva was known for granting the wishes of his devotees. If someone pleased him through devotion, he could grant them incredible boons. That is why he was also known as Bhole Bhandari."
"All the gods and divine beings were terrified of what Dashaanan might receive if his tapasya succeeded."
"So they came up with a plan to break his meditation."
"And they chose me."
Vishakha gave a faint, almost embarrassed smile.
"I was arrogant back then. I thought my beauty was enough to captivate even Dashaanan."
She paused.
"Maybe that was my biggest mistake."
Kirti frowned.
"So Dashaanan wasn't captivated by you? Because, from everything we've heard since childhood, Ravan was supposed to be a lustful Rakshasa."
Vishakha shook her head.
"People change with time."
"When I met him, he was strict, disciplined, and kind. But there's an old saying from our time…"
She looked at Kirti.
"When power goes to someone's head, it can change even the person who once stood for something good."
She sighed.
"Perhaps that was what happened to Dashaanan."
As she finished speaking, she became lost in the memory.
The surroundings changed once again.
The darkness disappeared.
A vast, ancient landscape appeared before them.
At its center stood a young Dashaanan.
He had an imposing and powerful physique, ten heads, and a body hardened by years of intense discipline. His eyes were closed as he sat before a Shivling, completely immersed in meditation.
Kirti and Vishakha stood nearby, watching the scene.
Kirti's eyes widened as she looked at Dashaanan.
"Wow… such a hunk."
Vishakha gave her a knowing smile.
"I know."
Suddenly, the clouds above them parted.
A figure descended from the sky.
It was Vishakha in her apsara form, gracefully floating down through the air, her clothes and hair moving with the wind.
Kirti stared in admiration.
"In your apsara form, you really were beautiful."
Vishakha smiled proudly.
"I know."
The young Vishakha landed in front of Dashaanan.
For a few moments, she simply looked at him.
And then, despite coming there with a specific mission, even she seemed to momentarily lose herself in his appearance.
"So handsome…"
The present-day Vishakha and Kirti looked at each other.
"We know."
The young Vishakha quickly composed herself.
She had a mission to complete.
She prepared herself.
Then the sky began to fill with divine beings.
Gandharvas, Yakshas, devas, and apsaras appeared among the clouds.
Some of the devas sat upon the clouds with divine musical instruments, while several apsaras took their positions in the sky, ready to perform.
Kirti watched the spectacle with complete fascination.
Then the music began.
A divine melody spread across the surroundings.
The apsaras began their dance.
And at the center of it all was Vishakha.
Her movements were graceful and mesmerizing. Every step, every turn, every gesture seemed perfectly synchronized with the divine music.
Even with his eyes closed, Dashaanan could sense the performance around him.
But his meditation didn't break.
One day passed.
Then another.
Days turned into weeks.
For nearly an entire month, Vishakha continued dancing.
Yet Dashaanan remained completely unmoved.
In fact, his tapasya only became stronger.
His concentration grew so intense that something strange began to happen.
The music gradually faded.
The dancing stopped.
The wind itself seemed to become silent.
Across the entire world, there was now only one sound.
"Om Namah Shivaya…"
"Om Namah Shivaya…"
"Om Namah Shivaya…"
Dashaanan's voice echoed through creation.
The powerful chant resonated across the earth, the heavens, and the realms below.
Everything seemed to tremble beneath the sheer force of his devotion.
For a brief moment, Dashaanan felt it.
He felt that his voice had finally reached Lord Shiva.
But even after his prayer reached Shiva, there was no response.
Dashaanan sensed it.
His chanting slowly stopped.
He opened his eyes and looked directly at the Shivling.
"This can't be."
His voice was filled with disbelief.
"I have heard about you. They say you don't discriminate between Devas and Asuras."
His expression hardened.
"Then why won't you accept my tapasya?"
He clenched his fists.
"I don't believe that I am incapable of pleasing you."
Dashaanan looked at the Shivling with unwavering determination.
"I will sacrifice everything I have to you."
His voice became firm.
"You have to accept it."
He reached for his sword.
Vishakha, who had been standing nearby, suddenly realized what he intended to do.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait…"
Dashaanan raised the sword.
Vishakha instinctively covered her mouth, her entire body trembling with fear.
The scene that followed left even Kirti stunned.
Dashaanan had begun sacrificing his own heads as an offering to Lord Shiva.
When the first sacrifice was complete, one of his ten heads was gone.
Nine remained.
Vishakha stared in horror as Dashaanan continued his devotion without hesitation.
She had come to break his tapasya.
But she had never imagined witnessing something like this.
And for the first time, Vishakha understood that Dashaanan's devotion to Lord Shiva was far beyond anything she had ever witnessed.
Vishakha stared at Dashaanan in shock.
He had gone far beyond ordinary devotion now.
The determination in his eyes was unmistakable.
Dashaanan looked toward the Shivling.
Lord Shiva still hadn't appeared.
Still, he didn't lose hope.
He raised his sword again.
And with another decisive movement, he sacrificed another one of his heads.
Vishakha's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of devotion is this?
But what happened next was something she would never forget.
One after another, Dashaanan continued offering his heads to the Shivling.
The sacred stone became covered with the offerings of his devotion.
Even on Mount Kailash, Lord Shiva's eyes briefly filled with emotion as he witnessed the intensity of Dashaanan's devotion.
Tears appeared in Vishakha's eyes as well.
One after another, Dashaanan offered nine of his heads.
Yet even after all of that, Lord Shiva still hadn't appeared.
Dashaanan didn't become disappointed.
Instead, he raised his sword one final time.
His last remaining head was about to become his final offering.
Vishakha couldn't bear to watch.
She closed her eyes.
But then—
Something completely unexpected happened.
A powerful divine presence filled the entire area.
Vishakha opened her eyes.
Lord Shiva himself had appeared.
Before Dashaanan could strike his final blow, Shiva caught his hand.
Dashaanan froze.
The sword stopped in midair.
He immediately dropped to his knees and folded his hands.
"Mahadev…"
His voice trembled with devotion.
"Finally… you have accepted my faith and devotion."
Lord Shiva smiled gently.
"I am deeply pleased by your devotion."
He then raised his hand.
A wave of divine energy passed through the air.
One by one, the heads Dashaanan had sacrificed returned to his body.
Within moments, he was whole again.
But Shiva granted him something more.
Dashaanan discovered that he could manifest or conceal his additional heads whenever he wished.
Now he could even appear like an ordinary human when necessary.
Lord Shiva looked at him.
"Tell me, Dashaanan. What boon do you desire?"
Dashaanan didn't hesitate.
"Immortality."
He folded his hands.
"I want to become immortal, Mahadev."
Lord Shiva's expression remained calm.
"In the mortal realm, whoever is born must eventually die. I cannot grant you the boon of immortality."
Dashaanan remained silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
"I don't want any boon other than immortality."
"If you wish to grant me a boon, then please grant me immortality."
Lord Shiva replied calmly,
"Whatever is born must eventually perish. No one can escape this law of existence."
"Not even the Trimurti."
Dashaanan thought for a while.
Then an idea came to him.
"In that case, grant me this boon, Prabhu."
"May no one in this world be able to kill me except Nar and Vanar."
Lord Shiva smiled.
"Tathastu."
With those words, Shiva disappeared.
From a distance, Kirti and Vishakha had watched everything.
Kirti looked at Vishakha.
"Wait… Nar and Vanar means what?"
Vishakha gave her an exasperated sigh.
"Even if you become this modern, you shouldn't forget your own culture."
She pointed toward the scene.
"Nar means a human male."
"And Vanar means a monkey."
Kirti nodded slowly.
"Okay…"
Then another question came to her mind.
"But why did Dashaanan specifically ask for that boon?"
Vishakha gave a small laugh.
"Because, according to Dashaanan, humans and monkeys simply didn't have the capability to kill him."
Kirti raised an eyebrow.
"But weren't humans and Vanars the ones who eventually defeated him and burned Lanka?"
Vishakha smiled.
"You can't outsmart Lord Vishnu."
"Whenever someone has tried to outsmart him, they have eventually been brought down by his own plans."
Kirti nodded thoughtfully.
"So what happened after that?"
She looked at Vishakha.
"Dashaanan got his boon. Then what happened that changed your life?"
Vishakha's expression slowly became serious again.
"That…"
She looked toward the fading memory.
"That is where my story truly begins."