Nectar in the Navel of Ravana 

There are many stories about Ravana’s slaughter in Ram’s stories. It is said in those stories that there was a reservoir in the navel of Ravana, filled with nectar. Vibhishana told Shriram about this secret of having nectar in the navel of Ravana, and then Shriram killed Ravana. Even today, Vibhishana is blamed for revealing this secret. People say that ‘An insider does the maximum damage.’ But is it true? Was there any nectar reservoir in the navel of Ravana in reality?

If we read Valmiki Ramayana very carefully, then we find that it is not mentioned anywhere. According to the Valmiki Ramayana, when the battle was taking place between Ravana and Ram, the king of the gods Indra sent his divine chariot and charioteer Matli to help Ram. This Matli told Shriram that-

Visrijaasmai vadhaay tvamstram paitaamaham prabho |
Vinaashkaalah kathito yah suraih soadya vartate || 6-108-2

It means- Oh, Lord Shriram! You use the weapon of Brahma Ji because now, according to the gods, it is high time to kill Ravana. After being reminded by Matli, Prabhu Shriram recalled that weapon, and then angry Shriram shot that heart-rending arrow at Ravana with great effort. As soon as that arrow was released, it pierced the heart of Ravana, and he died.

If we read the verses of Valmiki Ramayana carefully, there is an indication that there was no nectar reservoir in the navel of Ravan.

Ravana’s slaughter story in the Tamilian Kamb’s Ramayana

Even in Kamb’s Ramayana, written in the Tamil language, nowhere such a story of nectar’s reservoir filled with nectar in Ravana’s navel is mentioned. According to the kamb Ramayan, Shriram first breaks that bow given by Brahma. After that, he assumed that  Ravana might be killed with the weapon of Brahma only which had come out from the navel of Narayana. After this, Shriram attacks Ravana’s chest with that bow, and Ravana dies.

The story of nectar’s reservoir in the navel of Ravana in the Adhyaatma Ramayana

 For the first time in the Adhyaatma Ramayana, The story of the nectar reservoir in the navel of Ravana filled up with nectar comes to the fore.

According to ‘Yuddhkand’ of Adhyaatma Ramayana, Shriram was cutting off the head of Ravan again and again with his arrows, but his head was joining his body at the same time. Then, Vibhishana revealed the secret of Ravana, having nectar in his navel.

utpatsytipunah shighramityaah bhagwaanjah |
naabhdisheamritam tasya kundalakaramsansthatitam ||
tachachhoshayaanalaasatren tasya mrityusatato bhawet |
vibhishanvatah shrutwaa raamah shighra paraakram ||
paavkaastren syojya naabhivivyaadh rakshasah |
anantram cha chichachhed shiraansicha mahaabalah ||

Here, Vibhishana says to Shriram that the nectar has been kept in Ravana’s navel in a circular shape. You put him dry with your Aagneyaashtra; he will die only then. Shriram listens to these words and kills that demon by stretching his Aagneyaashtra onto the bow. And then, the powerful Shriram cuts off his head and hands after getting angry.

However, even in the Adhyaatama Ramayan, Ravana did not die at once because of drying up nectar. When Matli, the charioteer sent by Indra, requests Shriram to drive Brahmaashtra, then Shriram slays Ravana with Brahmaashtra by attacking his heart.

Ravana’s slaughter story in Ramcharitmanas

In Ramcharitamanas, Tulasidas ji mentioned the existence of nectar in the navel of Ravana. It seems taken partly from the Adhyaatma Ramayana. Apart from this, it also mentions that Vibhishana has revealed the secret of having a nectar reservoir in Ravan’s navel.

Naabhikunda piyush bas yaake | Naath jayit raavanu bl taake ||
Sunat vibhishana bachan kipala | harahigahe kar baan karaalaa ||

After this, according to the story of Ramcharitmanas, Lord Shri Ram releases thirty-one arrows simultaneously. In these, one of the arrows absorbs the nectar of Ravana’s navel, and with the rest of the arrows, Ravana’s body is cut and falls, and with this, Ravana dies.

In Adhyaatma Ramayan, Ravana fights even after the drying up of nectar and was slaughtered with Brahmastra in the last. But in Ramcharitamanas, one of these thirty-one arrows dried the nectar of Ravan’s navel, and consequently, he died.

So, there is nothing wrong to say that periods keep changing; the battle between Ram-Ravana also takes place with changing periods, but the manner of narrating the story changes with every period.