Sita Kills Sahastra Ravan

The story of Sahastra Ravan and Sita's Bhadrakali form have been taken from the extracts of the Adbhuta Ramayana, a treatise authored by Valmiki Muni. The story goes like this:

Lord Rama returns to Ayodhya with Sita and Lakshman after killing Dasanana Ravana (the one with the 10 heads). The sages and courtiers praise Rama for his valor. However, Sita realizes that Dasanana Ravana wasn’t the real Ravana. She remembers her childhood days, when a Brahmin in Mithila had talked about Ravana’s elder brother Sahasraskandha Ravana (thousand headed Ravana). He was the real Ravana who lived on a mountain named Pushkar. Sahastra Ravan was much more strong and powerful than his younger brother.

Sahastra Ravan and Lord Rama

Next, Lord Rama mobilized his army of humans, vanars and rakshasa to conquer the Sahasraskandha Ravana. The war begins between the two and the Vanaras give a good start. When Ravana sees Rama’s army getting an upper hand he too decides to participate. As soon as he joins the war, he displaces humans to Ayodhya, vanaras to Kishkinda and rakshasa to Lanka – Yes back to the place from they came.

Rama was so furious that he got himself ready to fight against Sahasraskandha Ravana. In their first encounter, Lord Rama used several celestial weapons including the Brahmastra but it had no effect on the Sahastra Ravana, he could easily deflect it. Though it agitated Lord Rama, he couldn’t do anything. He rendered Lord Rama unconscious.

The Face Off Between Sahastra Ravan and Sita

After Rama was defeated, Sita transforms into Bhadrakali. She not only decapitated Ravana’s thousand heads but destroyed his entire army. Next, all the Devas come to appease Bhadrakali after they realize that the earth will be destroyed by her temper. They try to convince her by exclaiming that only through Adyashakti’s favor and blessing the Supreme God is accessible. She immediately points to the Rama lying unconscious and mentions that since he was unconscious, she couldn’t think of the world’s welfare.

Lord Brahma then restores Rama’s consciousness. The moment Rama sees Sita in the Bhadrakali form he is frightened to see his beloved in such a state. However, Lord Brahma explains Rama that everything that he does whether it is destruction or creation, it can be accomplished only by the grace of Adyashakti. Brahma then tells Rma that Sita is actually Parmatma known as Siva (Shakti of Lord Shiva). Sita then gives Rama the power to see her in the divine state. Rama is astonished. He then recites the Kali Saharanam.

Post this, Sita comes back to her normal form and the two together head back to Ayodhya.This is the story behind Sita killing Sahastra Ravan.