Sages & Others
Kumbhakarna
कुम्भकर्ण
The Sleeper of Lanka
Who was Kumbhakarna?
Kumbhakarna (कुम्भकर्ण): The Sleeper of Lanka, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. Second of Visrava's rakshasa sons, born with the ten-headed Ravana to Pushpotkata, the most terrible of the brothers in battle and a thorough master of illusion.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | कुम्भकर्ण |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Sleeper of Lanka |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | enormous, somnolent, terrible, brotherly |
| Notable relationships | Elder brother: Ravana, Brother: Vibhishana, Father: Visrava, Slain by: Lakshmana |
| Featured in | 3 stories |
About Kumbhakarna
Second of Visrava's rakshasa sons, born with the ten-headed Ravana to Pushpotkata, the most terrible of the brothers in battle and a thorough master of illusion. He stood a thousand years head downward in austerity, but when Brahma came to grant the boon his reason was clouded by darkness and he asked only for long sleep. He slept through most of the war, and Ravana had drums beaten around him to wake him after two commanders were already dead; he walked out eating monkeys as he went, caught Sugriva up bodily, and was bored through and finally riven by Lakshmana with the Brahma weapon.
In Their Words
You have spent your other brothers already. Wake me, then, and I will go.
Kumbhakarna
Traits
- enormous
- somnolent
- terrible
- brotherly
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Kumbhakarna
One further tale on this site names Kumbhakarna.
Character Arc
- The BoonAsks Brahma for long sleep and is given it
- The DrumsWoken to hear what his brother has spent
- The FieldTears Sugriva loose and falls to the Brahma weapon
Key Relationships
- Elder brotherRavana
- BrotherVibhishana
- FatherVisrava
- Slain byLakshmana
Places in Kumbhakarna's Story
Drawn from the stories Kumbhakarna appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.