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I heard that Ravana thought to do some good things to this world, specifically three things. I remember only one which is removing salt from oceans and making the water drinkable.

I heard that these thoughts were before he abducts Goddess Sita.

Can someone please list those three things which Ravana thought to do? and also why he didn't do those things? (Was he got diverted somehow?)

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  • On a side note, I am sure if Ravan had converted ocean into drinking water, Man would have exploited it and made it dirty again :D. Or worse Man would have consumed and exhausted the entire ocean!!
    – Sai
    Feb 17, 2015 at 17:58
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    I didn't heard something like this, so it may happen there is local story construct around Ravan.
    – Kiran
    Feb 19, 2015 at 11:58
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    It's not in the Valmiki Ramayana. Apr 4, 2015 at 17:27
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    I also haven't heard this type of things ... if this so ..then let us know the source of this info . Apr 7, 2015 at 7:06

4 Answers 4

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Raavan thought to do the following 4 things:

  • Making sea water drinkable
  • Making Moon Scarless
  • Building staircase from earth to heaven
  • Making Fire smoke free.

I heard these from many saints in satsangs. Sorry, I don't have many references but I am attaching this YouTube video link (starts from 7.31 min) of this brahmagyani saint.

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  • Thanks now I remembered that I heard these same things but I didn't heard the last one.
    – Mr_Green
    Jun 23, 2015 at 14:19
  • Making moon scarless is not in the list the other three are correct
    – user5452
    Apr 24, 2016 at 3:05
  • I have even heard that a son would never die in front or father. Oct 9, 2016 at 12:06
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This is related to only what I have heard in Childhood ,no Links for 3rd one, these are the 3 things Ravana has wished for ,

Please note these links may not be reliable source

  1. Stair case to heaven from Lanka
  2. Bringing Shiva to Lanka
  3. Bring Very Nice Smell/Fragnance to Lanka

His bringing Shiva to Lanka is failed and we have Jyotir Lingam story related to that which is known as VaidyaNath Jyotir Lingam.

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Rama goes to Ravana after killing him in the battlefield. During the time when Ravana lay down dying and even unable to rise, Rama seeks advice from Ravana in that state about secrets of statecraft.

One of the advices he gave Rama is " Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today !" ... I wanted to have a staircase built from heaven to Sri Lanka, but alas.." and so on , as others here also have narrated.

Ravana bragging about HeavenStairCase

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    You can cite some sources.
    – Pandya
    Oct 9, 2016 at 11:01
  • C.Rajagopalachry, Ramayana around 1957 iirc
    – Narasimham
    Mar 3, 2021 at 17:48
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Ravana was simply incapable of doing anything good. He was in fact a wicked villain.

Ravana certainly did not make the ocean water unsalty.

Rishi Vadavamukha was practising severe tapasya at Mt Meru. He called upon the ocean who refused to come. He then cursed the waters of the ocean to become as saltish in taste as the human sweat, and hence its waters became un-drinkable [Ref: Mahabharata 12.343].

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