Despite being a demon (rakshasa), Ravana is depicted as a learned being with exceptional musical skill who is also a great devotee of the god Shiva. From the god Brahma, Ravana receives the boon of invulnerability against all divine beings—excluding humans, which he considered incapable of harming him. Yet Ravana acts outside proper Hindu ethics, violating dharma and lusting after others’ wives. It is for this reason, and to right the imbalance of good and evil, that Vishnu, as Rama, comes from heaven to slay Ravana.
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