Your elders may have told you to think before you speak. Words uttered in haste can sometimes get you into trouble! If you are not careful with your words, the end results may be disastrous. Kumbhakarna is one such person who wanted to ask for something but ended up with something else altogether!
Kumbhakarna is famous for two things — his extreme hunger and his long naps that went on for months together. But why did Kumbhakarna sleep so much? He wasn’t born that way. He was as large as a mountain and ate everything in sight (including unhappy sages who were unfortunate enough to come in his path) to sustain his appetite, but his sleep was the result of a slip of the tongue.
Once Kumbhakarna undertook a penance to please Lord Brahma. Brahma, as you may know, was infamous for handing out boons without discretion to anyone who happened to please him.
Kumbhakarna was unshakable in his penance and the gods wondered what he would want at the end of it. He was the brother of Ravana, a powerful king whose evil ways had already caused enough grief to the gods and holy men. If Kumbhakarna managed to obtain more powers than he already had, what would the world come to? The combination of the brothers would be deadly! At the end of the long penance, Brahma appeared before Kumbhakarna and offered him a boon. Kumbhakarna knew exactly what he wanted. The seat of Lord Indra, the king of the devas!
Kumbhakarna opened his mouth to ask for ‘Indrasan’ (seat of Indra) but he asked for ‘Nindrasan’ (bed for sleep) instead! Some say that it was goddess Saraswati who tied his tongue and made him misspeak, fearing that if Kumbhakarna became the king of the devas, there would be trouble in heaven. When the words tumbled out of his mouth, Kumbhakarna realised that he had asked for long sleep instead of the seat of Indra. But it was too late to change things. Brahma had already granted him the boon! Kumbhakarna pleaded with Brahma, saying nobody in their right mind would ask for eternal sleep and that he had made a mistake. Some versions say that Ravana even pleaded with Brahma to undo the boon. But Brahma could not go back on a boon once granted.
Finally, they came to an agreement — Kumbhakarna would sleep for six months a year and stay awake for another six months. Kumbhakarna’s sleep was so deep that nothing in the world could awaken him. Not trumpeting elephants, not braying donkeys, not wailing children. Even the aroma of delicious food barely had an effect on him! When Ravana entered into battle with Rama and was staring at defeat, it was Kumbhakarna he turned to for help. The giant was just preparing to go to bed when his brother appealed to him for help. Kumbhakarna advised Ravana to give up his mad desire for Sita and apologise to Rama but the latter refused. He convinced Kumbhakarna to join him by telling him that the glory of their clan was at stake. Kumbhakarna was extremely loyal to his brother and though he was against what Ravana had done, he reluctantly agreed.
Kumbhakarna was a terror on the battlefield. Soldiers scattered in fear, looking at the humongous giant who flung elephants as if they were mice. It was Rama who finally killed him. Kumbhakarna is said to have died with Rama’s name on his lips. And so, when he did at last enter eternal sleep, his soul was liberated!