# Prahasta

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{{Short description|Ramayana character}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}{{Use Indian English|date=January 2016}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox character
| series = [Ramayana](/source/Ramayana)
| relatives = 
| family = Father: [Sumali](/source/Sumali) ([Ravana](/source/Ravana) in Ramcharitmanas)<br>
Mother: Ketumati (Mandodari in Ramcharitmanas
| children = [Jambumali](/source/Jambumali)<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mittal|first=J. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7gOBW8oDFgC&q=Jambumali&pg=PA200|title=History Of Ancient India (a New Version) : From 7300 Bb To 4250 Bc|date=2006|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0615-4|language=en}}</ref>
}}

In the [Hindu](/source/Hindu) epic, the ''[Ramayana](/source/Ramayana)'', '''Prahasta''' ([Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit): प्रहस्त, [IAST](/source/IAST): prahasta, lit. ''he who has extended hands'') was a powerful [rakshasa](/source/rakshasa) warrior. He was the chief commander of [Ravana](/source/Ravana)'s army of [Lanka](/source/Lanka). He was the son of [Sumali](/source/Sumali) and Ketumathi.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Mittal|first=J. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7gOBW8oDFgC&q=Prahasta&pg=PA200|title=History Of Ancient India (a New Version) : From 7300 Bb To 4250 Bc|date=2006|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-269-0615-4|language=en}}</ref> In [Ramcharitmanas](/source/Ramcharitmanas), he was Ravana's and Mandodari's virtuous son who withdraws from the war. In his next birth, Prahasta was reborn as [Purochana](/source/Purochana) in the [Mahabharata](/source/Mahabharata) as [Duryodhana](/source/Duryodhana)'s trusted aide and was the man responsible for the [Lakshagraha](/source/Lakshagraha) incident.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}}

==Legend==
Prahasta was one of the ten sons of [Sumali](/source/Sumali) and Ketumati. He also had four sisters. One of them was [Ravana](/source/Ravana)'s mother [Kaikashi](/source/Kaikashi).<ref name=":0" />

Prahasta was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Ravana's army. He led Ravana's army in the wars against [Yama](/source/Yama_(Hinduism)), [Kubera](/source/Kubera) and the [Devas](/source/Deva_(Hinduism)), and the [Asuras](/source/Asuras) and [Daityas](/source/Daityas), through which Ravana established his sovereignty over the three worlds. He also led the initial Lankan response to the invasion led by [Rama](/source/Rama), [Lakshmana](/source/Lakshmana), [Sugriva](/source/Sugriva) and the [Vanara](/source/Vanara) army.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}

Prahasta killed several important warriors of Sugriva's army and was actually proving to be a real threat to Rama's army. As per one version of the Ramayana, Prahasta was killed by Lakshmana. In another version, [Nila](/source/Nila_(Ramayana)) hurled a rock at Prahasta that broke his neck and killed him. (Valmiki Ramayana, book 6, canto 58, verses 53,54)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.valmikiramayan.net/utf8/yuddha/sarga58/yuddha_58_frame.htm|title=Valmiki Ramayana - Yuddha Kanda - Sarga 58|last=Rao|first=Desiraju Hanumanta|website=www.valmikiramayan.net|access-date=2017-01-02}}</ref>

In [Ramcharitmanas](/source/Ramcharitmanas), he was Ravana's and Mandodari's virtuous son who withdraws from the war. He even asked Ravana to return Sita to Rama, for which he was rebuked.

==Further reading==
*[Ramesh Menon](/source/Ramesh_Menon) (2001), ''The Ramayana''.

{{Ramayana}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* http://www.valmikiramayan.net/yuddha/sarga57/yuddha_57_prose.htm
* http://ancientvoice.wikidot.com/vrm:prahasta

Category:Rakshasa in the Ramayana
Category:Characters in the Ramayana

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prahasta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahasta) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahasta?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.