Kumbhakarna

Account

Kumbhakarna, brother of Ravana, was granted a boon that became a curse. Intending to ask for Indrasana - the throne of Indra - he misspoke or was misheard and received nidrasana: a bed of sleep. He slept for months at a stretch and woke only to eat mountains of food before returning to slumber. The comedy of the boon never fully erases the tragedy of its use.