A long time ago, in the kingdom of Lanka, there lived a giant named Kumbhakarna. He was huge—taller than palm trees and stronger than elephants!

Kumbhakarna loved peace and was full of wisdom. One day, he and his brothers went to ask the god Brahma for special boons, or magical gifts. But the king of the heavens, Indra, was worried. “What if Kumbhakarna becomes too powerful?” he thought.

So Indra asked Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and speech, to do something tricky. When Kumbhakarna opened his mouth to ask for Indrāsana (Indra’s throne), Saraswati twisted his words! His tongue slipped and instead, he asked for Nidrāsana—a comfy bed for sleeping.

Some say he wanted to ask for Nirdevatvam (the end of the gods), but instead said Nidravatvam (eternal sleep)!

Brahma, a god who always keeps his word, granted the wish right away. Kumbhakarna was shocked! “Sleep forever?” he gasped.

Luckily, his brother Ravana stepped in. “Please, great Brahma, change the curse!” he begged.

Brahma couldn't take it back but he made it a little better. Instead of sleeping forever, Kumbhakarna would sleep for six months every year!

And that’s how the giant Kumbhakarna got his famous nap-curse.

Lanka was peaceful when Kumbhakarna slept. Birds sang, flowers bloomed… but when Ravana wanted to go to war, things changed.

Ravana captured Sita, the wife of Prince Rama, and brought her to Lanka. This made Rama very angry. He built a bridge with his monkey army and marched to Lanka to get her back.

When the battle began, Ravana needed help. “Wake Kumbhakarna!” he ordered.

But waking a six-month sleeper isn’t easy! Soldiers tickled his feet. Musicians blew trumpets in his ears. Elephants walked on his giant belly. Nothing worked!

They finally cooked mountains of food—the smell of spicy rice and fried sweets filled the air. That worked - with a loud yawn, Kumbhakarna woke up.

He rubbed his eyes. “Why did you wake me so early?” he grumbled.

“There’s a war!” Ravana said. “Help me fight Rama!”

Kumbhakarna didn’t like fighting. “Brother, maybe we should return Sita and make peace,” he said.

But Ravana didn’t listen.

Kumbhakarna was torn. He loved his brother Ravana, but he also knew taking Sita was wrong. Still, he chose loyalty. With a heavy heart, he went to battle.

The monkeys were frightened—Kumbhakarna was as tall as a mountain! The earth shook as he walked. He would trample them under his feet, scoop them up with his big hands and toss them in the air. There seemed to be no way to defeat him.

Rama entered the battle, challenging Kumbhakarna to a duel. A great fight followed. Eventually, Rama emerged victorious, killing Kumbhakarna with his arrows. Before dying, Kumbhakarna realized his mistake and asked Rama for forgiveness.

Inside the palace of Lanka, when Ravana heard the news of his brother's death, he was devastated. He couldn't believe his powerful giant brother had been defeated. He cried as he saw his prospect of winning the war weakening.