Ravana Battles Rama's Ancestor
Ravana defeated the kings of the earth, one after another.
He then marched on Ayodhya, where Aranyana was king.
King Aranyana led his mighty army into battle, but Ravana incinerated them all in a blast of fire, leaving only Aranyana alive.
Aranyana fought on, firing hundreds of arrows at Ravana, but Ravana's armor repelled them all.
Ravana then struck Aranyana on the head, knocking him to the ground.
As he lay dying, Aranyana cursed the rakshasa king. "An avenger will arise from Ayodhya!" he vowed.
Thus Anaranya's grandson Dilipa had a grandson Aja, whose grandson was... Rama, Prince of Ayodhya.
Notes. The complete line of descent is: Anaranya - Khatvanga - Dilipa - Raghu - Aja - Dasharatha - Rama.
Ravana Battles Yama
Ravana decided to conquer Yama, God of Death, so he rode his flying Pushpaka southwards into the Land of the Dead.
Yama's soldiers attacked Ravana, but he destroyed them all. Yama himself then rode forth to face Ravana, and Ravana's soldiers fled in terror.
Alone on the battlefield, Ravana and Yama fought fiercely for seven days and nights. Then, as Yama was about to strike Ravana with the Death-Hammer, Brahma appeared.
"Halt!" he shouted. "Ravana won my blessing; no god can kill him, not even the God of Death."
So Yama vanished, and Ravana declared himself the Conqueror of Death.
Notes. The original text is full of great details about this battle between Yama and Ravana.
Ravana Consoles Shurpanakha
Ravana brought the widows of his enemies with him to Lanka; they would be his new concubines.
His sister Shurpanakha was also a widow. "My husband died in battle," she screamed, "pierced by your own arrow! I am now a widow, brother, and you are now my enemy."
"Calm yourself," said Ravana. "I hurl arrows in every direction when I fight. Accidents happen. I will honor you with gifts! Take Dandaka forest to be your own; go feast on the humans you find there, and forget your troubles."
So Shurpanakha went to the forest, where she found... Rama and Sita.
Notes. The Thai Ramakien offers a more detailed account of Vidyutjihva's death; here's a summary: Totsakan told his nephew Chiuha to guard Longka. But Chiuha fell asleep after wrapping his tongue around the city to hide it. Totsakan was angry when he could not find the city; he threw his discus in the air and it cut through the tongue, so Chiuha drowned in his own blood. Samanakha was furious that her husband was dead.
Ravana Stops Indrajit's Sacrifice
While Ravana was away at war, his son Indrajit stayed in Lanka, performing rituals to obtain weapons and mantras from the gods. His guru Shukra explained how to perform the sacrifices, and his uncle Vibhishana encouraged him. In this way Indrajit had won an everlasting quiver of arrows and the tamasi spell of darkness.
As Indrajit was about to complete another sacrifice, Ravana returned. "Stop this at once!" he shouted. "How dare you worship my enemies?!"
Indrajit thus obtained great weapons and power, and he would have obtained even more... if Ravana had not put a stop to his sacrifice.
Notes. You can read more about Shukra at Wikipedia.
Ravana Rapes Rambha
One night Ravana found Rambha wandering in the woods; she was a beautiful apsara, and Ravana burned with lust. He grabbed her and whispered, "How lucky for you we have met!"
Rambha protested. "You are my elder, my in-law; Nalakubara, your nephew, is my husband. Let me go!"
But Ravana did not listen, and he raped Rambha that night.
When Rambha told Nalakubara what Ravana had done, he cursed his uncle. "If you ever touch another woman against her will, your head will split into seven pieces."
That is why Ravana had to seduce Sita; he could not force her.
Notes. Nalakubara is the son of Ravana's half-brother Kubera; for more about Kubera, see Wikipedia.
Bibliography.
Ravana Battles Rama's Ancestor is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 19.
Ravana Battles Yama is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 21 and 22.
Ravana Consoles Shurpanakha is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 24.
Ravana Stops Indrajit's Sacrifice is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 25.
Ravana Rapes Rambha is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 26.
The links here are to the Uttara Kanda translated by M. N. Dutt, which is available online, although I am using Arshia Sattar's translation as my main source.
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