- The biggest mistake of Ravana is not obtaining Brahmastra from its presiding deity Brahma. He obtained the boon of invincibility to all the creatures from Brahma but did not possess the powerful weapon of the deity which cost him his life in the final battle against Lord Rama.
- Indrajit was the only warrior of Lanka who knew the knowledge of Brahmastra. Inspite of being aware of this fact always, Ravana did not learn the knowledge of Brahmastra from his son Indrajit.
- Ravana touched a princess named Vedavati against her will. On being molested by him, Vedavati entered the fire and promised to return as Sita in her next birth to bring about his destruction. Thus Ravana ordained the means of his own death by touching an innocent princess against her will.
- Ravana desired to have intercourse with an apsara named Rambha against her will in a grove close to Indra loka. Rambha's husband Nalakubara cursed that Ravana's head would burst into one hundred fragments if he dared to touch a woman against her will in the future.
- Ravana took his opponents too lightly and was thus defeated by warriors who were superior to him in strength, namely Vali and Kartavirya Arjuna.
- Ravana insulted Lord Shiva's gatekeeper Nandi by mocking his physical appearance. Nandi imposed a curse that Ravana’s golden city of Lanka would be destroyed one day by malformed creatures. Thus Ravana ordained the destruction of Lanka due to his terrible mistake of mocking Nandi's physical appearance.
- Ravana sent his general Prahasta on the very first day of the war against Lord Rama. Prahasta was killed on that day itself by Nila. It was a mistake of Ravana to send the general of his army to battle on the very first day. His army lost morale on seeing the general getting killed by Nila on the very first day.
- Ravana did not send Indrajit and Kumbhakarna armed together in the battlefield. The two would have decimated Lord Rama’s army within a short period of time.
- Ravana did not pay attention to his brother Kumbhakarna. He simply laughed off when Kumbhakarna told him that Lord Rama was the incarnation of primordal Lord Vishnu (sustainer of the universe).
- Ravana was very well aware that Vibhishana would reveal the secrets of Lanka’s warriors to Lord Rama. He should have the discerned that Vibhishana would reveal the secret of Indrajit’s occult illusion to Lord Rama and Laxmana. He should have taken appropriate measures to prevent Vibhishana and Laxmana from reaching Nikumbhila sanctuary for the purpose of killing Indrajit in a battle.
Image courtesy: Google