The Meaning of Ravana’s Many Queens

Question

As you said, “son” means our qualities, right? Then when it says, “I have so many queens,” what does “queens” mean? Did they really have that many queens?

Answer

In all mythological literature, the word wife actually means power or energy (shakti).
When I have body-consciousness—when I identify myself with the body—then many different powers exist within me. These are negative powers.

For example, imagine a king who has many wives—say, sixty thousand wives. Or take Krishna, who is said to have sixteen thousand wives. These “wives” are not in the literal sense that we think of as spouses. They represent powers.
Krishna-consciousness holds countless powers within it.

So, in mythological texts, wife stands for shakti, the power.
In the same way, Ravana is said to have many wives, meaning he had many negative powers. Wherever there is body-consciousness, many negative powers will exist.

And when Ravana says, “I will make you my chief queen,” what does that mean?
It refers to our thinking. The most important thing in our life is our thoughts.

Many powers operate within us, but among all those powers, the most important one is our thinking power, because our life becomes what our thinking is.

That’s why it is said that Ravana told her, “I will make you my chief queen,” meaning that our thinking is like the chief queen among all the powers within us.