Once the army crossed into Lanka, a great battle began.

Before the fighting, someone surprising came to Rama's side: Vibhishana, Ravana's own brother. He had begged Ravana to return Sita and make peace. Ravana refused and threw him out. So Vibhishana chose what was right over his own family's side, and Rama welcomed him as a friend.

Ravana was very powerful and very learned. He knew the scriptures and was a great devotee of Shiva. But his pride and his selfish wanting were stronger than his wisdom. Even when he was losing, he would not say sorry or return Sita.

In the end, Rama defeated Ravana, and Sita was free.

Many people find it interesting that Ravana is not simply a monster in the story. He had great gifts. What brought him down was pride, the inability to admit he was wrong.

This is a story about every one of us. We all have gifts. The question is whether our pride gets in the way of doing the right thing.