Namaste HDF,

I have a question about a particular point in the Ramayana. Admittedly I haven't read that far into the Ramayana yet (it's a long book, even when translated into English by Ramesh Menon), but I did hear about one part of the Ramayana that is confusing to me. Again, I haven't gotten to this part yet, but if someone could explain it to me, that might help me understand the Ramayana better.

The part I'm referring to is the part where supposedly Sri Rama has to seek the blessing of a prominent priest (or whatever the proper title is) in order to defeat Ravana. The problem being for Rama is that the most prominent priest at the time of the story is none other than Ravana himself. And yet Ravana does the puja for Rama anyway.

Maybe there's something else in the Ramayana I haven't gotten to yet that would explain this, but right now I'm confused why Ravana would essentially doom himself by granting a blessing to his enemy. In another thread on the Ramayana I did read about how some of the themes of the Ramayana involve love and forgiveness between unexpected sources, even bitter rivals or mortal enemies. Still, though, from what I've read so far, Ravana doesn't seem like the type of villain who would essentially do a favor for his enemy and contribute to his own downfall.

Maybe someone can explain this better for me? Don't worry about "spoiling" the story for me; I'm sure I will still get spiritual uplift from the Ramayana.