罗波那是印度史诗罗摩衍那中登场的反派，名字带有「以暴力让人痛泣」的含意，他是毗尸罗婆仙人和吉吉悉（罗刹王须摩里之女）之子，财神俱毗罗的兄弟。罗波那因为好女色而拐走悉多，悉多的丈夫罗摩因此前往楞伽岛（今斯里兰卡）将罗波那杀死并救回妻子。尽管如此，对罗波那的描写并非单纯为一个魔王，他是有能的统治者、湿婆的忠心追随者，经父亲指导下熟读经书吠陀和奥义书及通窍军事，又能弹奏维纳琴。

罗波那对梵天进行过历时数年的激烈苦行，过程中因为愤怒于梵天的无视而将自己的头切下来，但每次刚切下时都会从中生出新的头出来，如此重复10次后梵天终于显灵，在他的肚脐注入不死甘露并赐予他不受凡人以外的神魔所伤的祝福，顺手将全部被切下的头都接驳回他的颈上。获得神力的罗波那带着外祖父的军队到楞伽岛，威胁同父异母的兄长俱毗罗要以武力夺取其政权，俱毗罗在父亲的建议下选择放弃而离开。但楞伽岛在罗波那的统治下富裕无比，百姓不知饥饿为何物。

Ravana (IAST: Rāvaṇa; /ˈrɑːvənə/; Sanskrit: रावन्) is the mythical primary antagonist in the Hindu epic Ramayana, where he is depicted as the king of Lanka.

Ravana is depicted and described as having ten heads and as a follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the veena, but someone who wished to overpower the devas. His ten heads represent his knowledge of the six shastras and the four Vedas. In the Ramayana, Ravana kidnaps Rama's wife Sita to exact vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Shurpanakha.