Shurpanakha

A more popular depiction of Shurpanakha.

Shurpanakha's appearance has drastic differences in the different versions of the epic. Most versions including the Valmiki's Ramayana mention her to be an ugly woman. When Shurpanakha first sees Rama in the forest, Valmiki describes her as facially unpleasant, pot-bellied, wry-eyed, coppery-haired, ugly featured, brassy-voiced, deplorably oldish, a crooked talker, ill-mannered, uncouth and abominable.[2] In contrast, the Kamba Ramayanam describes her as a lovelorn and beautiful woman, attributing her behaviour to loneliness and thus humanising her.[3]

When Shurpanakha grew up, she secretly married the Danava prince of the Kalkeya Danava clan, Vidyutjihva.[4] Ravana became enraged with Shurpanakha for marrying a Danava. The Danavas were the mortal enemies of Rakshasas. Enraged Ravana decided to kill both of them. Thus waged a war against Vidyutjihva's army and killed him in a battle. Ravana was about to kill Surpanakha too but Ravana's wife Mandodari saved her. Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna also appealed to him to spare Surpanakha's life.[5]

Mandodari asked Surpanakha to roam and search for another husband. Shurpanakha then split her time between Lanka and the woods of Southern India, sometimes living with her forest-dwelling Asura relatives, Khara and Dushana, on Ravana's orders.

Shurpanakha asks Rama to marry her.

According to Valmiki, she met the exiled Prince Rama of Ayodhya, during one such visit to the Forest of Panchavati, and was instantly smitten by his youthful good looks. She adopted a beautiful form to entice him, but Rama meanwhile kindly rejected her advances, telling her that he was faithful to his wife Sita and thus would never take another wife. Rejected, Shurpanakha then approached his younger brother, Lakshmana, who said that he is only second to Ram and therefore not worthy of her. Infuriated by their dismissals, the humiliated and envious Shurpanakha returned to her demonic form and attacked Sita, but was thwarted by Lakshmana, who cut off her nose.[3]

Lakshmana cutting Shurpanakha's nose

Shurpanakha first went to her brother Khara, who sent fourteen Rakshasa warriors to attack Rama, who easily despatched them. Khara himself then attacked, along with 14,000 soldiers, all of whom were killed except for Akampana, Sumali's son and Kaikesi's brother, who fled to Lanka. She then fled to Ravana's court and spoke to her brother of the disgrace she had suffered. Her brother, hearing of Sita's beauty, decided to kidnap Sita. Akampana too played a key role in instigating Sita's kidnapping by Ravana. Despite opposition from their brother, Vibhishana, Ravana kidnapped Sita, thus triggering the Battle of Lanka.[3]

Although Shurpanakha receives no further mention from Valmiki, it has been suggested that she continued to live in Lanka after Vibhishana succeeded Ravana as king. She and her half-sister Kumbini are supposed to have perished at sea a few years later, tragically.

Shurpnakha Mask used in Ramayan play

• Richman, Paula (29 August 1991). "The Mutilation of Surpanakha". Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-07589-4.
• Monier-Williams, Monier (1872). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Clarendon.
• Ramayana, A condensed prose version of the epic by C. Raja Gopalachari. Published by Bhavan's Book University
• Valmiki. Ramayana: Aranya Kandha
• Valmiki Ramayan by Rajshekhar Basu - Uttarkanda