Aranya Kanda · Sarga 18 of 76 · 26 verses
The Mutilation of Shurpanakha
To Shurpanakha, caught in the noose of desire, Rama, smiling, says in a smooth voice as it pleases him: “I am married, lady; this is my beloved wife. For women like you, having a co-wife would be very painful. But this younger brother of mine, of good character and handsome, glorious and unmarried, is named Lakshmana, the mighty one. He has never had a wife and wants one; young and handsome, he will be a fitting husband for this beauty of yours. Take my brother as your husband, large-eyed one, and you will have no co-wife, lovely-hipped one, as Meru has the sun’s light alone.” Told this by Rama, the rakshasi, deluded by desire, suddenly leaves Rama and says to Lakshmana: “I, of fine complexion, am the right wife for your beauty. With me you will roam happily through all the Dandakas.” Lakshmana, skilled in words, smiles and says fittingly to Shurpanakha: “How can you want to be the wife of a servant and become a servant yourself? I depend on my noble brother, lotus-coloured one. Be the junior wife of my noble brother, large-eyed one; you will have your purpose fulfilled with him whose fortunes are rich, and will be glad and of spotless complexion. He will leave this ugly, unchaste, terrible, hollow-bellied, old wife and love you alone. What wise man would give up this excellent beauty of yours, fine-complexioned one, and set his heart on human women?” Told this by Lakshmana, the terrible, hollow-bellied one, not understanding the joke, thinks his words are true.
Deluded by desire, she says to Rama, scorcher of foes, sitting unassailable in the leaf hut with Sita: “You hold on to this ugly, unchaste, terrible, hollow-bellied old wife, and do not value me. Today I will eat this human woman while you watch, and live with you happily, without a rival.” Saying this, with eyes like firebrands, she rushes in great fury at the fawn-eyed Sita, like a great meteor at the star Rohini. Mighty Rama, angry, blocks her as she rushes forward like the noose of death, and says to Lakshmana: “We must never joke with the cruel and ignoble, Saumitri. Look at Vaidehi, gentle one: she is barely alive. You should disfigure this ugly, unchaste, wildly excited, big-bellied rakshasi, tiger among men.” Told this, mighty Lakshmana, angry, draws his sword in front of Rama and cuts off her ears and nose. Her ears and nose cut off, terrible Shurpanakha, howling discordantly, runs back into the forest the way she came. Disfigured, very terrible, drenched with blood, the rakshasi roars many kinds of roars, like a rain-cloud in the rains. Streaming blood, terrible to see, raising her arms and screaming, she enters the great forest. Then, disfigured, she comes to her brother Khara of fierce splendour in Janasthana, surrounded by hosts of rakshasas, and falls to the ground like a thunderbolt from the sky. Faint with fear and confusion, drenched with blood, Khara’s sister tells him everything: how Raghava has come to the forest with his wife and with Lakshmana, and how she was disfigured.
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तां तु शूर्पणखां रामः कामपाशावपाशिताम् । स्वेच्छया श्लक्ष्णया वाचा स्मितपूर्वमथाब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
To that Shurpanakha, bound by the noose of desire, Rama then said, smiling, in a smooth voice, as he pleased:
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The Mutilation of Shurpanakha 1 min read.
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कृतदारोऽस्मि भवति भार्येयं दयिता मम । त्वद्विधानां तु नारीणां सुदुःखा ससपत्नता ॥ २ ॥
“I am married, lady; this is my dear wife. And for women like you, having a co-wife would be very painful.
अनुजस्त्वेष मे भ्राता शीलवान् प्रियदर्शनः । श्रीमानकृतदारश्च लक्ष्मणो नाम वीर्यवान् ॥ ३ ॥
“But this younger brother of mine, of good character and handsome, glorious and unmarried, is named Lakshmana, the mighty one.
अपूर्वी भार्यया चार्थी तरुणः प्रियदर्शनः । अनुरूपश्च ते भर्ता रूपस्यास्य भविष्यति ॥ ४ ॥
“Never having had a wife, wanting a wife, young, handsome, he will be a husband fitting for this beauty of yours.
एनं भज विशालाक्षि भर्तारं भ्रातरं मम । असपत्ना वरारोहे मेरुमर्कप्रभा यथा ॥ ५ ॥
“Take this brother of mine as husband, large-eyed one, and you will be without a co-wife, lovely-hipped one, as Meru is with the sun’s light.”
इति रामेण सा प्रोक्ता राक्षसी काममोहिता । विसृज्य रामं सहसा ततो लक्ष्मणमब्रवीत् ॥ ६ ॥
Spoken to so by Rama, the rakshasi, deluded by desire, suddenly leaving Rama, then said to Lakshmana:
अस्य रूपस्य ते युक्ता भार्याहं वरवर्णिनी । मया सह सुखं सर्वान् दण्डकान् विचरिष्यसि ॥ ७ ॥
“I, of fine complexion, am the fitting wife for this beauty of yours. With me you will roam happily through all the Dandakas.”
एवमुक्तस्तु सौमित्री राक्षस्या वाक्यकोविदः । ततः शूर्पनखीं स्मित्वा लक्ष्मणो युक्तमब्रवीत् ॥ ८ ॥
Spoken to so by the rakshasi, Saumitri Lakshmana, skilled in words, then smiling, said fittingly to Shurpanakha:
कथं दासस्य मे दासी भार्या भवितुमिच्छसि । सोऽहमार्येण परवान् भ्रात्रा कमलवर्णिनि ॥ ९ ॥
“How can you wish to become the wife of me, a servant, a servant yourself? I am dependent on my noble brother, lotus-coloured one.
समृद्धार्थस्य सिद्धार्था मुदितामलवर्णिनी । आर्यस्य त्वं विशालाक्षि भार्या भव यवीयसी ॥ १० ॥
“Be the junior wife of my noble one, whose fortunes are rich, large-eyed one; you will have your purpose fulfilled, glad, of spotless complexion.
एतां विरूपामसतीं करालां निर्णतोदरीम् । भार्यां वृद्धां परित्यज्य त्वामेवैष भजिष्यति ॥ ११ ॥
“Having abandoned this ugly, unchaste, terrible, hollow-bellied, old wife, he will love you alone.
को हि रूपमिदं श्रेष्ठं संत्यज्य वरवर्णिनि । मानुषीषु वरारोहे कुर्याद् भावं विचक्षणः ॥ १२ ॥
“For what discerning man, abandoning this excellent beauty, fine-complexioned one, lovely-hipped one, would set his heart on human women?”
इति सा लक्ष्मणेनोक्ता कराला निर्णतोदरी । मन्यते तद्वचः सत्यं परिहासाविचक्षणा ॥ १३ ॥
Spoken to so by Lakshmana, the terrible, hollow-bellied one, unskilled in jokes, thought those words were true.
सा रामं पर्णशालायामुपविष्टं परंतपम् । सीतया सह दुर्धर्षमब्रवीत् काममोहिता ॥ १४ ॥
Deluded by desire, she said to Rama, scorcher of foes, unassailable, sitting in the leaf hut with Sita:
इमां विरूपामसतीं करालां निर्णतोदरीम् । वृद्धां भार्यामवष्टभ्य न मां त्वं बहु मन्यसे ॥ १५ ॥
“Holding on to this ugly, unchaste, terrible, hollow-bellied, old wife, you do not value me much.
अद्येमां भक्षयिष्यामि पश्यतस्तव मानुषीम् । त्वया सह चरिष्यामि निःसपत्ना यथासुखम् ॥ १६ ॥
“Today I will eat this human woman while you watch, and with you I will roam happily without a rival.”
इत्युक्त्वा मृगशावाक्षीमलातसदृशेक्षणा । अभ्यगच्छत् सुसंक्रुद्धा महोल्का रोहिणीमिव ॥ १७ ॥
Saying this, she with eyes like firebrands rushed in great fury at the fawn-eyed woman, like a great meteor at Rohini.
तां मृत्युपाशप्रतिमामापतन्तीं महाबलः । विगृह्य रामः कुपितस्ततो लक्ष्मणमब्रवीत् ॥ १८ ॥
As she rushed on like the noose of death, very mighty Rama, angry, holding her back, then said to Lakshmana:
क्रूरैरनार्यैः सौमित्रे परिहासः कथंचन । न कार्यः पश्य वैदेहीं कथंचित् सौम्य जीवतीम् ॥ १९ ॥
“No joking at all should be done with the cruel and ignoble, Saumitri. Look at Vaidehi, gentle one, barely alive.
इमां विरूपामसतीमतिमत्तां महोदरीम् । राक्षसीं पुरुषव्याघ्र विरूपयितुमर्हसि ॥ २० ॥
“You should disfigure this ugly, unchaste, wildly excited, big-bellied rakshasi, tiger among men.”
इत्युक्तो लक्ष्मणस्तस्याः क्रुद्धो रामस्य पश्यतः । उद्धृत्य खड्गं चिच्छेद कर्णनासे महाबलः ॥ २१ ॥
Spoken to so, very mighty Lakshmana, angry, drawing his sword in Rama’s sight, cut off her ears and nose.
निकृत्तकर्णनासा तु विस्वरं सा विनद्य च । यथागतं प्रदुद्राव घोरा शूर्पणखा वनम् ॥ २२ ॥
Her ears and nose cut off, the terrible Shurpanakha, howling discordantly, ran back into the forest the way she had come.
सा विरूपा महाघोरा राक्षसी शोणितोक्षिता । ननाद विविधान् नादान् यथा प्रावृषि तोयदः ॥ २३ ॥
Disfigured, very terrible, drenched with blood, the rakshasi roared many kinds of roars, like a cloud in the rainy season.
सा विक्षरन्ती रुधिरं बहुधा घोरदर्शना । प्रगृह्य बाहू गर्जन्ती प्रविवेश महावनम् ॥ २४ ॥
Streaming blood in many places, terrible to see, raising her arms, roaring, she entered the great forest.
ततस्तु सा राक्षससङ्घसंवृतं खरं जनस्थानगतं विरूपिता । उपेत्य तं भ्रातरमुग्रतेजसं पपात भूमौ गगनाद् यथाशनिः ॥ २५ ॥
Then, disfigured, coming to her brother Khara of fierce splendour, who was in Janasthana surrounded by hosts of rakshasas, she fell to the ground like a thunderbolt from the sky.
ततः सभार्यं भयमोहमूर्च्छिता सलक्ष्मणं राघवमागतं वनम् । विरूपणं चात्मनि शोणितोक्षिता शशंस सर्वं भगिनी खरस्य सा ॥ २६ ॥
Then, faint with fear and confusion, drenched with blood, Khara’s sister told him everything: of Raghava come to the forest with his wife and with Lakshmana, and of the disfigurement done to her.