Shurpanakha
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Shurpanakha | |
---|---|
Kaikesi (mother) | |
Siblings | Ravana (brother) Vibhishana (brother) Kumbhakarna (brother) |
Spouse | Vidyutajihvā |
Shurpanakha (
Appearance
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]
Marriage and widowhood
When Shurpanakha grew up, she secretly married the
Mandodari asked Surpanakha to roam and search for another husband. Shurpanakha then split her time between Lanka and the woods of
Encounter with Rama, Sita and Lakshmana
According to Valmiki, she met the exiled Prince
Shurpanakha first went to her brother
Later life and death
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.[citation needed]
References
- ISBN 9780191726705.
- ^ "Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda - Sarga 17". www.valmikiramayan.net. Archived from the original on 27 July 2023. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ a b c Richman 1991.
- ^ Vālmīki (1893). The Ramayana: Translated Into English Prose from the Original Sanskrit. Dass.
- ISBN 978-0-14-310046-1.
Sources
- 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