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Hearing the yoga of bhakti from Rama, Lakshmana is very happy, and he bows his head at Rama’s feet. Some days go by in talk of dispassion and knowledge, virtue and policy. Then a woman arrives. She is Shurpanakha, Ravana’s sister, wicked of heart, as dreadful as a she-serpent. She comes once to Panchavati, and seeing the two princes she is distraught. Ahead lie a fearsome form and Sita afraid, Lakshmana’s great swiftness, and an army of night-walkers that comes with her at its front.
Taking a bright form, she tells Rama that the Creator made the two of them a match. Looking at Sita, Rama says that his younger brother is unmarried. Lakshmana answers her twice, first as a dependent servant and then with a word on who would wed her. At Rama’s sign she loses her nose and ears and goes weeping to Khara and Dushana. The rakshasas make ready an army. Rama sends Sita to a mountain cave with Lakshmana and strings his hard bow with a laugh. The warriors rush at him and are stilled. Khara and Dushana send him a message, and Rama answers that he and his brother are kshatriyas, warriors born, who hunt in the forest. The first twang of his bow leaves the rakshasas deaf. Their weapons rain on him and are cut, and his own arrows go out.
Shurpanakha, her brothers, and Panchavati
The main figures in this episode
- Rama who has taught Lakshmana the yoga of bhakti. When Shurpanakha comes to him in a bright form, he looks at Sita and names his younger brother as unmarried. When she comes back, he sends her to Lakshmana again. Seeing Sita afraid, he gives his brother a sign. He orders Lakshmana to take Sita to a mountain cave. At the sight of the enemy host, with a laugh, he strings his hard bow. Hearing the message of Khara and Dushana, he smiles and answers it. He twangs his bow first, cuts the rakshasas’ weapons, and looses his own arrows.
- Lakshmana who hears the yoga of bhakti and bows his head at Rama’s feet. When Shurpanakha comes to him, he says that he is Rama’s servant and dependent. Sent to him again, she hears that the one who, breaking a straw, gives up shame will wed her. At Rama’s sign he leaves her without nose and ears, with great swiftness. At Rama’s order he takes Sita to a mountain cave, bow and arrows in hand.
- Sita at whom Rama looks as he answers Shurpanakha. She is afraid when the fearsome form is shown, and Lakshmana takes her to a mountain cave at Rama’s order. The commentary reads the Shri who goes with him as Sita.
- Shurpanakha Ravana’s sister, who is wicked of heart, dreadful as a she-serpent, and comes once to Panchavati. She is distraught at the sight of the two princes. In a bright form she offers herself to Rama, goes to Lakshmana, comes back to Rama, and is sent to Lakshmana again. She shows a fearsome form and is left without nose and ears. Weeping, she goes to Khara and Dushana, and their army puts her at its front.
- Khara and Dushana whom Shurpanakha goes to weeping and calls brother. They ask her and hear everything, and the rakshasas make ready an army. When their host is stilled at the sight of Rama, they call a minister. They send a message that the hidden woman be given up and the two brothers go home alive. When his answer comes back their hearts burn, and they say to seize him.
- Ravana Shurpanakha’s brother, named with her when she comes. When she is left without nose and ears, it is as if a challenge had been sent to him by her hand.
- Kakabhushundi to whom the commentary gives the one aside of this episode, spoken to Garuda.
- Garuda who is addressed in that aside, after Shurpanakha has seen the two princes.
Some days pass, and then she comes
Hearing the yoga of bhakti, Lakshmana was very happy, and he bowed his head at Rama’s feet. In this way some days went by, with talk of dispassion, knowledge, virtue, and policy.
Shurpanakha was Ravana’s sister, wicked of heart and dreadful as a she-serpent. Once she went to Panchavati. At the sight of the two princes she was distraught. The commentary reads her state as one afflicted by desire.
Brother, father, son
Here Garuda is addressed. “Be he brother, father, or son, Garuda, a woman who beholds an enchanting man grows distraught. She cannot hold back her mind, as the sunstone melts at the sight of the sun.” The commentary gives the aside to Kakabhushundi and reads the woman as a rakshasi like Shurpanakha, without knowledge of dharma and blind with desire.
A bright form, and her first words
Taking a bright form and going to Rama, she spoke, smiling much. “There is no man like you, and there is no woman like me. The Creator made this match with thought.”
Shurpanakha went on. “Searching the three worlds, I have seen no man in the world fit for me. So I have stayed unmarried till now. I have looked at you, and my mind is somewhat content.”
From one brother to the other
Looking at Sita, Rama spoke. “My younger brother is unmarried.”
She went to Lakshmana. Knowing her for the enemy’s sister, and looking at Rama, Lakshmana spoke, and his speech was soft. “Beautiful one, listen. I am his servant. I am dependent, and there is no comfort for you. The Lord is able, the king of Kosala’s city. Whatever he does becomes him.”
Milk from the sky
Lakshmana went on. “One who serves wants happiness, a beggar honor, an addict wealth, a lecher a good end, a greedy man fame, and a proud man the four fruits. These creatures want milk by milking the sky.” The commentary names the four fruits as wealth, dharma, desire, and release.
Turning back, she came to Rama again. Rama sent her to Lakshmana again. Lakshmana said, “He will wed you who, breaking a straw, gives up shame.” The commentary reads the breaking of a straw as the making of a vow, and the man as one wholly without shame.
Nose and ears
Then, piqued, she went to Rama and showed a fearsome form. The commentary reads her pique as anger. Seeing Sita afraid, Rama told his brother by a sign. With great swiftness Lakshmana made her without nose and ears. It was as if a challenge had been sent to Ravana by her hand.
To Khara and Dushana
Without nose and ears she was hideous. It was as if streams of red ochre flowed from a mountain. Weeping, she went to Khara and Dushana. “Fie, fie on your manhood and your strength, brother.”
They asked, and she explained everything. Hearing it, the rakshasas made ready an army. Hosts of night-walkers ran in bands. It was as if they were a host of winged mountains of lampblack.
She at the front, the army behind
They had many mounts and were of many shapes. They bore many weapons, terrible, past counting. They put Shurpanakha before them, ill-omened, without ears and nose.
Countless fearful ill omens came, and they heeded none, all of them under death’s sway. They roared, they threatened, and they flew in the sky. At the sight of the host the warriors were very glad.
One said, “Seize the two brothers alive. Seizing them, kill them, and carry off the woman.” The sky was filled with dust. Calling his brother, Rama spoke. “Take Sita and go to a mountain cave. A fearsome army of rakshasas has come. Stay on guard.” Hearing Rama’s words, Lakshmana went with Shri, bow and arrows in hand. The commentary reads Shri as Sita.
The bow strung
At the sight of the enemy host coming on, Rama strung the hard bow with a laugh. With the hard bow strung, and tying up his matted hair on his head, how he shone. He shone like two serpents fighting with ten million lightnings on a mountain of emerald. Girding his quiver, taking the bow in his great arms, and setting his arrows straight, Rama looked on. It was as if a lion were gazing at a herd of great elephants.
Crying “Seize him, seize him,” the warriors came at a gallop, as the demons surround the young sun when they see him alone. The commentary names those demons the Mandehas.
The host that came and stood still
At the sight of Rama they could not loose their arrows. The rakshasas’ host was stilled. Calling a minister, Khara and Dushana spoke. “This prince is some ornament of men. Of nagas, asuras, gods, men, and sages, as many as there are, how many we have seen, conquered, and killed. Listen, all you brothers. In our whole lives we have not seen such beauty.”
Khara and Dushana went on. “Though he disfigured our sister, this matchless man is not fit to be killed. ‘Give up at once the woman you have hidden, and go home alive, you two brothers.’ Tell him this word of mine. Hearing his words, come back in haste.”
The envoys went and told Rama. Hearing it, Rama smiled.
Kshatriyas, who hunt in the forest
Rama spoke. “We are kshatriyas. We hunt in the forest, and we go about seeking wicked beasts like you. At the sight of a strong enemy we do not fear. We would fight even Time, once.”
Rama went on. “Though we are men, we are destroyers of the demon race. Though we are boys, we are protectors of sages and punishers of the wicked. If you have no strength, go home. I kill no one who turns from battle.”
Rama went on. “Having come to battle, to use guile and quick wit, and to show grace to an enemy, is great cowardice.” The envoys went and at once told it all. Hearing it, the hearts of Khara and Dushana burned.
The first twang
Their hearts burned, and they said, “Seize him.” The fierce rakshasa warriors ran, bearing arrows, bows, lances, spears, pikes, swords, iron bars, and axes. First Rama gave his bow a twang, hard, terrible, and fearful. The rakshasas went deaf and distraught, and at that moment they had no sense left.
Alert, they ran, knowing the foe strong, and began to rain arms and weapons of many kinds on Rama. Rama cut their weapons until they were like sesame seeds. Then he drew his bow to his ear and loosed his own arrows.
Shurpanakha, the army, and the first twang
Some days pass in talk of dispassion and knowledge, and then a woman arrives. Shurpanakha goes between the two brothers twice and then shows a fearsome form. With Sita afraid, Rama gives the sign, and Lakshmana leaves her without nose and ears. She goes weeping to her brothers Khara and Dushana, whose army comes with her at its front. Rama sends Sita to a cave with Lakshmana and strings his bow laughing. The host stops before him, and the envoys carry a message and bring his answer back. His bow’s first twang deafens the rakshasas, and after the rain of their weapons he looses his own arrows.
The same story, elsewhere: Valmiki’s Ramayana, chapter 12: Panchavati, Shurpanakha, and the Slaying of Khara and Dushana.
Source: the Gita Press edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Aranyakand, doha 17 to doha 19 (b), read with Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary.