First what valmiki Ramayanam reads about Surpanaka? " Background of Surpanakha
The youngest child of Rishi Vishrava and his second wife, Kaikesi, Shurpanakha was given the name of “Minakshi” (the fish-eyed one) at birth. She grew up to marry the Asura Dushtabuddhi. In the beginning, Shurpanakha‘s husband enjoyed high favor with her brother Ravan, the King of Lanka, and they were privileged members of Ravan’s court, however the three fell out at some point due to Dushtabuddhi’s scheming for more power. Ravana had Dushtabuddhi killed, an act that earned Ravan his sister’s great displeasure. The widowed Shurpanakha spent her time between Lanka and the jungles of Southern India, visiting her Asura, forest-dwelling relatives, every now and then. Based on the Valmiki Ramyana, during one such visit, she saw Ram in the forest of Panchavati and immediately fell in love with him. She wanted to have Ram and masked herself as a beautiful woman utilizing the power of Maya. She came near Ram and bowed low to touch his feet. Ram enquired about her origin. Shurpanakha answered that she was the daughter of grandson of Brahma and Kubera was her brother. Following that she praised Ram’s masculine beauty and asked him to marry her. Ram said that he is already married and is ‘Ekapatnivrata’ meaning ‘loyal to one wife only’. *Ram* requested her to approach his brother Lakshman. But Lakshmana <https://universalteacher.com/1/lakshmana-valmiki-ramayana/> enjoyed teasing her and said that he was his brother’s servant. Hence, it would be better for her to be Ram’s second wife instead of his wife. Surpanakha turned angry and made abusive remark about *Sita* and threatened to eat her. *Lakshmana* came to Sita’s defense and cut off Surpanakha’s nose in anger. To avenge this insult, she first reacted by going to her brother Khar who sent seven Rakshasa warriors to attack Rama, but were easily dispatched. Khar then attacked with 700,000 soldiers including himself, who were all killed. She then reacted by going straight to Ravan’s court and extolling Sita’s virtues and beauty, praising Sita as a worthy wife for Ravan, and inciting him to abduct her by force and marry her. Ravan, despite advices to the contrary from his brother, Vibhishana, kidnapped Sita causing the war. There are some versions of the Ramyana which claim that *Surpanakha* had no real romantic interest in the brothers and that she had orchestrated the war for no reason other than to seek revenge against Ravana for her husband’s murder. After many years of scheming for his downfall, she discovered that Ravan had more than a match in Ram, the young Prince of Ayodhya. Ram had killed both her grandmother, the ferocious Thataka, and her uncle, Subahu. Surpanakha’s cousins were afraid of the young Prince and Surpanakha decided to pit her brother against Ram, realizing that no one else was powerful enough to slay Ravan." (B G Tilak) Background of Surpanakha The youngest child of Rishi Vishrava and his second wife, Kaikesi, Shurpanakha was given the name of “Minakshi” (the fish-eyed one) at birth. She grew up to marry the Asura Dushtabuddhi. In the beginning, Shurpanakha‘s husband enjoyed high favor with her brother Ravan, the King of Lanka, and they were privileged members of Ravan’s court, however the three fell out at some point due to Dushtabuddhi’s scheming for more power. Ravana had Dushtabuddhi killed, an act that earned Ravan his sister’s great displeasure. The widowed Shurpanakha spent her time between Lanka and the jungles of Southern India, visiting her Asura, forest-dwelling relatives, every now and then. Based on the Valmiki Ramyana, during one such visit, she saw Ram in the forest of Panchavati and immediately fell in love with him. She wanted to have Ram and masked herself as a beautiful woman utilizing the power of Maya. She came near Ram and bowed low to touch his feet. Ram enquired about her origin. Shurpanakha answered that she was the daughter of grandson of Brahma and Kubera was her brother. Following that she praised Ram’s masculine beauty and asked him to marry her. Ram said that he is already married and is ‘Ekapatnivrata’ meaning ‘loyal to one wife only’. *Ram* requested her to approach his brother Lakshman. But *Lakshmana* <https://universalteacher.com/1/lakshmana-valmiki-ramayana/> enjoyed teasing her and said that he was his brother’s servant. Hence, it would be better for her to be Ram’s second wife instead of his wife. Surpanakha turned angry and made abusive remark about *Sita* and threatened to eat her. *Lakshmana* came to Sita’s defense and cut off Surpanakha’s nose in anger. To avenge this insult, she first reacted by going to her brother Khar who sent seven Rakshasa warriors to attack Rama, but were easily dispatched. Khar then attacked with 700,000 soldiers including himself, who were all killed. She then reacted by going straight to Ravan’s court and extolling Sita’s virtues and beauty, praising Sita as a worthy wife for Ravan, and inciting him to abduct her by force and marry her. Ravan, despite advices to the contrary from his brother, Vibhishana, kidnapped Sita causing the war. There are some versions of the Ramyana which claim that *Surpanakha* had no real romantic interest in the brothers and that she had orchestrated the war for no reason other than to seek revenge against Ravana for her husband’s murder. After many years of scheming for his downfall, she discovered that Ravan had more than a match in Ram, the young Prince of Ayodhya. Ram had killed both her grandmother, the ferocious Thataka, and her uncle, Subahu. Surpanakha’s cousins were afraid of the young Prince and Surpanakha decided to pit her brother against Ram, realizing that no one else was powerful enough to slay Ravan. Surpanakha has been described and portrayed differently in different versions of the Ramayana. Valmiki's Ramayana states that she was a ghora mukhi (ugly faced), pot-bellied, cross-eyed and had oversized breasts. Further, it says that she had thinning, brown hair and a grating voice, which had no hint of softness or femininity in it. This version also describes her as evil-minded, with a heart full of wickedness. On the other hand, Tamil poet, Kamban, has a different perspective of Surpanakha in his Kamba Ramayanam. He describes her as a strikingly beautiful <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=beautiful&maincategory=&sold=&submit.x=26&submit.y=13> woman with long, lustrous hair, fish-shaped eyes (that is why she was given the name Minakshi at birth), a slender form and a magnetic and bewitching personality. She also wielded magical powers and could assume any form at will. As per the Kamba Ramayanam, she put all these powers to good use when she initially approached Rama with her proposal. Rama, however, realized who she actually was and decided to play her for a while, before finally rejecting her. As per the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Surpanakha later visited the holy lake of Pushkara and prayed to Lord Brahma <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=brahma> that she should marry Rama in her next birth. Accordingly, she was born as Kubja in her next birth. She was a hunchbacked woman, who married Lord Krishna <https://www.dollsofindia.com/read/krishna.htm>, the next incarnation of Sri Maha Vishnu <https://www.dollsofindia.com/read/vishnu.htm>. According to an excerpt from Devdutt Pattanaik's "Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana", Sita met Surpanakha much later in her life, when she herself was in exile in Valmiki's ashrama. At that time, Lakshmana had abandoned the pregnant Sita in the forest, on Rama's orders. This, in spite of the fact that she had proved her chastity by undergoing the agni-pariksha (test of fire), for having stayed so long in Ravana's place. According to the Uttara Ramayana, after Rama's Pattabhishekam (coronation ceremony), some people in Ayodhya were still doubting Sita's purity and were wondering who the father of her child could be. Rama heard them discussing the matter and decided that it was in his kingdom's best interest to let Sita go from there, so that no one would doubt his integrity and adherence to his duty as King. He, however, did not have the courage to face Sita and tell her that she should leave the palace. Hence, he asked a reluctant Lakshmana to accompany her till the forest and then abandon her there. Sita, who was in immense grief, sat under a berry tree. That was when she found Surpanakha, filled with hatred, was gloating and laughing at her. She said that they rejected Sita, just as they rejected her. Now, Sita was stripped of her status, just as she (Surpanakha) was stripped of her beauty. Though deeply hurt by the Rakshasi's words, Sita found the strength to smile at her and offered her a berry. She told Surpanakha that the berries were sweet - as sweet as the ones in Mandodari's garden <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=garden&maincategory=&sold=&submit.x=20&submit.y=18> - and urged her to have some. Sita's gentleness surprised Surpanakha. She had hoped to inflict pain on the former, but she was obviously growing beyond the pain. She realized that she had to stop this cycle of hatred and had to start loving herself, before expecting anyone to love her in return. That was the only way that she could find peace within herself. Still affected by the negativity and hatred inside her, Surpanakha argued that she had been denied justice. Sita advised her to leave the past behind her and start living in the present. She also told her to let bygones be bygones and forgive everything that everyone had done to her. Sita continued with her stand, saying that she should not get trapped and be a victim of her own need for revenge. She stated that several Ramas and Ravanas would come and go and that millions of people would be born and would die, but life and nature <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=nature> would still continue to exist, as it always did. She said that it was the reason why she preferred to be here in the dense forest, in the midst of Mother Nature. Sita's demeanour and her advice impressed Surpanakha. She realized that, in order to see change outside, she first had to change inside. She picked up the berry offered by Sita. It tasted sweet - it was the sweetest thing she ever tasted. She ate another one and smiled at Sita. With that, Surpanakha let go of all her past suffering, negativity and hatred and started to feel truly beautiful again. She giggled happily and playfully challenged to a race to the stream <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=stream&maincategory=&sold=&submit.x=23&submit.y=10>. Off the ladies went, genuinely joyous and feeling at peace with themselves and with the world around them. With traditional notions and ideas undergoing immense changes in the present modern world we live in, our perception of right and wrong has also transformed; thus giving us a different viewpoint of the stories we heard and read during childhood. Modern education and modern values make us rethink these legends and wonder if there is more to them that meets the eye - if Rama was really so pure and good; and if Surpanakha was really that dark and evil. In today's world, we still see unspeakable atrocities committed against women in the name of tradition and power. Still, most women in rural areas and many, even in urban areas, suffer attacks, assault, rape, honour killings and so on. The shocking thing is that a major chunk of society still blames them for this suffering. Much worse; the very definition of rape changes with religion, caste and their class. Women who are divorced or who do not give consent for sex are often mocked as arrogant and immature. In such a society, it comes as no surprise that Rama, who remained silent while Lakshmana physically attacked Surpanakha, is still considered as the epitome of Hindutva. On the other hand, the victim, Surpanakha, who was marred maimed all her life, still continues to be judged for her actions. She is looked down upon, merely because she expressed an interest towards Rama. Similarly, Sita was kidnapped by Ravana against her will. She had to undergo the agni-pariksha to prove her chastity, while no one ever doubted Rama's loyalty. In spite of him sending her to the forest at the hands of Lakshmana, people still refer to Rama as the "Maryada Purushottam" (the perfect follower of rules; the epitome of perfect values). There is yet one more angle here. The fact is that Rama never experienced peace or happiness even for a single day, after he ill-treated Surpanakha. Likewise, Ravana never experienced joy after abducting Sita. In fact, she was the cause of the loss of his kingdom, power, dignity and even his own life. This probably goes to show that those who do not treat their women properly, would finally have to face a lifetime of negative karma for it. However, it was up to Sita and Surpanakha to find their own justice and peace for it. They went through their storms and changed themselves, so that they could experience peace and joy in their lives. They realized that they should start loving themselves unconditionally, in order to unlock the power of Shakti within themselves. The tale of Surpanakha has a hidden meaning that all of us can learn from. Her character shows us that nothing and no one is absolutely "good" or "bad" as we define things from our limited experience of life. Rather, everything and everyone (ourselves included) has shades of grey, that we must learn to accept. Looking at her story <https://www.dollsofindia.com/search.php?q=story&maincategory=&sold=&submit.x=21&submit.y=16> from a different angle and being empathetic towards her, one would probably discover that Surpanakha was not at all that terrible as she is projected to be. There was probably one side of her, that was hapless, helpless, downtrodden and frustrated. She too, probably, was the victim of circumstances, just like Sita was. Maybe that is why the two women eventually forgave each other and became friends for life. The very act of Surpanakha forgiving the past proves that she had transcended the realms of negative emotions such as anger, vanity and ego. Her ability to let go clearly goes to show that she too had a softer side and a heart that was filled with love and forgiveness. Maybe we all should follow her example and learn to become less judgemental and more accepting of everything and all around us. That way, we too would be able to progress on the path of achieving true peace and joy in our own lives!( Priya Viswanath) KR IRS 18 9 23 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Chittanandam V R <[email protected]> Date: Mon, 18 Sept 2023 at 07:30 Subject: Fwd: Tamilnayagam - kamba Ramayanam - Surpanaka (23) To: *கம்ப இராமாயணம் - சூர்ப்பணகை (23)* *தமிழ்நாயகம் * நல்லளும் அல்லள் "மன்மதனிடம் இருந்து என்னைக் காப்பாற்று" என்று சூர்ப்பணகை இராமனிடம் வேண்டினாள். இதைக் கேட்ட இராமன், என்ன செய்திருக்க வேண்டும்? "சீ! சீ! இவள் கெட்டவள். தீய நோக்கத்தோடு வந்திருக்கிறாள்" என்று அவளை போகச் சொல்லி இருக்க வேண்டும் அல்லவா. அதுதான் இல்லை. இராமன் அவளை எடை போடுகிறான். "இவள் நாணம் இல்லாதவள். விநோதமானவள். கீழான எண்ணங்கள் கொண்டவள். நல்லவள் அல்லள்" என்று நினைக்கிறான். பாடல் *சேண் உற நீண்டு, மீண்டு, செவ் அரி சிதறி, வெவ்வேறு ஏண் உற மிளிர்ந்து, நானாவிதம் புரண்டு, இருண்ட வாள்-கண் பூண் இயல் கொங்கை அன்னாள் அம் மொழி புகறலோடும், 'நாண் இலள், ஐயள், நொய்யள்; நல்லளும் அல்லள்' என்றான்.* பொருள்: நீண்ட தொலைவு சென்று நீளமாக சென்று மீண்டும் இங்கு வந்து கணங்கள் சிவந்து. கண்ணில் இரத்த நாளங்கள் சிவந்து இருக்க வெவ்வேறு சிறப்பு கொண்டு பின் அதில் இருந்து பிறழ்ந்து நாலா பக்கங்களிலும் அலைந்து கரிய கூர்மையான கத்தி போன்ற கண்களை உடையவள் அணிகலன்களை அணிந்த மார்பகங்களை உடையவள் அவ்வாறு சொன்னவுடன் 'நாணம் இல்லாதவள், கீழான எண்ணம் கொண்டவள், விநோதமானவள், நல்லவள் அல்லள்' என்று இராமன் முடிவு செய்கிறான். எவ்வளவு தான் ஆடை அலங்காரம் பண்ணிக் கொண்டாலும், தேனொழுக பேசினாலும், உள்ளத்தில் உள்ளதை கண்கள் காட்டிக் கொடுத்து விடும். சூர்ப்பணகையின் கண்கள் அலை பாய்கின்றன. தூரத்தில் உள்ளதை நோட்டம் விடுகிறது. பின் பக்கத்தில் வருகிறது. காமத்தால் சிவந்து இருக்கிறது. நாலா பக்கமும் உருள்கிறது. வள்ளுவர் சொல்லுவார், *அடுத்தது காட்டும் பளிங்கு போல் நெஞ்சம் கடுத்தது காட்டும் முகம் * என்று. சேண் என்றால் தொலை தூரம் என்று பொருள். சேண் விளங்கு அவிர் ஒளி என்பார் நக்கீரர், திருமுருகாற்றுப் படையில். உலகம் உவப்ப வலன் ஏர்பு திரிதரு பலர்புகழ் ஞாயிறு கடல்கண் டாஅங்கு ஓஅற இமைக்கும் சேண்விளங்கு அவிர்ஒளி . தூரத்தில் இருக்கும் சூரிய ஒளி. அவளின் சொல் மட்டும் கண்ணை வைத்து அவள் நல்லவள் இல்லை என்று அறிந்து கொள்கிறான் இராமன். *- தமிழ் நாயகம் * **************************************** -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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