Normally, people without reading Valmiki Ramayana in a right perspective or human/women rights activists with wrongly placed ideals or people bent upon maligning the character of Shri Rama or people, whose life style does not adhere to any prescribed moral conduct, will take up cudgels, on behalf of some negative characters like Ravana, Vali, Śūrpaṇakhā, etc, against Shri Rama of Ramayana.
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When Shri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are residing at Panchavati, near river Godavari, Śūrpaṇakhā -शूर्पणखा, sister of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana enters their hermitage.
Sage Valmiki narrates briefly Shri Rama’s appearance, his character vis-à-vis her appearance, her character.
सुमुखम् दुर्मुखी रामम् वृत्त मध्यम् महोदरी || ३-१७-९
विशालाक्षम् विरूपाक्षी सुकेशम् ताम्र मूर्धजा |
प्रियरूपम् विरूपा सा सुस्वरम् भैरव स्वना || ३-१७-१०
तरुणम् दारुणा वृद्धा दक्षिणम् वाम भाषिणी |
न्याय वृत्तम् सुदुर्वृत्ता प्रियम् अप्रिय दर्शना || ३-१७-११
शरीरज समाविष्टा राक्षसी रामम् अब्रवीत् |
She that demoness who is facially unpleasant one with that pleasant faced one, pot bellied one with the slim-waisted one, wry-eyed one with the broad-eyed one, coppery-haired one with the neatly tressed one, ugly featured one with the charming featured one, brassy voiced one with the gentle voiced one, deplorably oldish one with the youngish one, crooked talker with the pleasant talker, ill-mannered one with the well-mannered one, uncouth one with couth, abominable one with amiable Rama spoke, besieged by Love-god.
Please note the crucial differences:
- Shri Rama was young and slim-waisted one, while Śūrpaṇakhā was old and pot bellied one
- Shri Rama’s speaking was stated to be dakSiNa , while that of Śūrpaṇakhā as vaama
- Shri Rama’s behaviour was rightful one , while Śūrpaṇakhā was described as ill-mannered one
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Here, the words dakSiNa and vAma used by Sage Valmiki require an explanation, as they indicate the brought up, the way of thinking, living and goals of an individual.
The word dakSiNa is used for Shri Rama as well as Shri Hanuman.
The prevalent meanings of the words dakSiNa and vAma were given above.
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According to Sage Valmiki,
dakSiNa - indicates the vedic way of life.
It indicates that a person, with ultimate aim of attaining the SUPREME TRUTH/KNOWLEDGE, will be instructed from the beginning to
- be on the path of TRUTH,
- fulfil one’s duties as a student,
- marry a girl of his choice with her consent,
- beget children to continue the lineage of the family,
- acquire knowledge or riches in righteous manner
- fulfil one’s duties as a house-holder
vAma - indicates the opposite of the dakSiNa. The person following the
- way of UNTRUTH
- Marrying a girl of one’s choice with or without her consent and includes even by abduction
- the ULTIMATE aim in the life is acquire knowledge or riches in whatever possible manner and enjoy all material desires
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Sage Valmiki describes the rAkshasAs, in general, as vAma, with the exception of people like vibhIshana.
This he illustrates in the words of Ravana, in Sundara Kanda.
Shri Hanuman reaches Lanka, finds Sita and hides himself on the top of the tree, waiting for an opportunity to talk with Sita.
Ravana arrives at that point of time and boosts that he being rAkshasa, is entitled to enjoy forcibly any woman of his choice.
स्वधर्मो रक्षसां भीरु सर्वथैव न संशयः |
गमनं वा परस्त्रीणाम् हरणम् सम्प्रमथ्य वा || ५-२०-५
"O one with fear! Obtaining women belonging to others or abducting by force is the righteous deed (sva-dharma) for demons by all means. There is no doubt in this."
- When Ravana, her elder brother and the King of Demons, is following the vAma way of life, the behaviour and way of thinking of Śūrpaṇakhā cannot be expected to be different.
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In order to understand as to what transpired in the episode, we have to carefully study the sargas/chapters 17 and 18 in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana.
And, while doing so, we have to keep in mind the following issues related to age, attitude, cultural differences of Shri Rama Vs Śūrpaṇakhā.
On being queried by Śūrpaṇakhā, Shri Rama introduces himself, Sita as his wife and Lakshmana as his brother and enquires about her.
Śūrpaṇakhā introduces herself as guise-changing demoness (राक्षसी कामरूपिणी) and that she will be freely moving in that forest in a solitary manner. And, she states that she is the sister of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.
Then, she expresses her desire to make Shri Rama as her husband, projects Sita as Unlovely and unshapely (विकृता च विरूपा) and thus, unworthy to continue as his wife and offers to eat up disfigured, dishonest, diabolical human female with a hallow stomach,ie., Sita, along with Lakshmana to make him free.
विकृता च विरूपा च न सा इयम् सदृशी तव |
अहम् एव अनुरूपा ते भार्या रूपेण पश्य माम् || ३-१७-२६
"Unlovely and unshapely is this one, such as she is, this Seetha is unworthy to be your wife, and I am the lone one worthy to be your wife, hence treat me as your wife.”
इमाम् विरूपाम् असतीम् करालाम् निर्णत उदरीम् |
अनेन सह ते भ्रात्रा भक्षयिष्यामि मानुषीम् || ३-१७-२७
"Shall I eat up this disfigured, dishonest, diabolical human female with a hallow stomach along with him, that brother of yours to make you free.
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Understanding Śūrpaṇakhā’s mind, which is preoccupied with lustful desires, Shri Rama, who is living with her wife, directs her to approach Lakshmana, who at that point of time was without wife.
कृत दारो अस्मि भवति भार्या इयम् दयिता मम |
त्वत् विधानाम् तु नारीणाम् सुदुःखा ससपत्नता || ३-१८-२
"Oh, honourable one, I am married and this is my dear wife, thus it will be distressing for your sort of females to live with a co-wife.”
अनुजः तु एष मे भ्राता शीलवान् प्रिय दर्शनः |
श्रीमान् अकृत दारः च लक्ष्मणो नाम वीर्यवान् || ३-१८-३
"He is my younger brother named Lakshmana, he is with a good conduct, good looking, a promising and valiant one, and he is without a wife.”
अपूर्वी भार्यया च अर्थी तरुणः प्रिय दर्शनः |
अनुरूपः च ते भर्ता रूपस्य अस्य भविष्यति || ३-१८-४
"He is without a wife and in need of a wife he is youthful, good-looking and he can become a fitly husband of yours, fit enough to your kind of features.”
Without understanding the satire in Shri Rama’s words, Śūrpaṇakhā approaches Lakshmana to become her husband. However, Lakshmana, who had been hearing the dialogue between Shri Rama and Śūrpaṇakhā, pays back her demeaning words with respect to Sita.
कथम् दासस्य मे दासी भार्या भवितुम् इच्छ्हसि |
सो अहम् आर्येण परवान् भ्रात्रा कमल वर्णिनी || ३-१८-९
"How you wish to become a female servant, oh, [black] lotus-coloured one, by becoming the wife of a servant like me? I am just a vassal of my adorable brother.
समृद्ध अर्थस्य सिद्धार्था मुदित अमल वर्णिनी |
आर्यस्य त्वम् विशालाक्षि भार्या भव यवीयसी || ३-१८—१०
"Oh, goggle eyed one, befitting to your complexion that is un-stainable further you better become the wife of my brother Rama who is abounding in means, and on becoming the younger wife of that adorable one, you too will achieve your means and thus you will be happy.”
एनाम् विरूपाम् असतीम् करालाम् निर्णत उदरीम् |
भार्याम् वृद्धाम् परित्यज्य त्वाम् एव एष भजिष्यति || ३-१८-११
"On discarding her who is disfigured, dishonest, diabolically deleterious old wife with a hallow stomach that Rama will adore you alone.”
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Śūrpaṇakhā, who is fuddled by lust, decides to eliminate Sita, who is standing between her beloved Shri Rama and her. Alarmed by her action, Shri Rama warns Lakshmana to stop further talks and directs him to deface her.
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इमाम् विरूपाम् असतीम् अतिमत्ताम् महोदरीम् |
राक्षसीम् पुरुषव्याघ्र विरूपयितुम् अर्हसि || ३-१८-२०
"She is freakish, knavish and overtly ruttish, oh, tigerly man, it will be apt of you to deface this paunchy demoness " Thus Rama said to Lakshmana.
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Lakshmana infuriately drew sword and chopped off her ears and nose before the very eyes of Shri Rama.
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If we carefully analyse this episode, we can infer that
- Being accustomed to vAma way of life, Śūrpaṇakhā’s thoughts, actions followed that way of life.
- So it was a clash of people adhering to different cultures or different ways of life, ie., dakSiNa vs vAma
- Please note that Shri Rama did not enter into Śūrpaṇakhā’s domain, but it was Śūrpaṇakhā who entered into Shri Rama’s domain and tried to kill his wife.
- As Śūrpaṇakhā was about to kill Sita, Shri Rama was forced to stop her by defacing and it was an act done in SELF DEFENCE.
- It has nothing to do anything with sparing an old woman with lewd thoughts
- We should also remember that Shri Rama even killed ताटका - tAtakA, a demoness, when she was about to kill him.
