Srimad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa | Araṇya Kāṇḍa ~ Sarga 17 of 75

On taking bath Rama with Seetha and Soumitri, then went to his own hermitage from that bank of River Godavari. [3-17-1] .

Nearing that hermitage Raghava along with Lakshmana performed early morning rituals and then reached the cottage. [3-17-2] .

At one time when Rama is sitting in hermitage and heartily absorbed in telling narratives some demoness arrived at that place, fortuitously. [3-17-5] .

She is but the sister of ten-faced demon Ravana, Shuurpanakha by her name and she has seen him on reaching the paradisiacal being like Rama. [3-17-6] .

Thus asked by demoness Shuurpanakha that enemy-scorcher Rama started to inform all about it, straightforwardly. [3-17-14] .

“A king named Dasharatha was there with his godlike valour, I am his eldest son, and people hear of me by name Rama. [3-17-15] .

“He is Lakshmana by his name, my younger brother and a devoted follower of mine, and she is my wife, daughter of Videha’s king, well-known as Seetha. [3-17-16] .

“Desiring to implement the probity in following father’s orders and for the sake of establishing probity in living an ascetic’s life I have come here to forests to dwell, as enjoined by the directives of the king and my father, and by my mother, as well. [3-17-17] .

“I too wish to know about you. Whose wife are you? What is your name? Or, whose daughter are you? By the way, you are with a most enthralling personality, and then you must be a demoness. [3-17-18]

So far the handsomeness of Shuurpanakha is not narrated in these verses. But Rama’s addressing her as a handsome woman is for fun sake, so some commentators say. The episode Shuurpanakha is considered to have haasya rasa, comic relief. Refusing the unnecessarily joking of Rama some say that Shuurpanakha came there with an exquisite form. And what all said negatively about her in preceding verses is the implicit idea of the poet. Taking the entrance of Shuurpanakha with a beautiful personality every cinema that is shot on Ramayana gives a cabaret dance with inciting song to Shuurpanakha at this situation.

In some other mms there are a few more verses that contain a situation where Jatayu comes to Rama to take leave of him to go and see his relatives and bird-friends, after Rama returns from the river. Then, knowing that Jatayu is not there Shuurpanakha enters the cottage area with a guise of winsome beauty. No demon or demoness can approach that cottage of Rama, as long as Jatayu is there – is the point for establishment. While the difference in mms/texts is between one or two letters like, na hi taavat manoj~na angii and tvam hi taavat manoj~na angii , whether the poet entered Shuurpanakha in a fashionable getup or as an old female is another point that remained inconclusive.

“What for you have come, either, you tell in actuality…” Thus Rama asked her. On hearing the words of Rama she that demoness wetted with love said these words. [3-17-19] .

“I can excel all of them by my bravery, oh, Rama, and on seeing you for the first time I had a notion that you being the choicest among men you alone are my husband, hence I neared you. [3-17-24] .

“I am endowed with such preponderances and I can operate with my independent might, as such you become my everlasting husband� by the way, what can you bring off with Seetha. [3-17-25] .

“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. [3-17-26] .

“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.

Lakshmana will use the very same wording in the next chapter when retorting Shuurpanakha .

“Afterwards, you can lustily ramble about Dandaka forest along with me while enjoying yourself on various mountaintops in the sky and in forests on the earth.” So Shuurpanakha said to Rama. [3-17-28] .

When he is said that way Rama chuckled and that wordsmith started to reply her who eyes are besotted in lovesickness with this sentence. [3-17-29] .