Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban-Aranya kanda-8. surpanakha episode

[Guest guest]

8.Surpanakha episode.

 

Surpanakha the sister of Ravana came there and saw Rama. Valmiki who would never let go any opportunity to sing the praise of the personality and attributes of Rama, says,

 

Simhoraskam mahaabaahum padma patranibhekSaNam aajaanubaahum dheepthaasyam atheevapriyadharSanam

gaja vikraa.nta gamanam jaTaa maNdala dhaariNam sukumaaram mahaa sattvam paarthiva vyanjana anvitam raamam indiivara shyaamam kandarpa sadrSa prabham babhuuva indropamam dhrshtvaa raakshasii kaama mohitaa

 

Seeing Rama with broad chest, long arms signifying sovereignty, eyes like lotus, lustrous face and extremely pleasing to look at, with gait like an elephant, wearing matted locks, dark like the indheevara flower, defeating the god of love with his beauty, looking like Indra, the rakshasi felt insatiable desire for him.

 

Valmiki brings out the contrast between Surpanakha and Rama to show the ridiculous feeling of the rakshasi.

 

Sumukham dhurmukhee raamam vrttha maDhyam mahodharee

viSaalaaksham viroopaakshee sukesam thaamramoorDhajaa

preethi roopam viroopaa saa susvaram bhairavasvanaa

tharuNam dhaaruNaa vrdDhaa dhakshiNam vaamabhaashiNee

 

Rama was pleasant faced and had shapely waist, large eyes, beautiful hair, handsome, with sweet voice and youthful form and polite. On the contrary the rakshasi was fierce in countenance, with pot belly, ugly eyes, red and rough hair, ugly to look at with harsh tone and fearful appearance and was aged with deceitful talk.

 

She asked Rama who he was and why did he come to the forest with his wife, wearing hermit's robs but carrying bow and arrow. Rama told her about himself and asked her identity. She said that she was the sister of Ravana whom he whole world dreaded and also the sister of Kumbhakarna , the strongesyt and Vibheshana who was righteous, `vibheeshanasthu Dharmaathmaa na thu rakshasa cheshtithah,' though born as a rakshasa.

 

In Vakmiki Ramayana though Surpanakha came in her original form she tells Rama that she could take whichever form she wanted, `aham surpanakhaa naama raakshasee kaamaroopiNee.' This was developed by Kamban who made her appear as a beautiful damsel .We shall see that later.

 

Then she asked Rama to become her husband saying that Seetha was not the suitable wife for him, being ugly and a human. She suggested that she will eat Seetha and Lakshmana so that Rama can be free to marry her.

 

Rama seeing the humour of the situation, told her teasingly that he was already married and she could perhaps choose Lakshmana who was without his wife, meaning that though he was also married his wife was not with him.

 

Then Surpanakha approached Lakshmana with the intention of making him her husband but Lakshmana told her that as he was he servant of Rama she would not be happy with him and told her to go to Rama and be his second wife when Rama may abandon his wife who is ugly and old (quoting Surpanakha's words) and accept her. The rakshasee who was blind with desire could not see that they were making fun of her and went back to Rama and threatened to kill and eat Seetha .So saying she ran towards Seetha like a meteor towards the star Rohini.

 

Rama stopped her by uttering a humkaara and told Lakshmana not to play with her anymore but punish her because she had shown her evil intention towards Seetha. Lakshmana took his sword and cut her nose and ears. She ran into the forest shouting with pain and went to her brother Khara in JanasThaana and fell in front of him.

 

Now we shall see how Kamban differs from Valmiki regarding this episode.

 

Kamban refers to her as the one who was the cause of the destruction of Ravana. 'neelamaamani niruthar vendhanai moola naasam pera mudikkum moymbinaaL.'

 

Kamban describes the wonder Surpanakha felt on seeing Rama in 16 verses. Then she assumed the form of a beautiful damsel and walked in front of Rama. She chanted the manthra of Lakshmi, says Kamban to assume the beautiful form, perhaps to imply that everything was the will of the divine mother.

 

Kamban describes the arrival of Surpanakha with a beautiful verse,

`panji oLir vinju kuLir pallavam anunga ,' with enchanting metrical content.

 

Surpanakha saw Seetha and marveling at her beauty wondered whether Lakshmi had left the lotus and came on earth and seeing both of them she thought that Brahma had created both of them as the outside limit of all that is great. She also was amazed on seeing Seetha that anyone looking at her could not take their eyes off and if she felt like that as a woman what would be the effect of her beauty on others, meaning, men.

 

But then her desire got the better of her and she decided to speak ill of Seetha as she was an obstacle between her and Rama. Surpanakha exclaiming that Seetha was a rakshasi who was deceiving Rama by her good looks and sprang towards her when Rama threatened her and drove her away.

 

But Surlanakha could not control her desire and returned the next day when Seetha was alone in the hermitage , or so she thought, without seeing Lakshmana in the vicinity and tried to attack her when Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. Then Surpanakha assumed her original form and ran to Rama and introducing herself as the sister of Ravana, told him that she suffered because of her love for him when Rama asked Lakshmana what happened. When he came to know what she did Rama told her to run away from there. But her desire was so uncontrollable and even in her ugliness she entreated him to accept her and said that perhaps he caused her deformity so that no one else except him should desire her. When she could not be made to see reason, Rama threatened to kill her of she remained there and she in her turn threatened them that she would bring Khara to destroy them all. This is how Kamban has changed the episode giving it a fillip by poetry and imagination.