Śūrpaṇakhā
Channel: Neelu
Date: 2023-11-28

A poem preceded by a narrated prologue on the Indian mythological figure: Śūrpaṇakhā.

The Kamba Ramayana describes her as a strikingly beautiful woman with long lustrous hair, fish-shaped eyes that gave her the name Meenakshi at birth. A woman with a magnetic personality who had magical powers. This description is completely opposite to Valmiki's Ramayana in which she is described as an ugly demoness.
Was she then a dreadful demoness or a wronged damsel? Several scholars state that she was indeed a wronged woman. Rama and Laxmana could have calmly reasoned with her but their act of insulting her and severing parts of her body was unforgivable and unexpected from Kshatriyas (warriors). Surpanakha was a strong - willed independent woman who dared to approach a man and tell him she liked him. History looks down upon her just for the fact that she unabashedly expressed her desire.
With traditional narratives and ideas undergoing a sea change, our perception of right and wrong has changed as well, lending an alternative viewpoint to the old badgered narratives. Modern minds thankfully have a capacity to vacillate and rethink the legends and wonder if there was more than meets the eye.
The Valmiki Ramayana does not speak of Surpanakha after the war. However, it is generally believed that she continued to live in Lanka after Vibhishana ascended the throne as King of Lanka. It is said that, a few years later, she and her half-sister Kumbini perished at sea.


Writer: Udayveer
Narration: Neelu Bhatia
Audio-Visual: Udayveer