Soorpanakha, humiliated by Lakshmana, arrives in Lanka, where Ravana is seated on a golden throne. It is clear that Ravana cannot be defeated by gandharvas, said Navalpakkam Vasudevachariar in a discourse. Nor can he be quelled by noble sages. His body bears scars of his battles with the devas. He has been hit many times by the Indra’s vajrayudha, but although scarred, he remains unharmed. He has been attacked many times by Airavata, the elephant that belongs to Indra. His chest bears marks of these attacks. Soorpanakha sees this brother of hers who has ten faces, twenty arms and like Indra has a white umbrella, as befits a king. His ornaments are studded with precious stones, which glitter. His ear ornaments are made of gold. He has a wide mouth, and is huge like a mountain. Ravana is skilled in handling every kind of weapon. He has conquered the world of the nagas, and has abducted the wife of the snake Taksha. He has brought with him the Pushpaka vimana, belonging to Kubera, which moves according to the wishes of the one steering it. He is the one who destroyed the gardens of Kubera and Indra.
Valmiki gives this description of Ravana and then goes on to describe Soorpanakha approaching him. She abuses her brother, and says he indulges in pleasures, and is unaware of what is going on around him. How can he earn the respect of his people, she asks. How can he guard his kingdom, with his overindulgence in pleasures? He is completely ignorant of the dangers that his kingdom faces. She accuses Ravana of not having good spies or intelligent ministers to advise him, which is why he does not know of what has happened in Janasthana, where 14,000 demons have been killed. Soorpanakha wants to have revenge on Rama and thus tries to provoke Ravana into attacking Him.
Published – April 24, 2025 05:02 am IST
