← 3.30.21 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 30: Śūrpaṇakhā reaches Rāvaṇa’s court

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.30.22

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 30: Śūrpaṇakhā reaches Rāvaṇa’s court. The narrative recalls his conquests, tapas and protection from nonhuman enemies, leaving him vulnerable to a human

In the sequence: against this portrait of his power and violence, the bloodied, disfigured Śūrpaṇakhā presents herself and begins to address him.

3.30.22

tam abravīd dīptaviśālalocanaṃ pradarśayitvā bhayamohamūrchitā
sudāruṇaṃ vākyam abhītacāriṇī mahātmanā śūrpaṇakhā virūpitā

Śūrpaṇakhā — she who moves about fearlessly, yet now stupefied with fear and confusion, disfigured by the great one (Lakṣmaṇa) — displaying herself, spoke a most dreadful word to him of the blazing, wide eyes.

Words: tam — to him; abravīd — spoke; dīptaviśālalocanaṃ — (him) of the blazing, wide eyes; pradarśayitvā — having displayed (herself); bhayamohamūrchitā — stupefied with fear and confusion; sudāruṇaṃ — most dreadful; vākyam — word, speech; abhītacāriṇī — she who moves about fearlessly; mahātmanā — by the great one; śūrpaṇakhā — Śūrpaṇakhā; virūpitā — disfigured

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.