Hari Om.
Let us begin the nineteenth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The normalcy goes for a toss as an ugly ogress by name SUrpanakha enters the holy hermitage of rAma. She is infatuated by the handsome rAma and makes amorous advances and proposes that he should marry her while making unsavory remarks about sItA who she thought was an impediment to her securing rAma. Instead of rejecting outright, rAma directs her to lakshmaNa and tells her she can try her luck with him as he is without a wife currently! The articulate lakshmaNa asks her why she wants to serve a servitor and asks her to try persuading rAma in words loaded with sarcasm about her petulance. She goes back to rAma who again rejects her proposal. Recognising sItA to be the obstacle she tries to swallow sItA. rAma bars her and directs lakshmaNa to punish her. He swiftly cuts off her nose and ears and spares her life and she runs back into the deep forests the way she came to demon khara… Onwards…
Looking at the fallen, disfigured, bloodsoaked sister, the demon khara flew into a rage and rained questions –
“Get up, don’t be in a state of confusion and stupidity. Tell me clearly what transpired and by whom you have been disfigured thus. Who has hurt a venomous black serpent and has the audacity to stay within it’s proximity? Who has tied a noose around his neck and is unaware of the consequences? Whoever has done this to you doesn’t realize he has consumed deadly poison? You are yourself mighty and can roam at will assuming various forms. Who has inflicted this ignominy upon you? Who on earth has dared to do this to you among the gods, demi gods or the sages or any one else? Even the thousand eyed indra is wary of displeasing me, so who has dared to bring you to this state? Tell me and my arrows shall unerringly draw life out of that person just like the swan draws milk out of the mixture of water and milk. Tormented and routed by my arrows whose blood is the earth going to drink! The flesh of whose body will be consumed by the vultures when he is vanquished by me in the battle. And be assured the one I draw in to battle cannot be rescued by either the gods or demi gods or devils or demons. Get well slowly and tell me in detail as to who had the audacity to bring the mighty you to this state”.
Hearing the angry inquiries of her brother khara, the demoness SUrpaNakaha responded with wailing words –
तरुणौ रूपसम्पन्नौ सुकुमारौ महाबलौ।
पुण्डरीकविशालाक्षौ चीरकृष्णाजिनाम्बरौ।।3.19.14।।
फलमूलाशनौ दान्तौ तापसौ धर्मचारिणौ।
पुत्रौ दशरथस्यास्तां भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ।।3.19.15।।
गन्धर्वराजप्रतिमौ पार्थिवव्यञ्जनान्वितौ।
देवौ वा मानुषौ वा तौ न तर्कयितुमुत्सहे।।3.19.16।।
“Young, handsome, elegant, mighty, wide eyed like the white lotus, donning barked clothes, subsisting on fruits and roots, self-restrained ascetics ever observing dharma – the sons of daSaratha by name rAma and lakshmaNa, resembling the king of the gandharvas (handsome demigods), laced with royal insignia – I couldn’t make out whether they were gods or humans! And there I also beheld a young, elegant and beautiful woman, well dressed and ornate, and it is for the sake of that woman that the two of them have rendered me to this state like a orphan woman! O brother, it is my first and earnest desire to drink the blood of that trio slain in battle and you must fulfil my wish”.
Spoken to thus by his sister SUrpaNakha, khara immediately summoned fourteen mighty demons resembling the god of death and ordered them – “go at once to the danDaka forest and look for the duo clad in bark robes along with a beautiful woman. Slay them at once and my sister is thirsty of their blood. Go immediately, crush them in battle and fulfil the wish of sister”.
Thus charged by khara, fourteen mighty demons set off to that place just like clouds taken afar by strong winds. Despite their sharp and glowing weapons the nocturns could not upstage him and failed just like the bunch of wild elephants are unable to overcome the raging forest fire.
Here we conclude the the nineteenth sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link for word by word meaning from IITK website
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Next: 3.20. Fourteen demons in one shot!
Previous: 3.18. The violent ogress punished but spared
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
