Surpanakha Husband Name: Biography, Lifestyle and More

Surpanakha was the sister of Ravana the king of Lanka. Her role in the original epic is small, yet Significant. She was the daughter of the sage Vishrava and Rakshasi Kaikeshi. Her legends are narrated in the epic Ramayana and its other versions.

Most of the versions including Ramayana mention her to be an ugly woman because of her appearance. Valmiki defines her as a facially unpleasant, brassy-voiced, ugly feature, crooked talker, ill-mannered, abdominal, deplorably oldish, and uncouth.  Her name Surpanakha means the one whose fingernails are like winnowing fans, she is considered as an important character in Valmiki Ramayana. 

Surpanakha Biography

Name	Surpanakha
Parents	Father – Vishrava, Mother – Kaikesi
Brother	Ravana, Vibhishana, Kumbhakarna
Spouse	Vidyut Jihva
Abode	Lanka
Affiliation	Rakshasi
Texts	Ramayana and its versions

Surpanakha Husband Name

Surpanakha was secretly married to the Danava prince, Vidyutjihva. Ravana was enraged that she married a Danava – the Danava were arch-enemies of the Rakshasas. He was about to punish her, but his wife, Mandodari, encouraged him to honor the wishes of his only sister. Ravana was forced to accept his sister’s husband into the family.

After Ravana conquers Rastala the underworld, he decides to visit his newly married sister, that is when he discovers Vidyutjihva’s true intention to marry her because he wants to kill him. When Surpanakha came to know of her husband’s death and that Ravana had caused it, she was filled with grief.

After that, she split her time between Lanka and Southern India. By then, she was the mother of Vidyutjihva’s son who was known as Shambhri, later accidentally killed by Lakshmana. 

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Surpanakha’s Life 

Some text describes her as thin and slender, with beautiful brown eyes which were slightly tilted upwards. Surpanakha is also characterized as having thick, long hair and a pleasant, musical voice.

At the birth of Surpanakha, she was called Chandranakha which means the one with nails like the moon. She was the only sister of Ravana, king of Lanka. Surpanakha was married to Danava prince Vidyutjihav who was later killed by her brother. 

Surpanakha Meets Ram 

According to Valmiki Ramayana, Surpanakha met Rama, the exiled prince of Ayodhya, on one such trip to the forest of Panchavati. She was instantly charmed by his youthful attractive looks.She tried to make advances towards Rama, but he kept rejecting her. Rama went so far as to inform Surpanakha that he would never accept or wed another woman in his lifetime because he had vowed to have only one wife. 

Surpanakha then approached Lakshmana who was Rama’s younger brother, but he reacted very cruelly and rejected her by saying that she would never become that which he desired in a wife. After a while, she realized that both of them were making fun of her.

She felt humiliated and insulted and attacked Sita but was thwarted by Lakshmana. He cut off her left ear and nose and sent her racing back to Lanka. Crying loudly, she first went to her brother, Khara. He immediately sent seven Rakshasa warriors to attack Rama and Lakshmana. Later Rama defeated them and sent them back to where they belonged. Khara then challenged Rama himself, accompanied by 14,000 troops.They all were killed, except Akampana Kaikesi’s brother, who fled to Lanka. 

Ravana Abducts Sita 

Shurpanakha went to Ravana’s court and told the entire story of what happened to her. She also convinced him to abduct and wed Sita. The only one who was against this was Vibhishana, Ravana’s other brother, but Ravana called him a traitor, ignored his warnings, and proceeded to take Sita. The fight between Rama and Ravana began with Ravana abducting Sita and murdering Jatayu, the holy vulture.

Surpanakha – The Untold Story 

Surpanakha played the central character of the Ramayana. Valmiki himself remarked that if there had not been Kaikeyi and Surpanakha, the Ramayana would not have been. She was regarded as the catalyst that started the series of events that resulted in Ravana’s destruction.

She is also considered as the driving force behind the war of Rama and Ravana. 

Victim of Injustice 

The Ramayana Valmiki depicts Rama and Lakshmana as personification of righteousness and divinity.However, the story of Surpanakha makes one think again about it because no man who insults and disfigures a woman as they did to her can be termed as being religious and good. In other words, we can say that Surpanakha was the victim of injustice and never deserved the punishment and insult that she got, merely for showing interest in a member of the opposite sex. 

The Story of Surpanakha – A lesson to learn 

The story of Surpanakha has a hidden lesson that all of us can learn from. Her character shows us that nothing and no one is good or bad as we define things from our limited experience of life. If we look at her story from different perspectives and be empathetic towards her, one will find that Surpanakha was not at all as bad or terrible as she is projected to be.

She was also the victim of circumstances just like Sita was. Maybe that is the reason why these two women eventually forgave each other and became friends for life. 

Conclusion 

Surpanakha, a demoness by birth and a character from the Hindu epic Ramayana, often shows desire and its consequences. Her actions catalyzed the chain of events leading to the epic climax of Ramayana. She remains a tragic figure who is consumed by her desires and ultimately faces the consequences of her actions. She was considered as a pivotal character in the Ramayana Valmiki which embodies the complexities of repercussions and desires. 

FAQ’s 

1. Who was Surpanakha?

She was known as a Rakshasi demoness in the Hindu epic. Her legends are mainly described in the epic Ramayana Valmiki. 

2. Who killed Surpanakha?

Surpanakha along with her half-sister Khumbini drowned in the ocean. 

3. Did Ravana touch Sita?

Ravana was never able to come close to Sita or touch her.