Surpanakha's Offer

Surpanakha stood in the forest shadows, watching. It was a small hut with a small garden she watched. The other day, she had seen a man emerge from this clearing. He had dark green skin, hair and the most beautiful face. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Surpanakha had thought it was because she was ravenously hungry, or so she told herself, that she became obsessed with him. She had smelled his human scent and instead of wanting to eat his sweet flesh she wanted to have him hold her close. Surpanakha found herself wanting to marry this man.

She saw him then. In awe of his beauty, she felt herself changing her outward appearance. She knew no man would find her attractive in the guise of a monster, so she felt her body changing into a form she hoped would be pleasing to him. He wouldn't reject her. She was the sister of Ravana, the demon king, and she could offer him anything in the three worlds that he might desire. She would gladly give him sons and daughters aplenty.

Surpanakha stepped out of the shadows of the forest towards the man. She felt a nervous quiver go through her body as the man saw her. She felt naked under his eyes, and smiling lasciviously at him. She walked closer. He must be a hermit to be living here alone and he would appreciate her company. He made her want to be more than a rakshasi. He made her want to make him happy and to do things for him that would make him smile.

Stopping at his gate, she waited for him to come to her, to tell her of her beauty and beg her to come inside so that she could propose their marriage. She waited, but he didn't open the gate, only came to meet her there.

"Beautiful one, how have you come to wander here unprotected?" he said with a note of worry in his voice.

He did like her appearance! She had known that he would like her and he was concerned for her safety. She was blessed to find him more than just handsome, but he is also kind. They would have a wonderful life together.

"I am Surpanakha. I came to this forest to escape the evils of my brother, Ravana. I am protected against attack from demons because of this relationship, but when I saw you in the forest this past morning, I suddenly felt the weight of my solitude," she said while her eyes stared at his, taking in all his beauty.

He looked uncomfortable at the mention of her brother and his evils. It was as though by mentioning Ravana, her soon-to-be husband could seen through the guise she had created for his pleasure.

Calming herself she spoke, "Please don't forsake me because of my relations. My reason for being here is selfish but I couldn't help myself after seeing you. It was as though I was struck by lighting and burnt to the core with love for you." She paused, looking at his face, but was unable to discern any emotion, "I've come here to beg your hand in marriage. Although I abhor Ravana's ways, he would gift us with whatever you might want because he still cares for his little sister. At least grant me the knowledge of your name."

"My name is Rama and though you are beautiful I have to decline your offer," he said while moving back a step from the gate.

At the sound of his name, Surpanakha felt all the evil deeds she had ever done radiate like a cloud around her with a stench of all the men she had eaten. How had he not accepted? She was beautiful and had much to offer. Her face felt hot as the illusion of beauty fell away and she was left the countenance of a demon. Well, if he wouldn't have her willingly, she would just have to convince him.

"Am I not worthy of you, Rama? What have I done to offend you that you wouldn't take the time to consider a marriage? It would be of great advantage to you and I would do everything I could to make you happy," Surpanakha said already feeling as though she had never had a chance to gain his love because he would have rejected any woman. She needed him to tell her it was not that he was rejecting her but because of some other reason.

It was then that Sita came out of the small hut and walked over to the small garden. She was so peaceful that she didn't even notice Rama talking to another woman at the gate. She was going to gather some vegetables for a dinner and some flowers for decoration. Watching Sita, Surpanakha felt a rage swell within her--rage at this woman. She dared to have a natural form with no trickery, a form was more beautiful that one she had created through magic. The nerve of this human woman to steal the love of the man she desired away so that he couldn't accept her offer of marriage. It had to be because of her. It wasn't Rama's fault that he was under this woman's spell. He needed to be freed of her and she could save him. He would be grateful of her offer of marriage then. All it would require was for that woman to be killed, and then Surpanakha could live a peaceful life with Rama.

She could hear herself raging at the other woman, as the woman ran to Rama and clung to him. She felt distant and separate from herself as she watched Rama take the woman and head into the hut, shutting the door in her face. Still standing at the gate, Surpanakha couldn't believe that he would want that woman instead of her. She would wait until he wasn't watching and then she would kill that woman. Of course, she would wait a few days before coming back after killing that woman but by then he would be glad of her company. Then she could repent of her old ways and never eat human flesh again. She would live happily with Rama and give him anything he wanted. She couldn't imagine him spurning her a second time, with that woman out of the way. It had to work, and if it didn't, she would just go to her brother. Ravana would love to kill him.




Author's Note: I wanted to get Surpanakha's mood across and her reasoning. To me, her reasoning was a huge jump in the story and this makes a little more sense. Also I took out the part where Rama gives her excuses for why they cannot be married because I honestly thought he should have mentioned that he was married and wanted no other wives in the first place instead of leading her on. She's a demon and persistent. If he had just told her no from the start instead of trying to be kind and give her hope that it wasn't her, then maybe she wouldn't have reacted the same way. So this rewriting makes it more Surpanakha's fault for deciding Rama was hers but I wanted more room for her than his excuses.


Chapter Two: Ganga's Regret

Back to Coverpage

OU Home | Disclaimer | Copyright | Equal Opportunity | OU Web Policy