Shloka 12
शूर्पणखाविरूपणम्
The Disfigurement of Śūrpaṇakhā
को हि रूपमिदं श्रेष्ठं संत्यज्य वरवर्णिनि।मानुषीषु वरारोहे कुर्याद्भावं विचक्षणः।।।।
ko hi rūpam idaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ saṃtyajya varavarṇini | mānuṣīṣu varārohe kuryād bhāvaṃ vicakṣaṇaḥ ||
ഹേ ശ്രേഷ്ഠവർണ്ണിനി, മനോഹരരൂപിണി! നിന്റെ അത്യുത്തമ സൗന്ദര്യം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച് ഏതൊരു വിവേകിയും മനുഷ്യസ്ത്രീകളിൽ മറ്റാരോടാണ് സ്നേഹം വെക്കുക?
O lady of fair complexion and beautiful hips, which wise man will fall in love with any other female giving up a fine figure like you ?
FAQs
The verse illustrates how flattery can be used to mislead; dharma calls for truthfulness and for the listener to practice discernment rather than vanity.
Lakṣmaṇa flatters Śūrpaṇakhā to intensify the prank, contrasting her (as she imagines) with ‘human women’ like Sītā.
Śūrpaṇakhā’s vulnerability to praise (kāma/ahaṃkāra) is highlighted as a moral weakness driving the plot.