A few days after he had left for Ayodhya, the Brahmans who lived at Chitrakuta said, “Rama, your wife is very beautiful and attractive. If you stay here with us any longer, the demons will come here and devour us all. We are informed that the demons Trishira, Khur, and Dushan will shortly come here to carry off your Sita. We therefore request you to leave this place at once.”

Rama replied, “You need not be afraid. Let all the demons on earth come here, I shall kill them all and defend you.” The Brahmans, having no faith in what Rama had said, left the hills with their wives and children. Soon after, Rama moved to the Dandakaranya; and on his way to the forest, he killed a demon called Viradha.

Viradha was a Gandharva called Tumburu. One day Kuber, having called him in his presence to sing for him, the demi-god got tipsy and went before him. Kuber got enraged at his conduct and cursed him, saying that he would be a demon and would wander in the forest for ten thousand years, but that he would be released from the curse when he would be killed by the hands of Rama. As appointed, the Gandharva was killed by Rama and released from the curse.

Rama spent thirteen years with Sita and Lakshman in visiting holy places, and during his pilgrimage he visited the abode of Atri, a Brahman, where he worshipped the three-headed god, Dattatreya. Thence he went and visited Agastya, a very powerful Rishi. The story of the power of the Rishi is as follows:

“There lived three demons called Atapi, Vatapi, and Alva. They were blessed by the god Siva with the art of enchantment, by means of which they devoured the innocent Brahmans. Vatapi became food and Alva water. Atapi became a benefactor and invited every Brahman to partake of the food and water. The Brahman came, and as soon as he ate the food and drank the water, Atapi cried aloud the names of Vatapi and Alva, who having responded to the call of their brother, tore off the body of the Brahman and came out. Thus they killed every Brahman and ate his flesh.

One day Agastya was invited by Atapi to partake of the food and water. The Rishi complied with his invitation; and as soon as he ate the food and drank the water, Atapi cried aloud as usual the names of his brothers, but to his great surprise, they did not respond to his call, as the Rishi burnt Vatapi in his stomach. Alva, who had escaped from the belly of the Rishi, and his brother Atapi assumed different forms and began to run away, when the Rishi cut off the head of Atapi. Alva escaped and mixed himself with the ocean, when Agastya drank off the whole ocean and killed the demon.”

Rama stayed with Agastya for a month, and during his stay there he presented him with an arrow to kill Ravana. From the Dandakaranya, Rama set out for Panchavati. On the road he saw a huge bird called Jatayu, who asked Rama who he was. “I belong to the solar race,” replied Rama, “and am son of the king, Dasharatha. I am called Rama.”

“I am son of Kasha,” said Jatayu, “and the name of my uncle is Suparna, and I am called Jatayu. Your father was my great friend. I helped him during the battle which he had fought with Shukra and, therefore, he called me his brother.”

Having embraced Jatayu, Rama proceeded on his journey and reached Panchavati, where he lived with Sita in a parnakutika built by Lakshman. Lakshman gathered fruits and kandamuls for Sita and Rama, which they ate and passed their days there. He guarded the hut every night for fear of the demons, and he himself remained without food.

One day Lakshman went near a thicket to collect fruits and kandamuls, esculent roots, where he saw a deadly sword descending from above. The weapon fell where he was standing; and it having looked sharp and powerful, he tried it on the thicket, but to his great astonishment, the thicket was cut into two parts, and there flowed a large quantity of blood. Lakshman was afraid that he had killed some ascetic while meditating in the thicket; and in order to satisfy himself about it, he immediately went to Rama with the khadag and informed him of what had happened.

Rama said, “Brother, do not be afraid. The blood which flows through the thicket is of a demon called Shambuka. This demon is the son of Surpanakha, a sister of Ravana. He was meditating in the thicket unobserved with a view to get the weapon from Siva. The god had sent the weapon for him. If the weapon had gone to the hands of the demon, he would have annihilated the whole of the universe with it. Thank God that you have got it and I tell you to take particular care of it.” Lakshman was glad at this information and cheerfully attended to his duties.

On the day Shambuka was killed by Lakshman, Surpanakha found in her dream that some calamity had befallen her son; and having been awakened, she, accompanied by four demonesses, immediately started for the forest to look for her son. She wandered in the forest and at last came to the thicket; and seeing the blood there she searched the whole wood and at last found that her son was cut into two pieces. As soon as she saw her son, she fainted and cried violently for him. The other four demonesses condoled with her; and immediately after, they burnt the body of Shambuka and went in search of the enemy who had killed the demon*. Until next time, Jai Shree Ram!

|| OM SAI SHRI SAI JAI JAI SAI || 

|| SHRI SATCHIDANANDA SADGURU SAINATH MAHARAJ KI JAI ||

Note: This narration is based on Ramavijaya: The Mythological History of Rama (Bombay, 1891, Dubhashi & Co.), a public domain text shared here for free reading.

*The book mistakingly calls him Shabari. Also, it is worth noting that In Valmiki Ramayana, Shambuka is a later character from Uttarakanda (not Surpanakha’s son), killed by Rama for performing austerities forbidden to him — not by Lakshman, nor before Sita’s abduction.