Aranya Kanda, Chapter 19
Surpanakha asks her Step-brother Khara for Help
On seeing her who fell before him in a misshapen and blood-soaked condition, demon Khara is all stewed up and asked her.
"Rise up, first tell me clearly putting away your flurry and fluster, who disfigured your form in this way.
"Who for sport is poking his fingertip at a venomously fanged black-cobra that has chanced in his close proximity but slouching down inoffensively.
"Who on harrowing you is now heedless about his gulping a deadly poison, or about his foolish bracing the noose of Time around his own neck.
"You are gifted with boldness and braveness, a whimsical rover, a guise changer by your wish, a coequal of Terminator, but to whom you have gone and by whom you are led into this kind of plight.
"Who is that kind of highly intrepid warper, either from gods, or from celestials or from high-souled sages who indeed rendered you shapeless.
"Indeed, I do not find anyone who causes displeasure to me in this world, even among divinities including the thousand eyed Indra, the controller of demon Paaka.
"Now, I will take away the lives of that miscreant with my arrows that are terminators of lives, as a swan would drink milk to dregs even if it is mingled in water, duly separating milk from water.
"Whose frothy blood is it that the earth wishes to quaff when I cut off his crucial organs by my arrows and drop him dead in a combat.
"Whose body is it from which birds pressing round gladly wish to wring flesh to pieces for eating when I slay him in war.
"Now, when I haul him easily on the ground in a battle that villain will be unredeemable either by gods, celestials, evil spirits, or by demons.
"It will be apt of you to gather your sensitivity slowly and tell me as to which miscreant attacked and worsted you in the forest." Thus Khara spoke to Shuurpanakha.
On hearing this kind of words of her brother, especially who is rancorous, then Shuurpanakha spoke these words, tearfully.
"Those two are in adulthood, good-looking, gentle yet greatly mighty, eyes broad like lotuses, dressed in jute-cloths and deerskin, subsistent on fruits and tubers, composed, sagacious and celibate, and they are the sons of Dashratha, namely Rama and Lakshmana.
taruNau ruupa sampannau Though they scarred her on her nose and ears she did not loose her heart for them. This taruNau ruupa sampannau is in accordance with Rama's aspect which will be sadaiva priya darshanaH 'the same pleasant persona at any time' as in Bala Kanda at 1-1-16, as said by Sage Narada to Valmiki. This is the same situation with Hanumana when Sita asks him to indicate some aspects of Rama so as to believe Hanuma. There Hanumana starts with raamaH kamala patra akshaH sarva sattva manoharaH - sundara 35-8. 'Rama is lotus-petal eyed one' Further people in sleep, intoxicated or infuriated conditions, will speak their heart supramatta kupitaanaam bhaava j~naanam dR^iSTaH So Shuurpanakha who is also in a sleep like daze, she came out with her soulful feelings about Rama.
"Having all the aspects of kings they equal the kings of gandharva celestials, and I am ill-disposed to differentiate whether they two are gods or demons.
" I have seen a curvaceous lady between those two, a ripely beauty, rich in comeliness, adorned with lots of ornaments.
"Owing to that woman I am led into this sort of situation, together by those two, as with an insecure female.
"Staying in the van of war I wish to drink the frothy blood of that guileful Sita along with that of those two, Rama and Lakshmana, when they are killed in war.
"I shall drink her blood and also that of those two in war, this being my prime longing let it be fulfilled by you." Thus wailed Shuurpanakha before her brother Khara.
While she is saying like that Khara vengefully summoned fourteen great mighty demons that are similar to the Terminator.
"Wielding weapons and wearing jute-cloths and deerskin two humans have got into ghastly forest of Dandaka along with a woman of age." Thus Khara is ordering the fourteen demons.
"You shall return to me only on killing those two and also that treacherous woman, and their blood this sister of mine will drink.
"Oh, demons, on going there swiftly stamp them out by you own vigour, thus let the fanciful hearty desire of my sister be achieved.
"On seeing your finishing those two brothers flatly in a war she this sister of mine will be gladdened, and then she drinks their blood in war, amusingly.
In this way when Khara ordered those fourteen demons, they have gone to Panchavati along with Shuurpanakha like black-clouds glided by gales.
But then, though the nightwalker wielding sharp arrows have become ineffectual to trounce Rama like the wild elephants which will become ineffectual to overcome the blazingly uprising wildfire.
Maheshvara Tiirtha notes that God Shiva cursed Khara and pardoned saying that he will be released from curse by Rama of Dashratha. tasmaadyaH kruura ruupeNa dehena harataa amR^itam | viShNur daasharathir bhuutvaa mokShayiShyati suvrata | In the sheSa dharma of Maha Bharata in the discourse between Bhiishma and Yudhistira it is said that sage Yajnavalkya has three sons. They are Chandrakanta, Mahaamedha and Vijaya. These three Brahmans became Khara, Duushana, and Trishira by the curse of Shiva. The first one Chandrakanta is Khara. And the disciples of the three Brahman scholars are fourteen and they also became Brahma-demons, who are now being sent. On listening Shuurpanakha Khara came to know that Vishnu arrived in the form of Rama and thus Khara wanted to get release from the curse by Rama, and hence firstly he sends the fourteen demon-disciples, and later he and his brother also follow the suit.