जटी तापसरूपेण सभार्यः शरचापधृत्।
आगतस्त्वमिमं देशं कथं राक्षससेवितम्।
किमागमनकृत्यं ते तत्त्वमाख्यातुमर्हसि॥
jaṭī tāpasa-rūpeṇa sabhāryaḥ śara-cāpadhṛt
āgatas tvam imaṁ deśaṁ kathaṁ rākṣasa-sevitam
kim āgamana-kṛtyaṁ te tattvam ākhyātum arhasi
jaṭī = You are matted; tāpasa-rūpeṇa = as an ascetic; sa-bhāryaḥ = as a passionate man, You have a wife; śara-cāpadhṛt = as a kṣatriya, You have a bow and arrows; āgataḥ tvam = You have come; imam = to this; deśam = place; katham = how is it that; rākṣasa-sevitam = frequented by the rākṣasas; kim = what; āgamana-kṛtyam = is the purpose of arrival [here]; te = Your; tattvam = the truth; ākhyātum arhasi = speak.
As an ascetic, You are matted. As a passionate man, You have a wife. As a kṣatriya, You have a bow and arrows. How is it that You have come to this place frequented by the rākṣasas? What is the purpose of Your arrival [here]? Speak the truth.
Rākṣasa-sevitam (“frequented by the rākṣasas”) indicates [that Śūrpaṇakhā wants to ask Him, “How is it that You have come to this place frequented by the rākṣasas] who cannot tolerate these features [of an ascetic, a passionate man or a kṣatriya]?”