ततः शूर्पणखा दीना रावणं लोकरावणम्।
अमात्यमध्ये सङ्क्रुद्धा परुषं वाक्यमब्रवीत्॥
tataḥ śūrpaṇakhā dīnā rāvaṇaṁ loka-rāvaṇam
amātya-madhye saṅkruddhā paruṣaṁ vākyam abravīt
tataḥ = then; śūrpaṇakhā = Śūrpaṇakhā; dīnā = miserable; rāvaṇam = to Rāvaṇa; loka-rāvaṇam = who used to make the [entire] world cry; amātya-madhye = in the presence of his ministers; saṅkruddhā = became very angry; paruṣam = [the following] harsh; vākyam = words; abravīt = and spoke.
Miserable Śūrpaṇakhā then became very angry and spoke [the following] harsh words to Rāvaṇa, who used to make the [entire] world cry, in the presence of his ministers.1
1 It is very significant that even though Rāvaṇa was a hot-blooded, cruel and despotic rākṣasa as evident from the previous chapter, he had no real issue with Śūrpaṇakhā for criticizing him very sharply even in the presence of his ministers. That much of freedom to criticize was very much there even among the rākṣasas—and she was not taken to task for criticizing their supremo in a semi-public environment. Actually, these criticisms are so important for our general guidance that Śrī Vālmīki has reported them in detail in this great book. Leaders and managers of communities, especially Vaiṣṇava communities, are duty-bound by Vedic dharma to provide their dependants with yoga-kṣema—appropriate livelihood and security. Śūrpaṇakhā’s stinging criticisms of Rāvaṇa in the light of the duties of a king are certainly relevant to today’s world.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: sva-paribhava-darśane ’pi bhrātur niścalatayā saṅkruddhā.
I completely take shelter of Lord Raghunātha who is [always] within the confines of morality. He would later slay the extremely foolish night-ranger who transgressed [morality].
Śūrpaṇakhā was miserable because she had been overpowered by Lord Rāma. She was very angry with her brother [for] he was unshaken even after he understood that she had been overpowered.1