Notes: Kālidāsa's narrative has to move fast to cover all the incidents within the scope of 104 verses in this Sarga.
So he says here, "There approached Śrīrāma, Rāvaṇa's younger sister Śūrpanakhā, overcome with lust, just as the she-serpent tormented by the summer heat goes and clings to the Sandalwood tree. "
Kālidāsa's poetry tells a lot in a few words. The serpent operates by instinct. It has no sweat glands and can cool itself only by contact with something cool. Imagine the Sandalwood tree in the Malaya (Kerala) mountainous jungle. Cool by nature, and well-shaded, it is the favourite spot in summer for a serpent. Imagine a she-serpent feeling the heat of a fierce summer. She will slither in a jiffy towards such a tree.
There was a Rākṣasī by the name of Śūrpanakhā whose husband had in fact been killed by her powerful elder brother himself in some unnecessary battle. Then Rāvaṇa had sent her away to Daṇḍakāraṇya, saying, "Look, don't come and bother me here in Laṅkā. Go to that forest, Daṇḍakāraṇya, ruled by Khara. You can feast on the ascetics to your heart's content, and keep yourself busy. " She had done so.
Now, what does she see here? A most handsome warrior, dressed as an ascetic, living in Daṇḍakāraṇya! She wants to devour him with her lust.
What happens next will decide the rest of Rāmāyaṇa> Agasyta's words, which we saw yesterday, will prove prophetic.
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जय श्रीराम!
