Shatrughna

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Shatrughna
Shatrughna, the youngest Prince of Ayodhya. King of Madhupuri.
AffiliationAvatar of Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu
TextsRamayana and its other versions
Personal information
Avatar birthAyodhya, Kosala (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Avatar endSarayu River, Ayodhya, Kosala (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Parents
SiblingsLakshmana (brother)<br>Rama (half-brother)<br>Bharata (half-brother)
SpouseShrutakirti
ChildrenSubahu <br/> Shatrughati
DynastyRaghuvamsha-Suryavamsha

Shatrughna (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist., IAST: Śatrughna), also known as Ripudaman, is the younger brother of Rama, and King of Madhupuri and Vidisha, in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is considered as an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra of god Vishnu, and was married to Shrutakirti.<ref>Dharma, Krishna (18 August 2020). Ramayana: India's Immortal Tale of Adventure, Love, and Wisdom. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-68383-919-4.</ref>

Shatrughna is the twin of Lakshmana. He is a loyalist of Bharata, just like Lakshmana is to Rama.<ref>Books, Kausiki (21 December 2021). Valmiki Ramayana: Uttara Kanda: English translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books.</ref> Shatrughna appears as the 412th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata.<ref name= Naidu>Naidu, S. Shankar Raju; Kampar, Tulasīdāsa (1971). "A comparative study of Kamba Ramayanam and Tulasi Ramayan". Shank. University of Madras. pp. 44, 148. Retrieved 21 December 2009.</ref> Shatrughna is often overlooked and is the least known out of all of Rama's brothers.

Etymology

The name Shatrughna is of Sanskrit origin. Shatru means 'enemy' and Ghna means 'killing'. His name means 'killer of enemies'.<ref>"Ramayana | Summary, Characters, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.</ref>

Legend

Birth and early life

King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Shatrughan and his elder brother Lakshmana were born to Sumitra, while Rama and Bharata were born to Kausalya and Kaikeyi.<ref name="Mani">Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 448-9. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.</ref> In the Ramayana, he is described as an incarnation of Sudarshana Chakra.<ref>Śrīgargasaṃhitā: Kīrtibhāṣāsārasahitā (in संस्कृतम्). Vyāsa Bālābakṣa Śodhasaṃsthāna. 2000.</ref>

Marriage to Shrutakirti

Marriage of the four brothers

After Rama won the svayamvara of Sita, their marriage was fixed. King Dasharatha arrived in Mithila for his son's wedding and noticed that Lakshmana had feelings for Urmila, but according to tradition, Bharata and Mandavi were to marry first.<ref>Praśānta Guptā (1998). Vālmīkī Rāmāyaṇa. Dreamland Publications. p. 32. ISBN 9788173012549.</ref><ref>Dawar, Sonalini Chaudhry (2006). Ramayana, the Sacred Epic of Gods and Demons. Om Books International. ISBN 9788187107675.</ref> King Dasharatha then arranged for Bharata to marry Mandavi and Shatrughna to marry Shrutakirti, allowing Lakshmana to marry Urmila. Ultimately, all four sisters married the four brothers, strengthening the alliance between the two kingdoms.<ref>Debroy, Bibek (2005). The History of Puranas. Bharatiya Kala Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-8090-062-4.</ref> Shatrughna and Shrutakirti had two sons named Subahu and Shatrughati.<ref>"The Ramayana and Mahabharata: Conclusion". www.sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 7 August 2020.</ref>

Rama's exile

Bharata and Shatrughna leave for Kekeya, taking leave from Dasharatha, Rama and Lakshmana

When Rama was exiled, Shatrughna dragged Kaikeyi's old nurse Manthara (who was responsible for poisoning the queen's mind against Rama) and tried to kill her, but he was restrained by Bharata, who felt that Rama would not approve. Bharata went to Rama and asked him to come back to Ayodhya, but Rama refused. Bharata ruled Ayodhya from Nandigram and was an excellent leader, acting as the very embodiment of dharma. Although Bharata was the king designate of Ayodhya during Rama's exile, it was Shatrughna who undertook of the administration of the whole kingdom during Rama's absence. Shatrughna was the only solace for the three queen mothers during the absence of Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharata from Ayodhya.<ref>"A tail's travel from Treta Yuga to DwaparaYuga" (PDF). shabdbooks.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2022.</ref>

Rage against Manthara

Manthara appears only once in the Ramayana after Rama's banishment. Having been rewarded by Kaikeyi with costly clothing and jewels, she was walking in the palace gardens when Bharata and his half-brother Shatrughna came upon her. Seeing her, Shatrughna flew into a violent rage over Rama's banishment and decided to attack her. Kaikeyi begged Bharata to save her, which he did, telling Shatrughna that it would be a sin to kill a woman, and that Rama would be furious with both of them if he did such a thing. He relented and the brothers left, while Kaikeyi attempted to comfort Manthara.<ref>Ohri, Vishwa Chander (1983). The exile in forest. Lalit Kalā Akademi, India. OCLC 10349809.</ref>

Slaying of Lavanasura

Shatrughna slays Lavana

Although he played a relatively minor role in the Ramayana, Shatrughna was important to the main story and goal of the epic. His chief exploit was the killing of Lavanasura, the demon King of Madhupura (Mathura),<ref name="p1">Pargiter, F.E. (1972). Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.170.</ref> who was a nephew of Ravana, the King of Lanka, slain by Rama.

Lavanasura was the son of Madhu, the pious demon-king after whom the city of Madhupura was named. Madhu's wife and Lavanusara's mother Kumbhini was a sister of Ravana. Lavanasura was holder of the divine Trishula (Trident) of Lord Shiva, and nobody was able to kill him or prevent him from committing sinful activities.<ref>Kumar, Maltinandan. Chalein Such Ki Aur (in हिन्दी). Notion Press. ISBN 978-93-5206-582-0.</ref>

Shatrughna requested Rama and his elder brothers to allow him the opportunity to serve them by killing Lavanasura. Shatrughna killed the demon with an arrow imbibed with the power of Vishnu. After Lavanasura's death, Rama crowned him King of Madhupura.<ref>Agarwal, Meena (22 September 2016). Tales From The Ramayan. Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-93-5261-304-5.</ref><ref>www.wisdomlib.org (26 May 2020). "Lavanasura, Lavaṇāsura: 2 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 6 November 2022.</ref>

Death

Shatrughna divided his kingdom consisting of Madhupura and Vidisha between his sons Subahu and Shatrughati.<ref name=Britishlibrary>Frederic Salmon Growse (1874). Mathura: A District Memoir. Government Press.</ref><ref>CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM INDICARUM VOL II PART II. GOVERNMENT EPIGRAPHIST FOR INDIA, OOTACAMUND. 1963. p. 9.</ref> After Rama, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu completed 11,000 years of perfectly pious rule upon earth, walked into the river Sarayu to return to his true and eternal Mahavishnu form, Bharata and Shatrughna also followed him into the river and later merged into Mahavishnu.<ref>MacFie, J. M. (1 May 2004). The Ramayan Of Tulsidas Or The Bible Of Northern India. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4179-1498-2.</ref>

Assessment

Shatrughna was the youngest of the fourth brothers. He dedicated himself in the service of his brother, Bharata. When Bharata, decided to stay at Nandigram, Shatrughna wanted to accompany him. But on his brother's request, he stayed in Ayodhya and looked after the state as an administrator. Shatrughna also looked after all his three mothers.<ref>"Shatrughna – Brother of Rama". Retrieved 23 December 2022.</ref>

Worship

In the Medak district of Telangana, there is a temple called Sri Kalyana Ramachandra Sannadhi that is dedicated to Shatrughna and Shrutakirti. This temple is the only one in India that has installed statues of Rama's brothers and their wives.<ref>"Sri Kalyana Ramachandra Swamy temple: Small wonder on a hillock". Deccan Chronicle. 3 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.</ref><ref>"This unique Rama temple near Hyderabad where Hanuman finds no place". The News Minute. 17 April 2016.</ref>

In Kerala, Shatrughna temples are integral to the state's Nalambalam pilgrimages during the Malayalam month of Karkidakam which is dedicated to the reading of the Ramayana and thus aptly called Ramayana masam(Ramayana month). The temples are:

  • Payammal Sree Shatrughna Swami Temple, Thrissur
  • Methiri Sree Sathrughnaswamy Temple, Kottayam
  • Nedungaattu Sree Shatrugna Swami Temple(Mammalassery), Ernakulam
  • Naranathu Shatrughna Swami Temple, Malappuram
  • Payam Sri Mahavishu (Shatrughna) Temple, Kannur
  • Sree Shatrughna Swami Temple, Kalkulam, Kuthannur, Palakkad

Another temples dedicated to him are as follow:

In popular culture

Television

The following people portrayed Shatrughna in the television adaptation of Ramayana.

YouTube

  • Sumukh Mehrishi portrayed him in 2024 YouTube series Valmiki Ramayan.

Books

References

Further reading

External links

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