Shambuka

Rama slays Shambuka. Illustration from a Mughal miniature of the Ramayana.

Shambuka (Sanskrit: शम्बूक, IAST: śambūka) is a character in some editions of the Ramayana. Some say that the character and his story are an interpolation which is not found in the original Valmiki Ramayana but in a later addition called Uttara Kanda.[1][2][disputed – discuss]

According to this version, Shambuka, a shudra ascetic, was killed by the god Rama (protagonist of the Ramayana) for attempting to perform tapas (austerities) in violation of dharma, resulting in the bad karma which caused the death of a Brahmin's son.[3][4][5]

The story is regarded to be created at a later period.[6] While the Uttara Kanda (including Shambuka's tale) is generally regarded as a later interpolation to the original epic,[1][7] the Book is considered part of "ongoing Ramayana tradition" and part of the Valmiki Ramayana.[1][8]

Shambhuka is alluded in the epic Mahabharata; his story retold in some versions of the Ramayana.[9] In Jain literature, the story of Shambuka is different and he is Surpanakha’s son.[10]

  1. ^ a b c Paula Richman (2008). Ramayana Stories in Modern South India: An Anthology. Indiana University Press. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-253-21953-4. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ Goldman, Robert; Goldman, Sally (2022). The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: The Complete English Translation. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691225029.: 7–8 
  3. ^ Government of Maharashtra, Nasik District Gazeteer: "History - Ancient Period". Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2006. (text credited to Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. V. V. Mirashi)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Prasad57 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Cantos LXXV-LXXVI (75-76)". Śrīmad Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa (in English and Sanskrit). Vol. Part III - Yuddha Kāṇḍa and Uttara Kāṇḍa (3 ed.). Gita Press. 1992. pp. 2130–2135. OCLC 27360288. Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Nadkarni was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Sattar, Arshia (14 November 2016). Uttara: The Book of Answers. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-93-85990-35-9.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Buitenen1973 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Surpanakha's Shambuk". 18 June 2023.