ABSTRACT
In the Valmiki Ramayana, the encounter of Rama, Sita and Laksmana with Ravana's sister Surpanakha, and her mutilation by Laksmana, is a crucial turning point in the narrative. Vimalasuri's narrative became by far the dominant Jain Rama narrative and was followed by the majority of later Jain authors, irrespective of personal monastic affiliation, region and language. In the Paumacariyam, Candrakha is not the one who plants the seed of desire for Sita in Ravana's heart. It is rather a natural progression of coincidences, starting with the accidental death of Sambuka, which leads to the spontaneous abduction of Sita and later the fall of Ravana. In the Valmiki Ramayana, Surpanakha is mentioned a couple more times, though never as the protagonist of an episode. In the Sundarakanda, she is mentioned as one of the raksasa women who go to Sita to convince her she should accept Ravana as her husband.
