{{short description|Hindu goddess, described as the mother of snakes}} {{Infobox deity |type = Hindu |deity_of = Mother of Snakes |spouse =Kashyapa |parents = Daksha |texts = Ramayana |image = File:Wat Phra Kaeo mural 2008-09-06 (001).jpg |caption = Hanuman flies into the mouth of Surasa. From the mural of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand.}} '''Surasa''' also '''Siras''' is a Hindu goddess, who is described as the mother of the '''''Uragas''''' (primordial reptilians).<ref name="mani">{{cite book|author = Mani, Vettam|title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature|url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|publisher = Motilal Banarsidass|year = 1975|location = Delhi|isbn = 0-8426-0822-2|authorlink =Vettam Mani|page=[https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/767 767]}}"</ref> Her most popular tale appears in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', where she is tasked to test the god Hanuman on his way to Lanka.
==Birth and children== thumb|337x337px|Hanuman encounters Surasa, depicted in top register. Simhika and Lankini in mid and lower registers. In the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'', Surasa is one of the 12 daughters of Daksha, who are married to the sage Kashyapa. She became the mother of the uragas (a class of serpents), while her co-wife and sister Kadru gave birth to nagas, another class of snakes.<ref name="mani"/> Vasuki, Takshaka, Airavata and other sons of Surasa are described to live in Bhogavati.<ref name="epic">{{cite book|last=Hopkins |first=Edward Washburn|authorlink=Edward Washburn Hopkins|title=Epic mythology|url=https://archive.org/stream/epicmythology00hopkuoft#page/n147/mode/2up/search/Kubera|year=1915|publisher=Strassburg K.J. Trübner|isbn=0-8426-0560-6|pages=20, 28, 200}}</ref>
The epic ''Mahabharata'' describes her being born from the wrath of Krodhavasha, another wife of Kashyapa. Surasa has three daughters: Anala, Ruha and Virudha. The serpents descend from the daughters of Surasa. She is thus called the mother of uragas and also cranes; another snake race ''Pannagas'' descends from Kadru.<ref name="mani"/><ref name="epic"/>
The ''Matsya Purana'' and the ''Vishnu Purana'' describes Surasa as one of 13 wives of Kashyapa and daughters of Daksha. The ''Vishnu Purana'' says that she gave birth to a thousand multi-hooded serpentine and non-serpentine reptilian entities, who could both crawl on the ground and fly in the skies; while Kadru also gives birth to a thousand multihooded serpentine entities, they were mostly incapable of flight and were instead tethered to the ground. As the ''Matsya Purana'', she is the mother of all quadrupeds, except cows (who are descended from a divine form of Mother Earth herself); the serpents are described as Kadru's children. The ''Bhagavata Purana'' portrays her the mother of rakshasas (cannibals, demons). The ''Vayu Purana'' and ''Padma Purana'' lists do not mention her as a wife of Kashyapa; and Anayush or Danayush take her position as mother of snakes.<ref name="Basu"/><ref name="vishnu"> * {{cite book | url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp050.htm#fn_296 | title=The Vishnu Purana |chapter = CHAP. XV| author=Horace Hayman Wilson | authorlink=Horace Hayman Wilson | year=1840 | pages=110}} * [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp056.htm CHAP. XXI p. 147]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto6/chapter6.html|title=Bhagavata Purana: Canto 6: Chapter 6: The Progeny of the Daughters of Daksha|last=Aadhar|first=Anand}}</ref>
The ''Devi Bhagavata Purana'' mentions that Rohini as Surasa's incarnation; his son Balarama was incarnation of the naga Shesha, Surasa's son.<ref name="mani"/>
As per the ''Matsya Purana'', when the god Shiva as Tripurantaka sets off to the three demon cities, various deities aid him. Surasa and other goddesses become his arrows and spears. When drops of the demon Andhaka blood multiplying into many demons, Surasa and other mother goddesses called matrikas aid Shiva to slay the demon, by drinking the blood.<ref name="Basu">{{cite book|author=Baman Das Basu|title=The Sacred books of the Hindus|publisher=Published by Cosmo Publications for Genesis Pub.|isbn=978-81-307-0533-0|pages=9, 52, 137, 155}}</ref>
==Encounter with Hanuman== thumb|Surasa (right) encounters Hanuman, who is depicted thrice – in a large form (left), entering her mouth and exiting from her ear.|250px Surasa's encounter with Hanuman in the ''Sundara Kanda'' Book of the ''Ramayana'' and its retellings, is the most popular tale related to Surasa. Hanuman, flies over the ocean to Lanka (identified with present-day Sri Lanka) in search of his master Rama's kidnapped wife Sita. When Hanuman leaves from land (identified with India), a mountain Mainaka appears in Hanuman's path, for him to rest but Hanuman considering it as an obstacle flies ahead. The gods, gandharvas and sages call Surasa, the mother of the nagas, and request her to assume a terrible rakshasi (demoness) form to test Hanuman. The reasons for her being called to test Hanuman as well as the abilities to be tested, differ in various ''Ramayana'' tellings. The ''Ramacharitamanas'' suggests that the test was meant to prove his greatness and establish that he is ideally suited for the task assigned to him. Conversely, the ''Adhyatma Ramayana'' says that the gods do not trust Hanuman's strengths; however both agree that the gods want to test Hanuman's strength (''bala'') and thinking power (''buddhi''). The original ''Ramayana'' states that his strength and valour are to be tested and does not state the reasons. Other texts find a middle path where though the gods are confident of Hanuman's abilities, they wish to "sharpen" them or warn him of impending dangers.<ref name="Ludvik1994"/>
Surasa consents and obstructs Hanuman's path in the sea. She has solar imagery, with “yellow eyes and a pair of jaws fanged and gaping” and the size of a mountain.<ref>Goldman p. 42,</ref> She declares that Hanuman is the food provided to her by the gods and tries to eat him. Hanuman explains his mission to track Sita and requests her to let him go, and promises to return to enter her mouth, in accordance to Sama (gentle persuasion) and Dana (earnestly asking) part of the Sāma, Dāna, Bheda, Danda philosophy. She tells him that he can pass only through her mouth, as per a boon given to her. Hanuman counters her by challenging to open her mouth wide enough to eat him (Bheda – threat). He starts expanding his form and becoming larger; Surasa also expands her jaws so she can devour Hanuman; the contest is interpreted as danda (punishment). Finally when Surasa's mouth expands to a 100 ''yojana''s, Hanuman suddenly assumes a tiny form (size of a thumb) and enters her mouth and leaves it, before she can close it. In a variant, Hanuman enters Surasa's mouth and leaves through her ear.<ref name="mani" /><ref name="Ludvik1994"/> Thus, Hanuman respects Surasa's vow as well as saves his life. He salutes her and addresses her as Dakshayani (daughter of Daksha). Impressed by Hanuman's "ingenuity and courage", Surasa assumes her true form and blesses Hanuman. In a version, she reveals the purpose of her mission, being the orders of the gods and declares that the success of her mission, revealing Hanuman's intellect and strength.<ref name="mani" /><ref name="Ludvik1994"/><ref name="Lochtefeld2002">{{cite book|author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch|url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3180-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch/page/671 671]}}</ref><ref>Goldman pp. 111–2</ref> Hanuman recalls his adventures, including the Surasa encounter, to Rama after he returns from Lanka.<ref>Goldman pp. 267</ref>
Surasa is one of the three women who encounter Hanuman on his journey to Lanka; the other two are the rakshasi Simhika and Lankini, the guardian goddess of Lanka. The heavenly Surasa represents the element akasha (sky), while Simhika and Lankini represents water and earth respectively. As per another interpretation, the trio represents the maya (illusion) related to the three gunas (qualities). Surasa allegorically stands for sattvika maya, the purest form of illusion that needs to be tamed but still respected.<ref name="Iowa2006">{{cite book|author=Philip Lutgendorf Professor of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies University of Iowa|title=Hanuman's Tale : The Messages of a Divine Monkey: The Messages of a Divine Monkey|date=13 December 2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-804220-4|pages=195–6}}</ref> The three women also denote a challenge to Hanuman's celibacy. "Eroticism and Hanuman's dispassionate visual consumption of women as sexual objects" is a recurring theme in the epic.<ref>Goldman p. 52</ref>
According to J. C. Jhala, the Surasa encounter is a later interpolation to the ''Ramayana'' as it resembles the Simhika episode to a great extent. It is missing from early adaptations of Rama's story in the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Agni Purana''.<ref name="Ludvik1994">{{cite book|author=Catherine Ludvik|title=Hanumān in the Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki and the Rāmacaritamānasa of Tulasī Dāsa|date=1 January 1994|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-1122-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hanumaninrama00ludv/page/72 72–75]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/hanumaninrama00ludv/page/72}}</ref> However Goldmans suggest that the theory is flawed and highly questionable and retain it in their critical edition of the ''Ramayana''.<ref>Goldman p. 88-9</ref>
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==References== * {{cite book|author=Robert P. Goldman, Sally J. Sutherland Goldman|title=The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India. Sundarakāṇḍa|date=1 January 2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-3166-7}}
Category:Hindu goddesses Category:Nāgas Category:Characters in the Ramayana Category:Daughters of Daksha