Ramayana_VOLUME V with index

SURPANAKHA
Surpanakha is one of the most important characters in the
Ramayana. Indeed, Valmiki comes close to claiming that if there
had been no Kaikeyi and no Surpanakha, then there would have
been no Ramayana and no war with Ravana. In fact, Surpanakha
was the arrow that set in motion the chain of events leading
directly to the destruction of Ravana. Surpanakha, therefore, like
Kaikeyi before her, often gets the blame from Hindus as being
the evil genius behind, and the sole cause of the Ramayana war.
The youngest child of Rishi Vishrava and his second wife,
Kaikesi, Surpanakha was given the name of "Minakshi" (the fisheyed
one) at birth. As beautiful as her mother Kaikesi and her
grandmother Thataki had been before her, Surpanakha grew up
to marry the Asura Dushtabuddhi. Initially, Surpanakha's
husband enjoyed high favour with her brother Ravana, the King
of Lanka, and they were privileged members of Ravana's court,
but the three fell out eventually due to Dushtabuddhi's scheming
for more power. Ravana had Dushtabuddhi killed, an act which
earned Ravana his sister's great displeasure.