Shambuka

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Shambuka (Sanskrit: शम्बूक, IAST: śambūka) is a character in some editions of the Ramayana. The story is regarded by many scholars to be created at a later period. While the Uttara Kanda (including Shambuka's tale) is generally regarded as a later interpolation to the original epic, the book is considered part of "ongoing Ramayana tradition" and part of the Valmiki Ramayana. According to these versions, 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. Shambhuka is alluded in the epic Mahabharata; his story retold in some versions of the Ramayana. In Jain literature, the story of Shambuka is different and he is Surpanakha’s son. The story goes likewise: One day, an aged Brahmana from the countryside, carrying the corpse of a little boy, arrived at the palace gates of Rama. He cried out to Rama, "O King! Look at what...

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