| Type: | Hindu |
| Father: | Dasharatha |
| Mother: | Sumitra |
| Siblings: | Lakshmana (brother) Rama (half-brother) Bharata (half-brother) |
| Spouse: | Shrutakirti |
| Children: | Subahu Shatrughati |
| Affiliation: | Avatar of Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu |
| Texts: | Ramayana and its other versions |
| Dynasty: | Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha |
Shatrughna (Sanskrit: शत्रुघ्न|lit=killer of enemies,), also known as Ripudaman, is the younger brother of Rama, and King of Madhupura and Vidisha, in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is considered as an incarnation of the Sudarshana Chakra of god Vishnu, and was married to Shrutakirti.[1]
Shatrughna is the twin of Lakshmana. He is a loyalist of Bharata, just like Lakshmana is to Rama.[2] Shatrughna appears as the 412th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata.[3]
The name Shatrughna is of Sanskrit origin. Shatru means 'enemy' and Ghna means 'kill'. His name means 'killer of enemies'.[4]
King Dasharatha of Ayodhya had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Shatrughan and his elder brother Lakshmana were born to Sumitra, while Rama and Bharata were born to Kausalya and Kaikeyi.[5] In the Ramayana, he is described as an incarnation of Sudarshana Chakra.[6]
After Rama won the svayamvara of Sita, their marriage was fixed. King Dasharatha arrived in Mithila for his son's wedding and noticed that Lakshmana had feelings for Urmila, but according to tradition, Bharata and Mandavi were to marry first.[7] [8] King Dasharatha then arranged for Bharata to marry Mandavi and Shatrughna to marry Shrutakirti, allowing Lakshmana to marry Urmila. Ultimately, all four sisters married the four brothers, strengthening the alliance between the two kingdoms.[9] Shatrughna and Shrutakirti had two sons named Subahu and Shatrughati.[10]
When Rama was exiled, Shatrughna dragged Kaikeyi's old nurse Manthara (who was responsible for poisoning the queen's mind against Rama) and tried to kill her, but he was restrained by Bharata, who felt that Rama would not approve. Bharata went to Rama and asked him to come back to Ayodhya, but Rama refused. Bharata ruled Ayodhya from Nandigram and was an excellent leader, acting as the very embodiment of dharma. Although Bharata was the king designate of Ayodhya during Rama's exile, it was Shatrughna who undertook of the administration of the whole kingdom during Rama's absence. Shatrughna was the only solace for the three queen mothers during the absence of Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharata from Ayodhya.[11]
Manthara appears only once in the Ramayana after Rama's banishment. Having been rewarded by Kaikeyi with costly clothing and jewels, she was walking in the palace gardens when Bharata and his half-brother Shatrughna came upon her. Seeing her, Shatrughna flew into a violent rage over Rama's banishment decided to attack her. Kaikeyi begged Bharata to save her, which he did, telling Shatrughna that it would be a sin to kill a woman, and that Rama would be furious with them both if he did such a thing. He relented and the brothers left, while Kaikeyi attempted to comfort Manthara.[12]
Although he played a relatively minor role in the Ramayana, Shatrughna was important to the main story and goal of the epic. His chief exploit was the killing of Lavanasura, the demon King of Madhupura (Mathura),[13] who was a nephew of Ravana, the King of Lanka, slain by Rama.
Lavanasura was the son of Madhu, the pious demon-king after whom the city of Madhupura was named. Madhu's wife and Lavanusara's mother Kumbhini was a sister of Ravana. Lavanasura was holder of the divine Trishula (Trident) of Lord Shiva, and nobody was able to kill him or prevent him from committing sinful activities.[14]
Shatrughna begged Rama and his elder brothers to allow him the opportunity to serve them by killing Lavanasura. Shatrughna killed the demon with an arrow imbibed with the power of Vishnu. After Lavanasura's death, Rama crowned him King of Madhupura.[15] [16]
Shatrughna divided his kingdom consisting of Madhupura and Vidisha between his sons Subahu and Shatrughati.[17] [18] After Rama, the seventh Avatar of Vishnu completed 11,000 years of perfectly pious rule upon earth, walked into the river Sarayu to return to his true and eternal Mahavishnu form, Bharata and Shatrughna also followed him into the river and later merged into Mahavishnu.[19]
Shatrughna was the youngest of the fourth brothers. He dedicated himself in the service of his brother, Bharata. When Bharata, decided to stay at Nandigram, Shatrughan wanted to accompany him. But on his brother's request, he stayed in Ayodhya and looked after the state as an administrator. Shatrughan also looked after all his three mothers.[20]
In the Medak district of Telangana, there is a temple called Sri Kalyana Ramachandra Sannadhi that is dedicated to Shatrughna and Shrutakirti. This temple is the only one in India that has installed statues of Rama's brothers and their wives.[21] [22]
Another temples dedicated to him are as follow: