Rama commands Lakshmana to disfigure Soorpanagai

Rama and Lakshmana engage in some light bantering when Soorpanagai expressed her intention to marry them. 

The conversation between them goes something like this,

S: It's love at first sight on seeing you. Marry me!
R: I'm already married and my wife is with me. Here's my brother Lakshmana. His wife is not with him. He is an apt match for your beauty. Consider him as your husband.

S: My beauty is a match for your youth. Let's marry and happily roam about in the forest
L. Smiling ... You ravishing beauty, i'm just a slave to this man and marrying me you'll become a slave as well. What's the point? It will be fit if you marry my elder brother who has everything with him.

S: You ignore me because your wife is around. Hence i'll devour Sita in front you. Saying this she advanced towards Sita.

Slowly they realised there was no point in conversing as she was intent in causing harm to Sita. 

When Soorpanagai advanced towards Sita, Rama stopped her and commanded Lakshmana to disfigure her. Lakshmana obliged by cutting her nose and ears.

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"Oh, honourable one, I am married and this is my dear wife, thus it will be distressing for your sort of females to live with a co-wife. [3-18-2]

"He is my younger brother named Lakshmana, he is with a good conduct, good looking, a promising and valiant one, and he is without a wife. [3-18-3]

"He is without a wife and in need of a wife he is youthful, good-looking and he can become a fitly husband of yours, fit enough to your kind of features. [3-18-4]

"You woo him, oh, board-eyed [bulged-eyed] one, this brother of mine as your husband like sunshine seeking the Mt. Meru, then oh, great-waisted [pot-bellied] one, you will be without a co-wife " So said Rama to that demoness. [3-18-5]

"How you wish to become a female servant, oh, [black] lotus-coloured one, by becoming the wife of a servant like me? I am just a vassal of my adorable brother. [3-18-9]

"Now I wish to eat up this human female right before your very eyes, and then I can blithely make merry along with you, without the botheration of a co-wife." Said Shuurpanakha to Rama. [3-18-16]

Speaking that way she that torch-eyed Shuurpanakha dashed towards the deer-eyed Seetha in high exasperation as a great meteor would dash towards Rohini, the brightest star in the sky. [3-18-17]

By that the great-energetic Rama took umbrage and checking her who is like the noose of death swooping down on Seetha said to Lakshmana. [3-18-18]

"Punning in any way with the base and brutish is inapposite, oh, gentle Saumitri, mark note of Vaidehi, somehow surviving [3-18-19]

"She is freakish, knavish and overtly ruttish, oh, tigerly man, it will be apt of you to deface this paunchy demoness " Thus Rama said to Lakshmana. [3-18-20]

Thus said to that mighty Lakshmana he infuriately drew sword and chopped off her ears and nose before the very eyes of Rama. [3-18-21]

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Surprising to hear Rama engaging in this kind of banter. Particularly, he doesn't say Lakshmana is unmarried but that he isn't with his wife!!