Kamba Ramayanam - A Study

KAMBA RAMAYANAM— A STUDY

WITH TRANSLATIONS IN VERSE

OR POETIC PROSE

OF

OVER FOUR THOUSAND OF THE ORIGINAL POEMS

By
V. V. S. AIYAR

WITH A FOREWORD

BY

Hon'ble Sri K. SANTANAM,

MINISTER OF STATE, TRANSPORT & RAILWAYS, INDIA

A DELHI TAMIL SANGAM PUBLICATION

pL&y> QubTifltSp Qumrrppsv QsuskaQui ;
jifiptjbirm n@oesnx>Q\ussf\so QajeifljBULLQL-nir

— uijfiiurir

KAMBA RAMAYANAM-A STUDY

By V. V. S. Aiyar

Other Works

English

THE TIBUKKURAL — Complete Translation

(Out of print)

A HISTORY OF INDIA

(Unpublished)

Tamil

MANGAYARKARASIYIN KATHAL— Short Stories

LIFE OF CHANDRA GUPTA MOURYA

LIFE OF BOOKER WASHINGTON

NAPOLEON

(A book on Military Strategy — Confiscated by the late
British Government in India)

THAN-NAMBIKKAI

Translation of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-reliance.
2nd Edition by Sarvodaya Pirasuralayam, Virapandi, Tiruppur (1950).

GURU GOVIND SINGH— A Biographical sketch.
2nd Edition (1950) by Navayuga Pirasuralayam, Karaikudi.

KURUNTOGAI

Translation in English verse of the anclept Tamil Classic.
(Unpublished Manuscript lost in 1942 disturbances.)

Published in 1950
First Edition

Rsjtf (Postage Re 1 extra)

In India <& Ceylon.

$0.50 or sh 24 (Postage inclusive)

Abroad

All Rights Reserved by the Publishers

PUBLISHED AT MADRAS BY

THE DELHI TAMIL SANGAM,

M. C. 1/3038, PARLIAMENT STREET, NEW DELHI.

PRINTED AT THE JUPITER PRESS LTD., 16. SEM8UDOSS STREET, MADRAS**!

PUBLISHERS' NOTE

There is a Tamil proverb in which one mendicant asks
another, " Say brother, are you a mendicant by ancestry
or are you a mendicant by famine ? " We are publishing
this book due to a famine of publishers of whom there
are too many more worthy than us to publish it. If the
gods had been kind, this work would probably have been
published a quarter of a century ago by reputed English
publishers under the sponsorship of the great Irish poet,
George Russell, more widely known as ' A.E.'

We had intended to tell in this note the story of how we
came to do this work, and of the many difficulties and
obstacles we had to surmount, chief among which is our
colossal ignorance of the job and of everything else besides.
But we are now so nearly bursting with pride in the
successful achievement of our labours that, if we let
ourselves go, the four-hundred odd pages of this book will
not be sufficient for the epic of our travails.

So we content ourselves with expressing our deep sense
of gratitude to all those who have helped us spontaneously
and ungrudgingly in publishing this book. They are so
many, and however small or big their help has been, the
love behind the aid of each of them yields place to none
else. We mention by name only a few.

To Aiyar's son, Dr. V. V. S. Krishnamurthy who honoured
us with his faith and entrusted the manuscripts to us and
stood by us with every possible help, we cannot find
adequate words to express our gratitude.

We are indebted to the Editors of the Dinamani,
the Dinamani Kadir, the Hindu, the Indian Express.
the Hindustan Times, the Atma Jyoti of Ceylon and other
publications for the publicity they so generously gave to
our projected publication. We thank them most sincerely
for this invaluable help. We owe the success of our effort
to the tireless band of friends and associations in Delhi and

viii publishers' note

other places who took upon themselves the onerous task
of canvassing subscribers. We can never cease to be
grateful to them. We should next thank all our subscribers
who so trustingly paid the price several months in advance
and made it possible to publish this book. We thank them
for their faith in us.

We take great pleasure in being able to print a
Foreword from Hon'ble Sri K. Santanam, Minister of State.
Transport and Railways, India. He is a close friend of
Aiyar and his family and he has followed with keen interest
the progress of the publication of this book. We sincerely
thank him for taking the trouble to write this Foreword in
the midst of his pressing duties.

We are indebted to the Director of the HIND, an
excellent quarterly published in France and devoted purely
to the culture and literature of Bharata Kanda, for per-
mission to quote certain extracts from an article by
Monsieur S. KICHENASSAMY (Sakti sei) on Le
Ramayana de Kamban, in the second issue of the first
volume (1949). The HIND is published from 41, Rue de
la Bienfaisance, Paris 8e, price 1,000 francs a year — 250
francs per issue. We take this occasion to tender our
thanks also to the few authors and publishers from whose
works we have taken small extracts to adorn our foot-notes.
Being very brief extracts we have not sought specific
permission, which omission, we sincerely hope, these
large-hearted friends will overlook in the cause of
knowledge. Suitable acknowledgements have been made
at the proper places.

We have, throughout the book, linked the translations
in English verse with the original poems and have given
references to Book, Canto, and stanza. These references
follow the edition of the Kamba Ramayanam in Tamil
(with elaborate commentaries) in seven volumes by Sri
V. M. Gopalakrishnamachariar of 17, T.P. Koil Street,
Triplicane, Madras. The Roman figures refer to the
Kandams or Books, the small Roman figures to the Padalams
or Cantos, and the Arabic numbers to the stanzas.

publishers' note ix

Quotations by Aiyar from the Valmiki Ramayana have
been printed in italics. Except in one or two places, Aiyar
has taken these quotations from Griffith.

The foot-notes, except in the case of reference numbers
to the original poems in Kamba Ramayanam are by the
author in nearly all cases. We have, however, felt called
upon to add a few. As these are, in intention and form,
completely in accord with Aiyar's plan, who, if he had lived
to publish this work, would have added these notes, we have
not distinguished them by any special sign. There are none
by us, we hasten to assure the readers, which expresses any
opinion or criticism. Ours are innocuous ones like meaning
of a phrase or word, chiefly for the benefit of the foreign
reader. In a few cases, however, where the notes should
be so marked on account of their import, we have shown
the letter ' P ' within brackets.

Aiyar had intended to crown his work with the
character-study of Sita and had fittingly reserved it to the
last. Cruel fate, however, stretched its talons and tragically
snatched him away from this world before he could sing
Sita's virtues. Though very reluctant to make any additions
to Aiyar's work, we felt a certain infelicity in letting
the work appear without Sita and hence a character-sketch
has been added to this book. It is written by a member of
the Delhi Tamil Sangam.

Prof. A. Srinivasa Raghavan who had very kindly agreed
to write this chapter, and, in fact, to edit the rest of the
book as well, has been prevented from doing so by pressure
of work, want of leisure and ill health. We know how
much our subscribers will be disappointed. We tender our
sincere regrets to them.

It has been our endeavour — we had almost said, an
obsession with us — to make this work free of that common
eye-sore of publications in this country — the list of Errata.
Still, some errors have escaped our vigilant eyes ; we offer
no excuses but beg to be forgiven. We absolve our printers
from all responsibility for any of these.

X publishers' note

Though the book itself is a testimony to the excellent
work of our printers, The Jupiter Press Ltd., of Madras, it
cannot speak of two of their outstanding claims on our
gratitude. Their prompt execution of the work at every
stage and their close co-operation only has made it possible
to bring out this book so quickly. As whatever we
may say will appear a hyperbole — we feel so enthusiastic
about this trait of our printers — we pass on to their next
virtue — the almost unique excellence of their proofs, first
or second. Sometimes, we had uncharitably wished that
they were not so perfect, as such perfection made our guilt
in making later corrections stand forth very glaringly.

We acknowledge with pleasure and gratitude the
invaluable help of the small band of friends who typed the
manuscripts, sometimes again and again, ungrudgingly, and
of those who checked them and the press proofs so carefully.
Any excellence in the get-up of this work is due to their
tireless help. x -'■■*%

The cover design is by Sri R. Mahadevan who has adopted
the Sangam as the special beneficiary of his selfless service.

We cannot refrain from mentioning with gratitude
Mr. S. Ramaswamy who has looked after our work at
Madras. Without him, we do not know into what snares
and pitfalls we would have fallen.

Our acknowledgements to those to whom we are indebted
in the Introductory Essay on Tamil and the chapter on Sita
are made in the respective chapters.

We thank God who has deigned to use us as His
instrument for this service to Kamban and Tamil, and we
tender this work with humility at His lotus feet as our
humble offering.

30th June, 1950. THE DELHI TAMIL SANGAM.

CONTENTS

Page

KAPPU .. . . .. .. .. xiv

Foreword by Hon'ble Sri K. SANTANAM . . xv

Tamil — The Language and Its Literature . . xvii
(A Brief Survey)

Kamban — A Short Note . . . . . . lxv

V. V. S. Aiyar— A Biographical Sketch . . lxvi

Gandhiji on Aiyar . . . . . . . . lxxii

Kamba Ramayanam — A Study —
Chapter

I Introductory Remarks . . . . 1

II The Story of the Ramayana . . 5

III In Medias Res . . . . . . 26

IV The Architectonics of the Ramayana 34

V The Supernatural Element in the

Ramayana . . . . . . 40

VI Rama . . . . . . . . 46

VII Lakshmana . . . . . . 71

VIII Indrajit — His Exploits and Death . . 101

IX VlBHISHANA AND KUMBHAKARNA . . 125

X The Episode of Hiranyakashipu . . 152

XI Vali and Sugriva . . . . . . 169

XII Hanuman . . . . . . 195

XIII Ravana .. .. .. .. 231

XTV Bharata .. .. .. .. 279

Sita (Contributed by a member of the

Delhi Tamil Sangam) . , , , 311

xii

CONTENTS

Appendices

I Garuda's Flight
II Valmiki's Vali
Index

Index to Sita
Errata .

Plates :

V. V. S. Aiyar

Page

345
347
375
379
380

. . facing page lxvi

Fac-simile of a page from Aiyar's
Manuscripts

lxxi

THE DELHI TAMIL SANGAM

(Founded— January 1946)

Founder-President Founder-Secretary

Sri S. Subramanyam. Sri A. V. Kuppuswamy.

The Sangam was begun in a small room in a local boarding
house in January 1946 with less than a dozen members.

It was fostered with great care by the selfless work of the
Founder-President and the first Secretary of the Sangam and it
was chiefly due to them that the Sangam occupies its present
position of the cultural centre of the Tamilar in Delhi.

The Sangam is housed in a building kindly provided by the
Chief Commissioner of Delhi to whom the Sangam is ever grateful.

The objects of the Sangam are :

To provide a venue for the Tamilar to enjoy the cultural
benefits of the Tamil Literature in its three fields — Poetry
and Prose, Music, and Drama, and to enable them to establish
cultural contacts with the people of the local province.

The Sangam fosters the following activities in furtherance
of its objects : —

(a) Conducting of Study Classes in Tamil literature.

(b) Arranging lectures by eminent scholars on Tamil and
cognate subjects.

(c) Weekly Summer talks by members of the Sangam.

(d) Celebration of the two important Tamil festivals — The
Pongal and the Tamil New Year — and of Days of the
Great Savants of Tamil.

(c) The publication of a manuscript Tamil Magazine for the
self-expression of the members.

(/) Maintaining an excellent library of Tamil literature.

(0) Conducting a class in Hindi for the members.

(h) Maintaining a Free Reading Room (in memory of the
orator and patriot S. Satyamurthi) for the Public of
Delhi and providing same with English, Hindi and Tamil
Newspapers and Periodicals.

'S~OT &l*9i&G>& Jtt*n©n5 —

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' usi® jsB&si—r*e il&igftiDigf £ ; jj&aiosgci?igf
•isegmoi m£gs sts/intf—iiasri ji^ainsQosnsg)

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FOREWORD

This profound study of Kamba Ramayanam seeks to
present to the world the greatness of the immortal epic of
Hindu Culture as portrayed by the greatest of Tamil poets.
It is no exaggeration to say that Valmiki's Ramayana almost
superseded the Vedas and the Smritis as the fountain source
of Hindu religion and morals. It was inevitable that it
should become the ambition of the poetic geniuses who
arose from time to time in the various parts of India to
seek to render the Ramayana into their own languages.
Of these attempts, the Ramayana of Kamban in Tamil and
that of Tulsidas in Hindi (Brij Bhasha) stand foremost.
They are often considered superior to the original by their
enthusiastic admirers. I do not subscribe to this view.
Taken as a whole, I think Valmiki's Ramayana is incom-
parable in its simplicity, dignity and power to move the
mind. It is nevertheless true that for sheer beauty of
language and delicate portrayal of character and
emotion, Kamban ordinarily equals and often excels
Valmiki. The author, V. V. S. Aiyar, who undertook this
difficult task of presenting the study in English of Kamba
Ramayanam was a remarkable personality. Perhaps, the
simplest way to assess him is to say that he stood in the
field of politics and erudition in the same relation to
Lokamanya Tilak as Subramanya Bharati stood to Rabin-
dranath Tagore in the field of poetry. With the dawn of
the Gandhian era, V. V. S. Aiyar had changed over from
his older ideas of violent revolution to those of non-violent
satyagraha. Unfortunately he died before he could play
an effective part in the new struggle for national liberation.

Aiyar's love of the Tamil language and his eagerness to
enrich it and interpret it to the non-Tamil world were

XVI FOREWORD

second only to his passion for Indian independence. He
died before his fame could be securely established. The
Delhi Tamil Sangam has done a great service to all lovers
of literature by undertaking the publication of this study.
It is to be hoped that their attempt will be crowned with
success and the volume will have the popularity it deserves.

3*E5W } K.SANTANAM.

TAMIL

A Brief Survey of the Language and its Literature.

(Compiled by a Member of the Delhi Tamil Sangam.)
Introductory.

This book, KAMBA RAMAYANAM— A STUDY, was written
by V. V. S. Aiyar with the avowed object of introducing this great
literary treasure — the Epic of the Ramayana by Kamban — to those
who do not know the Tamil language. This fruit of Tamil Poesy
is only one among the varied fruits and flowers in the Garden of
Tamil. We feel, therefore, that we should take the reader with
us into this ancient and flourishing garden for a stroll — however
brief it may be — so that he may have an idea of the realm from
which this particular fruit came.

It is impossible to do any reasonable measure of justice to
this vast subject of Tamil and its Literature in this short essay.
We can but make brief mention of many important matters which
would leave an impression of dogmatic assertions in the absence
of the volume of evidence behind them. This essay would,
however, have served our purpose if it did but give the readers
a glimpse of the antiquity and greatness of the Tamilar, their
language and its literature, and their place in the culture of this
Bharata Khanda — called India, and the world. For a detailed
study, we would refer the readers to the various books on the
subject some of which have been mentioned in the Bibliography
at the end of this survey.

ii. The Tamilar — Their Origin.

A language is but the medium of expression of a people. It
is the people who shape the language and give it the impress of
their own character and life. Who are the Tamilar ? Or, broadly
speaking, who are the Dravidians — by which name the various
peoples in the south are designated ?

The origin of the Dravidians cannot be studied or settled
without the help of geological, anthropological, ethnological and

philological evidences.

Pre-historic On the evidence of very close affinities

Tamilar. * betwten the plants and animals in Africa and

India at a very remote period, Mr. R. D. Oldhame

concludes 1 that there was once a continuous stretch of dry land

l Manual of the Geology of India.
II

Xviii t A M f L

connecting South Africa and India. This large continent of former
times which extended from the Sunda Islands along the southern
coast of Asia to the east coast of Africa, Selata has called Lemuria.
" Peninsular India or Deccan ", says Sir T. W. Holderness, * " is
geologically distinct from the Indo-Gangetic plain of the
Himalayas. It is the remains of a former continent which
stretched continuously to Africa in the space now occupied by the
Indian Ocean. In the Deccan, we are in the first days of the
world. We see land substantially as it existed before the begin-
nings of life. When the world was still in the making and before
the elevation of, the Himalayas, the space now occupied by the
plain was a sea.", ,

Without going to the extent, as some savants of research do,
of claiming Lemuria or Deccan, its remnant, to be the probable
cradle of the human race, we may assume that it was the cradle
of the Dravidians. It was however the cradle only, not the birth-
place.

Acute difference of opinion, however, exists among scholars

in regard to the early origin and history of the Dravidians. Some

very learned men are of opinion that the

Original Home Dravidians were invaders and that they came

of the Tamilar. J

through the north-western route leading to the
plains of Hindustan, and later migrated to the south. In proof
of this theory, they point to the existence of a Dravidian tribe in
Baluchistan speaking the Brahui language which is closely allied
to Tamil. On the other hand, equally learned scholars maintain
that the Brahuis were the remnants of an overflow of Dravidians
from India to Baluchistan 2 . Although the invasion through the
historic period have been into India, yet the fact remains that
India was not connected with the mainland of Asia during the
pre-historic times and that the Peninsular India during even
remoter periods was connected with Africa on the west and the
Malayan Archipelago on the east.

Ethnological evidences seem to point to the Iberian or
Mediterranean Race as the ancestors of the Dravidians, who, it is
suggested, migrated along the sea-coast and across the sea to the

i Peoples and Problems of India.

2 In a small work of this kind, it will be misleading to make any
reference to the recent excavations in Mohenjadaro by Dr. Wheeler, and
the train of hypotheses and counter-hypotheses which the finds have set
in motion. The ultimate conclusions will throw valuable light on the
civilization of the Tamilar. The excavations are not yet completed and
await to be started again. , . . „,,

*HE LANGUAGE ANb LITERATURE X13t

Southern Peninsula. Readers are referred to the excellent treatise
by A. C. Hodden on The Races of Men and their Distribution for
the reasons underlying this theory.

These are the people whose language in the south was Tamil
from which were born later, Telugu, Malayalam, Canarese, Tulu
and Oran (Oriya).

iii. The Tamilar — Their Country.

While the extent of the land and its location where these
people lived in pre-historic times may be a matter of conjecture,

we are on surer ground regarding the boundaries
Tamil-Nad in f the abode of Tamilar — Tamil-akam — in
Times! 6 * 1 historic times. " The extent of this Tamil-akam

was not however always the same. Tolkappiyar,
the great Tamil grammarian, probably of the fourth century B.C.,
Ilango-adigal, the royal ascetic and reputed author of Silap-
padikaram, and Sikandiyar, a pupil of Agastyar and the author of a
treatise on music, have made references in their works to the
boundaries of the Tamil country, from which we can infer that
the Tamil-akam extended east and west from sea to sea and north
to south from the Tirupati Hills to Cape Comorin, and to have
also included the modern States of Travancore and Cochin and the
Madras district of Malabar.

This land was divided into three principal kingdoms. They
were the Pandya, Cola, and Cera Kingdoms. Their boundaries

varied widely at different times. We deduce
The Three their extent from certain poems of Auvvai's

time. She is said to have been a contemporary
of Kamban.

The extent of the Pandya Kingdom is defined thus in a poem
ascribed to Auvvai :

" South of the river Vellar 1 , Comorin on the south, the
sea sought by the gulf on the east, and open plain 2 on the
west comprising fifty-six Kavathams. 3 "

The Cola Kingdom, according to Puhalendhi, a later day poet,
is described in this wise.

1 "The Vellar passes through (what was) the State of Pudukottah
and falls into the sea, south of Point Calemere.

2 " Peruveli the open plain or Peruvali probably refers to the Achan
Koil Ghat leading to Travancore."— M. S. P. Pillal.

3 Kavatham—& distance of about ten miles. * \

Xk TAMIL

" The sea to the east, the overflowing Vellar to the south.
Kottaikarai to the west, and Elam to the north covering
twenty-four Kavathams."

[Kottaikarai was the boundary of the three kingdoms. The Cola
Kings were great warriors and extended their country to Venkata or the
hot hill and to the Pennar river.]

It was in extent just a half of the Pandya Kingdom.

The Cera kingdom's boundaries too have been sung by Auvvai
who says :

" The northernmost point is Palni, right to the east is
Shencottah (Tenkasi is another reading), to the west is
Calicut, the sea-shore on the south — extending over eighty
Kavathams."

[Chencode is taken by some to refer to Tiruchencode in the Salem
District.!

In point of extent it was as much as the other two put
together.

The emblems on the flags of the Kings of these three
Kingdoms ' were the Fish for the Pandyas, the Tiger for the Colas,
and the Bow for the Ceras. All the three were unswerving patrons
of Tamil Literature and its poets.

These were the lands and these the Kings whose peoples'
ancient heritage is Tamil, a language as ancient as and coeval with,
if not older than, any ancient language alive or dead in the world

iv. The Tamilar — Their Language and Its Origin.

Tamil is the name of the language spoken by the peoples of

the lands we have specified above. The word ends with the

consonant yr, which is unique to the Tamil

Tamil language and would therefore denote an indi-

Its meaning;. & - . . . ., , „,,. , .. ...

genous origin to the word. This letter, in its

consonant form fe has been assigned a pronunciation of Zh when

transliterated in other languages, and Zha when it becomes a

vowel-consonant. Much wordy warfare has raged round the

question of the origin of the name of the language, whether it is

indigenous or one given by foreigners. More phonological pedantry

i Their emblems adorn the seal of the Delhi Tamil Sangam. with the
Madhurai Temple to signify the headquarters of the ancient Tamil Sangamx
and the Kutub Minar standing for Delhi where, among many other places,
the torch of Tamil is carried on to this day. v

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XXi

has been exercised J and much ingenuity has been shown in fixing
the meaning of the term.

Most authorities are now agreed that the name ' Tamil ' means
' sweetness ' : only those who have heard the Tevaram and
Tiruvaymoli (The Saiva and Vaishnava devotional hymns) chanted
in the traditional manner could alone know how appropriate this
meaning is.

" According to M. Hovalacque " writes Mr. M. Srinivasa

Aiyangar 2 " Tamil is one of the principal languages spoken

on the face of the globe at the present day.

Morphological Morphologically, the existing languages are

Classification. ,..,,. . , , .. ,

divided into four groups, viz., isolating, agglu-
tinative, polysynthetic and inflectional."

" The morphological classification is based entirely on the form or
manner in which the roots or the final elements of a language are put
together to form words and sentences. In the isolating languages, like
Chinese, the roots are used as words, each root preserving its full
independence, unrestricted by any idea of person, gender, number, time
or mood ; and, in fact, languages of this kind do not require any grammar.
In the agglutinative languages when two roots join together to form a
word one of them loses its independence subjecting itself to phonetic
corruption. This is called the terminational stage. When words blend
together in a sentence by syncope and ellipsis, it is called polysynthesio.

This is a feature peculiar to American languages. Thus the

Algonquin. . . . Languages in which relations between words are
expressed not only by suffixes and prefixes, but also by a modification of
the form of roots, are called inflectional languages. For example . . .
Sanskrit "

" The theory that languages must pass through the
monosyllabic and the agglutinative phases successively before
reaching the inflectional stage — a theory current when Dr. Caldwell
wrote his Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Languages —
has now been given up. An isolating dialect does not become

1 We feel compelled to quote Mr. Eric Partridge, who offers some
sound advice on this matter in his book English — A Course for Human
Beings. He says : " Personal taste is still potent on the one hand ; on the
other, phonological pedantry should not be allowed to browbeat good
sense. Whenever you encounter that kind of pedantry, that sort of
linguistic lunacy, shrug your shoulders ; and let good-sense, aided by sane
scholarship, guide you "

2 T.S. p. 147. *

Important Note :

The reader is invited to refer to the Bibliography at the end of this
esSay. Abbreviations used in the footnotes while referring to the books
•wilj.be found, therein.. Such references will be found on almost, each
page and should be taken to mean that the paras on the page are either
quotations or are based on the book or books.

!xxii TAMIL

agglutinative, or an agglutinative one inflectional. The radical
feature of a language explained in this fourfold classification,
besides being innate to that tongue, is expressive of the racial
character of the people that speak it ; it cannot change from one
class to another though it can be modified or altered by external
circumstances.

" To the agglutinative group belongs Tamil, while Sanskrit is
the most ancient cultivated member of the inflectional family.
Morphologically the one has no connection with the other."
Limitation of space forbids us from dwelling on any aspect of this
essay at any length ; we shall therefore, conclude this portion with
a few quotations from the same author and proceed to the Tamil
alphabet, and Tamil Literature which latter is the proper subject
of our survey.

" The degree of relationship between Tamil and Sanskrit,
which are the only two important languages known to the Tamils,
has been variously estimated. During the early
Relationship centuries of the Christian era, the Tamils, who

Sanskrit nd were not much acquainted with Sanskrit,

Tamil. seem to have always held that Tamil was an

independent language and that it had nothing
to do with Sanskrit. They did not attribute its origin to Siva,
Subramanya or Agastya, as the imaginative and sectarian scholars
of a later date have done. But when they came under the
influence of Sanskrit culture, that is, subsequent to the seventh
or eighth century a.d., and when Sanskrit puranas and other
Sanskrit religious literature were introduced, the views of Tamil
scholars began to change. Most of them were acquainted with
both Tamil and Sanskrit ; yet they had greater love and reverence
for the latter, as their Vedas and Puranas and Agatnas were
written in that language ; and this partiality or rather a sentiment
verging on odium, theologicum induced them to trace Tamil from
Sanskrit just as the early European divines tried to trace the
Western languages from the Hebrew.

" All that we can say at present is that Tamil occupies the
same position in the Dravidian family that Sanskrit does in the
Aryan — that is, Tamil is the oldest and the most cultivated of
the Dravidian or South Indian family of languages." 1

Mr. T. R. Sesha Iyengar has some interesting observations to
make on this question. " Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Canarese
*.e., the Dravidian languages," he writes, " are all fundamentally

i Tamil Studies by M. Srinivasa Aiyangar, pp. 151-152 and 167,

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XXlii

different from Sanskrit, the language of the Aryans. These
languages, while they have a common origin and a close affinity
to each other, are different from Sanskrit and its derivatives.

" No person, who is well- versed in comparative philology
and who has compared the primitive and essential words and the
grammatical structure of the Dravidian languages with those of
Sanskrit, can imagine for a moment that the former have been
derived from the latter by any process of development or
corruption. Sanskrit may contribute to the polish of the South
Indian languages, but is not necessary for their existence. The
non-Sanskrit portion of the Dravidian languages exceeds the
Sanskrit portion. The base of Tamil, the most highly cultivated
as regards its original structure of all the Dravidian languages,
has an independent origin. In its more primitive words, such
as the names of natural objects, the verbs expressive of physical
action or passion, and the numerals, it is unconnected with
Sanskrit. The Tamil language retains an alphabet . . . which
has several letters of peculiar powers. Tamil is not dependent
on Sanskrit for the full expression of thought. The ancient or
classical dialect of this language, the Sen Tamil, is almost entirely
free from Sanskrit words and idioms. The finest works in Tamil,
such as the Kural, are original in design and execution, and also
independent of Sanskrit. According to Dr. Burnell, the science
of grammar (vyakarna) was cultivated in the south from a very
early period, not as derived from Sanskrit, but as communicated
from a divine source, in other words, as being of indigenous
origin. Prof. Julien Vinson says, " Tamil and Sanskrit in spite
of some analogies of words have no connection whatever. Their
grammatical systems so widely differ that they certainly proceed
from quite different origins. They are only to one another what
a cocoa tree would be to a carrot plant." It is thus clear that
the Dravidian languages belong to a stock distinct from Sanskrit.
Many Sanskrit words connected with the arts of peace were
borrowed from the Dravidian. The Dravidian dialects affected
profoundly the sounds, the structure, the idiom, and the
vocabulary of Sanskrit. The Dravidian element makes its
influence felt in the sounds employed not only in the Sanskritic
vernaculars but to a certain extent in Sanskrit itself. The
cerebral stops, so characteristic of Dravidian, are found even in
the earliest Sanskrit. The existence of a Tamilian substratum
in all the modern dialects of India and of the profound influence,
which the classical Tamil has exercised on the formation and

XXIV TAMIL

development of both the vedic and the classical Sanskrit, is
gradually coming to be recognised by students of Indian philology.
" Dravidian genius was conspicuous not merely in the sphere
of language, but also in that of literature. Of all the races of
India, the only people who had a poetical literature independent
of Sanskrit are the Tamils, a typical Dravidian people." 1

v. The Tamil Alphabet.

We shall now briefly deal with the Tamil Alphabet before
we pass on to its Literature.

The Tamil alphabet now in use is not what it was a thousand
years ago. Its form appears to have undergone changes from

century to century until about the fourteenth,
^ he Tamil when it reached the present stereotyped

Vatteluttu. condition. There were, however, two different

kinds of writing in use in the Tamil country —
the one indigenous to the Tamil race and the other introduced
by the Brahmans. The latter is known as the Grantha-Tamil
alphabet, from which some of the modern Tamil characters have
sprung, while the former is called by palaeographists as the
Vatteluttu or the Cera-Pandya alphabet. But the introduction
of all these did not take place at one and the same period.

The introduction of the Vatteluttu alphabet must have taken
place long before the fourth or fifth century B.C., and this

approximates the earliest date assigned by
Its origin. European scholars to the introduction of writing

in India, which was the seventh or eighth century
before the Christian era. As to who first brought the alphabet

i The Ancient Dravidians by T. R. Sesha Iyengar, pp. 36-44. — While
some may not agree with everything Mr. Sesha Iyengar has written, it
has to be conceded that there is a large measure of truth in his statements
which are based on careful and extensive study. A language, however,
cannot afford to remain static, particularly when there is a high-pressure
effort to carve out for the nation a place among the peoples of the modern
industrialised and scientific world. It has to grow and borrow and adapt
foreign words without false pride or narrow bigotry. But there is much
loose talk on importing wholesale foreign terms, and against this it may
be pointed out that the law is not only of " the old yielding place to new "
but also one of recovery and remodelling of the old to suit the new'
conditions. In this connection, the science of semantics, which has not
been used as much as it could .have been, could be pressed into service..
Ultimately, the common people are the fathers of- the language, and? they
use semantics day in, day out, though entirely ignorant pf the term.— (p>:

T.S., pp. 114, 115 and 119,

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XXV

from the western Semitics — whether the Southern Dravidians or
the Northern Aryans — it is not quite easy to settle.

Dr. Burnell seems to think that Vatteluttu had an independent
source and had nothing to do with the Brahmi alphabet of
Northern India. ' This alphabet,' he says, ' was formed and settled '
before the Indo-Aryan grammarians of the Tamil language came
to Southern India.

Although the Tamilians owed their grammar to Agastya and
to Tolkappiyar, it should not be inferred that they were indebted
to them for the art of writing also.

Among the Dravidian races of South India, the Tamils alone
made use of the Vatteluttu alphabet from time immemorial, whilst
their Telugu and Kanarese neighbours have, so far as epigraphical
researches reveal, been using some alphabet or other which had
its origin from the Brahmi of Upper India.

The vast difference that exists between Tamil and the Aryan
languages in their vocabulary, between the Tamils and the Indo-
Aryans, the contempt which the one had for the other, and the
great antiquity and the divine origin which the Tamils claim
for their ' sweet ' language, and its grammar — all these seem to
favour the indigenous origin of the Tamil Vatteluttu alphabet.

The Vatteluttu or the Tamil archaic alphabet is so called on
account of its round or circular form like the modern Telugu
alphabet, while its modern development has assumed the angular
or, as some would say, square shape. This angularity was due
to the facility in writing on palm leaves with an iron stylus, or
in cutting on stones or copper plates with a chisel.

Let us now take the number, order, and pronunciation of
the Tamil letters. There are thirty-one letters ; twelve vowels

and eighteen consonants ; and one semi-vowel,
The Present-day represented by the symbol a . The sound of

it is midway between the Arabic ghayn and the
Sanskrit p® %. It is found in no other Indian or European
languages, and it seems to suggest some connection of the Tamil
race with the Semitic or Western Asiatic nations.

The other letters peculiar to Tamil are y )i etr, p, «r. The
letter, p is equally a private property of Tamil and a terrible
bugbear for Europeans to pronounce. It has been variously,

T.S., pp. 120, 122, 124, 125, 131, 132 and 134,

XXVI TAMIL

transliterated in some of the European languages, by lj, zj, zh,
rl, 1, zy, etc.

The letter p has the sound of a rough r and that of tr. The
sounds of * (Hindi si) and «r are almost identical and it
may be supposed that the second is redundant. But their origin
shows a slight variation and justifies the necessity for the existence
of both, because m is a dental while «r isa palatal letter.

The Tamil consonants comprise only the unaspirate hard
consonants, nasals, and semi-vowels. There are no separate
symbols for aspirate hard consonants, but the sounds are
pronounced by the combination of the cerebral stop of a consonant
and its vowel consonant, and are written accordingly. Tamil
words do not begin with such sounds. There are, moreover, no
hard-consonant sibilants or unaspirate or aspirate soft-consonants.
The sounds are, however, pronounced in speech and reading. The
story of how cannot be told here.

vi. History of the Tamil Language.

Coming now to the history of the Tamil language, it may
conveniently be divided into three periods, namely, (1) the early
Tamil, comprising the period between the sixth century before
and after Christ ; (2) the Mediaeval Tamil, occupying the interval
between the sixth century and the twelfth century ; and (3) the
Modern Tamil, extending from the twelfth down to the present
day. We shall briefly indicate the characteristics of each period.

Early Tamil was the language used by the writers of the
academic and the classic periods. And the peculiarities of this
Tamil may be observed in the literature of those
Early Tamil times, the important of which being the Ahana-

nuru, the Purananuru, the Pattuppattu, the
Padirruppattu, the Silappadikaram and the Manimekaloi. The
standard grammars of the epoch were the TolJcappiyam,
Pannirupadalam, Usimuri, etc.

Words of foreign origin were never introduced, notwithstand-
ing the commercial intercourse of the Tamils with the Greeks,
the Romans, and the Arabs, whom they indiscriminately called
the Yavanas. Sanskrit words were very sparingly used and even
these were mutilated in their form. For instance, it is calculated
that in the Pattuppattu there are only about 2% of Sanskrit
words.

T.S., pp. 172, 173 and 174.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XXV11

The literature of this period is all poetry — simple blank
verse, in chaste classic style, devoid of rhetorical flourishes, figures
of speech, hyperbolic descriptions, and intricacies of later prosody
which mar the excellence of modern Tamil poems ; asiriyappa,
kalippa, venba, and vanjippa are the metres mostly used. The
descriptions of events and scenery are all faithful and true to
nature.

The subject-matter of most of these works is the panegyric
of reigning kings, descriptive of their military prowess, their
liberality, and their administration. Some of them depict
poverty, chiefly of bards, in a very pathetic manner. Some are
on morality, while only a few relate to religion.

The Mediaeval Tamil period embraces the Brahmanic and the
sectarian periods of Tamil literature. The early part of it was one

of struggle for predominance between Brahma-
Mediaeval Tamil, nism on the one hand and Buddhism and Jainism

on the other, in which the former came out
triumphant, Buddhism being deprived of following in this land and
Jainism crippled. The literature of this epoch consists of hymns to
Siva and Vishnu and of the accounts of the life and adventures of
Siva and Subrahmanya, Rama and Krishna, and Jina. The
standard works on Tamil grammar during this period were
Tolkappiyam, Virasoliyam, Nambi's Ahapporul, Neminadam, etc.

Sanskrit words, chiefly relating to religion, were largely
introduced, and some of the Tamil words and forms current in
the preceding epoch gave way to new ones.

For poetry or metrical composition, which was still the only
form of literary production, asiriyam and venba metres were not
so much in favour as the viruttam, tandakam and others of
Sanskrit prosody. These were introduced with their alankaras
or embellishments. Rhyme and antadi forms were introduced to
render the recital of sacred songs easier. As for their style, the
pure simplicity and the natural beauty of the academic period
were gone. Affectation and artificiality even in excess were
considered a literary excellence. As it was a period of struggle
for religious supremacy every one of the four sects attempted to
excel the rest by extolling and exaggerating its own doctrines,
and by fabricating miracles to support them. Truth was thrown

T.S., pp. 176-179.

XXVU1 TAMIL

in the background and its place was taken up by mythological
accounts of preter-natural events, such as one might find in the
puranas and itihasas. Thus Chintamani, the Ramayana, the
Kandapurana, the Tiruvilayadalpurana, the Periyapurana and
the Mahabharata came to be replete with stories of this kind.
However, a true spirit of devotion and piety, though blind or
fanatical it might appear to us, pervaded the writings of this very
troublous period.

To the Tamils the modern period which begins from the
thirteenth century is important in every respect. The ancient

kingdoms of the Colas and the Pandyas were
Modern Tamil. subverted. A powerful Telugu empire was

coming into existence on the banks of the
Tungabhadra, which before the close of the fifteenth century
absorbed all the Tamil kingdoms. Then came the Mahratta and
the Musalman hordes from the north, and lastly the Europeans
from beyond the sea.

Till about the end of the seventeenth century the Tamil
countries were ruled by Hindu governors. Brahmanical influence
was in the ascendant. The learning of Sanskrit, Tamil and
Telugu was encouraged. Several original works in all these
languages were written, besides innumerable commentaries in
Tamil as well as in Sanskrit on ancient works, especially on the
Nalayira Prabhandam, — all tending to harden and aggravate the
sectarian .... animosities, until a reaction set in during the
succeeding period of Musalman despotism. Then for about
half-a-century there was a lull, which was followed by the
production of anti-Brahmanical, Christian and Islamic literatures.
And it was only during the first half of the last century that the
vernacular literature began to revive.

With the change in government, religion and social customs
many Tamil words had gone out of use giving way to new ones.

Most of the revenue and judicial terms, names relating to
office furniture and stationery, and generally most words relating
to the administrative machinery are Arabic, Persian or English.
The religious terms, of course, are all Sanskrit.

There is nothing new in the grammar of this period, perhaps
with the exception of a leaning towards a greater use of Sanskrit
and foreign words by the educated classes ; and the unconscious

T.S., pp. 181, 192.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XX1K

creeping in of several English words in the home-speech of the
English educated Tamilians.

Poetry was the only medium of literary expression of thought
in Tamil till about the beginning of the last century, excepting
of course, the extensive commentaries and copious notes on ancient
poems. However, the natural ease and beauty of the writings
of the academic and the hymnal periods were gone. The
kalambakam, malai, antadi, pillai-tamil, parani, ula, kovai and
thoodu were the different kinds of poesy adopted for shorter
literary compositions, and the kavya (kappiyam) form for longer
and more descriptive works like the puranas. For these quasi-
religious compositions all kinds of metres enumerated in the
grammar books on prosody were freely made use of.

vii. Tamil Literature — Its Classification.

Among the Dravidian tribes of South India, the Tamils were
the first to cultivate a literature.

Indian grammarians have divided Tamil literature into three

classes, namely — Iyal (belles-lettres), Isai (Music) and Natakani

(Drama). As this essay is concerned mainly

N^t'k 8 **' w * th the literature °f tne fW al Tamil, it will not

be inopportune to first briefly say something
about the Isai and the Natakam or Kuttu, before we proceed to
our subject.

Tradition says that Agastya was the only grammarian who
wrote complete treatises on the grammar of all the three classes
of Tamil, but none of them are now extant. During the early
centuries of the Christian era attention seems to have been paid
by the Tamils to all the three. They had their own dances and
music — vocal and instrumental. They developed the art of dancing
to a high degree of perfection and many treatises were written
on this fine art ; even their gods had their characteristic favourite
dances.

Music too, was in a state of perfection, and their pans of
tunes were sui generis to the Tamil race. The only ancient Tamil
work of the nature of the drama that has come down to us is
the Silappadikaram (third century). It gives a vivid description
of the stage, the actor, the singer, the drummer, the flute-player,
the yal-player and others of the troupe ; and contains beautiful

T.S., pp. 183 and 185.

XXX TAMIL

specimens of Vari, Kuravi, Ammanai, Usal, Kandukam, Vallai,
and other classes of musical songs.

A brief description of the yal 1 , a stringed musical instrument,
similar to the guitar, peculiar only to the ancient Tamils may
not be uninteresting. It was of four kinds, viz., Per-yal, Makara-
yal, Sakotayal and Senkottiyal. Per-yal had 21 strings ; a
Makarayal, 17 ; Sakota-yal, 16 ; and Sengottu-yal, 7. Perhaps
these were the instruments in use during the days of Ilango-adigal.
And the per-yal — big ' yal ' — which is supposed to have been in use
in the days of Agastya had become extinct even before the third
century a.d. It is said to have had one thousand strings.

The works on music, dancing, and the drama written by
ancient Tamils, were neglected and left to shift for themselves ;
and by the time of Adiyarkunallar (about 1200 a.d.) most of
them were lost. With them the Dravidian music and dances
became practically extinct. No one can now say what those pans
and dances were like. Their places were gradually taken up by
the Indo-Aryan ragams and natyams.

During festivals and processions of gods, dancing was
encouraged and plays were acted to draw large crowds of
devotees. Hundreds of dancing girls or gandharvis were attached
to every important temple. This was the origin of the institution
of singing by Oduvans and Araivans, and the public representation
of natakas, pallus and kuravanjis in Hindu temples. Of these the
first alone now survives. The same institution was carried to
the West Coast, and it now survives in the Chakkiyar kuttu. It
was only during the eighteenth century that drama and music
began to revive ; and Arunachala Kavi (a.d. 1712-1779) the
famous author of Rama Natakam may justly be called the father
of modern dramatic literature, and under the Mahratta Rajas of
Tan j ore, a fresh impetus was given to music.

We shall now come to the classification of Iyal. The following
table 2 gives a tolerably accurate outline of the important stages
in the progress of Tamil literature. As has
Classification already been explained religion pervades almost

of Iyal-Tamii. tne whole of every literature in India, and

the table therefore exhibits the several periods
of the religious history also.

i The ' 1' in yal should be pronounced like ' zh *.
2 of Mr. Srinivasa Aiyangar, T.S. p. 211.
T.S., pp. 187-189, 190 and 191.

f he language and literature

XXXI

Period

Religion

Literature

Language

B.C. 600-200

Animistic

I Academic

(Tolkappiyam,

Kural, etc.)

I Early
Grammar :

\ Agastyam,

B.C. 200— A.D. 150

Buddhist

II Classic (or
Epic)

j Tolkappiyam

A.D. 150-500

Jaina.

(Silappad-
ikaram, Mani-
mekalai, etc.)

J

A.D. 500-950

Brahmanic

Ill Hymnal
(Tevaram,
Tiruvasagam,

,

Tiruvaymoli,

1 II Mediaeval

etc.)

Grammar :
\ Tolkappiyam

A.D. 950-1200

Sectarian

XV Translations

Kalladam,

(Kamban's

Virasoliyam.

Ramayana,

Kachiyappa's

Kandapura-

nam, etc.)

A.D. 1200-1450

Reformatory-

V Exegetical
(Commentar-
ies by Nacchi-
narkiniyar,

Adiyarku-

Ill Modern

nallar

)■ Grammar :

Virasoliyam

Parimelalagar

etc.)

and Nannul

A.D. 1450-1850

Modern

VI Miscellaneous

viii. The Sangams.

The real history of Tamil literature begins with the Tamil
Sangam (Academies) which lasted from B.C. 500 to a.d. 500. This
millennium might perhaps appear to be a very long period ; but
during the first half of it none of the extant Tamil works, probably
with the exception of Tolkappiyam and one or two others, were
written.

The ancient classics of the Tamil people frequently refer to
sangams or societies of learned men. " The word ' Sangam ', *

l V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar states (pp. 21) that the early poem
■Where there is a reference to this institution is the Maduraikanchai * (line
762).

* (One of the poems in Pattupottu, a work of the Third Sangam era.)

T.S., pp. 211 and 212.

XXXii TAMIL

used by Buddhists and Jains for a religious order or coterie, came
to supersede," writes the late Mr. Purnalingam Pillai, "on the
score of its euphony, the expression, ' Kuttam which is Tamil, and
the presence of poets of the Buddhists or Jain persuasion in the
third academy in modern Madura (Madhurai, since 1948) accounts
for it. Madura bears the name of Kudal, for the reason that the
poetic academy met there."

The Sangam was a body, not perhaps with a charter, etc. in
the beginning, of the most learned men of the time, whose chief
function, like that of the French Academy, was the promotion of
literature. The name ' academy ', therefore, seems to be
appropriate to this institution and is therefore used in the following
pages.

According to Tamil writers there were three sangams in the
Pandya country at different periods.

Of the three academies the second was more or less continuous
with the first, and both probably existed sometime between the
fifth century b.c. and second century a.d., while
Three Sangams. the third, and the most "important of them all
seems to have lasted till a.d. 500, or, to put .it
more precisely, could not have lasted beyond a.d. 500. For, " most
of the inscriptions now available date from roughly a.d. 600 by
which time it is probable that the sangam as an active institution
had ceased to exist. Hence they had no occasion to mention it
and did not mention it." 1

The earliest literary activity of the Tamilians could have
shown itself only after the introduction of writing in South India,
which must have taken place long before the fourth century B.C.
We shall not therefore be wrong if we look for the foundation of
the first Tamil Academy or Sangam somewhere between the sixth
and fourth centuries before the Christian era.

Tamil literature of course did not begin only with the founding

of Academies as indicated in the table. This was preceded by

what may be called the pre-academic periods

Ltt e ** < t ademiC But to attem P t an account of it will be groping

in the dark, as all literary evidence we now
possess relates either to the academic or to the post-academic
period. Some Tamil scholars still believe that Agastya invented
the Tamil alphabet. This is certainly erroneous. The use of pure
Tamil words like Eluthu and Suvadi by Agastya proves unmistak?
ably the existence of the Tamil alphabet and the use of books

1 D., p. 7. T.S., pp. 211 and 212.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE fcXxi{i

among the Tamils long before his days. And even the compilation
of the first grammar for this language by this Aryan sage, afte,r
the Sanskrit model, is an argument in favour of the pre-existenoe
of literature among the Tamils of antiquity. That literature
always precedes grammar is a stern philological fact recognized
by Agastya and later grammarians.

It is therefore almost certain that some sort of literature and
also good poets must have existed before the academic era ; but
nothing can at present be asserted about it in the absence of any
literary or other records.

Regarding the First Academy, we have no reliable particulars
on which we could base any conclusions regarding its date of

inception or its members.
The First N or have any of the writings attributed to

this academy come down to us in their entirety,
excepting probably a few doubtful quotations from Agastyam and
one or two others. Apparently all these had been lost long before
the tenth or eleventh century.

The only authors of this period about whom any account,
however scanty it might be, can be extracted from Tamil literature
are Agastya and Murinjiyur Mudinagarayar. The rest of the
members seem to be half mythical persons. The life of Agastya
is clothed in myth ; but this much is certain that he was a Brahman
of North India and that he led the first colony of Brahmans which
settled in the Tamil districts.

He is said to have had twelve students. Chief of them,
Tolkappiyar, was alsq a member of the second academy like his
renowned master.

The identification of Ten (South) Madura, the seat of the first
Academy has been a controversial point. Regarding the destruction
of this place there are certain allusions both in the Madura
Stalapurana and in the Silappadikaram. The learned commentator
of the latter work writes as follows : ' Between the rivers Kumari
and Pahruli there existed an extensive continent occupying an
area of 700 Kavadams (a Kavadarri being equal to ten miles). This
land consisting of forty-nine nads (inclusive of Kollam and
Kumari), innumerable forests, mountains and rivers. had been
submerged in the Indian Ocean as far as the peaks of Kumari,
-by a terrific convulsion which resulted in the upheaval of the
'Himalayan range.' Geological, - ethnological and linguistic
researches also seem to confirm the above theory.

T.S., pp. 237,-2*0 and 241.
Ill

SCXXIV ..." T A M 1 1

To arrive at the date of the Second Academy is equally
difficult.
The Second m^ v r Ramachandra Dikshitar argues

a tif am. ^ 21-D) : "If the author of the Tirukkural

could be proved to have lived in the second century B.C., then
there is warrant for the assumption that the Tolkappiyam is a
much earlier work, at least one or two centuries earlier than the
second century B.e. According to the Payiram to the Tolkappiyam
the latter was presented to the Academy and won its approval.
If this account has any significance, it compels us to conclude that
prior to the days .of Tolkappiyanar the Sangam existed as an
institution and tbftj&rammarian did what the scholars of his time
did. It must .fee also borne in mind that the grammar of
Tolkappiyanar or his illustrious predecessor Agattiyanar
presupposes a body of literary works. Roughly then, a date like
the fifth century B.C. may be assigned in regard to the origin of
the Sangam." (First.) He adds a foot-note "Professor V.
Rangachariar's researches have led him to this conclusion."

It is said that the seat of the second Sangam was Kavatapuram.
The transfer of the headquarters from Ten Madura to Kavatapuram

and from the latter city to the modern city of
Change of Madura (seat of the third Sangam) is probably

a historical fact. The former two sites are said
to have been overwhelmed and submerged by two different
incursions of the sea.

The only work of the Second Sangam which has come down
to us is the Tolkappiyam. Nothing further is known about
Tolkappiyar, than that he was a student of Agastya and that he
lived in a village near Madura during the reign of the Pandya
king Makirti. AH the works of this academy have also been
irretrievably lost, except the above work and a few poems which
luckUy found their way into the anthologies compiled at the third
academy.

We shall now pass on to the third Sangam which was by far
the most important, and about which we are particularly
concerned. Almost all the best Tamil classics
The Third we now possess are the productions of this last

a»s5*sa. Sangam. Nothing definite can be said about the

foundation of the third Sangam except that it had its seat at the
modern Madura.

TS-, pp. 244 and 245. '■■■::..

THE LANGUAGE AND LtTERATtfftE ' XfcfcV

A comparison of these ancient institutions of the Tamil people
with the modern Royal Academy of the French will be interesting,
since both of them were alike in their constitution, work and
influence. The French Academy was established in a.d. 1635, that
is nearly two thousand years after the first Tamil Academy, and
its members were fixed at forty. Its object was to cleanse the
language of the impurities, which had crept into it through the
common people who spoke it and to render it pure, eloquent and
capable of treating the arts and sciences .... It has done
much by its example for style and has raised the general standard
of writing, though it has tended to hamper and crush originality.

Language has life and growth, and when left to itself sprouts
out into divers dialects like the branches of a living tree. " The
bit and bridle of literature " says Max Muller, " will arrest a
natural flow of language in the countless rivulets of its dialects,
and give a permanency to certain formations of speech which,
without these external influences, could have enjoyed but an
ephemeral existence ". This linguistic principle was clearly
understood and fully recognised by the founders of the Tamil
academies. To secure, therefore, permanency to the Tamil
language, the boundaries of the country where it was current were
roughly described and the particular locality in which pure Tamil
(Sen-Tamil) was spoken was sharply defined ; then the form and
pronunciation of letters were settled ; rules were laid down to
distinguish pure Tamil words from those of foreign origin, and to
determine the structure and combination of words in sentences.
These and many other restrictions on the free growth of the
language were dealt with in the first Tamil grammar. Treatises
were written on prosody, rhetoric and Porul (details of conduct in
matters of love and warfare). Poetical dictionaries or nikhanduz
were compiled in order to check the indiscriminate and unlicensed
introduction of alien words in the Tamil vocabulary. The canons
of literary criticism were severe and were applied impartially.

In this way the Tamil language, which passed through the
crucible of the three academies, was refined and given to the
Tamil-land as a perfect instrument for the expression of the best '
thoughts and sentiments of its people. The influence of these
academies is markedly seen in the Tamil writings which received
their approval, their style and language and choice of words
differing much from that of the Tamil works of the post-academic
period.

T.S.. od. 257, 259, 260 and 261.

KXXV1 TAMIL

For the advancement of literature and academies the Tamil
, kings did much. Liberal presents in the shape of money,
(elephants, palanquins, chariots with horses, lands, and flowers of
•gold were bestowed upon deserving poets. Titles of distinction
were also conferred on them. Instances of the Tamil kings
honouring poets, and of their indirectly encouraging them are only
too many.

ix. The Extant Sangam Works.

According to the tradition which finds a mention in the famous

commentary on the Iraiyanar Ahapporal the following are given

as the accredited works of the first Sangam :

First Sangam Paripadal, Mudunarai, Mudukurugu, and

Kalariyavirai.

Since narai and kuruhu are suffixed to the titles of works, it
is reasonable to conclude that they were musical treatises, and
ancient Tamil land developed the arts of music and dancing besides
literary activities.

It is generally believed that works of the first Sangam are lost,
perhaps, beyond recovery. The extant Poripadol may be the
composition of the third Sangam rather than that of the first.

The works attributed to the second Sangam are Kali,
Kuruhu, Vendah, Viyalamalai Ahaval, Agattiyam, Tolkappiyam,
Mapuranam, Isainunukkam, and Budapuranam,
Second Sangam ^he last five being grammatical compositions.

With regard to the compositions of the
second Academy, we have to take it that all of them except
Tolifcappiyam have been lost. Tolkappiyam was the grammar
during the period of the, second and third Academies.

Tolkappiyam, the life-work of its author, is in three parts and
counts 1,612 sutras. It is the oldest extant Tamil grammar, the
name signifying ' ancient book ' or ' the preserver of ancient
institutions '. It was preceded by centuries of literary culture, for
it lays down rules for different kinds of poetical compositions,
deduced from examples furnished by the best authors whose works
had been in existence.

It treats clearly and systematically of only one of the three
time-honored divisions of Tamil, viz., Iyal or Natural Tamil. The
three parts of it are Eluthu (Orthography), Sol (Etymology), and
Porul (Matter), each with nine sections.

T.S., p. 260, D. pp. 24 and 25. P. p. -23:

THE LANGUA G.E A N D LITERATURE XXXVU

White the Eluttadikaram and the SoUadikaram are interesting
from both linguistic and philological points of view, the PoruU
adikaram is most valuable as it gives us a glimpse of the political,
social and religious life of the people during the period when
Tolkappiyar lived.

It is the only work from which we can have a gleaning of
the ancient Tamilar's manners and customs.

(a) Eluthu : The first part deals with Letters, i.e.,
Orthography.

(b) Sol : The second part on Words is masterly in treatment.
In this the author has attempted at finding the root meanings of
words. It is a peculiarity — a peculiarity which will show the
critical culture of the Tamilar — that the gender classification is
based on the signification of words.

(c) Porul : The third part, Poruladikaram is valuable as it
gives us a glimpse of the political, social and religious life of the
people during the period when Tolkappiyar lived.

We have already pointed out that the Tamil language is
classified under three broad sections, viz., Iyal (Natural), Isai
(Music) and Natakam (Drama). There are a few other
classifications, reference to which will be frequently made in this
essay ; and it is well that we mention the classifications here,
(o) The subject-matter of the work is classified as —
(i) Aham.
(ii) Puram.
(b) The land which the works treat of is classified into :
(i) Kurinchi (mountain regions),
(ii) Palai (desert),
(iii) Mullai (jungle),

(iv) Neithal (beach or coastal region), and
(v) Marutham (fields ; i.e., land brought under
cultivation, or more generally speaking, the
plains) .
These classifications are well explained in the following quotation
from Tamil Literature by the late Mr. Purnalingam Pillai :

" Porul (substance, subject, matter) is divided into Aham
(inner) and Puram (outer). Of these Aham, the Subjective,
treats of love, its various emotions, and incidents ; and Puram, the
Objective, relates to all other things — life in general, and especially
war and the affairs of the S*at*>

D. p. 26. P. p. 25.

XXXVW TAMIL

(i) Aham. Love is true or natural, when mutual affection
draws the parties together, and untrue or unnatural when it is
one-sided (kaikilai) or ill-assorted and morganatic or forced
(perum thinai). True love is considered under five aspects, viz.,
union (punarthal), separation (pirithal), patience in separation
(irutthal), bewailing (irangal), and sulking or going into a pet
(udal), and these are made to fit in with the five-fold physiogra-
phical divisions (thinat). Further, it is made to turn on the six
divisions of the year (August to July) viz., cloudy (kar), cold
(kuthir), early dew (mun-pani), late dew (pin-pani), spring
(ila-venil), and summer (muthuvenil) , and on the six divisions
of the day ; viz., the first hours of night (malai), midnight
(yamam), the small hours of night (vaikarai), morning (kalai),
noon (nanpakal), and evening (erpadu). Besides these, the
natural peculiarities of each of the five thinais are made to bear on
the aspect of love peculiar to it. Such peculiarities are comprised
under fourteen heads, viz., deities (ar-anangu), nobles
(uyarnthore) , the vulgar (ilinthore), birds (pull), beasts
(vilangu), town (oor), water (neer), flowers (poo), trees
(maram), food (vunavu), drum (parai), lyre (yal), tune (pan)
and occupation (tholil). Love, again, is wedded (karpu), or
furtive (kalavu) ; and furtive love leads to wedlock or the grave,
for the rejected lovers cannot bear life without love. Marriage
was solemnised by the parents on the self-choice of the lovers,
and marital rites came into vogue when aliens proved untrue in
their courtship. This is a bare outline of Aham, and commentators
find in it an allegory of the different stages through which the
soul of man passes from its appearance in the body to its final
absorption in the Supreme.

(it) Puram, whose subject is war and state, consists of seven
divisions, the first five of which correspond to the five-fold division
of true love, and the last two correspond to kaikilai and perum-
thinai. The seven divisions of puram, with their corresponding
divisions of Aham, are as follows : —

1. Vetcht, cattle-raid, corresponds to Kurinchi.

2.

3.

4.

5.

«.

7.

P. pp. 25-27.

Vanchi, invasion,

do.

Mullai.

Ulinai, siege,

do.

Marutham.

Thumbai, war

do.

Neithal.

Vohci, victory,

do.

Palai.

Kanchi, sober counsel

do.

Perum-thinai,

Padau, encomium,

do.

Kaikilai.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE XXXltf

Cattle-raiding is the beginning of warfare. It leads to
systematic invasions of the raiders' territories. Then comes the
siege, upon which the war proper begins. The war ends in victory
to one party or the other, and the victor and the vanquished are
counselled respectively to be sober, without being intoxicated with
success, and to be calm and resigned, without being over-powered
by grief. The loyal subjects of the victor pay him their joyful
tribute of laudatory odes or encomia.

A brief note on the language of flowers will close this bird's-
eye view of Tholkappiam. [Vetchi, Vanchi, etc., are also names
of flowers ; garlands made from the respective flower are worn by
the King when he sets out on the type of warfare indicated by the
name.] Vetchi, the country geranium or ' flame of the forest,'
bears a profusion of bright, deep-red flowers, which are associated
in idea with bloody action. Vanchi, a creeping plant, bears yellow
flowers and is green all the year round. It is a symbol of
inexhaustible energy. Ulinai is a species of cotton plant whose
shoots are golden, and a wreath of which is worn in derision as
emblematic of the weak and worthless fort besieged. Thumbai.
called in Sanskrit drona, is the essential war-flower, and a wreath
of it is worn when a king contemplates an offensive war. Valuii
(mimosa flectuosa) bears white flowers, and a wreath of its leaves
and flowers is worn by a king who returns home after a glorious
victory.

The importance of Tolkappiyam is further enhanced by several
commentators among whom figure (1) Ilampuranar, (2) Per-
Asiriyar, (3) Senavarayar, (4) Nacchinarkiniyar, (5) Daivac-
cilaiyar, (6) Kalladar.

While no works of the First Sangam have come down to us,

and the Second Sangam is represented by

Third Sangam Tolkappiyam alone, we are more lucky with the

Third Sangam.

In addition to the tradition transmitted in the commentary on

the Iraiyanar Ahapporul, we have other traditions all of which

mark the following as the accredited works of this Sangam : the

Ettutogai, the Pattuppattu and the Padinen-kilk-kanakku, all

which have come down to us today. Kuttu, Vari, Sirrisai, Perisai,

etc., are others which are now only names to us, the works

themselves having been lost long since.

Space forbids us to offer anything but the briefest notice on
the major works of the third Sangam.

£>., p. 20.

*:

%A,Ml;t:

The EttHtogai comprises •:• Natrium, Kuruntogai; AingWxttiuru,
Padirruppattu, Paripadal, Kalittogai, Neduntogai, Purananuru and
Pattupattu.

The Narrinal contains 401 stanzas, each ranging from nine to twelve
< lines,; ,Ili it we find the hands of 175 poets. The verses deal with the
five thinais, 28 on mullai, 32 on marudam, 107 on poloi, 103 on neithal
and 120 on kurinjt. Its general theme is love and its compilation was
at the instance of a Pandyan king, Pannadutanda Pandiyan Maran
Valudi.

The Kuruntogai literally means a collection of short poems. In
this work is brought together a number of verses attributed to as
many as 205 poets. This collection contains 402 stanzas in the ahaval
metre', each stanza ranging from four to eight lines. As in the Narrinai
the theme of the work is love and the stanzas can be brought under
the category of the five thinais. It would appear that the compilation
of the extant work was effected under the patronage of the chieftain
of Purl (identified with North Malabar) by name Purikko. There
was an ancient gloss on the work by the well-known commentator
Per-Asiriyar which has since become lost.

Nacchinarkiniyar has written a gloss on twenty verses only,
because, in all probability, the other gloss existed in his time.

The Aingurunuru means literally the short five hundred. It
contains 500 ahaval verses and the whole book can be conveniently
divided into five parts, each part consisting of 100 stanzas. Each verse
.contains three to six lines. Every part again deals with five thinais.

Orambagiyar, ■ Ammuvanar, Kapilar, Odalandaiyar, and Peyanar,
are said to be the respective authors of hundred verses each on
marudam, neithal, kurinji, palai, and mullai thinais respectively. In
the case of this work, however, the name of the compiler is known
as Kudalur Kilar.

The Padirruppattu (the Ten Tens) is an anthology of enormous
importance. Here we are introduced to a number of kings of the
Cera dynasty, with a splendid record of their deeds and achievements
thus enabling us to get at a true picture of the political conditions
of Tamil land about two thousand years ago. Of the ten books into
which the whole work is divided, the first and the last are not available
to us.

The Paripadal (literally stanzas of strophic metre) is according to
tradition a composition of the first Academy as well as the third
Academy. If both are 'different works, the first Sangam work is lost.
The Paripadal of the third Academy is said to consist of seventy
stanzas attributed as usual to multifarious poets. It is unfortunate
that as many as forty-six verses of this important work are lost.
There is an ancient commentary of Parimelalagar which has been
printed with the available texts by Mahamahopadhyaya U. V.
Swaminatha Aiyar.

The Kalittogai, otherwise known as - Kurunkalittogai or simply
Kali is yet another important work . of this category; It contains
pne hundred and .fifty stanzas in the Jtali metre dealing, with, the five
thinais. its theme is love- but ifalso contains a number of -ttioral

D., pp. 26-31. . ,

THELANGUAG BAND LITERATURE xli

, maxims. Incidentally it furnishes us with some peculiar marriage
customs current in those ancient days. Kadungon, Kapilar, Marudan
Ilanaganar, Cola Nalluttiran and Nallanduvanar are the poets who
composed the various songs in the work. We have no prima facie
evidence as to the name of the compiler and the patron at whose
instance the work was compiled. But it is generally believed that one
of the five poets, Nallanduvanar, was the compiler. The celebrated
commentator Nacchinarkiniyar has written a gloss on it.

The Neduntogai, otherwise known as Ahappattu and popularly
known as Ahananuru' or simple Aham is an anthology of sufficient
importance and value to a student of ancient Tamil culture. It
contains 401 stanzas in the ahaval metre and is divided into three
sections — Kallirriyanai-nirai of 121 stanzas, Manimidaipavalam of 180
stanzas and Nittilakkovai of 100 stanzas. Its general theme is love.
The length of the stanzas varies from thirteen to thirty-seven lines.
' As many as 145 names of poets are given in this collection whose
compiler was Uruttirasarman, the son of Uppurikudi Killar of Madura.
It was accomplished under the distinguished auspices of the Pandyan
king Ukkirapperuvaludi.

The Purananuru otherwise known as Purappattu or simply Puram
is a valuable anthology of 400 stanzas in ahaval form. It is the
counterpart of the preceding work, the Ahananuru, and deals witn
aspects of ancient Tamil culture and forms a good record of the
Tamil civilization in ancient times. It deals with war and matters
of state. There is a view that the work is a later compilation inasmuch
as the name of Poygaiyar, a poet of Post-Sangam days is mentioned
among the poets referred to in the Puram. It also contains the poems
of Murinjiyur Mudinagarayar, Vanmikiyar, and others who, according
to the legends, belong to the first Academy. Thus the anthology
contains odes ranging from the epoch of the First Sangam to that of
Post-Sangam. Whatever may be the date of its compilation, the events
it treats of are ancient and hence invaluable to an antiquarian.

The Pattuppattu is a collection of ten idylls. An idyll is a
short poem descriptive of some picturesque scene or incident,
chiefly in pastoral life. It is not known by whom and when, these
poems written at different times were brought together. The
poems are by various authors.

Five of them belong to a peculiar class called Arruppadai. An
arruppadai is a poem in which a bard or ministrel is recommended
to go to a patron to solicit help from him. It is addressed to
another seeker for favours by one who has already benefited
munificently at the hands of the patron. Only one of them differs
from the others, viz., Tirumuruharruppadai, which directs devotees
not to a patron but to a God.

The following is an attempt to name them in a probable time
order, and to give a brief account of them. 1

i.This arrangement and description are given by J. V. Chelllah.in his
Pattupatiu (General Publishers Ltd., Colombo), an excellent rendering
in English verse.

Xlii TAMIL

1. Porunararruppadai (lit. A Poem of Recommendation to a Bard)
was composed by Mudattamakanniar. The poet recommends Karikala
Colan to a bard as a patron of literature. It contains 248 lines.

2. Pattinapalai (lit. [a song of a-] City and Separation) was
written by Uritthirankannanar. It is based on a contemplated
separation of a husband from his wife. It is a poem of 301 lines.

It testifies to the growing prosperity of Kaviripattinam under
the benevolent rule of Karikala Colan. The real value of the poem
consists in giving us an idea of the trade relations of Tamil land with
foreign countries, its busy mart, and some administrative details of
importance.

3. Afullaipottu (lit. A jungle Song) was written by Napoothanar.
It is generally supposed to have been written in praise of
Neduncheliyan. It deals with a wife separated from her husband
who is away in the battle-field. It contains 103 lines, and is the
shortest of the Idylls.

4. Perumpanarruppadai (lit. A Poem of Recommendation to a
Bard playing the larger yal) was written by the author of Pattinapalai.
Kanchi and its king are celebrated in this Poem. It contains 500 lines.

5. Sirupanarruppadai (lit. A Poem of Recommendation to a Bard
playing the smaller yal) was written by Natthathanar, and celebrates
a chieftain. It contains 269 lines.

6. Nedunalvadai (lit. Good Long Cold Wind) was written, it is
alleged, by the great poet, Nakkirar. Its subject-matter greatly
resembles that of Mullaipattu. It has a fine description of the cold
season, and contains 188 lines.

7. Kurinchipattu (lit. A Mountain Song) was written, it is
supposed, by another great poet, Kapilar. It speaks of love at first
sight, in the hilly region. It contains fine descriptions of mountain
scenery, and has 261 lines.

It brings out the social conditions of the Tamil land in prominent
relief. There is a legend grown round the origin of the composition
of this poem, viz. to introduce a northern king Pirahattan to the
beauties of Tamil literature.

8. Maduraikanchi (lit. A Song of Madura) was written by
Mankudi Maruthanar. It was composed in praise of the Pandyan
king, Neduncheliyan. It contains detailed descriptions of his kingdom,
his administration, and Madura, his capital. It is the longest of the
Idylls containing 782 lines.

9. Motaipodufcadam (lit. The Secretion oozing from a Hill, and
fig. The Echo of a Mountain) was composed by Perumkausikanar,
and celebrates Nannan, a chieftain, and his court. It has beautiful
descriptions of mountain scenery. It contains 583 lines.

10. Tirumurugarruppadai (lit. A Poem of Recommendation to the
Shrine of Sacred Muruga) is supposed to have been written by
Nakkirar. It contains description of the war-god, Muruga and his
different shrines on the hills of South India. It depicts also the life
of ancient Tamils. As a religious poem it is greatly valued by Saivites.
It contains 317 lines.

If Tamil poetry is to be restored to its pristine spontaneity
and charm, these ancient poems should be our models. .

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE xliti

These poems are valuable from another point of view. Tamil

genius never paid much attention to the time element, and so

historical and other documents from which we

Historical could gain an idea of ancient Tamil life are very

Value of , ., _ .

Pattuppattu. much wanting. There are six sources of

information for the reconstruction of the life of

the people of those times : Tamil literary works, commentaries,

accounts of foreigners, Ceylon records, inscriptions, and references

in Sanskrit literature. Of these the most important are the Tamil

poems of the period. Literature embalms the culture, the ideas

and the ideals of the people of the age in which it is produced,

and it is in its literary works that the springs of thought and actions

of a period stand revealed. So, apart from the literary interest of

these poems, they are a mine for reconstructing the life of the

Tamils centuries ago.

The Eighteen Minor Works : The next collection of the

Sangam works comes under the general heading — the Padinen-kil-

kanakku, the eighteen poems dealing primarily with morals

(Tamil aram, Sans, dharma).

They are :

1.

Naladiyar 7.

Ain-thinai-aimbathu

13.

Thiri-kadukam

2.

Nanmani-Kadikai 8.

Ain-thinai-elupathu

14.

Acarak-kovai

3.

Kar-narppathu. 0.

Thinai-moll-aimbathu

15.

Palamoli

4.

Kalavali-narppathu 10.

Thinai-malai-nuth-

aimbathu

16.

Siru-pancha-mulam

5.

Iniathu-narppathu 11.

Kainnilai, Innilai

17.

Muthu-moli-kanchi

6.

Inna-narppathu 12.

Tirukkural

18.

Elathi

The term kil-kanakku implies that there was a classification
like mel-kanakku. The works that contain less than fifty stanzas,
composed in different metres, generally come under the
kil-kanakku. But if the venba metre is pressed into service, the
poem can be of any length and can still find a place in kil-kanakkn.
The mel-kanakku ranges from 50 to 500 stanzas and is in the
ahaval, kalippa, and paripadal metres. The Ettuttogai and the
Pattuppattu come under the category of mel-kanakku.

Two works like the Naladiyar and the Tirukkural which come
under the category of kil-kanakku deal with the three purusftarthas
or objects of life, dharma or righteous living, (aram), artha or
wealth or secular life (porul) and kama or love (inbam). The
remaining sixteen deal both with aham and puram, the object
aimed at being practice of dharma or morals.

The Tirukkural (popularly known as the Muppal) is the
famous work of the celebrated Tiruvalluvar who lived in the early

xliv

TAMIL

centuries before the Christian era." The poem is in the form of
couplets and deals with the three aims of human life — aram, porul,
and inbam. It consists of 133 chapters, each containing ten kural-
venbas. Each couplet is a gem by itself and conveys lofty thoughts
couched in terse language. Though the scholarly commentary of
the illustrious Parimelalagar — a happy consummation of Tamil
and Sanskrit culture — is largely in use, there were nine equally
well-known commentaries of which Manakkudavar's gloss is one,.
Till recently, this was the only one available of the nine. Two
others (parts) are said to have been traced since.

A brief analysis of this universal code of morals is given
below.

No. of Chapters.

Subject.

Book I
34 Chapters

20

Book II
70 Chapters

Book III

25 Chapters

The Ideal Householder — Domestic Virtue •

based on Affection.

14 The Ideal Ascetic

25 The Ideal Sovereign

10 The Ideal Statesman

22 The Ideal State

13 The Ideal Citizen

25 The Ideal Lover

-Ascetic or Higher
Virtue based on
Grace.

-Royalty.

-Ministers of State.
-The Essentials of a

State.
-Morality, Affirmative-.

and Negative.

-Furtive love ending
in wedded love.

These are the seven ideals presented by this Prince of
Moralists. Rendered into almost every important European
language — English, French, German, and Latin — the Kural
presents an ideal monarchy portrayed by this Citizen of the
World within the limits of practicality and at the same time
outdoing the Republic of Plato and the Oceana of Harrington.
Almost free from the influx of Sanskrit words, the Kural shows the
richness and power of the Tamil tongue.

We dare not say more, as an entire set of volumes can be/
written on this one book alone of the Tamilar. We may mention,
in passing, that V. V, S. Aiyar has translated the work into.

r>. p. 38.

P. pp. 75 and 76.

THE LANGUAGE A N f) LITERATURE xlv

English with a keen insight into the meaning of the phrases used
in the original.

The Naladiyar comes nearer the Kural than the others in this
collection in point of subject-matter including the division of the
subjects. It also deals with the three pursuits of human life. It
contains forty chapters, each consisting of ten stanzas. This
"anthology, the composition of which can be attributed to different
hands, owes its compilation to one Padumanar.

Space forbids us from giving any detailed description of the
contents of the rest of the Eighteen Works which mostly deal with
ethics.

It is interesting to note the swing in the themes of the works
of the Third Sangam. The earlier books deal, like the ancient
literature of other countries, with love and war, kings and
chieftains, and Nature and her beauties. Slowly there is a change,
and the Tamil writers become obsessed with ethical matters to
the exclusion of everything else. While their writings are high
and dignified, full of wisdom and guidance to the common man
and savants as well, they, however, do not delight one as the
earlier works do, and lack variety of themes. Life has turned
inwards, and we can see in this the growing influence of certain
trends which turned away India, at any rate the South, from a
life of external activity and achievement to one of contemplative
contentment.

We see side by side an insidious change in the attitude to
women. From being brave mothers, ardent lovers, proud wives,
and life-mates sharing equally in the family and state life, we
find that women come to be spoken of as snares and temptations,
as something to be feared and shunned. It would not be an
exaggeration to say that in this debasement of women lay hidden
•the seeds of the debasement of the body politic of the people.

The reader would have noticed that many of the works of
the Third Sangam are collections. This is significant of the fate
that has pursued the Tamil works from ancient times. Time, the
sea, war, famine, white ants and nature herself to which man has
added his quota of apathy and neglect have combined to destroy
the works which were written on Cadjan leaves. What remained
has been gathered within these togais — collections — by the selfless
compilers, whose very names are not known in many cases. But
for them, these too would have been lost for ever to us. Even as
they are, they would still have been lost to us, but for another

D. pp, 38 and 39.

tflvi 'TAMIL

great soul in this line of immortal compilers. The Tamilars have
been laid under a great debt of gratitude by that great scholar
and tireless compiler and learned editor of our days, Dr. U. V.
Swaminatha Aiyar of whom we shall have to say more later on.

x. The Epic or Post-Sangam Literature

The chief of them are five, often referred to as Ain-perum-
Kappiyam — the Five Major Epics. They are the Silappadikaram,
the Manimekalai, the Jivaka Chintamani, the
Aln-perum- Valayapati and the Kundalakesi. A pleasing

fancy has been coined from their names in which
the works are conceived to be five principal ornaments on the
form of Tamil-anangu — the Tamil Muse — the works symbolising
the tinkling anklet, the gem-studded waist-girdle, the gem on the
chaplet, the bangles, and ear-pendants respectively.

The last two works are entirely lost to us. We can give only
a brief sketch of the other three works.

Silappadikaram : Ilango-adigal is the celebrated author of the
Silappadikaram. He was the second son of king Ceralatan reign-
ing in the city of Vanji, the capital of the then Ceranadu and the
younger brother of the famous king Ceran Senguttuvan. On this
account, he was called Ilango or the younger prince and he was
known as Ilango-adigal after his renunciation of royalty and
assumption of holy orders.

The story of this Epic, according to its payiram (prefatory
verses) preaches Dharma wreaking vengeance on those who failed
in their kingly duties ; sings the praises of the highly virtuous
wife ; and underlines the recoil of one's actions.

The story is simple and is as follows :

In Kavirippumpattinam, the capital of the Colas, there lived a wealthy
merchant named Masattuvan. He had a son Kovalan to whom was
married a virtuous and devoted lady Kannaki by name, the daughter of
Manaikan. Being a wealthy young man, Kovalan moved in high social
circles and took an active interest in the amusements of the day. Once
his eyes fell on a beautiful young dancing girl Madavi by name, on whom
he directed his love. He Wasted all his wealth and money on this dancing
girl and did not care for his devoted wife. When at last he had lost all
his riches, he thought that Madavi's love towards him had cooled and
he became disgusted. Returning home, he realised his past mistakes and
resolved to follow the career of a merchant. The same night he left
for Madura with his wife Kannaki. He had nothing to fall back upon
except her jewels. She placed one of her costly Silambus — anklet—
ungrudgingly and willingly at his disposal. He took it to the jeweller's
market there to effect a sale. As misfortune would have it, he was
arrested as a thief of the royal jewels. The king without inquiring into
the facts of the case impatiently ordered his execution. It was done.

D. pp. 70, 77 and 78.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE xivii

Poor Kannaki, when she came to know of this, became bewildered as it
were. She went before the king and proved her husband's innocence
beyond the shadow of a doubt. The Pandyan King Nedunjeliyan realised
his guilt and could not bear it. He fell down from his seat broken-hearted
and died immediately. Still Kannaki could not control herself and in a
fit of great anger cursed that the whole city be consumed by flames. And
so it happened. Kannaki then proceeded westward to the Malainadu (Hill
country) and continued to do penance at the foot of a Vengai tree in the
Neduvelkunram, a hill near Kodungolur (Cranganore) according to
Adiyarkkunallar.

A source of information — Barring the legendary portions of
the twin epics, the Silappadikaram and the Manimekalai are the
unfailing sources of information for writing the history of the
ancient Tamil-land. The first is a contribution by a royal author
and may be relied upon for details as regards the life in courts,
and the accounts of the kings mentioned therein. It is indeed a
valuable mine of information for re-writing the history of the
early Pandya, Cola, and Cera Kings. It shows the relation of the
states with one another, not excluding North Indian states like
Avanti and Magadha. It gives us a true picture of the social and
religious life of the people of those days. The various fine arts,
such as music and dancing, flourished on an extensive scale as
literature itself did. It gives us also types of good and bad
womanhood and the ruin of the innocent by the seduction of the
latter. It shows how justice was rendered besides other details
of administrative interest. These and several other things found
mentioned are indeed valuable as throwing sufficient light on the
history of the Tamils in the early centuries of the Christian era.
This is a work which combines in it the three divisions of Tamil —
Iyal, Isai, and Natakam — and Prose as well.

The Manimekalai is a sequel to Silappadikaram, and takes up
the story from the death of Kannaki. The scheme as well as the
plan of the story are simple.

While the story of the Silappadikaram is of such varied
interest and is presented vividly like a dramatic representation,
the story of the Manimekalai is narrowed down to the aimless
adventures of a Buddhist Bhikshuni (nun), sectarian in outlook.

Madavi, on hearing of the death of Kovalan, renounced the world, and
turned a Buddhist nun. She had a daughter named Manimekalai by
Kovalan. She too became a nun. Once Udayakumaran, the son of the
reigning king, saw her and fell in love with her and pursued her, but
in vain. . . . She was then taken by a goddess to Manipallavadvipa
where were enshrined the feet of the Buddha. Here she was told that the
prince was her husband in a previous birth. Through the grace of the
deity she got possession of a begging bowl which would be ever full and
never empty.

Z>. pp. 79 and 81.

fclviii TAMIL

She then returned to Kavirippumpattinam and- became fully engrossed
in doing selfless social service, assuming the disguise of one Kayasandikai.
But Udayakumaran came to know of this her new disguise. One day the
■real Kayasandikai herself was seen in the garden and the prince rah
after her. This was noticed by her husband, who in a fit of jealous fury
murdered the prince. The king had Manimekalai arrested and imprisoned
but at the request of the queen, she was soon released. She then wandered
throughout the land visiting several holy places. At last she settled at
Kanchi performing penance and listening to discourses on the righteous
laws promulgated by great teachers of various religions. The last years
of her life were spent in that city in a Buddhist nunnery.

Its author is Sittalai Sattanar known also as Kulavanikan
Sattanar and Sattanar in literature.

Sattanar seems to have been an accomplished writer.
Simplicity of diction, easy flow of words, and a clear and
perspicuous style, fecundity of thought, fineness of imagery, and
richness of imagination are the chief characteristics of his writings.
Besides the classical work Manimekalai, his contributions are to
be found in the well-known collections of Ettuttogai.

A source of information. Since the discovery and publication
of the Manimekalai by Mahamahopadhyaya, U. V. Swaminatha
Aiyar, scholars have been at work on the subject. For, apart from
its great literary value to students of Tamil literature, it is an
invaluable source of information to the historical students as it
contains a wealth of details regarding the political, social, and
religious conditions and institutions prevalent about the beginning
of the Christian era, when, it is generally accepted, this work was
composed. That a mass of useful material lies buried in its pages
is accepted even by acute critics.

Jivaka-Chintamani : The author of this work is Thirut-
thakka-Thevar. He was born at Mailapur, and was a Jain. His
fame rests on Jivaka-Chintamani, which, though based on a
Sanskrit original, contains an expression of Jain doctrines and
beliefs. Its other title, Mudi-porul-thodar-jiilai-seyyul, suggests
that it treats of the fourfold object of life and aim of a literary
work, viz. virtue, wealth, pleasure, and bliss. It is the story of
Jivaka from his birth to the attainment of bliss and has a
commentary by Nacchinarkiniar. It is in 13 books or Ilambakams
arid contains 3145 stanzas. It is noted for its chaste diction and
sublime poetry, rich in religious sentiment, full of reflections and
remarks on the grounds of human action, and replete with
information about the condition of the arts and customs of social
life at the period of its composition. It will, therefore, interest the
"•scholar, the poet, and the antiquary ; and there is a traditioh

D. pp. TO and 81. P. pp. 126 and 127. 1

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE ' xlix

current that Kamban's Ramayanam owes much of its excellence
and many of its beauties to this memorable Epic.

The above five works are called the Five Major Epics. There
were also other works of which the most important are five, called

the Five Minor Epics or Ain-Siru-Kappiam.
Otoe Five They are Nilakesi, Sulamani, Yasothara-Kavyam,

Nagahumara-Kavyam, and Uthayanan-Kathai.
They are all probably the works of Jain authors. They are in
merit and historic interest nowhere near the Five Great Epics or
rather the three which are known to us today.

xi. The Period of Religious Revival

The next period in Tamil Literature, i.e., from the 6th to the
10th century is what may be called the period of Religious Revival
when great Bhakta poets poured forth their soul-stirring song
offerings. Brahminism had heavily lost ground to the Buddhist
and Jain religions and this resulted in its turn in a vigorous
Revivalist Movement often characterised by polemics, miracles,
conversions and persecution, and bid for royal favour.

The outstanding literature of this period are the Tiruvasagam,

the Tevaram, and Tiruvaymoli. The Saiva saints and the

Vaishnava saints belong to this period. Karaikal

' Its Literature. Ammaiyar seems to be the earliest of Saiva

hymnists. The first three Alwars are the earliest

of Vaishnava hymnists. Both these people developed a godly

literature in their own way. Tamil language possesses more than

sixteen thousand stanzas in praise of God. All these belong to

the said five centuries.

The Saiva saints called the Nalvar — the Four — are Manikka-
vasagar, Tirujnana Sambandar, Appar (Tirunavukkarasu) , and
Sundarar.

Manikkavasagar : The life of this saint who bears a

favourable comparison with St. Augustine, St. Paul, and St. Francis

of Assisi and other learned saints of the West,

Manickka- j s t0 ^ e t race< j from poetical legends which .have

v&sag&r.

grown around that notable figure. It is even

difficult to definitely assign to him a particular period, but still

it is reasonable to fix it as the third 1 century a.d. His chief works

are the Tiruvasagam and the Tirukkovai.

i A dispute, which will probably never be settled, goes on about his
date. Many argue that he belonged to the ninth century and followed
Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar. What matters most, however, is his
teaching and not his date.

P. pp. 126 and 129. D. p.. 99. _ 4

IV

1 . TAMfL

Tiruvasagam : Of these the Tiruvasagam relates an auto-
biographical tale of the different stages of his spiritual life and
experience which ultimately enabled him to attain enjoyment,
ineffable and eternal. It is a torrential outflow of ardent religious
feelings and emotions in rapturous songs and melodies. This work
may be regarded as a convenient handbook on mystical theology.
It is the spontaneous outpouring of his ecstatic feelings, under the
stress of strenuous spiritual impulses. Among the accredited
devotional works in the Tamil tongue it takes the foremost rank.

Dr. G. U. Pope has rendered an invaluable service to Tamil
in translating this work into English. It is difficult to find a parallel
for this work in the other languages of the world but it would
not be altogether inappropriate to state that the Imitation of Christ
by Thomas A. KJe^pis parallels most closely this treasure of the
Tamilar. One is struck again and again by the similarity of
thought and even expression — why, even whole sentences —
between the two books.

Tirukkovai : The other equally remarkable work of his is
the Tirukkovai. Superficial readers devoid of true spiritual
acumen are apt to treat this supreme mystic work as an ordinary
text-book of love-poetry. True, what is known in Sanskrit as the
Srngararasa seems at first sight to dominate the whole poem. But
it must be remembered that it is only a thin veil covering grand
and beautiful religious truths and conceptions.

It would not be out of place here to give the sum and substance of
the story contained in this poem as a layman finds it. A lover accidentally
meets a maid in some solitary mountain glade, is enamoured of her,
approaches her and both become fast attached to each other by the silken
bonds of love. Then they marry in public and settle down to the life
of householders. Shortly after, one business or other necessitates the
husband's absence in foreign countries for a shorter or longer period
according to the nature of the business. Both feel the separation keenly,
and look forward rather eagerly to the day when both of them should
meet for an indissoluble union as it were. But the grief of the forlorn
wife in her solitary home ever thinking of her absent lord, daily becomes
more and more unbearable, and she breaks forth in piteous wail,
expressive of the various phases of her grief. It is this grief of the lonely
wife yearning to join her husband in warm, indissoluble embrace that
allegorizes the earnest efforts of the individual soul seeking re-union with
the Universal Soul.

Men of deep intuitive insight perceive and perceive rightly,
the highly spiritual meaning underlying this story. The Lord was
the eternal object of his love, and Manikkavasagar himself, a lover

p. pp. 101 and 102. x

tfHE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE ** ll

from the earliest days of his life. But by some accident, he has
been long separated from the object of his love. He feels this
separation intensely, realizes this well, and yearns for an
indissoluble, inviolable, and irreproachable union or oneness with
God. 1

The Tiruvasagam and the Tirukkovai are practically free from
any religious bias or bigotry.

The other three saints were vigorous protagonists of the
Saiva faith and were the spear-heads of the revivalist movement

of the Saiva religion. They were deeply moved
The other by the decline of their religion and the growing

Saints. supremacy of Buddhism and Jainism and they

dedicated their lives to fighting the apathy and
ignorance of their people. They travelled from place to place
throughout the length and breadth of the Tamil country, and
everywhere they adopted a simple procedure of exhortation to the
people to rise and be saved. They took a local temple and the
local deity and wove their songs of mysticism and praise to the
Lord round this nucleus. The songs were usually ten with a
eleventh added in many cases as a ' signature ' song. The tenth is
marked, in many cases, by direct attacks of other rival religions
and sects. But today with the polemics a thing of the past, the
thousands of songs in the Tevaram and the hundreds in the
Tiruvasagam delight and uplift one and all in the Tamil-land.

It is stated that what we have of the Tevaram is but a fragment
of what existed long ago. These too would have been lost to
us but for the labours of Nambi Andar Nambi, of Thiru-Narayur.
This Tamil Vyasa who collected the Saiva hymns and grouped
them into eleven tiru-murais lived in Cola-nadu. The last ten
pathikams (section) of the last collection were his own. His
Tiru-Thondar-Tiru-Antadi formed the basis of Peria-Puranam by
Sekkilar, a remarkable and composite hagiology or lives of
sixty-three saints in seventy-two cantos, totalling 4,286 stanzas.

What the four Saiva saints did to the Saiva religion the
Twelve Alwars did for the Vaishnava faith.

i A similar significance underlying the Third Book of the Kural
appears to have been lost sight of the course of ages. The inappro-
priateness of the present day lay-sense attached to the chapters on ' Bliss '
will be seen from the fact that the fourth and final aspect of life is
Vidu— At-one-ment, or Moksha— and the crudity of imagining that worldly
love has been treated as the stage Just before it, cannot be over-emphasised.

D. p. 103.

Hi

TAMIL

The Alwars.

The Twelve Alwars have been classified in different ways by
different classifiers. The orthodox Vaishnavas hold that the
Alwars were the incarnations of the sacred
weapons and vehicles of Vishnu. The lives of
the Vaishnava saints are found in Guruparamparai or the genealogy
of the Gurus and in Alwar Vaipavam or the chronicles of Alwars
relating the events and occurrences connected with these saints.
Very little is known of the biographies of Poikayar, Peyar and
Poothatthar. The names of the Alwars, the number of hymns
sung by each, and their birth place are given below :

Nadu

_.

__* Name.

No. of
Stanzas.

Birth-place.

Pallava-

nadu

S

1.

2.
3.
4.

Poikayar
Puthatthar
Peyar
Tirumalisaiyar

100
100
100
216

Conjeevaram.
Mahabalipuram
Mailapur
Tirumatisai

Cola-nadu

5.
6.
7.

Tiruppan Alwar

Thondaradippodi
Tirumangaiyar

10

55

1,351

Urayur

Tirumandankudi

Tirukkurayalur

Cera-nadu

c

\

8.

Kulasekhara

105

Kollam (Quilon)

Pandiya-
nadu

\

9.
10.
11.
12.

Periyalvar
Andal

Nammalwar
Madhura Kavi

473

173

1,296

11

Srivilliputtur

do.
Alwar Tirunagari
Tirukolur

From this list it will be seen that the largest number of hymns
contributed to the Prabandham have been by Tirumangai Alwar
and Nammalwar and, next to them, by Periyalwar and Tirumalisai
Alwar.

Of the 4,000 making up the Vaishnava Scriptures, the first
thousand (really 947) is known as Tiru-moli, which comprises
the hymns of Perialwar, Andal, Kulasekhara, Tirumalisai,
Thondaradippodi, Tiruppan, and Madurakavi ; the second thousand
(really 1,351) known as Peria-tirumoli was the work of Tiru-
mangai ; the third thousand (correctly 817) called lyal-pa was
the contribution of the first three Alwars, Tirumalisai, Nammalwar,
and Tirumangai ; and the fourth thousand (strictly 1,1 02), called
Tiruvaymoli, was entirely the work of Nammalwar.

The first Alwars witnessed no jarring alien faiths in their
time ; Tirumalisai, Tirumangai and Thondar-adi-podi had enough
of them and opposed Saivaism, Jainism and Buddhism alike.

P. pp. 182 and 183.

THE LANGUAGE ANb LITERATURE liii

Tirumalisai, Namrnalwar, ahd Tirumarigai were fhe greatest of the
Alwars of Vaishnava saints ; and Nammalwar lived at a time
when the land was almost free from alien religious influences and
when the Vaishnavas and Saivas were at peace.

Their contributions of hymns and prayers in praise of Vishnu
make up the Nalayirap-prdbandham also called the Divya-
Prabandam a sacred work esteemed by the Vaishnavas as the
second Veda. It stands on the same footing of sanctity as the
Tevaram of the Saiva saints. Every one of the Alwars had
personal, intuitive experience of the Divine Presence.

When these hymns are sung or chanted, it may be said without
fear of contradiction that nothing sweeter to the ear can be found
in the entire range of Tamil literature and very few, if any,
can equal their quality of lifting the soul into realms of spiritual
ecstasy.

The hymns sung by the Alwars were collected and arranged
in order and published together by St. Nathamuni into one volume
and titled the Nalayira-Prabandam or the ' Book of Four Thousand
Hymns '. Nathamuni was a contemporary of Nambi-andar-nambi,
— the compiler of the Tiru-murais — and he was inspired by the
latter to do a like service to the Vaishnava hymns.

xii. Period of Literary Revival.

The next period in the history of Tamil literature was one of
literary fervour. The great trio of this period were Kamban,
Otta-kuttan and Puhalendi. We do not give any detailed account
of Kamban and his works as there is a separate note on him in
this book on a later page and this work of V. V. S. Aiyar is itself
an elaborate testimony to Kamban's greatness.

Otta-kuttan was a contemporary of Kamban and his Uttara-
kandam winds up the Ramayanam of Kamban. He wrote the
Eetti-elupathu and the Thakka-yaga-parani and the three Ulos on
Rajaraja, Vikrama, and Kulottunga Colas. He was a rival to our
great poet. If Kamban was strong in his stately viruttams and
resembled Milton in his diction and rhythm, Otta-kuttan was a
severe critic of poetry and an expert in making antadi, kovai and
ula (various types of metrical compositions).

Puhalendi was a contemporary of Otta-kuttan, "and there
existed between them bitter rivalry throughout their lives.
PUhalendi was famous for his wenba and his best work is the
Nalctvenba — the 'story of Nala and Damayanti.

llV . TAMIL

Before we close this period we must make mention of one
species of poetic composition of which the most famous author is
Jayamkondan.

He lived in the time of Kulotthunga Cola I, i.e., between
a.d. 1070 to a.d. 1118 and described that emperor's conquest of
Kalinga-nadu in Kalingatthup-parani. ' Parani ' is a type of
poetic composition which has for its hero a warrior who has killed
in the field of battle a thousand male elephants and describes his
exploits with the help of the demoniac machinery.

xiii. Tamil Prose and the Commentators. *

(The Period of Criticism, a.d. 1200-1450)

Our duty ends here. We have taken the reader, though
hurriedly, through the realms of Tamil Literature. Kamban is
a product of this great heritage, and has proudly maintained and
handed over to his posterity this great empire, vastly enriched
by his incomparable contribution to its wealth and fame.

But, any essay of this sort which fails to mention Tamil Prose
and the great commentators would have omitted one of the most
important sections of Tamil literature and a group of scholars
who have done the greatest service to posterity by illuminating
the dark caverns of ancient literature where lie the priceless
treasures of Tamil. They have not merely illuminated the grottos
but have excavated it, cleaned the treasures, and have arranged
them in an imperishable museum along with a wealth of
information which for learning and research can scarcely be
rivalled.

The reader would have heard often and from many sources
that there was no Tamil Prose at all in the olden days. Such
criticism comes from a lack of research and of appreciation of
what constitutes prose.

Now the question arises ' what is prose ? ' Th3 ordinary
definition of Prose is ' the common language of men unconfined
to poetical measures'. In this sense, of course, almost all our
old prose writings are no prose ; for example, let us examine the
prose passages in the ancient epic Silappadikaram ; the rules of
scansion can very well be applied and they can be brought under
the general heading of the Tamil metre called Asiriappa.

1 This section is chiefly composed of a series of extracts from History
of the Tamil Prose Literature, an excellent thesis by V. S. Chengalvaraya
Filial, m.a.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE lv

- The- definition which Coleridge gives of Prose may serve our
purpose here. Coleridge has said, " I wish our clever young poets
would remember my homely definitions of Prose and Poetry, that
prose is ' words in their best order ', poetry ' the best words in
their best order'. As the medium in which the Poet works is
language, execution in his case is the arrangement of the best
words in the best order, the best order being in all but a few
anomalous cases, a rhythmical one. The technical laws of verse,
however, deal only with ' the best order '. There remain as a part
of execution ' the best words '. This section of the definition
covers all the intellectual propriety, the moral passion, the verbal
felicity, the myriad charms and graces of which ' the best order '
is but the vehicle." Now applying this definition to our ancient
prose, we may safely assert that it comes under the compass of
Prose ; for, there we find ' words in their best order ' but not
' best words in their best order '. Hence, prose passages where
we discern only poetic flow are all to be included in the province
of prose.

It is noticeable that even the prose writings in the commenta-
ries have always a tinge of poetic flow in them ; and, in fact, the
Tamil writers ancient as well as modern have had a great taste
for this peculiar style and most of the commentators including the
commentator on Irayanar Agapporul, Nacchinarkkiniyar,
Parimelalagar, and Adiyarkkunallar very often indulged in making
use of this peculiar style. This style, which is peculiar to Tamil,
does not in any way mar the excellence of good prose ; on the
other hand, our pleasure is enhanced when we read passages which
have the balanced poetic flow.

The Tamil word for Prose is Urai-Nadai which means ' the
speech on foot ' ; and it will be interesting to observe that the
Latin expression Oratio pedestiris for Prose means also ' speech
on foot ', i.e. ' the language that walks and does not profess to
fly ' ; and as this was the style that could possibly be used in
writing commentaries, they were also given the name of ' Vrai ' :
and Tamil Prose has had its origin mainly, if not solely, in
commentaries. We have no grounds for asserting that there were
separate prose works before the beginning of the 17th century:
That commentary was not the only province of prose in our ancient
literature, we may boldly assert ; for, prose was used in a parti- i
cular species of composition, the characteristic feature of which is
called ' Tonmai ' — narration of ancient story — and it almost,
corresponds to the Epic Poetry. The Tonmai composition, like the

lvi TAMIL

epic, " is one of the earliest poetical forms in which the primitive
imagination has found expression. The 238th sutram of Seyyul
Iyal in Tolkappiyam, defines its characteristics.

Sllappadikaram has some fine examples of prose though it is
comparatively very small. The truth of the statement that " the

best of prose is often poet's prose because the
Prose In the poets' mind is stored with good choice of figures

Period. anc * h as a ^ so a disciplined habit in the use of

them" may be noticed in Ilangovadigal's prose.
The felicity of expression is markedly outstanding ; and the
passages have a thorough poetic flow, with alliterations and rhyme.

The Uraiperu Katturai (speech in prose) is the only prose
portion of the work. The passages which are called Uroippottu,
and Uroippottu nadai, have the least claims to be included in the
province of prose.

During this period, the Jain ascendancy was pronounced ;
and its influence on the Tamil Literature was equally great.
. Most of the Jain Epics were written at this
Post-Sangam time.

to A.D. 500. The works of this period are the Jain prose

works of the ' mongrel sort of diction ', known
as Manipravalam style, which is pleasing neither to the purely
Tamil nor the purely Sanskrit ear ; of these prose works, Sri
Puranam and Gadya Chintamani deserve mention.

As there is not even a single prose-writer who belonged

Medieval Period to this period, we shall have to notice only

JSS*^ 1 ^ *° commentators and their commentaries.

1200 A.D.

Their period has been called the Reformatory Period. We

may as well call it the period of commentators. It is a

remarkable fact in the history of the Tamil

The

Commentators Literature that commentaries have been,

and their prose from a very long time, occupying a pro-

A S 1450 t0 minent place. Following the Tamil Grammar

Tolkappiyam, we include commentaries also in

the province of prose.

Commentaries in Tamil have been divided from of old into
Kandigai and Virutti, compendious and elaborate. The former
explains the text and the latter, in addition to explanation,

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE lvii

criticises, arid supplements it, and weighs the value of other
commentaries with it.

Ilampuranar was admittedly the first in point of time to

annotate Tholkappiyam and is spoken of as ' the annotator '.

Perasiriyar was the author of a commentary on Tiru-Chitt-
Ambalak-kovai, or, shortly, Tirukkovaiyar, by Manikkavasagar.
From Nacchinarkiniar's commentaries we are led to infer that he
wrote a commentary on Tholkappiyam .and Kurunthokai. He is
quoted by Nacchinarkiniyar in his commentary on Tholkappiyam
(Aham 36).

His style is grammatical, graphic and simple. This is the
best specimen of elegant and simple prose.

Sena-Varaiyar wrote a commentary on Words (Sol) in
Tholkappiyam, which was called Sena-Variyam after the author.

His prose style is not so simple as that of Nacchinarkiniyar.

Nacchinarkiniyar was the greatest and most popular of
commentators. His commentaries are always Viruttis or elaborate
ones. In his commentaries good prose writing is found. He was
the first to comment on the whole of Tolkappij/am, and the
commentary bears his name — JVacchinarktniam. Besides Tolkap-
piyam, Pattupattu, Kalitthokai, Jivaka Chinthamani, and twenty
stanzas of Kurunthokai were annotated and commented on by
Nacchinarkiniar, who always brought to bear on the great works
he had chosen to annotate his clear and impartial mind, his vast
erudition and his minute and critical observation. To quote the
Rev. Dr. Bower : " His (Nacchinarkiniar's) comments are very
much on the plan of European annotations. He paraphrases the
text, and points out grammatical peculiarities ; he quotes
Tolkappiya sutrams throughout, explains obsolete terms, and gives
the various readings which existed in his day "

His style is simple and fine ; the occasional poetic flow, the
balance of style, and the unembarrassed flow of diction are the
outstanding features of his writings and it may well be said that
good prose writing commences with Nacchinarkiniyar.

Adiyarkunallar is known to us as the commentator of
Silappadikaram. He lived about the latter half of the 12th
century, after Jayamkondan, from whose Parani he has often
quoted in this commentary. He was a great authority on the

P., p. aw.

lviii TAMIL

ancient Tamil classics. The work which he undertook to annotate
was a very difficult one ; for, Silappadikaram is not a mere Iyal
Tamil composition ; one who undertakes to annotate it should have
a clear knowledge of the three branches of Tamil literature, lyal,
Jsai and Natakam.

His prose sentences are often long, and they, now and then,
have the poetic flow. His style is always clear.

Pari-mel-Alakar was a famous commentator of ' Tirukkural'
and as he was a great Sanskrit scholar as well, his commentary
is very valuable for its wealth of illustration and parallel quota-
tions. His style is lucid and very suggestive.

His prose, unlike that of Nacchinarkiniyar, is very terse and
in some places too brief to be easily intelligible. There is one
thing very remarkable about his style in this commentary. Like
the style of the great Poet whose work he had taken to annotate,
his style also is so much compressed in form that one word in a
sentence cannot be removed or substituted without at the same
time damaging the compactness of the style. Not a single word
he uses unnecessarily. The quotations he gives are very apt ; in
his whole commentary on the Kural he gives quotations from about
twenty select works. His style gets often poetical in its flow, as
it cannot but become so, when its master seeks after compression
of expression.

xiv. Modern Period (after A.D. 1450)

It is not our design nor will the space at our disposal permit

us to deal with the Tamil literature of the Modern Period, i.e;

from the 13th century onwards. If we did, we

L f U th nar,eS sha11 have t0 speak of tnem wno are called Tne

Modern Period. Lesser Trio — Kalamegam, famous for invectives
in poetry ; the Twins, a lame man on the
shoulders of his blind companion who laughed at the world in
their inspired poems, two lines of which one of them will sing and
the other will cap it with another two ; and Padikkasu Pulavar.

Mention shall have to be made also of the spiritual successors
of the lineage of the Four Saiva Saints, viz., Arunagiriyar,
Pattinattar, Kumaraguruparar, Thayumanavar, and Ramalinga
Swamigal. .

There were many outstanding Muslim scholars and poets in
this time whose works have enriched the Tamil literature.

THE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE lix

Gopalakrishna Bharati has a separate niche in the hearts of
the Tamilar.

The last and greatest literary product of the modern times
will require a volume for himself, and in fact volumes have been
written about him — our patriot and poet Subbramanya Bharati,
who was responsible fpr the present day cultural and emotional
resurgence in the south.

No one can speak of the Modern Period and not speak of the
selfless group of European scholars who had done so much for

Tamil, viz., research and classification of the
f U h°i Pean ancient literature and grammar. Dr. Beschi,

Rev. Caldwell, Dr. G. U. Pope, Rev. Lazarus,
Rev. Drew, Rev. Ellis and others have laid the Tamilar under a
debt of eternal gratitude. To this noble band belongs the Rev.
H. A. Popley who lives amongst us today and is well-known for
his musical compositions on the Christian faith on the lines of
Kirtans. But we dare not venture into this tempting field.

The Thembavani is an Epic of the Life of Christ which we owe
to this school of foreign scholars.

Tamil fell into evil days in the modern period. The patrons
of Tamil literature, the line of Kings of Pandya, Cola and Cera

Kingdoms had vanished. The land has fallen
Tamil" °' under alien rule. The debasement of the people

and their culture was complete. They came
even to be ashamed of their language and went so far as to call
the ancient literature as unintelligible nonsense, and dismissed the
chaste style of these treasures with a sneer. They went further
and destroyed either wantonly or through superstitious beliefs or
through ignorance the records on cadjan leaves.

In such straits, the Tamil Mutts or matams saved the priceless
treasures for us. It is difficult to find an exact parallel to

these institutions in other countries. They may
The Matams. be classed as monasteries with a head to

each who is in charge by authority of
spiritual succession.

The monasteries were the repositories of learning. Founded
five or six centuries ago, for the diffusion of Tamil learning and the
Saiva faith, they made a vigorous attempt to preserve old cadjan
volumes against the ravages of time and the wild and ruthless
persecutions of the Muhammadan invaders.

lXf TAMIL

The most important of these fnatams are the ThiruVavadu-
thurai, Dharmapuram and in later days Thirupanandal. All of
them have rendered and continue to render noble service to Tamil
and Saiva religion. They maintain oriental colleges, support
scholars and authors, and publish all the important literary
and religious literature. It may be said that but for them
many of our ancient works could never have come down
to us. Latterly, these matams have taken to a new approach to
the propagation of Tamil literature and Saiva doctrines. They
now publish most of the ancient writings with English and Hindi
translations. The amount of ignorance prevailing in India outside
the Tamil-land about the heritage and culture of the Tamilar has
to be seen to be properly assessed. The Saiva matams have earned
the gratitude of all Tamilar and other well-wishers of Tamil
and its literature.

It is from these repositories, and from private homes that
Dr. U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar was able to trace out the ancient
classics and numerous other notable works of Tamil literature.
The people of India are wont to call great souls as the avatar of
God Himself. It is as if the Tamil-anangu — The Tamil Muse —
herself incarnated as this Tamil scholar, research student, tireless
collector, compiler, and editor and publisher. Born of a poor
family, educated almost by charity, meagrely paid for most of his
life, with nothing but the generosity of friends (large in the wish
to help but poor in ability to do so), this untiring savant brought
out eighty-works, large and small, in his eighty-four years
of life.

xv. Our Days

We have shown enough elsewhere to disprove the casual
criticism that there was no prose in the olden days of Tamil. The

attitude of mind behind this criticism and the
Prose n ** d * y ignorance it reveals is responsible for the state

of Modern Tamil Prose, regarding which we
cannot do better than quote l from a short article called " Tamil
Prose Today" by Mr. N. Raghunatha Iyer, Assistant Editor'.
The Hindu, Madras, which appears in the Bharati Jayanti Souvenir
(December, 1949) of the Bharati Tamil Sangam, Calcutta.

* By kind permission of the author and the BharaH Tamil Sangam,
Calcutta.

the language; and literature lxi

He writes: — "I have lately had to read large quantities of
recent Tamil prose in certain allied genres

" .... In quality this new literature leaves much to be desired.
Imperfect assimilation of Western ideas and insufficient command over
the medium of expression 1 combine to produce on the reader's mind
the effect of a rather unsatisfactory translation, not the impact of
an authentic piece of literature

"... There is a certain thinness of substance noticeable parti-
cularly in the academic type of criticism. A little learning is sought
to be spread over a vast area ....

" When one turns to what may be called the literature of know-
ledge, two things are seen to stand out prominently, an immense zest
and an almost equally immense inexperience

" The chief handicap is the absence of an agreed vocabulary of
technical terms and the lack of a real mastery of the chosen subject
on the part of all but a few of those who appear in the role of
popularisers

i There is a class of writers today which does not consider a knowledge
of either the ancient Tamil literature or the rules of grammar as essential
to their calling. It jeers at grammar and thinks that it has delivered
the coup-de-prace to it by saying that the name Nan-nool {The Good
Rules) has been given to the Tamil grammar as an euphemism and that
it should have been called the Vile Rules. This class of writers may well
benefit by the extracts we quote below from English — A Course for Human
Beings by Eric Partridge. He says :

" Grammar results from mankind's attempt to speak and

write coherently and, by speaking or writing clearly, to make language
easier to understand ; in a few words, it enables us to communicate with
others, others with us. Grammar forms a notable aid to speaking, writing,
listening ; in short, to communication. More : without grammar, we should
have difficulty in understanding anything except the simplest messages or
warnings.

" Only a fool is content to remain ignorant of the tools or instruments
he is using ; only a fool thinks it unnecessary to understand the words
he is using. This being so, you will And it useful — you will, indeed, find
it necessary — to bear constantly in mind the relationship between speaker
and hearer, hence the only slightly less important relationship between
writer and reader.

" We can never hope to understand what language is and how it
progresses (or doesn't) unless we remember that language is primarily
the inter-activity of speech and hearing, and that writing is, in a sense,
speech at second hand. Grammar is that wonderful and invaluable set of
means and devices whereby we can render our words significant and
make our ideas pass easily, from within ourselves, to other persons.
Language is the vehicle, the carrier, of our thoughts and feelings and of
our stories, whether true or imagined ; grammar is the machinery by
which that vehicle is set and kept in motion ; the motive power (the
Steam, the electricity, the turbine) is the mind ; and the speech-sounds,
or the printed page, are the air and space through which the vehicle
moves.".

—Publishers.

ixil TAMIL

" . . .A standard literary language is yet to be evolved. Those
writers who were brought up in the Pandit tradition but wish to
stand well with the new public too often merely achieve drabness
in trying to shed their pedantry

"There is a rude vigour in the writings of polemists; but too
many of them take a childish delight in such verbal tricks as allitera-
tion, assonance and puns. While there is definitely a place in litera-
ture for the genuine regional dialect, too often does the slovenliness
that comes of pure ignorance do duty for realism. Journalese and
portmanteau language have a strange fascination for the half-educated.
And the extent to which the average Tamil writer who has a rudi-
mentary knowledge of English has had his syntax corrupted is
amazing."

Exceptions, there are to this sorry state, as to anything else
in this world, but one speaks here of the general state of prose
today as a whole and not of those rare authors who are responsible
for the very little excellent prose of these days.

To name but a few, Mr. P. Sundaram Pillai, Mr. Vedanayagam
Pillai, Mr. A. Madhaviah, Mr. V. Kalyanasundaram Mudaliar, Rao
Bahadur P. Sambanda Mudaliar, Mr. R. P. Sethu Pillai, Mr. K. V.
Jagannathan, Dr. Seshadrinathan, Mr. Swaminatha Sarma,
Dr. Varatharajan, Mr. Gnanasambandam, Mr. C. N. Annathurai,
Mr. Ganapati Aiyar, Mr. C. Rajagopalachari and a few others are
the outstanding prose writers of the present day.

Dr. U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar, the great editor and scholar
has left a wealth of excellent prose writings, and his unfinished
Autobiography is one of the best of its type.

The mention of Dr. Swaminatha Aiyar will recall to mind his
great teacher the late Minakshisundaram Pillai, and Aiyar's friend
Thiagaraja Chettiar whose names occur again and again in Aiyar's
Autobiography.

Namakkal Ramalingam Pillai, the poet-laureate of Madras is
another autobiographer of merit.

At the present day, prose predominates over poetry of which
very little is written. Such poetic works are breaking new ground
and it is too early to judge their worth and excellence.

xvi. Conclusion

Our object in compiling this brief survey is to make known
to the wider world of India and abroad, in as adequate a manner
as the small compass of this work will allow, the glories of Tamil
people and their literature.

*He language And literature ixiii

We have used the word ' compiled ' advisedly. Nothing, or
very little of the contents of this essay can claim any originality.

We have merely strung together on page after
Acknowledge- page extracts from various writers, chiefly from

' Tamil Studies ' by M. Srinivasa Aiyangar, m.a.,
' Tamil Literature ' by M. S. Purnalingam Pillai, b.a., l.t., and
' Studies in Tamil Literature and History ' by V. R. Ramachandra
Dikshitar, m.a. We tender our grateful thanks and sincere
apologies to these writers, their successors and publishers for the
liberty we have taken in so profusely using their works — nay, in
compiling this essay almost entirely with verbatim extracts from
these works.

We are also indebted to many friends who have guided
us with suggestions and material, chief among whom is
Mr. G. Thiagarajan of Tanjore who lent us his unpublished notes
and essays, and several books out of his library for compiling this
survey.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abbreviations
used in
foot-notes.

Books Consulted
Books in English —

1. Tamil Studies (First Series) T.S.

By M. Srinivasa Aiyangar, m.a.

2. Studies in Tamil Literature and History D

By V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar, m.a.

3. The Ancient Dravidians S

By T. S. Sesha Iyengar, m.a.,

M.R.A.S., F.R.H.S.

4. Tamil Literature P

By M. S. Purnalingam Pillai, b.a., l.t.

5. History of the Tamil Prose Literature C

By V. S. Chengalvaraya Pillai.

6. Pattupattu (Translated into English Verse) Ch.

By J. V. Chelliah, m.a.

lXJV TAMIL

Books in Tamil —

1. History of the Tamil Language

By V. G. Suryanarayana Sastriar, b.a.

2. Tamil Varalaru

By K. S. Srinivasa Pillai.

Books Recommended for Study

1. Manual of the Geology of India

By R. D. Oldhame.

2. Human History

By G. E. Smith.

3. Caste and Tribes of Southern India

By E. Thurston.

4. People and Problems of India

By Sir T. W. Holderness.

5. Ancient Indian History and Civilization

By R. C. Majumdar.

6. A History of India

By C. S. Srinivasa Chari & M. S. Ramaswami.

7. The Origin and Philosophy of Language

By Ludwig Noire.

Reprints of this essay are available at Re. 1/- eateh copy, postage extra.
A few copies only have been printed.

KAMBAN

Kamban, the author of the Ramayana in Tamil, which is the
subject of critical study in this work by V. V. S. Aiyar lived
in the IX Century a.d. l He was born in Tiruvazhundur in the
Cola country. His father was Athavan, a priest by caste. Kamban
appears to have been a poet in the court of the Cola and Cera
Kings, but his steadfast patron was Sadayappan of Tiruvennai-
nallur whose name is referred to in ten places in Kamba
Ramayanam.

Kamban was a devotee of Nammalvar, one of the famous
Vaishnavite saints and poets. Kamba Ramayanam was composed
by him about the eight hundred and eighties and according to
the procedure of those days was recited by him for approval to
an audience of the literary elite — a sort of Academy of Letters 2
— assembled in Srirangam in the month of Panguni (March-April)
of the year 807 3 of the Salivahana Sakabda (885 a.d.) on the full-
moon day when the star Uttaram was in the ascendant. 4 Kamban
was acclaimed by the assembly as the Kavichakravarti — the
Emperor of the Realms of Poesy — a title which every succeeding
generation has been but confirming ever since.

Many are the stories which have come down to us in poems
and by word of mouth about Kamban's difficulties before he had
his work approved, about his spirit of independence and poetic
hauteur and about the jealousies and intrigues of his contemporary
poets ; but fact and fiction have so intermingled in these anecdotes
that it is impossible to separate them today. They, however,
bear evidence to the high veneration in which Kamban was
and is held to this day in Tamil-land.

We should not omit to mention that in his work of over ten
thousand and five hundred stanzas of four lines each, there are
many interpolations too difficult to identify, though a hundred
of them are now known to have been inserted by one Velliambala
Thambiran. These interpolations, however, have not detracted
the generations of Tamilians from their undying love for this
great work.

His other works are said to be

Sadagopar-antadi, Silaiyezhupathu,

Aerezhupathu, Saraswathi-antadi.

i Some say the XII Century.

2 Mushairas ard Kavi-sammelans of these days.

3 The original poems allow an interpretation to mean 1107 instead of
807.

4 The Anniversary Day of the wedding of Shri Rama and Sita.

V

V. V. & AIYAR

VARAGANERI VENKATESA SUBRAMANYA AIYAR, was
born his father's first son, on 2nd April 1881, in a village near
Karur in the Trichinopoly District of the Madras Province. His
father Venkatesa Aiyar had settled at Varaganeri, a suburb of
Trichinopoly, and in his retired days was resisting mass conversion
of the Harijans to Christianity and was arranging for their
reconversion to the Hindu fold.

V. V. S. Aiyar, whom we shall hereafter mention as Aiyar
for short, matriculated at the early age of twelve ranking fifth
in the Presidency^; and was married the same year ; and
graduated when r. but sixteen. His college-mates relate his
annoying patience during discussions and controversies and his
smiling away all opposition in the College Free Thinkers' Society,
his drinking deep from Spencer and Spinoza, Milton and Moliere,
and of his being the favourite of all his professors.

When twenty, he was to be seen practising as a lawyer at
the Trichinopoly Bar ; and five years later, he sailed to Rangoon
to seek his fortune in Burma. But within a year he was bound
for England to become a barrister.

London : Master of Latin, he came out first in Roman Law
and " was an all round brilliant student ". Nearly three years
had rolled by and he was soon to return to India as an ambitious
barrister to make fabulous fortunes, but Destiny was shaping
him for quite a different life.

Wrote his associate : —

" In 1907, the maid-servant at the famous India House
in London handed a visiting card to us and presently a
gentleman neatly dressed and inclined to be fashionable
warmly shook hands with us, and told us that he came over
to London to qualify himself as a full-fledged barrister. ...
He assured us of his intention to study English music and if

possible also English dance as well We entered our

mild protest against thus dissipating the energy of one's youth
in light-hearted pastimes. . . . The gentleman, unconvinced,
i, though impressed, took our leave, promising to continue to
call on us every now and then. HE WAS SJT. V. V. S.
AIYAR.

"In 1910, we stood as a prisoner in London Brixon Jail.
The warder announced, visits and ajuciously we accompany

V. V. S. AIYAR

A 1L*FE SKETCH Ixvit

•••■ the file of prisoners to the yard j , we stand behind -the bats;
wondering who could have come to call on us and thus invite
the unpleasant attention of the London Police. Presently a
dignified figure enters the box in front of us. It was V. V. S.
AIYAR. His beard was closely waving on his breast. He
was unkempt. He was no longer the neatly dressed fashion-
able gentleman. His whole figure was transformed with
some great act of dedication of life "

Aiyar and Gandhiji : Diwali, the universal festival of
rejoicing in the whole length and breadth of India, has a special
significance to the South Indian. Aiyar and his companions in
India House at London were anxious to celebrate the Diwali in
Indian style as far as it was practicable in England, and Aiyar
went seeking leading Indian after Indian in London to grace the
occasion. But he met with no success. Aiyar heard that one
Mr. Gandhi, a man of new ways, had come to London to represent
the case of Indians in South Africa. After searching for him in
the luxurious hotels and similar rendezvous of fashionable Indians
of those days he found him in a humble home and invited him
to preside over the celebrations. Gandhiji made searching
enquiries about the mode of celebrations and when he was assured
that it would be in purely Indian style he readily agreed. This
was the first occasion on which Aiyar met Gandhiji. With his,
revolutionary zeal, Aiyar did not want to miss the opportunity
of pressing his views on the rising leader. He spoke to him
with vehemence about the revolutionary creed as the only
possibility of winning independence for India. Gandhiji in turn
preached him his newly-found satyagraha. Aiyar returned
feeling naively confident that two or three more pep talks by
him to Gandhiji would convince him and bring him to his way
of thinking.

Aiyar was away when Gandhiji came to India House. The
other .companions of Aiyar, who were busy cooking, saw a thin,
simply-dressed poor Indian and immediately pressed him into
service and allotted him all the more menial jobs in the
kitchen. Aiyar returned to the house to find the principal guest
of the evening employed in the kitchen. He made profuse
apologies to Gandhiji but he put him at his ease with his winning]
smile and heartily joined in the celebrations.

The Die is Cast : The moment came when he was to be
called to the Bar. But he firmly refused to take the oath of.

lxviii V. V. S. AIYAR

allegiance to the King, whom he would not recognise as the King
of his country as well. Such was his irrevocable decision to
completely dedicate his life for the cause of Indian freedom.

London to Amsterdam : This was sufficient proof of the
volcano he was, and an urgent warrant was issued to arrest this
fiery anarchist. During the night, the C.I.D. Police had occupied
situations in the Hotel in which Aiyar resided, to take him away
in the morning. Aiyar, scenting this, as a Jean Valjean, left the
hotel at midnight, taking with him the barest necessities, and
among them the volumes of Kamba Ramayana were to be found :
such was his love for Kamban from whom he would not part
even in such perilous times.

A broad intellectual forehead, a bold aquiline nose, a strong
athletic form and a majestic beard adding colour to the arresting
personality — yet the spy of the Scotland Yard was certain that
this was the " South Indian Brahmin revolutionary " he was to
arrest, his appearance like a Punjabi Sikh notwithstanding ; and
to fix the identity he handed over a telegram to V. V. S. Aiyar.
With an uncanny presence of mind, Aiyar immediately returned
the telegram unopened to the C.I.D. man stating that he was
delivering it to the wrong addressee. The official was quick to
point out the inscription ' V.V.S.' on Aiyar's handbag, and quicker
was Aiyar to reply " Yes ! My name is Veer Vikram Singh ".
The sleuth had to go away quietly.

Paris to Pondicherry : Crossing the Channel was not the
end of the trouble. The British Secret Police in France were
censoring all his letters, and the moment he entered any British
territory he was to be taken into custody. Aiyar was constantly
writing to his father of his desire to settle in Brazil where land
was rich and plentiful, instead of going to India where he might
be arrested and jailed. Could not his father, Aiyar asked,
arrange for a hundred hardworking South Indian families to go
with him to Brazil and colonise that country.

On a certain morning of November 1910, news reach the
Government and the family of his presence at Pondicherry ! And
neither could believe it. The ruse was this : a bundle of letters
in Aiyar's handwriting to his father and relatives was handed
over by Aiyar to one of his friends in Paris to be posted every
week, and this fixed the attention of the British authorities in
Trance to Paris and to the ship routes to Rio de Janeiro.

In a few days a certain Muslim gentleman was swiftly passing
through Italy and Greece, Turkey and Egypt. He was very devout,

ALIFE SKETCH lXiX

constantly writing from the KURAN, and performing Namaz
live times a day on the ship's deck. The ship touches Bombay,
Colombo, and Tuticorin before he alights at Pondicherry harbour.
Within a few hours, telegrams signed " V. V. S. Aiyar " are handed
at the post office by this very same " muslim gentleman " inform-
ing the British Government of his presence in French India.

Aiyar was then just 29 years of age.

Pondicherry : Aiyar's life at Pondicherry for ten years from
1910 to 1920 is so fully packed with thrilling exploits,
imperturbable courage in the face of worst dangers, and brilliant
achievements in literature, that it is difficult to detail them all
in this short sketchy note. And in all his revolutionary activities
and literary work, we may mention, his wife was a source of
constant help. Smuggling of revolvers, proscribed literature,
arms and ammunitions to British India was a mere routine.

A versatile linguist knowing Latin, Greek, German, Persian,
Urdu, Sanskrit, Hindustani, Telugu and Canarese, etc., Aiyar soon
mastered French to study Napoleon's War Memoirs in the
original ; and wrote a synthetic treatise on military strategy,
adapting Napoleon's method of warfare for a war against the
British rulers. Lokamanya Tilak sent his nephew to Aiyar to
copy down the manuscript and Aiyar had to send him back in
the guise of a gypsy to save the manuscript and the messenger
from the secret police.

Desiring to prepare a background of revolutionary mentality
among his countrymen, Aiyar wrote Tamil biographies of
Napoleon, Garibaldi, Mazzini, Rana Pratap Singh, Chandra Gupta,
etc., and wrote some excellent short stories as well.

Finding it impossible to dislodge Aiyar from Pondicherry by
fair or foul means, the British Government took advantage of
the Great War of 1914-18 and made the French Government
believe that Aiyar was secretly communicating with the EMDEN
which was then scouring the Bay of Bengal. Although these
false allegations could not be proved, still as an ally of the British,
the French Government agreed to deport Aiyar to Algiers in
Africa. In order to gain time, Aiyar started a round of negotia-
tions and wanted to leave something behind him to keep his
memory green among his countrymen. Translation of the Tamil
Classic — KURAL — into English was decided on as his best legacy
for the country. It was on 1st November, 1914 he put his pen to
paper. Day after day he pounded away at the translation, every

bqc. V. V, 6. AIYAR

evening thinking that he might be deported the next morning,
On 1st March, 1915, the manuscripts were ready for the press.
Though completed in such perilous circumstances -and haste,
Aiyar's translation is considered the best even today.

Second Meeting with Gandhiji : Gandhiji came in 1917 to
Pondicherry and Aiyar met him for the second time. To this
date, Aiyar had not forsworn his belief in revolutionary methods,
but when Gandhiji met him it was a case of ' veni, vidi, vici.'
Gandhiji came, saw him, and conquered him. Aiyar became a
convert to the principles of Ahimsa and he who never went about
without a revolver in his possession, now exchanged it for the
Tofcti. To his dying day he remained true to his new religion
and there were often moments when his closest friends wished
that he was not such a staunch devotee of Ahimsa.

Back to the Indian Scene : The general amnesty of 1920
saw Aiyar an editor of a Tamil daily newspaper at Madras. But
he was soon to spend nine months in Bellary Central Jail during
1921-22 on a charge of sedition. It was in those nine months of
prison life that Aiyar wrote his Magnum Opus — A STUDY OF
KAMBA RAMAYANA — which we now offer to the lovers of
literature today. 1

Aiyar needed some books for consultation and we translate
here the letter he wrote to a friend in Benares.

He said :

"Dear brother, you would have come to know of my
stay here through the newspapers. I have still six more
months to stay here. I expect they would pass just as the last

three months have passed — in literary work You could

do me a service. I am writing a Study of Kamban. I require
in this connection Griffith's English translations of Valmiki*
and Tulsidas 3 Ramayanams and I also require As J

i Between the leaves of Aiyar's rough manuscripts was found a faded
cutting from a newspaper quoting records in daily or weekly cutout of
writing by famous authors. Dr. Johnson's Rasselas of a little more 20,000
words produced in a week, Mark Twain's 4,000 words a day, Stevenson,
Du Maupassant, Balzac, Hutchinson of "If Winter Comes" fame, Oppen-
heim and Wells have inspired Aiyar. His manuscripts show dates and
numbers of words written each day. In nine months of prison life, with
its. unbending routine, Aiyar lags not far behind these masters with hi*
work of a little over 140,000 words, more than a third of which sure Ssa
ln-verse. " '

* The author of the original Ramayana in Sanskrit.

s The author of the Hindi rendering of the Ramayana.

' ' A Life sketch fecxi

cannot think of any one else who could get them for me, and
as at present I have very little money, and as these books
will be available in Benares only, I have to trouble you. As
soon as I come out of prison I shall pay you the price." More
follows with a list of the books and where they will be
available. He continues : " I have finished nearly a hundred
pages of the work. I am now at present writing the
character study of Lakshmana. 1 I expect the book to run to
about five hundred pages. Wherever I have quoted any poems
from Kamban I am trying to translate them' in verse as far
as possible. I hope that this work will reveal the glories
of Kamban to the scholars in North India and to those
Tamilians who have forgotten their Tamil. My address is
V. V. S. Aiyar, No. 65, Central Jail, Bellary."

The Last Phase : Released from jail, Aiyar again plunged
into the vortex of his work. After a short swift tour of India,
Aiyar started an Ashram at Shermadevi, Tinnevelly District in
1922-23, called the TAMIL GURUKULAM, where the pupils and
the teachers ploughed the fields and reaped the harvest, laid
bricks and built huts, weaved cloth, printed books and magazines,
did carpentry and gardening, learnt self-defence, archery, sword
fights, etc. Aiyar's ambition was to create a race of Tamilians
similar to the Sikhs of the Punjab, and he wrote a biography of
Guru Gobind Singh to instil the ideals in the minds of his
countrymen.

The Heroic End : It was 10 a.m., 3rd June, 1925. The sun
was shining with all its splendour. The Kalyan-Thirtha Falls
was roaring at a distance with a majestic voice amidst a scene of
great beauty and charm. Aiyar joined the party of pupils he
had sent two days ago from the Ashram for a visual education
trip. All went up the hill and Aiyar was helping the safe passage
of the students across the proximal side of the falls. Aiyar's
daughter, Subhadra, insisted on her crossing the river, just as
the others, but as Fate would have it, she tripped into the deep
fast current with the cry, " Father ! Father ! " — and within the
fraction of a second Aiyar had jumped into the stream not a bit
thinking about the consequences and he almost held his daughter
by her locks, but only to find it slipping away, and in a few

l A fac-simile of a part of the first page of the manuscripts of this
chapter is reproduced opposite. Note the seal of the Bellary Central
Jail, and the calculations of words to a page, and the probable number
t>f printed pages of the size of a page of his Kurort.

Jbcxii GANDHIJI ON AlYAR

moments both were submerged in the hungry waters of the
Tamrabaraparani.

Thus ended in but 44 years one of the most momentous of
lives. .

" How we long to write of the goodness and gentleness of
disposition, how when betrayed you stood unshaken, how you
served them who owned thee not : how you suffered when
unknown and made not the slightest mention of it when you

got known Thy greatness must stand undimmed though

unwitnessed by man like the lofty Himalayan peaks. Thy
services and sacrifices must be buried in oblivion as do the
foundations of a mighty castle "

GANDHIJI ON AIYAR.

From Young India — 18th June, 1925
(Editorial page)

V. V. S. Iyer :

The readers of Young India will share my
regret over the death by drowning of Sjt. V. V. S.
Iyer. I had the pleasure of meeting him in
London years ago. He was then a fierce anarchist.
But he gradually mellowed down. The fire of
patriotism burnt none the less brightly in him.
He was a staunch non-cooperator and latterly he
had intended to devote himself entirely to
conducting the Shermadevi Gurukul. I always
regarded him as a fine, sincere and persevering
servant of the nation. May his soul rest in peace !

—M. K. G.

(Reproduced by Courtesy of the Navajivan Trust.)

A STUDY OF THE RAMAYANA OF KAMBAN

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

It is not easy to convince the literary world at this late hour
of day that there is, unsuspected by the greater part of it, a
Tamil poet who is worthy to take rank with the greatest names
in literature. It is, however, my purpose in this book to make
an attempt to prove that in the Ramayana of Kamban the world
possesses an epic which can challenge comparison not merely
with the Iliad and the JEneid, the Paradise Lost and the
Mahabharata, but with its original itself, namely, the Ramayana
of Valmiki. This is not the language of mere patriotic enthusiasm.
It is an opinion that has grown slowly with years and after
deep and careful study. And I hope to make the impartial
reader rise from the study of this monograph with a conviction
of the truth of my contention and with a desire to know more
of the poet than what he will see exhibited within the pages
of this volume.

I spoke of Valmiki's work as the original of KambanV
Ramayana. But Kamban has not translated Valmiki. He has
merely taken the story immortalised by the Aryan sage and,
though he has followed it closely enough in all its details, has
written an entirely original poem. Bentley said of Pope's Iliad,
" It is a pretty poem, but you must not call it Homer." Of
Kamban's Ramayana we should say reversing the language,
" It is not Valmiki's Ramayana, but it is a grander poem ".

It is a curious fact that during the whole course of our long
literary history, until very recent times, no Samskrit classic has
been literally translated into any of our vernaculars 1 . The
Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata, and the Skanda
Purana have been among the literary treasures that poets from
every part of India have attempted to render into their
mother-tongues. But in no single vernacular is there a literal
translation of any of these divine poems which dates from more
than three or four decades ago. On the contrary, all the old

i The Bhagavad Gita appears to be the only exception so far as we
know. It has been literally translated into Tamil verse by the great
Acharya Manavala Maha Muni in the 12th century of the Sakabcto, i.e.
the 13th century a.d.

2 KAMBA R AM AY AN A M — A STUDY

poetical renderings of these classics in the vernaculars are no
more than free adaptations from their originals.

This tendency to rewrite the stories of the Samskrit classics
instead of translating them seems to be a common instinct with
the peoples of India, for, so far as we can see, it cannot have
been the result of imitation by one people of the literary methods
of another. The earliest adaptation of a Samskrit classic into
a vernacular tongue is most probably that of the Mahabharata
into Tamil by Perun Devanar who is said to have lived in the
first century of the Sakabda 1 . Since then, the Skanda Purana,
the Ramayana and the stories of Nala and Harishchandra, among
others, have been rendered into Tamil by scores of poets, but
not one of these renderings is a mere translation. We find the
same phenomenon in Telugu. The monumental Bharatam of
Nannayya and Tikkanna has nothing in common with Vyasa's
Mahabharata except the story. There is nothing to show that
the authors of the Telugu Bharatam took to this method of
adapting the Samskrit epic instead of translating it from the
example of Tamil poets. The same is the case with Bhaskara's
Ramayana, Tulsi Das's Rama Charita Manas and other vernacular
classics of India. All these poets have dealt very freely with
their originals. Their tropes and fancies, their imagery, their
descriptions and dissertations are not those of the original poems
but their own. They develop certain incidents, cut down certain
others, and introduce interludes, fables, allegories or new
incidents according to their pleasure. In short what they write
are new poems altogether and not translations. And this tendency
is to be seen among writers of Provinces situated so wide apart
as Bengal and the Tamil country and Gujarat, and of ages
extending from the first century up to our own times.

If we look into the matter carefully, this method of
popularising the stories revered by the people will appear much
better than the western method of literally translating them
into poetry. For, the attitude of mind in which the poet has to
place himself in the attempt to translate from one language into
another acts as a drag upon all his higher faculties, so that even
poets of a very high order are failures when they descend to
translation on a large scale. Coleridge hit the nail on the head
when he said " the translation of poetry into poetry is difficult,
because the translator must give a brilliancy to his language
without that warmth of original conception from which such
brilliancy would follow of its own accord ". The mind of the

1 i.e. the 2nd Century of Christ.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 3

spoet is checked in its flight when it is weighted with the thoughts
and images of the original which he has to render closely into
another language. His mind loses its natural flow and has to
substitute for it a simulacrum by all sorts of subterfuges. And
the result is a travesty of the original which is not merely below
the original, but even below the average quality of the works
of the translator himself, as one can see by comparing, for
instance, Pope's Iliad and Odyssey with his other works.

Hence it is that Indian poets even of the second rank have
with unerring good sense abstained from translating the Samskrit
classics, but instead have rewritten them in their own way for
their countrymen. Thus while Europe has — to take one
representative each from the Greek and the Latin literatures —
but one Iliad and one JEneid, and a host of translations of these
•epics, India has not one Ramayana and one Mahabharata, but
at least a score of Ramayanas and Mahabharatas. No doubt
these are of unequal merit, but each one of them is at least as
great as the unhampered flight of its author's genius could
make it.

We should think that this difference between Europe and
India in the method adopted for the rendering of the classics
Into the vernaculars is due to the fact that, while the nations
of Europe have cut themselves away from their ancient religions
as those of Greece and Rome, the peoples of India are, on the
other hand, even to this day followers of the religion of the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the Skanda Purana and the
Bhagavata. To the modern European, Jupiter and Minerva and
Mars and Vulcan are nothing more than names, though with
poetical associations. Chateaubriand goes so far as to call them
devils who took form to corrupt mankind. But to the Hindu of
today, Rama and Krishna, Uma and Saraswati are heroes and
divinities worshipped with the same fervour with which they
were worshipped by his ancestors before him. While it is
only the scholar in Europe that can feel for Andromache and
Hector, and Hercules and Cassandra, every Hindu, be he or she
the most innocent of letters will shed tears with Sita and
Draupadi, and swell with pride at the exploits of Bhima and
Hanuman. Therefore, in taking up these stories as the subject
matter of their epics our poets had no need to look to the literary
classes alone for readers, but could appeal to all their countrymen
who spoke their language ; and that ought to be the reason why
they rewrote in their mother-tongues, instead of translating,
these epics so much loved of their people. Perhaps the poets

4 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

of Europe too would have followed a similar course if there had.
been epics that treated of the stories of Abraham or Jesus, great,
and ancient enough to make the greatest poets think it a matter
not derogatory to their dignity to rewrite them in their own
language. The absence of such ancient poems of transcendental
merit may in part explain the fact that in modern Europe the
natural instinct of epic poets to embody in poetry the
fundamental beliefs of their race and civilisation has produced
not one or more central stories for the whole of Europe, but
such different poems as the Divine Comedy, Jerusalem Delivered,
the Paradise Lost and Les Martyrs 1 .

However this may be, here is the fact that Kamban has
merely sung again in Tamil the great story of the Ramayana
and yet has been adjudged by his contemporaries, no mean
judges of poetry, as the Emperor of the Realms of Poesy — a title
which every succeeding generation in the Tamil country has
been but confirming ever since.

Other poets have taken their stories from earlier authors
or contemporary tradition, and have won immortal fame by
singing them. Indeed it may almost be said that no great poet
has ever cared to invent a story. For, even Valmiki got his story
from Narada and Brahma, Vyasa sang of the events that took
place before his own eyes, and Homer wrote the Iliad and the
Odyssey out of the traditions current in his time. Corneille and
Rachine looked to Greece and Rome and Spain for the themes
of their tragedies. It is well-known that Shakespeare borrowed
his stories from any source that was near at hand and not
infrequently rewrote for his own stage dramas which were
popular in his day. But the sources from which these masters
drew their stories were almost always of very indifferent merit,
and none but the curious student of literary criticism would now
care to look into them. Kamban's case, however, is entirely
different. He has not merely taken his theme from the greatest
of Samskrit epics but has followed it in almost every detail step
by step. He has himself challenged comparison, though in all
humility, with the first of Samskrit poets, and yet not one of
the critics who have compared his work with that of Valmiki
has ever denied him place among the greatest poets of the world.
It is now for the larger critical audience of India and of the rest
of the world to appraise Kamban's work and adjudge to him
his proper place among the sons of Saraswati 2 .

i Though this work is in prose, Chateaubriand has conceived thd-
theme and conducted the story in epic style,
a the goddess of learning.

CHAPTER II
THE STORY OF THE RAMAYANA i

Though Kamban has followed Valmiki very closely in the
-conduct of his epic, and though no Indian is ignorant of the story,
I propose to give here in a short compass the main incidents of
that immortal story, always following Kamban, so that even those
who have not hitherto made themselves acquainted with the same
may be enabled to follow this study with ease.

Ages and ages ago the island of Lanka which is to the south
of India, and which was in those days hundreds of times larger
■ than it is at present, was inhabited by a race of beings called
Rakshasas, who are described as huge and often misshapen giants,
strong and powerful, and active and energetic to a degree much
beyond the race of men. They crossed over to the mainland often
and disturbed the peace of the holy men living there. Ravana,
their king had, by his great austerities and devotion to Shiva and
Brahma, received from them the blessings of enormous strength,
long life, and victory against every possible opponent. Valiant,
proud, and ambitious, he made war against heaven and earth.
Wherever he went victory followed him, and the whole universe
•was powerless to stand against him and trembled with the fear
of the Rakshasa name. He destroyed sacrifices, killed Rishis and
other holy men, subdued the gods, and made war on mankind.
The gods implored Vishnu, the Protector of the universe, to free
them from the yoke of Ravana and the Rakshasas, and their prayer
was heard. Ravana in the pride of his strength had deemed man
and the monkey as too much beneath him to pray to Shiva and
Brahma for victory against them. Vishnu therefore promised to
the gods that he would Himself come down on earth and be born
as man and that He would destroy Ravana and his Rakshasas for
ever. He also commanded the gods to be born on earth as monkeys
and apes and bears and await his avatar 2 .

So Vishnu incarnated Himself as man and was born in the
<family of the Raghus as Rama, son and heir to Dasharatha,
Emperor of India. Rama had three brothers, Bharata, Lakshmana

i This chapter is the substance of a lecture delivered before the
Highgate Hill Unitarian Church, London in 1908 by the author and partly
printed in the last issue of the " Swaraj " of Shriman Bepin Chandra Pal
in the subsequent year.

z Incarnation.

6 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

and Shatrughna. The four brothers grew in age and years, in<
learning and all the princely arts. Even as the ocean smiled upon
by the silvery orb of the moon swells in joyous strength, even so
did these children grow in grace and beauty, strength and learning.
Rama and Lakshmana excelled in archery and all the arts of war.
Bharata and Shatrughna learned, as royal children must, the art
of using the bow and the arrow, but were more mild in
temperament. All three brothers vied with each other in their
love' for the valiant, the sweet-souled, the serene Rama.

The fame of Rama attracted a sage called Vishvamitra who
prayed Dasharatha to send Rama with him to guard his sacrificial
fire from pollution by the evil Rakshasas. Dasharatha had never
hitherto parted with Rama. He had, like Abraham, despaired of
having an heir born to him, when, lo, the joy of all the Raghus,
Shri Rama, was born in his house. Rama was the light of his
eyes, dearer than very life unto him. So the prayer of the sage
struck him in the heart. ' Even as a man blind from birth, who
had been blessed with vision for a brief space of time, would
groan helplessly if he should suddenly lose his new acquired
power of sight, even so grieved the king.' Dasharatha prayed
the sage to leave Rama who was too young to fight, and offered
himself to go with him to guard his sacrifice, but the very
suggestion of a denial of his request excited the wrath or
Vishvamitra and his serene aspect grew terrible to behold.
Vasishtha 1 however advised Dasharatha to accede to the request
of Vishvamitra and the king allowed Rama, and also Lakshmana,
to accompany the holy man.

Rama and Lakshmana destroyed the Rakshasas that attempted
to pollute and desecrate the sacrifice. On its completion the Rishi
took the princes to Mithila. The king of Mithila, Janaka of Vedic
fame, had a daughter called Sita whom he had vowed to give in
marriage to any prince who was able to bend the bow of Shiva,
the God of Destruction. Vishvamitra had in his heart decided
that sweet-eyed Sita should wed his ward Shri Rama, and that
was the reason why he took the brothers to Mithila. Destiny
itself seemed intent on consummating the union.

The spirit of Mithila seemed to say, ' I prayed both day

and night,
And sweetest Lakshmi, lotus born, of fairest form and

bright,

i The family preceptor.

THE STORY 7

In answer to my prayers left her thousand petalled flower;
She left her home and sought to dwell in my own greenest

bower.
Come thou, my gracious lord, to see and wed that purest

one'.
The pennants seemed her outstretched arms welcoming

Dasharath's son 1 .

The artful Rishi took Rama and Lakshmana through the very
street where Sita's bower was situated. As luck would have it,
Sita was standing on the top floor of her palace surrounded by
her girl friends. To his great delight Vishvamitra saw Rama
looking in that direction, noted that he encountered her eyes,
and that afterwards he looked at nothing else. For who could
look on that face, sweet with the sweetness of Indian spring,
carrying memories of blue heavens and sunny glades, of the
scent of a thousand delicate flowers, of the warbling brook and
the voice of the fcoil — who could look on that face and not have
his heart enthralled ? The poet becomes speechless before the
ineffable perfection of her loveliness and falls down before it.
He dares not describe her form. He says, ' what shall we
compare that form to, by the standard of whose loveliness alone
can all other beauty be measured ? The eyes of men as well as
those of the gods are too weak to drink in the full effulgence of
that heavenly form. As the Ocean of Milk, when it had yielded
ambrosia, could afterwards give nothing that is sweeter, even
so, when the Creator had made Sita, he could create no higher
beauty, for He had realised perfection. What shall we say is
the cause that Lakshmi left her lotus home and was born on
earth ? Is it the prayer of Brahmans of infinite holiness ? Is
it the prayer of the earth or the heavens, of the Devas, or Virtue's

self ? She stood there a very queen of light, a sight

to make the very stones melt with love. The very Genius of
Beauty acquired new loveliness by mingling with her form'.

In due course Rama was introduced to Janaka who ordered
the bow to be brought before the prince. Rama appeared to
undertake an impossible task. For had not heroes of mature
strength, anxious to win the hand of Sita, tried to bend that bow
and failed ? Sita must have prayed in her heart earnestly that
he might succeed in bending the bow. For, when Rama saw
her for the first time, her eyes also had lighted on him, and she

i I x 1 (See Publisher's Note for elucidation of these reference
numbers in this book.)

8 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

had decided in her heart that he alone should be her lord.
Rama however took the bow without the slightest misgiving.
Everybody held his breath and looked on with intense expectation.
But they saw him take the bow, they only heard it snap. Such
was Rama's strength and such the ease with which he broke the
powerful bow of Shiva. The world was glad and the gods leaped
with joy. For was not the union of Rama with Sita to be the
cause of the deliverance of the worlds from the tyranny of the
Rakshasas ?

Dasharatha was invited to Mithila, and the marriage was
celebrated amidst festivities and rejoicing.

The scene changes. The rosy hues of the morning last but
a few minutes. Soon the basest clouds ride with ugly rack on
the Sun's celestial face ' and from the forlorn world his visage
hide '. Great things have to be done for the world by Rama,
and great things have never been achieved from on a bed
of down.

Dasharatha desired that Rama should be installed as emperor
during his own lifetime. He therefore called the assembly of
the wise who approved of Rama and consented to his being made
their sovereign. The day of installation was fixed for the morrow
and Dasharatha gave orders for decorating the city and making
other preparations for celebrating the great event with due
pomp and ceremony. But Rama was destined not to wear the
imperial diadem for fourteen years more.

Now Dasharatha had three wives : Kausalya the mother of
Rama, Sumitra the mother of Lakshmana and Shatrughna, and
Kaikeyi the mother of Bharata. Among them all Kaikeyi seemed
most attached to Rama, but her love was selfish. She saw that
Rama was good and brave and valiant, and she nursed her pride
when she loved him. When therefore Manthara, one of her
maids, told her that if Rama were to obtain the crown, the
influence of Kausalya would grow to the detriment of her own,
lust of power and jealousy of her rival smothered the affection
based on vanity, and she determined that her own son Bharata
should be placed upon the throne. Cunningly she made
Dasharatha swear that he would grant her prayer whatever it
might be, and then she demanded that Bharata should be crowned
in place of Rama. The King prayed her, remonstrated with
her not to press her request, but she was obdurate. Long before,
when he was warring with Asuras, Dasharatha had been saved
in the midst of a battle by the personal prowess of this queen,
and had then promised her that he would grant her without

THESTORY 9

■question any two requests that she might be pleased to make
to him at any time. ' I claim the boons that thou didst once
promise me,' she said. ' Thou may'st grant them or refuse them
as it pleases thee. The one is the installation of Bharata, and
the other is the exile of Rama into the forests for fourteen years '.
The King stood aghast. For he had promised to grant her
prayers whatever they might be, and his word must be kept,
whatever the cost might be. Not ten thousands Ramas should
keep him from the performance of his promise. The race of
the Sun ought never to be sullied by a promise broken. And so
Dasharatha submitted with a mortal pang to her hard-hearted
desire and sank on his bed senseless.

Kaikeyi herself now sent for Rama, and he came in his
chariot not suspecting what had happened during the previous
night. He saluted her with humility and affection as usual. But
her heart was made of stone. ' There is one thing, Rama ', she
said, ' which thy father commands thee to do '. In the words of
the poet,

She said, ' The king commands that all the earth
By ocean girt thy brother Bharat shall rule ;
And thou shalt wear the twisted knot, and tread
The forests wide with saintly steps, and bathe
In sacred waters, and in fourteen years
Return to fair Ayodhya and live in peace.'
Can I in words describe how Rama looked
When fell these cruel words from Kaikai's lips ?
Who can his calmness fitly paint ? For what
It was so like before, the faultless lotus
Opening to the dawn, his unchanged look
Outshone in tranquil grace I 1

Rama's reply to Kaikeyi was calm and filled with the heroism
of renunciation.

' E'en were it not my father's royal will,'

He said, ' would Ram thy son transgress thy word ?

And Bharata's fortune, can it ever be

Less dear to me than mine ? I say no more :

I take thy blest command a sacred duty ;

Behold, this very day I start and take

My leave.' 2

, 1 II iii 107-108. 2 II iii 110.

10 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

So saying he bowed down at her feet, pressed them to his-
eyes, saluted the direction where his father lay unconscious, and
turned towards his mother's palace.

When Kausalya saw him stand before her alone and
unattended, — him, who she was every moment fondly expecting,
would come with all the signs of new-anointed royalty to see
her first and receive a mother's heartful blessing — when she saw
him stand there in her presence alone, her heart throbbed with
a vague sense of impending evil. And when he prostrated
himself at her feet she blessed him with an anxious trembling
heart, and then asked him why he had not been crowned that
day. The gentle Rama told her, ' It is now decided, mother, that
Bharata, thy son, is to be our king.' And the artless queen who
loved all the sons of her husband with an equal affection said,
' This is contrary to usage ; but renunciation doth well become
thee, son. And, having bestowed the sceptre on thy brother,
live with him in friendship and in peace ". Rama was touched
to hear her exalted sentiments of disinterested love and was
pained at the necessity of having to disillusion her. He told her
that the king had commanded him to do a certain thing for the
salvation of his soul, and that was that he — Rama — should live
in forests in the company of sages, and return in fourteen years.
Like a deer struck to the heart by the murderous arrow, she
fell to the ground and broke out into heart-rending sobs. But
Rama consoled her. He said that nothing should make him
disobey his father or make his spoken word a lie, and that she
should help him to obey his father's commands. The duty of
the wife in the end conquered the affection of the mother, and
she blessed him, and with a painful wrench of the heart she
let him go.

The news of Rama's impending exile soon spread abroad
and reached the ears of Lakshmana. Impetuous was the love
which Lakshmana bore to Rama. He swore a great oath that
he would place Rama upon the throne, even were the gods of
all the worlds to stand between him and his purpose. But
Rama met him, spoke gentle words to him, soothed his stormy
spirit, and took him to Sumitra. The grand queen loved Rama
as her very life. She was filled with grief at the turn that affairs
had taken. But consoled by Rama she soon recognised that
what must be must not be wept over but endured. Not only
this. She commanded her son Lakshmana to accompany Rama
in his exile. She addressed him these memorable words :
'Consider Rama as Dasharatha's self and look upon Sita as thy

THE STORY 11

own mother, myself ; the forests wild shall be to thee as pleasant
as Ayodhya ; I bless thee, son, depart with a joyful heart '.
Kama prayed her to look after his mother and father and took
his leave.

It remained now to broach the unexpected news to Sita and
take leave of her. In the presence of Sita, therefore, thrilling
with the expectation of seeing him come to her crowned with the
imperial diadem, Rama stood, attended by Lakshmana only.
When she saw his uncrowned head and forest-dwellers' robes •
she could not understand at first what it all meant. Rama
explained to her the situation and asked leave of her. Then,
in the words of the poet,

She grieved not that her lord his kingdom left

And throne ; but the words he spoke — ' grieve not, my

love,
I take thy leave ' — did send an arrow through
Her heart. ' Right holy's thy purpose to obey
Thy mother's commands,' she said. ' But, lord, thy word
To me to stay at home when thou dost leave
An exile for the wilds unknown, that word
Has pierced my heart '. Said Rama, ' Thy tender feet
Are not made to tread the stony wilds that burn
Like molten wax '. ' But can the stony wilds,'
Said she, ' burn more than separation from
My Ram?' 1

So saying, before Rama could frame any reply, she went
back into her apartments, put on coarse robes, and without a
word more stood by his side ready to accompany him to the
forests. All the men and women that witnessed that strong
love and quiet determination, wept with renewed grief.

And so they left for the forest, renewed their old friendship
with the sturdy forest-chief Guha who rowed them across the
Ganga, and wended their way southward.

In the meantime Dasharatha had died of a broken heart.
Bharata and Shatrughna were away from Ayodhya while all
these things were happening and they were recalled in haste
by the council of ministers. As soon as Bharata returned and
learned the cause of all this grief he cursed his mother, he-

1 II iv 224, 226-228.

12 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

cursed himself, he cursed the day that he was born. It broke
his heart to think that it was for his sake that Rama had been
exiled by his mother, and a great sorrow filled his soul. He
determined therefore, to bring back Rama and install him on
the throne of the Raghus. He performed the obsequies of his
father, put on coarse garments, and went into the forests to seek
Rama. The people of Ayodhya burned with a desire to see
Rama and bring him back, and so followed Bharata. The forest-
chief Guha at first thought that Bharata was come to capture
and destroy Rama and wanted to give him battle. But when he
. saw his garments and grief-stricken appearance his sturdy heart
melted and a boundless love and reverence sprang in his heart
for Bharata. He then directed him to the road that Rama had
taken. Bharata at last met Rama, fell at his feet, and wept like
a child. ' Take back the crown that is thine, brother, oh my
brother ! ' he said, but Rama lifted him up, embraced him like
a tender father, and told him that he could not go back upon
his word, and that until the fourteen years had passed he would
not cross back even into the borders of Ayodhya. Bharata's
remonstrations were all in vain. At length he made Rama
promise that he would be back at Ayodhya on the first day of
the fifteenth year. He then vowed that he himself would not
enter the capital until that day, but would have the affairs of
the kingdom conducted by ministers and wise men, and that if
he did not see Rama on that first day of the fifteenth year of
Rama's exile he would light a fire and fall into it as accursed
both of God and man. The expostulations of Rama would
not move him from his resolve and Rama had to promise
as he asked him to. Rama then moved southward into the
Dekhan forests.

For thirteen years Rama, Lakshmana and Sita lived a life
of pastoral peace in the forests. True to his mother's word,
Lakshmana did everything to make the life of Rama and Sita as
happy as possible. When Rama decided to stay at any place
for some considerable time, Lakshmana would make a clearing
in the forest, erect a thatched hermitage on a lonely eminence
not far from a babbling brook, and plant flowers and creepers
around the cottage. He would go into the forest, collect fruits
and edible roots for their food, and generally do everything that
could conduce to the comfort or add to the happiness of his
brother and sister. The deep silence of the forest, the vast
panorama of nature around them, the green hillock, the grassy
;heath, the giant trees upreaching to the vaults of heaven, the

THESTORY 13

wild creepers hanging luxurious from the tops of the tall trees
and reaching to the ground, the cool shade, the scraps of blue
sky here and there visible through the dense foliage in the
interior of the forest and on that account the more lovely and
the more eagerly looked for, all these contributed to their life
of Arcadian beauty and sweet simplicity. In the mornings,
after the daily baths and customary devotions, the brothers would
go out into the jungle and return to the cottage laden with the
banana and the bread-fruit and the sweet mango and edible
roots, and would lay them before Sita. In the meanwhile Sita
would have prepared the welcome meal. After serving them
their meal she would partake of the food and then join them
in the out-house. As evening drew near, they would go out
of the hermitage and enjoy the sublime beauties of the tropical
forest. They would listen now to the murmuring of the brook,
now to the distant sound of a waterfall, now again to the far off
roar of the lion, now to the mellow calls of the sweet-throated
fcoil or the tender cooings of the woodland dove. Now they
would play with the sportive fawn. And now again they would
watch the frolicking monkeys jumping and leaping up the trees.
Thus they would enjoy the thousand and one sweet things that
Nature shows to those that seek her in her solitudes. Rama
would tell Sita stories from the Vedas and ancient Puranas of
pastoral loves and city magnificence, of religious calm or daring
heroic war, and would raise alternate emotions of love and pity,
wonder and admiration in her responsive heart. Sometimes her
rich voice at Rama's request would fill the forest solitudes
with the very soul of music, and then even the koil would
hush her tones and acknowledge a master. Thus passed the
life of that pair, happy in the unmeasured fulness of each
other's love.

But the race of the Rakshasas had to be destroyed and the
peaceful course of this perfect love was to be interrupted.

One day Shurpanakha, the sister of Ravana, in her wanderings
through the forest saw Rama and at once fell in love with his
godlike form. She approached him but he repelled her advances.
To revenge herself and to remove the cause, as she thought,
of Rama's disregard for her, she attempted to carry away Sita.
But Lakshmana who was watching over Sita with a brother's
care punished Shurpanakha by mutilating her person. The
Rakshasa army, which advanced on Rama to avenge Shurpanakha's
wrongs, was completely annihilated by him. So she set off to
Lanka and there detailed her griefs to Ravana. She said, falsely,

14 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

that she was about to carry away for him a woman of perfect
beauty when her husband's brother maimed her, and there she
was, injured in his cause. Her description of Sita's beauty
maddened Ravana with passion and raised in him an irrepressible
desire .to possess such a woman. He who had burned with rage
on seeing his sister's wrongs and hearing the fate of his army
and had sworn to avenge them, now forgot his sister's wrongs
and forgot the prowess of him who could single-handed
annihilate a whole army, but remembered Sita and remembered
her alone. He burned with the desire of making her his wife.

Ravana decided to carry off Sita by stealth. He therefore
directed a Rakshasa named Maricha to cross over to the mainland,
to take the shape of a golden coloured deer, and to go near Sita
and attract her eyes. When she should want Rama to capture
him for her, the Rakshasa was to give them the slip and draw
Rama into the woods. The plan was that Ravana should then
surprise Sita alone and carry her away.

So the golden deer came and frolicked about the hermitage.
Sita saw him and was charmed with his seductive beauty and
sportiveness and begged Rama to capture him for her.
Lakshmana warned Rama that there was some unknown danger
lurking behind all this. However, seeing Rama neglect his
warnings he himself offered to go, but with a petulant, fateful
obstinacy Sita asked Rama himself to go. So Rama went after
the deer bow in hand. The disguised Rakshasa however drew
him on farther and farther and farther into the interior of the
forest. He would stand still pretending to browse the tender
grass. But when Rama with cautious step would approach him
and be on the point of catching him, he would dart away with
lightning speed and begin to sport in a farther field. Rama
had run after him for such a long time and had gone so far, and
the Rakshasa was so provoking in his deceitful gambols, that he
lost his temper and aimed an arrow at him. The Rakshasa was
mortally wounded. But even at the moment of death he wanted
to serve Ravana, and so he gave up his breath, sending up a
groan in the intonations of Rama's voice, and his groan was
loud enough to reach the hermitage. Rama saw some great
evil in this abnormal cry and hastened back.

But in the meantime Sita heard the Rakshasa's cry and,
believing that it was Rama calling for help, asked Lakshmana
to look for him in the jungle. Lakshmana apprehended some
terrible evil if he left Sita alone, while on the other hand he
was absolutely confident that there was no foe living who could

THE STORY 15

Jiarm Rama in combat. He, therefore, told Sita that no harm
could come to Rama and that he should not leave her. But Sita
spoke cruel words to him ; and so with a heart heavy with gloomy
forebodings he obeyed her and followed in the direction of
Rama's steps.

Like a thief Ravana had been watching for this opportunity,
and he came in the. garb of a religions mendicant before Sita's
cottage. The door of "the Hindu home is ever open for wayfarers
to walk in and claim hospitality, and so he went in. He was
welcomed by Sita. In the course of the conversation he fell
to praising himself (in the third person) and his rule, while
still pretending to be a wandering Sadhu. To her remark that
the praise of the Rakshasa did not become a holy man he
replied that Ravana was the master of the world today and that
it was well to be on the side of the strong. ' Fear not then,'
she said ; ' for Rama has sworn to annihilate the Rakshasa with
all his army '. The pretended mendicant replied, ' The hare
would beat the tusked elephant or the horned deer gore the
Jion to death if men should be able to destroy the Rakshasas '.
He also spoke of the vast size and twenty arms of Ravana.

' Of what avail are twenty arms ? ' said Sita. ' For did not
Parashu Rama kill Kartavirya, the king of the thousand arms,
even he who had kept Ravana in prison for years ? ' The allusion
to his former defeat and shame struck him in the heart, and
burning with rage and foaming with passion, the false form burst
and revealed the Rakshasa. As living beings in sight of the
awful God of Death, Sita trembled with fear. But Ravana
uprooted and lifted sheer the cottage in which she was and
placing it in his vast flying chariot flew towards Lanka.

Jatayus a powerful Vulture and a friend of Rama fought
with Ravana in mid-air in order to rescue Sita, but Ravana
felled him down with the great sword of Shiva and Sita's one
forlorn hope was crushed.

In the meantime Lakshmana had found Rama and both
hurried home with a beating heart. Sita was not there and
the tender-hearted husband was convulsed with grief. There
were the marks of large feet and the trail of a heavy chariot
on the ground close by.. Filled with a thousand anxieties the
brothers followed the trail and fell in with the Vulture-King
struggling against death. He told them that Sita was carried
off by Ravana the Rakshasa king and that he himself had been
mortally wounded in his attempt to rescue her. Rama wept tears
■of gratitude and bitterness at the feet of Jatayus who expired

16 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

with Rama's name upon his lips. With a heart bleeding withu
grief for the loss of Sita and the death of the devoted King of
Vultures, Rama performed his obsequies and swore a great oath,
once again that he would uproot the whole race of Rakshasas.

Rama now pursued his way southward towards Lanka.
After a few days' journey he met Sugriva, a chief of the Vanaras, 1
who was living in constant terror of his brother Vali. Rama
learned from him that his brother was not only on the look-out
to kill him but had even deprived him of his wife. The memory
of his recent loss moved Rama to punish the wrong-doer with,
his own hand. So Vali was killed and Sugriva was anointed
king of the Vanaras.

In return for this help Sugriva agreed to take upon himself
the task of searching all over the world for Sita and help Rama
in recovering her. And the Vanaras were sent in different
directions to search for her.

Among those that undertook to wander over the world for
Rama's sake was Hanuman, the Indian Hercules. He was the
very ideal of strength and endurance and loyal devotion and
intuitive wisdom. He had been the first of the Vanaras to see
Rama and Lakshmana and at the very first look he had decided
that they were not ordinary men but heroes whom it should be
an honour and glory to serve. His devotion to Rama was intense.
It was the loyalty of immense physical strength to magnificent
manhood, of perfect valour to god-like heroism.

Hanuman was among those who went south. He crossed
the ocean and reached the city of Lanka. Every palace, every
court, every temple, every conceivable place he entered and
searched for Sita. He saw Mandodari the wife of Ravana
sleeping on a luxurious couch in her apartments. Her perfect
beauty suggested to him the thought that she might be Sita.
But the richness of her attire and belongings and the absence of
any signs of deep grief on her face soon told him that she coufd
not be Sita. He passed. As he was entering the portico of
another palace bad portents appeared. And he thought ' Alas t
this city, with all her magnificence, is doomed to perish ! ' He
penetrated further and saw the gigantic form of Ravana reposing
majestically, but rolling with pain and mental anguish. On
seeing him, his first impulse was to wake him and fight with him.
But soon second thoughts told him that it was neither wise nor
right, for that was not in the instructions given him by Rama.

i Powerful monkeys.

THE STORY 17

And * as the ocean main, though powerful enough to dash down
the shore and flood the earth, yet bides its time and leaves. not
its appointed limits ', even so did Hanuman check his impulse
and leave Ravana to the proper vengeance of Rama.

At last after a thousand anxieties he saw Sita in a grove
of Ashoka trees. There she was, surrounded by Rakshasis, like
a deer in the midst 6f leopards, the colour faded from her cheek,.
her eyes raining a perpetual shower of tears, her form lean and!
emaciated, her hair one twisted knot — there she was like a
picture smoked, like the moon eclipsed, like the lotus killed
by frost. ' Might it be that my lord had not met Lakshmana ? *
she was saying to herself. ' How could he know that I am here,
in this sea-girt island ? Or would he have spurned me as
unworthy of him, for that I had spoken harsh words to
Lakshmana ? Oh who would give him the tasteful betel-leaf ?
And how he would grieve when he sees a guest ! ' She would
think on that lion face that was not overcast at the sudden
command of exile, that face which, both when asked by his
father to accept the imperial crown as well as when commanded
to leave all and live a forest life, like the pictured lotus was
ever the same ! She wept for the iron arm that broke Shiva's
bow. She thought of Rama's grief when Bharata refused the
crown and condemned himself to a forest life, and she wept.

It was in the midst of these reflections that Hanuman saw
her. He saw and he felt that it was she. He blessed Rama,
he blessed her stainless virtue, he blessed her father's race.
While he was in this state of grateful joy at seeing Sita alive
and pure, Ravana appeared on the scene. This was one of his
many visits to Sita to attempt to persuade her to repudiate Rama
and marry him. He recounted to her his greatness, his strength,,
and his powers, his victories in the past and his present
prosperity. All his wealth, his power, his very sceptre he saidV
he would place at her feet and himself would remain her slave,,
if she would but consent to wed him. On hearing these words,
grown more hateful by constant repetition, Sita's face burned
with indignation and wifely pride, and she replied to him in
these words :

' To pierce mount Meru, to shatter the vault of heaven,,
to annihilate the fourteen worlds, is not one arrow from
Rama's quiver sufficient ? Thou wert afraid of that arrow
and that arm : therefore is it that thou earnest like a thief and
carriedst me away here in his absence. Dost thou affect to-
despise my lord and his brother for that they are men 7
2

18 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

It was a man that killed Kartavirya, the same Kartavirya who
imprisoned thee in former days. Think'st thou that they are
■only two ? He that ends the world and all in it is only one . . .
Knowest thou not that Parashu Rama quailed before my
blessed lord — even that Parashu Rama who killed Kartavirya,
whom I worship because he kept thee once in close
confinement.'
She would have continued further, but Ravana could not

endure it any longer. Conflicting emotions rent his heart, but

at length he spoke these words :

' My first impulse, Sita, was to put thee to the sword for
daring to use such words to me. But, O my love, if I kill thee,
I kill myself. Thou mockest me with my defeats, as thou
callest them. But were they reverses ? They were all sport,
my victories as well as my defeats. And thinkest thou I was
afraid to meet Rama in battle ? No ! for if he had died as
die he must against me fighting, thou, who even now continuest
to love him, wouldst have put an end to thy life. It is to
.guard against this that I brought thee away in secret. Grant
that I failed in war against my foes ; how comes it that I rule
the earth and heaven, and without a second ? Though I
should never willingly expend my wrath upon these pigmies
who are wasting their life in austerities, yet for thy sake I
shall even stain my valour that has extinguished the might
of the Supreme Three and gods, and stoop to fight these
feeble folk. But I shall not kill them — I shall merely bring
them over here and make them my slaves. Though they are
worthless puny men, they deserve not to die, at least for the
service they have done me in having brought thee within my
reach. But if thou wantest them killed, if thou canst believe
in my strength only when I destroy them, if that alone will
please thee, I shall even kill them.'
The mention of blood inflamed his wrath once again and

lie continued, trying also to see if threats could make her yield.

He said,

' I shall even go to Ayodhya and, putting to death
Bharata with all his host, I shall march on Mithila like the
Fire of the Day of Dissolution, and after uprooting thy kith
and kin I shall drink thy blood also ! Thou art bringing
thy own end nearer by provoking me, O Sita ! '
And then looking at his flashing steel he frowned and said,
' There are but two months left, within which thou must
yield. If thou dost not become mine within that time I

THE STOJtY 1&

shall, kill thee straight .' '

So saying he frowned and went his way> ' bearing her image
away in his heart '.

Hanuman had been watching this interview with a beating
Heart.

In the meanwhile, however, despair had seized the heart of

Sita. She had been hoping against hope that Rama would come

and rescue her. But days and months had passed and there were

no signs of Rama coming, and the Rakshasa always returned,

unabashed by previous insults, to press his suit. She could not

endure her situation any longer. So, as soon as Ravana went

away, she went near a tree with the intention of ending her

life there. But just then Hanuman revealed himself to her and

told her that he came from Rama. The sound of that beloved

name fell like angel's music upon her ears — it was the falling

rain that bathed her heart which was fading away under the

shadow of despair. Hanuman gave her Rama's ring as a sign

that he was the genuine messenger of Rama. She set her eyes

on it. How shall we describe her, says the poet, how she

changed, and what she said when she beheld that well-remembered

ring ? What will be the joy of the dead man if he starts back

into, life ? What will be the joy of the bereaved mother when

she sees her deceased child brought back to life ? What will be

the delight of the blind man when he gains the use of his eyes ?

Even such joy and such delight were Sita's when she saw that

mute messenger of Rama's love. She took it into her hand, pressed

it to her eyes, pressed it to her lips, pressed it to her bosom.

Her whole frame swelled with joy — she smiled, she wept. Rama's

ring was the philosopher's stone that turned her fading colour

to gold. She blessed Hanuman with a fervent, heartful blessing :

' O thou that brought'st me the message from Rama and

gavest me life — a father thou to me and mother, and a fount

of loving mercy besides — thou hast earned glory for this life

and for all time to come. O hero of the mountain chest ! O

thou who has lifted a heavy burden from off my heart ! If

I be one who knows not ill, if my heart be pure and conduct

right, may my blessing never fail, may eternity be to thee like

unto a day, and live thou for ever and for ever ! '

She then took from her head her head-ornament and handed

it over to Hanuman desiring him to give it to Rama as a sign

of her trust in him.

Hanuman, however, did not want to cross back to the continent
without giving a taste of his prowess to the people of Lanka. Ha

20 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

destroyed groves and palaces, felled down the Rakshasas that were
sent against him, and, when taken prisoner before Ravana, defied
him. Ravana commanded that Hanuman's tail should be set on
fire .but when it was aflame Hanuman leaped all over Lanka
lashing his tail far and wide, and thus burning down the Rakshasa
capital he leaped back to the mainland. He himself escaped the
effects of the Are through the blessing of Sita who prayed to the
God of Fire to spare him.

Rama learned from the lips of Hanuman that Sita was living
a life of. martyrdom. His wrath was roused and he commanded
Sugriva's army to cross over to the island. The Vanaras built a
bridge by throwing big rocks and trees into the channel separating
Lanka from the mainland, and over it the Vanara army marched
to Lanka. And the great war began.

» The war was a war of heroes. The first day Ravana himself
led his army. But before the sun set his army was gone, his
Chariot was broken into pieces, his bow was split in twain, his
very sword was broken in his hands. The chivalry of Rama
saved him his life. And he warned him that he was doomed
unless he gave up Sita. Ravana, however, did not speak a word
and returned silent and sullen. Says the poet, ' he grieved not
that all the foes he used to mock in ancient days would now jeer
at him ; but he grieved that Sita of the lance-like look would
smile at his empty boasts and mock at his wordy valour.' As
a soldier and warrior he wonders at Rama's valour and strength.
He tells Malayavan, his grandfather,

' When all my mighty strength was being crushed

By clouds of darts from his death-showering bow,

Think'st thou that there was care in his look ? Oh no.

His tranquil face showed careless sport, not war !

I've faced the thunderbolt of Heaven's king,

The triple lance of awful Dhurjati, 1

The flaming disk of Vishnu, first of Gods, —

But what are they to Rama's fiery dart ?

Of all the masters of the art of war,

Though Vishnu is the first, I did believe

That none could strive against great Kartavir ;

But even he isn't worth the fallen dust

Of Lakshman's feet ; what then of mighty Ram ?

I tell thee, father, it humbled Ravan's valour.

Oh father, if Janaki of patience like

1 Shiva.

THE STORY 21

The earth, should see his feats of valour on
The field, she'd hold the God of Love himself
And me as nothing better than tailed curs.' l

However, a few words from Mahodara, his chief minister,
were sufficient to make Ravana forget the prowess of his adversary.
At Mahodara's suggestion Ravana's brother, Kumbhakarna was
awakened from his age-long sleep. But when he came to know
the purpose for which he was called, he advised Ravana to give
up Sita. Ravana paled with fury when he heard his words. * I
called thee not to seek thy advice ', he said. ' I thought thou
wert a warrior bold — I did not know that thou hadst forgotten all
thy valour. Thou may'st go and worship men '. A Rakshasa of
immense size and a hero of faultless valour, Kumbhakarna was
wounded at his brother's words. 'Pardon me my hasty words,'
he said, ' I shall take my club and go to battle. But think not
that I shall come back bearing victory or my life. At least after
my death, O my brother, release Sita and save thy life with
honour. If they conquer me and live, O lord of Lanka, be sure
that they would vanquish thee. So, at least after I shall have
died on the field, give up that Pearl of Chastity. Pardon me any
wrongs that I may have committed against thee. Thy blessed
face I am not given to see again. I take thy leave.' So saying,
he went forth to battle. And Ravana wept.

Now another of the brothers of Ravana, Vibhishana by name,
had left Ravana when he refused to give up Sita, and was now
with Rama. With Rama's permission he came to Kumbhakarna
and advised him to come to the side of Rama. The reply of
Kumbhakarna was most heroic. He said,

' It is right to warn a misguided king and point to him
his good. But when he persists in his evil course and he is
doomed to fall, is it not infinitely better for me to die before
him than live to see him fall ! He is lord of all the world,
the most valiant among the valiant, the bravest among the
brave. Shall he enter Yama's kingdom 2 alone and without
a brother by his side ? It is appointed that Rama shall end
Ravana. Shall I who have vanquished even the God of
death bow down before a mere man, and he my brother's
foe ? Go back, my brother, and live with the victor, for
though a Rakshasa, the creator has made thee virtuous and
good. As for me, let me do the duty I owe to my liege and

i VI v 17, 23, 25, 27, 30. « The other world.

22 KAMBA RAM'AYANAiM — A STUDY

lost my life in his .fight, j But not alone shall I die ! Hanuman,

Sugriva, -and -Vali's ,son— rWhy, none of the monkey kind shall

return alive if they are rash enough to fight today."

The battle began. The Vanara army swayed to and fro

unable to bear the shock of Kumbhakarna's attack. Great was

the loss on the side of Rama. Wherever he. attacked/

Kumbhakarna carried death with him. But at length Rama's

arrow cut oS his head and the Rakshasa army was annihilated.

In the meantime, at Lanka, Ravana was again pressing Sita

ta accept him. This time also he experienced the same repulse.

Sita's reply is superb and it is impossible to conceive of greater.

heroism or devotion on the part of woman. Neither the majestic

form of the Rakshasa king, nor his prosperity — for the gods were

his servants — , nor his fame had any attractions for her. She

said in the course of her superb reply :

■ ' Think not I love my wasted form, think not I love my
life. Think not that I fear to die and earn a glorious name.
It is not fear of death that makes me live and endure thy
hateful words. The hope of once again seeing my blessed
lord — whose ornaments are his virtues — it is this alone that
reconciles me to life. I long to see the day when, with
Lakshmana guarding his holy person, his arrows shall send
thee to the other world ; and that is why I do not yet end
myself.' , .

It was in the course of this interview that messengers brought
to Lanka the news of Kumbhakarna's fall. And great was the
grief of Ravana. . .

But the war went on,; . And his passion for Sita increased
with every defeat.

Ravan's son Meghanada, who was called Indrajit for having
conquered Indra, next led an army against Rama. Twice he was
victorious, but the third time- he was completely routed. He too,
whom the poet admiringly describes as the first among those who
wield the bow, grew hopeless. And with trembling heart and
awe-filled look he told Ravana that it was useless to contend
against Rama and Lakshmana and that the release of Sita alone
would save the kingdom.

When he heard these words Ravana laughed a great laugh.
And in lines pregnant with heroic thought Ravana addressed his
son :

' It is not with the hope that those , who have hitherto
died on the field would bring me victory, it is not with the
hope that those who yet Jive would win me success, it is not

THE STORY" 2$

with the hope that thou wouldst vanquish me my foes —
it is not with any of. these hopes that I provoked this foe-
I relied on myself and myself alone and entered into' this war-
Keep thy niddering 1 counsel to thyself, son. This mortal
frame, in duration like a bubble on the waters, I would fairo
lay down on the battle-field in full sight of the Devas, earning"
fame that will never have an end — but I will not give up-
Sita. Is it for releasing her that I possess twenty arms T
Even should I fall, even then, so long as the Vedas will last
my name will also stand, if Rama's name will live. Death
is certain— no one escapes that — man today is, tomorrow he
ceases to be — but when does Fame cease to live ? Let me
send away Sita, then who will count me as Ravana ? The
very gods will laugh, and casting their fear away will come
and besiege this my city. Even if I be doomed to fall, it is not
in me to stoop to littleness ; have I not carried my victorious
arms to the ten 2 directions ? As for thee, thou may'st go
to thy home and, removing the barbs from thy arm, thou
may'st rest on thy couch sleeping both day and night.'
And in the same breath, like a tiger enraged he thundered
forth, ' Bring me my war-chariot ! '

Indrajit was cowed. He fell at his father's feet and begged
to be pardoned. 'I go ' he said ; ' but I shall not return. May
better counsels prevail at least after I am gone.' So saying the
doomed Rakshasa went back to the battle-field.

A fierce battle did he fight. Like a lion at bay he fought
with desperate valour. But an arrow from Lakshmana's .bow
ended him and he fell a headless corpse.

When Ravana was informed of his death his grief knew no
bounds. Tenderly does the poet sing of the father's inconsolable
grief at the loss of his heroic son. I shall give the purport of
but one stanza here. " If thy Gandharva, Yaksha, Siddha, and
Rakshasa wives, silver-tongued they one and all, will fall at my
feet and ask me ' where is our lord ? ' shall I only weep in chorus
with them, my son ? " Mandodari, the mother of Indrajit was
even more inconsolable. The poet depicts with sympathy the
poignant grief of the mother's heart. Here is the translation of
two stanzas :

' When like the waxing moon, thou grew'st in years,
I had the fortune, my son, with pride to see

' niddering = a simpleton.

2 eight cardinal points, the heavens above and nether regions.

21 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Thee conquer Indra ; but now thy headless corpse
To see and mourn — O son, what have I done
To behold this plight ? And still I cling to life,
Inconstant life ! 1

In olden blessed days,
With tinkling anklets when thou wert yet a child
Slow-crawling on the ground, thou brought'st a pair
Of fierce lions and made them fight like rams :
When shall I once again such sight behold ! ' 2

And she has forebodings that Ravana's life too is doomed.
She says,

' Of all the hosts that out of Lanka marched
To meet in battle Rama and his force,
None has as yet with life returned. Alas !
Like stubble they have gone, at touch of fire !
Alas ! I fear that Sita's sacred charms,
Destiny-like will drive my Ravan too
To an untimely, gory death ! 3

But evil counsels still prevailed. The first day's awful
massacre, Kumbhakarna's fall, the death of Indrajit, the failure
of numbers of armies that were despatched after that, from none
of these did Ravana learn his lesson. He was destined to learn
it only at the cost of his life.

Determined to make one bold and final stand he collected
his army and himself marched at its head. Grand was the sight
of that army. The mighty form and fierce aspect of Ravana
■created a panic in the Vanara army. The Rakshasas fought with
■desperate valour. But Rama and Lakshmana and Hanuman
■encouraged their forces and re-established their line. Ravana
fought like a lion of the forest. But his hour was come. And
Rama bent his Kodanda 4 and out sped his fearful arrow direct
to Ravana's heart.

It quenched his three crore years of mortal life,
It quenched the strength of all his austerities,
It quenched the word of Brahma granting him
Perpetual victory ; it quenched his strength
That bent the world beneath his awful rule ;
It pierced his adamant chest and quenched his life.
Such was the force of Rama's sacred dart. 5

1 VI xxviii 47, 2 VI xxviii 49.

» VI xxviii 53. * The name of Rama's bow.

S VI xxxvi 198

THE STORY 25

So Ravana fell. But even when he fell there was a majesty
about him which the poet describes with the greatest admiration :

•His mighty wrath, fierce as the untamed lion's
Was quenched in blood ; his awful strength was gone ;
His powerful arms had ceased to move ; his love
Consuming like volcanic fire, which filled
His heart, had ceased to beat ; but the hero's face
Kv'n at that awful moment wore a look
Of majesty, surpassing all its splendour
Ev'n of days when saints and Rishis had
To flee from his oppressive rule I 1

So the prophecy was fulfilled and the world was freed once
more of the spirit of evil.

Sita was released from her prison. But her trials were not
ended. Rama insulted her in sight of the assembled leaders and
army saying that women of honour in her condition would have
committed suicide and not have lived in the enemy's city for one
whole year. The whole assembly wept at these cruel words.
Sita's heart was broken. She asked Lakshmana to prepare a fire
so that she might end herself in the flames. But when she fell
into the fire, the Fire would not burn her. On the contrary, the
God of Fire was burned by the fire of her purity ! And Rama
now accepted Sita.

The fourteen years of exile were now over. Rama, Sita and
Lakshmana travelled homeward in an aerial car accompanied by
Vibhishana and the Vanara army.

In the meantime, Bharata saw the last day of the fourteenth
year dawn and yet there were no signs of Rama's coming home.
He had never forgotten that Rama was sent into exile for his sake
and the thought had been consuming him every day these
fourteen years. So he lit a fire with the intention of burning
himself to death. Rama, however, had always in his mind
Bharata's vow and that was why he travelled in the aerial
car. To provide against every eventuality he also sent swift-flying
Hanuman to where Bharata was, to tell him of his coming.

Hanuman surprises Bharata in the act of walking round the
fire and assures him of Rama's approach. Rama also arrives
soon, consoles Bharata, and offers to crown him. But Bharata
refuses the crown once again and Rama is crowned Emperor of
Aryavarta to the delight of all the worlds.

i VI xxxvi 201.

CHAPTER III

IN MEDIAS RES. 1

The 'reader Will have noticed that the Ramayana follows
in its natural order the life of the hero from his birth and
childhood up to the close of the action which forms its theme.
On the other hand the epics of Europe, as is well known, follow
their prototype and example, the Iliad, and start the story as
near the end as possible, filling in the earlier events by slight
allusions as well as by episodic narrative. These epics have an
undeniable advantage over the Indian Maha Kavyas in that
their dramatic opening arrests the imagination even at the very
commencement of the poem, while the Indian epics have to
gather some momentum before they are able to carry with them
the attention of the modern reader. But our great epic poets
have proved that one may tell a story in chronological order and
yet write a poem that generations will not willingly let die.

It is Aristotle that first formulated the rule that the story
of the epic should not bs told in chronological order. He says
in the 23rd chapter of his Poetics as follows :

" Concerning the poetry which is narrative and imitative
in .metre, it is evident that it ought to have dramatic fabl.es
in the same manner as tragedy and should be conversant
with one whole . and perfect action which has, a beginning,
middle, and end in order that, like one whole animal it may
, produce its appropriate pleasure, and that it may not be
after the fashion of histories in which it is not necessary
to treat of .one action, but of one time. . . . Hence in this
respect also Homer will appear to be divine when compared
with other poets, because he did not attempt to sing of the
whole Trojan War though it had a beginning and an end.
For if he had, it would have been very large, and not
sufficiently conspicuous, or if it had been of a moderate size,
it would have been intricate through the variety of incidents.
But now, having selected one part of the war, hp has made
use of many episodes such as the catalogue pf ships and
other such ones with which he has. embellished his poem."

1 Into the Midst of Things.

INMEDIASRES .' 27

Horace has followed Aristotle closely, and he too has given.
his sanction to this canon. For after praising Homer's maimer
of beginning the Odyssey he says in his Art of Paltry,

"To sinf of the return of Diomed, the poet doel not
ascend up to the death of Meleager ; in singing of the Trojan
War he does not begin with the two eggs of Leda. On the
other hand, he hastens with the .reader into the very midst
of the action 1 taking for granted that he is fully acquainted
with the story."

The authority of these masters — to which we should add
also the example of Virgil — has overshadowed all later literary
criticism, and we find almost all European poets and critics make
a fetish of this rule and bow down before it. Milton followed
it consciously and* deliberately as we see that he uses the very
words of Horace in his argument to the First Book of the
Paradise Lost ■ ' which action passed over, the poem hastens into
the midst of things ' etc. Boileau writes in his L'art Poetiqve
in this wise : " Away with those halting rhymers whose
phlegmatic spirit would make them preserve the order didactic
even in their elan ! Poor annalists, who while singing the
exploits of a hero follow the order of events ! They dare not
leave one incident out of sight. Apollo was never liberal with
his fire to such as these ! "

Dacier, Boileau's contemporary, was so much obsessed with
this rule that he wrote a very elaborate commentary to the
following effect on three lines of Horace : 2

" Horace reveals here one of the greatest secrets of the art
of poetry. A historian always follows the order of events. But
the order which poets follow in the treatment of their subject
is entirely different. For in the drama, as in the epic, the great
masters place the opening of the scene as near to the catastrophe
as possible, and take hold of the action always near the end.
Their art enables them to bring back before our eyes all that had
gone before. Homer, Sophocles and Euripedes have never
departed from this rule, and it is an admirable one. For in

i In medias res, non secus ac notas, auditorem rapit.
2 Qrdini* hoec virtus erit et venus, out ego jailor,
Ut jam nunc dicat, jam nunc debentia did,
Pleraque differat, et prozsens in tempus omittat.
These lines may be translated thus : ' In the matter of the order of
% poem, merit and gracefulness consist, if I am not mistaken, in saying
at the commencement those things that ought to be said in the beginning,
and in postponing several things to the end, abstaining from treating them
In the beginning of the poem.'

28 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

postponing the catastrophe which we are awaiting every instant,
and in interposing between it and us a series of probable and
natural incidents, they awaken our curiosity and excite in us
one after another all the passions — a thing which a methodical
arrangement can never do. In order to be convinced of the
truth of this, one has only to read Apollonius of Rhodes who
has written a poem on the Argonauts. Longinus admits that
there is not a single fault in this work ; but it is mortally weary
reading. One could give several reasons as to why this should
be so, but the principal reason is its chronological sequence. It
is methodic throughout, and that is the worst error into which
an author could have fallen ; for there are none more cold than
those poets,

' Who singing of a hero the exploits grand
Poor annalists, pursue the events' course.'

" Vida has treated at length this question of arrangement in
the Second Book of his Poetics, where he says finely that the
reader, carried by the art of the poet to the very end of an
action, and filled with a vain hope, commences the reading of
the poem with the greatest alacrity believing that he is very
near the conclusion of the story, just as a man who sees his port
imagines that he is about to enter into it ; but he is much
farther from it than he imagines — he is fated to retrace his
course and fly over many a sea. He then adds that a wise poet
will never begin, to take an example, the Trojan War at the
judgment of Paris and place every incident in its natural order
as if he were writing annals or a journal and not a poem."

We have quoted these extracts at some length purposely
as we want the reader to realise how deep and widespread is
this superstition in the West with regard to the order of narrative
in the graver poems. But, as we have said before, our epic
poets have shown that the rule in question is not as absolute
as western critics seem to imagine. For our poets have followed
the chronological order in their great poems, and yet have
succeeded in producing epics that are as fresh today as when
they first issued from their lips. Valmiki sang our first national
epic. He has called it variously as the Life of Rama, the
Destruction of Rauana or the Grand Story of Sita, and in fact
the whole life story of Rama and Sita up to "the overthrow of
Ravana is described in its natural order in the epic proper. And
yet the interest of the story never flags for a moment in the

INMEDIASHES 29

whole course of the poem which is very nearly three times as
long as Homer's Iliad ; on the contrary the interest grows steadily
until the very end is reached. The same will be found to be
the case with the Mahabharata if we remove the didactic portions
like the Shanti and the Anushashana Parvas, which seem to
have been added by our sires to the main story in order to give
it an encyclopaedic character. Our own poet Kamban has not
departed from the chronological order in the treatment of his
poem, and yet the whole story in his hands rises into a crescendo
of interest from the commencement till the very close of the
action.

As a matter of fact, it is not the ' hastening into the midst
of things ', or ' the taking hold of the action near the end ' that
has given Homer the first place among the poets of the west 1 .
But rather it is his superb knowledge of the human heart with
all its joys and sorrows, and his love of Nature in all her aspects,
joined to a rich imagination and a noble earnestness of purpose,
all guided by the indefinable but supreme quality of poetic tact
that knows how to make all the parts adhere together into a
single organic whole — it is these we say, that have made him
the greatest of western poets and the Iliad the greatest of
western epics. The liquid flow of his story and his majestic style
are but the natural results of these grand qualities. But npt
satisfied with giving Homer the first place among the poets of
the West, or even, if they pleased, to satisfy their chauvinistic
pride, the first place among the poets of the World, European
critics have made him into a sort of tyrant of the Republic of
Letters, raising every single trait and trick of his grand poems
into an immutable law which every other poet disobeys at the
cost of his reputation.

The rule in question, however, is so artificial that none can
give any substantial reason as to why it should be so. We have
seen above how Vida supported it. But we wonder if any
reader has ever deluded himself on reading the opening lines
of the JEneid that Mneas was at the end of his labours and was

i It is out of our province to discuss here the unitarian authorship
or otherwise of the Iliad or the Odyssey. The question is far from being
settled as yet. But we may take it that there was a poet in Asia Minor
who called himself Homer and who had a great deal, to do with the
Homeric poems. We shall in this study merely accept the tradition, and
always speak of the Iliad and the Odyssey as the works of Homer. There
Is the - same difficulty with regard to the authorship' of the original
Samskrit Ramayana. Here also we shall only accept the tradition and
generally speak of it as the production of Valmiki and Vatauki alone.

30 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

going immediately to plant the seed of the Roman Empire on
Italian soil. l Nor do we believe that the opening lines of the
Iliad or the Odyssey create the delusion that the end of the
narrative is not far off. Such a delusion might conceivably be
induced in the minds of scholars who are deciphering an unknown
poem in a forgotten language ; but how can we suppose that
the reader of any well-known epic will believe that his business
as reader and the poet's business as narrator is going to end at
the very threshold of the poem ? Great poets are able, of
course, by their supreme art to throw us off our guard at the
oritical moments of the story and make us hope and almost
expect that a great misfortune that threatens the hero may pass
over, and may not materialise. But the delusion that Vida and
Dacier require to support the dicta of Aristotle and Horace is
something entirely different, and we do not believe that any
reader of the great western epics has ever experienced such a
feeling.

The real advantage of opening the story near the end of the
catastrophe consists in this that the interest of the reader is
captured at once at the very commencement of the poem. But
this method has a compensating disadvantage in that the poet
is obliged to cry halt to the action before he has proceeded very
far, a,nd to narrate the earlier portions of the story which are
bound to be much less interesting than the main action. Even
the greatest poets have to beat time with flat verses till they
judge that the epic has drawn itself out to a length sufficient
to allow the taking up of the main thread of the story. On
the other hand, the chronological order followed by eastern
poets, if it makes the beginning of the poem plain and unadorned,
has this great advantage that the interest of the story gathers
force in an ever progressive degree to the very end of the poem.

Thus Kamban's Ramayana is divided into six books. The
First Bo,pk describes the birth and education of Rama and his
marriage with Sita on whose beauty and spotless chastity turns
the catastrophe of the epic. In this book we have many
episodes, most of which may well have been suppressed. In
the Second Book, we have the plot of Manthara and Kaikeyi
to thwart Rama's coronation, and as a consequence to bring
about Rama's exile to the forests. The Third Book, which is

i The reader will have noticed how this view conflicts with that ol
Horace when he says, 'in media* res, non aecus ac notas, auditorem
rvpit' — the poet hastens the reader into the very midst of the action,
taking for granted that he i» fully acquainted with the storv-

INMEDIASRES 31

called the Jungle Book, brings Havana upon the scene, who
carries away Sita from Rama's cottage home in the forest. This
forms the seed of the action proper of the poem. The Fourth
Book is episodic in appearance, but in reality it introduces to
us the Vanara hosts who are to play such a large part in the
war. The character of Vali is superbly drawn, and we are made
to feel that we can .never have enough of this hero's majestic
words. The next book, distinguished as the Book of Beauty
gives us the sublime picture of Sita standing firm in her chastity
in the midst of temptations and threats. This increases tenfold
our moral indignation against Ravana and prepares us for the
war in the last book which is called the Book of Battles, and in
which is described with great power the fall of Ravana's generals
and finally of Ravana himself.

It will be seen from the above that Kamban is able to make
the story rise steadily in interest from beginning to end.
Compare this with the Paradise Lost, written by one of the
greatest poets of any age or country but who felt himself bound
by the example of the Iliad and the rule of Aristotle which we
have quoted above. In this poem the four books from the fifth
to the eighth deal with the war of the angels in heaven and the
creation of the world and man ; while the eleventh book and
the greater part of the twelfth deal with the vision of the future
.shown by the Archangel Michael to Adam. But these books,
though they are beautiful in themselves, and are artfully soldered
on to what goes before and after, still create the impression that
the action is interrupted merely for the sake of the episodes. 1
If even Milton has found it a difficult matter to make his
episodes organic and integral parts of his epic, it is no wonder
■that lesser poets who have submitted themselves to this canon
of Aristotle have been unable to keep their episodes from bulging
Out of the general cadre of their story.

Thus we see that the rule of opening the epic in medias res
has at least as much disadvantage as it has advantage, while the
chronological method, if it does not ensure an arresting beginning
to the poem, has at least the advantage of keeping it from
turning sloppy in the middle.

i It is indeed a question if the tendency on the part of later poets
to introduce the earlier portions of the story episodically as if narrated
by one character to another, is not due to Aristotle's dictum, based on
the example of Homer, that the author of an epic should seldom speak
himself, but should throw as much of this work as he can into the
mouths of those who are his principal actors.

32 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

From treating the story chronologically flows another result,
namely that the poet is able to make the main story occupy a
longer period of time than if he followed Aristotle's rule. This
may not be considered an advantage by western critics. But
there seems to be a greater fullness of life and greater stateliness
in an epic which deals poetically and with art with the birth
and youth and manhood of his hero and his achievements.

But after all these are secondary matters. If we prefer the
chronological treatment of the oriental epics for their steadily
increasing interest and for their greater stateliness, we are not
blind to the grand poetical qualities of the epics as understood
by Homer and Milton. We can appreciate the art that takes up
the action near the catastrophe and is able to weave into the
story the details that give it greater volume and fullness. We
elaim only that the in medias res theory should not be raised
into an absolute rule, disobedience to which ipso facto throws
the epic into the second rank.

I think we may conveniently consider here the length of
our epic. Kamban's Ramayana contains 10,569 stanzas of four
lines each. Being about thrice the length of the Iliad, it may be
thought to be over-long for an epic. But Valmiki's Ramayana
in the southern recension, contains 21,018 shlokas, the vast
majority of which consist of two lines each. 1 The Mahabharata
goes up to 100,000 shlokas. And Chand Bhat's Prithivi Raj Rasa
is said to be at least as long as the Mahabharata.

There is of course no fixed rule as to how long an epic
should be. Dandi, a Samskrit critic, only says that it should
be asamkshipta, that is, not short. It is of course allowed by
western as well as eastern critics to be so long as to be incapable
of being read through at a single sitting. And if it cannot be
finished at one sitting it does not matter how long it is, provided
that it is rasabhava-nirantara i.e. satisfies our sense of the grand
and the beautiful by appealing to the higher emotions in an
artistic manner.

We have heard of a Japanese novel, of which even the 200th
volume or so which has been recently 2 published has not brought
the end of the story in view. This story makes, we need not
say, an extreme demand upon the patience of the reader, but
even here we do not know if the book finds any detractors in
Japan on account of its length. However, while we are not

1 We exclude from the , calculation the Seventh Book which is of the
nature of the cyclic poems of Greece.

2 About 1920.

IN MEDIAS RES 33

prepared to go as far as the author of our Japanese novel, we
can allow the epic poet to choose for himself how long he will
make his poem. If popularity with the mass of the people, as
well as with the learned, is a test of the justness of a poet's
choice as to length, we find that Indian epics, long as. they are,
have been listened to from beginning to end without flagging
enthusiasm as they are read and explained by Pandits during
evenings continuously for many months at a stretch. And as
Kamban's Ramayana holds the reader's interest sustained up to
the very end, we cannot condemn it as excessively long, but on
the contrary we should be thankful to the poet for providing us
with such abundance of rich and delicate food for our
imagination and our spirit.

CHAPTER IV

THE ARCHITECTONICS OF THE RAMAYANA

The build and the structure of the Ramayana of Kamban are
superb. The poem satisfies the soul with its ampleur, the
proportion of its parts, and the art with which the parts are
combined into an organic whole. It is true that the story follows
the order of events chronologically. But there are a hundred
ways in which a story can be narrated even in the chronological
order, and it is in the choice that the poet makes from among
these that we see whether he is the supreme artist or an ordinary
writer. And Kamban has shown his genius for the architectonics
of poetry both where he follows Valmiki as well as where he
departs from his order.

The question of the build of the epic is not treated in detail

in any of the treatises of rhetoric in Samskrit that have come

to light up to now. There must have existed books which

examined this question deeply, for we cannot imagine that a

people who have laid down elaborate rules for the construction

of the drama could have neglected such an obvious subject of

critical study as the detailed anatomy of the epic poem. These

are either lost to us or are waiting to be discovered in the

Bhandaras 1 of our temples and of our States. The rhetorical

works that have been printed up to now discuss generally only

questions of style, figures of speech, and the emotions as subjects

of poetical treatment. The Mahakavya Lakshanas, so called, are

not much more than lists of what subjects should be necessarily

treated or described in an epic.

In the Kavyadarsha, however, Dandin, after describing ten
figures of speech finishes with three shlokas on what he calls
Bhavika. He says,

" Bhavika is said to the essential quality of the
Prabandha or poem ; for bhava is the idea of the poet as to
how he should arrange the poem and set forth its parts. The
mutual harmony of the parts both in the subject matter as
well as in the canto divisions ; the leaving out of useless
incidents and the placing of everything in its proper place ;
the individuality and character in the treatment even of the
sublime which comes of a vigorous diction and well-ordered

l archives.

ARCHITECTONICS 35

words — all this is the result of bhava, i.e., the inner poetical

sense. And the right employment of the bhava gives rise to

the quality called Bhavika."

In the above lines is contained, though in mere skeleton, the
-whole theory as to how the epic, as any other kind of long poem,
.should be constructed. It is interesting to compare these lines
with the words of Aristotle in reference to the same matter, that
the epic should be a unity like one whole animal. The animal
has different organs, no doubt, but all its organs adhere together
perfectly to make up that one animal. The author of the
Mahabharata too, we may note in passing, compares his work to
a majestic tree with branches and stem, and fruits and flowers,
but which in its entirety is a single whole. The epic, therefore,
should be a unity, with parts of course, but parts which go to
make up and show off that unity.

Now the one action of the Ramayana, as Valmiki proposes in
the beginning of the poem, is the destruction of Ravana, and
«very incident of the story contributes to this end. This idea is
never absent from the mind of Kamban. When Tadaka, who
comes to spoil the sacrifice of Vishvamitra, falls by the arrow of
Rama, she looks, according to him, ' like Ravana's standard of
victory felled down to the ground as a foreboding of his future
fate '. When Kaikeyi yields to the evil advice of Manthara, it is

Because the promise must be fulfilled now
That Vishnu to the gods had made, because
The gods did work their maya, and the saints
Had earned the fruit of virtuous deeds, and cup
Of Rakshas sins was full, — her heart was hardened.
For if the world to-day the ambrosial strains
Of Rama's praise doth drink, doth not it owe
The joy to Kaikeyi's cruelty ? 1

And when Ravana lies dead on the field, Mandodari lamenting
his death says, among other things,

The fairy charms of Sita, her chastity
Divine, the passion of my Ravana,
Shurpanakha's disgrace, and banishment
Of Rama by command of the King of kings,
All these and more, what are they but the fruit
Of Indra's great austerities ? 2

1 II ii 77, 78. 2 VI xxxvi 241.

36 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Here we see the poet referring all these different incidents:
as leading but to one only end, namely, the destruction of Ravana,
for it is only after Ravana was destroyed that Indra could get back
his heavenly kingdom.

Let us now examine the plot of the Ramayana in some
detail. In the beginning of the First Book, the destruction of
Ravana is proposed, and Vishnu Himself promises to come into
the world as the son of Dasharatha and destroy the Rakshasa.
The interest of the reader is from that moment fixed upon Rama,
the avatar of the Supreme God, and all his doings. The First
Book is taken up with the exploits of Rama's youth and his
marriage with Sita who is the incarnation of Lakshmi. The
killing of Tadaka, the episode of Ahalya, the love of Rama for
Sita and of Sita for Rama, Rama's bending and breaking of the
mighty bow of Shiva, Parashu Rama's pride and its punishment,
all these form a number of varied incidents interesting in
themselves and at the same time calculated to make the reader
expect high things of Rama. The march of this book is rather
slow owing to the various episodes that are cast in the form of
stories told by Vishvamitra to Rama and by Shatananda to Janaka.
The journey of Dasharatha to Mithila which Valmiki describes
in but one or two shlokas is elaborately described by Kamban in
four Patalas l which take up about 300 stanzas. This is a great
deal too much. But these patalas occur in the First Book before
the epic has gathered its proper momentum. Moreover, many of
the stanzas in these cantos are of great idyllic beauty.

In the Second Book, Rama's character is magnificently
developed in his attitude towards Kaikeyi, Kausalya, and
Lakshmana. The story too marches rapidly. The conversations
between the several persons here are pitched in a high key, and the
nerves of the reader become highly strung even at the thousandth
reading. Between every one of these meetings, the pitch is lowered
a little for the reader to take breath before he is confronted with
the next scene of high-strung emotion. The art with which the
climax is prepared in the meeting with Sita can never be
sufficiently admired. The struggle of Dasharatha between his love
of Rama and love of Truth, his anger against Kaikeyi, his despair
at the charioteer's return without Rama, the whole contrast
between Rama's expected coronation and his banishment, Bharata's
renunciation, Guha's attachment to Rama, his suspicion of and
indignation against Bharata and his subsequent recognition of his

1 Chapters.

ABCHITECTONICS 37

sublime nature, the rivalry in the heroism of renunciation between
Bharata and Rama — all these make the Second Book a superb
piece of work.

In the Third Book, the first thirteen years of Rama's life in
the forests are passed over very rapidly though not without the
poet reminding us of the purpose of Rama's avatar. In the
fourteenth year, Shurpanakha's passion for Rama unchains the
series of incidents that end with the death of Ravana. The fight
in which Rama annihilates the fourteen thousand Rakshasas who
come to avenge Shurpanakha gives us a foretaste of the magnificent
battle-pieces with which Kamban fills his Book of Battles.
Ravana's passion for Sita is described in a very extravagant way.
Our idea of probability requires that Ravana should have seen
Sita at least once before his soul could be fired with a desire to
possess her at whatever cost. Tulsi Das has felt this and so he
introduces Ravana as one of the suitors to her hand at the
Swayamvara at her father's court. The extravagance of Kamban's
description of Ravana's passion however, faulty as it is, has a
meaning, for only such a passion can explain Ravana's persistence
in keeping her in spite of the worst defeats and disasters. Rama's
going after the golden deer and Sita's fatal obstinacy in sending
Lakshmana after Rama are narrated with great skill. Ravana
now meets Sita alone in the cottage. The poet expends all his
art in the colloquy between the disguised Ravana and Sita, and
the bursting of the false form and the revealing of Ravana in
his true shape are made to take place exactly at the right moment.
The battle of the Vulture-King provides a heroic and touching
episode to this book and Ravana carries off Sita without further
hindrance. Kamban shows his sense of the fit in not describing
at this stage, as Valmiki does, another interview between Sita and
Ravana, in Lanka. It is only in the next book that he describes
the first meeting of Sita and Ravana after her captivity, and he
merely suggests their previous interviews by one sentence put in.
the mouth of Ravana :

'The days are passing one by one away,
And this is all the kindness thou hast shown

Tome! 1

Lakshmana's adventure with Ajomukhi is but a repetition of
llama's with Shurpanakha and is therefore superfluous, but

• i V iv. 26.

38 KAMBA RAMAYANAM A STUDY

Kamban employs it to reveal to us the deep love that Rama hasr
towards Lakshmana. Kabandha closes, as Viradha began, the
adventures of Rama and Lakshmana with the Rakshasas in the
Forest Book. These three incidents have the same kind of
fairy-tale ring about them as the adventures of Ulysses with the
Cyclops and Circe have in the Odyssey.

The Fourth Book introduces to us new characters in the-
Vanaras of Kishkindha. The poet exhibits to us the intensity of
Rama's desire to avenge his wrongs when he makes him determine
the death of Vali the moment he hears from Hanuman that Vali
had deprived Sugriva of his wife. The single combat of Vali and
Sugriva, Vali's fall, his reproaches against Rama and final
acceptance of the justice of his punishment, all these form one of
the finest episodes in the poem. The Fourth Book ends with the
sending of the Vanara host in all directions in search of Sita.

In the Fifth Book Hanuman, the favourite servant of Rama,
discovers Sita. Ravana's interview with Sita, Sita's despair,
Hanuman's delivery of Rama's message, his desire to leave a mark-
in Lanka worthy of his might, his subsequent capture, his release,,
his setting of Lanka on fire, and his return to Rama crowd this-
book with a multitude of shifting scenes each flowing from its
predecessor as a natural and inevitable consequence.

The Yuddha Kanda or the Book of Battles is at least as long
as the Iliad. The scene opens in Lanka charred by the conflagration
started by Hanuman. The Council of the Rakshasas is less
interesting than the debate in the Second Book of the Paradise
Lost, but the episode of Hiranya is magnificent. Vibhishana
recites to Ravana the story of the great Asura who was destroyed
for his pride, and advises Ravana to avoid a similar fate by sending
Sita back to Rama. Ravana, of course, refuses to listen to this
advice and war begins. Every battle is a masterpiece, and
there is hardly a repetition in the descriptions of such a multitude
of battles. The reader will see in subsequent pages that the
battle-pieces of Kamban cannot at all suffer by a comparison^
with Homer's best battles. But battles are not all the contents
of the Yuddha Kanda. In this book scenes of the deepest pathos
alternate with scenes of grand-souled heroism ; despair and hope,
and hope and despair weave their light and shade about the heroes
and heroines, the terrible and the sublime play about us in all
their grandeur. The story gathers fresh force and animation at
every step till the death of Ravana. The poet, however, does
not stop here but desires to enhance the glory of Sita and bring
out into greater prominence the virtue of Bharata. And so, we

ARCHITECTONICS 39

have the ordeal of Sita which raises our feelings to a pitch which
almost bursts our hearts. Bharata's sensitive heart is next
presented to us in his sublime determination to expiate his
imagined share in his mother's sin by falling into a fire that he
has kindled. And the poem ends sweetly with the coronation
of Rama and the happy announcement that all the worlds were
contented and in peace.

Now the plot In almost all its details is Valmiki's. But if
Kamban takes the situations from Valmiki, he has treated them
absolutely in his own way. In the manner of developing the
situations, in the gradation by which the climax of each situation
is brought about, in the justesse which knows how to bring out
all its capabilities out of each situation, we feel the touch of the
master-artist. In the manner also in which the incidents have
been joined together to form the whole, no ordinary skill has
been displayed. Every limb of Kamban's story is of course
familiar to the student of Valmiki. But on going through the
whole poem of Kamban, one is constrained to exclaim, ' here is a
building which is built on the same plan no doubt, and with the
same materials, but which possesses a striking individuality of
its own '. 1

l Further remarks on Kamban's skill in the Architectonics of poetry
will be found in the succeeding chapters where the characters are
examined and studied in greater detail. See especially chapter XI where
the episode of Vali is examined closely with special reference to
Architectonics.

CHAPTER V
THE SUPERNATURAL ELEMENT IN THE RAMAYANA

Every epic has got a supernatural element in it which
interlaces itself with the human element in the story, and the
action of both these elements in themselves as well as in their
interaction form together the warp and the woof of the whole
story. Thus we have in the Iliad and the Odyssey and the ASneid,
Zeus and Juno, Minerva and Mars, Neptune and Apollo who
interfere directly or indirectly with the actions of the several
human heroes, ^Eolus who could unlock the winds and lash the
sea into a tempest ; and similar beings endowed with more than
human power and strength, and with ability to move from heaven
to earth and from earth to heaven with ease. In the Paradise
Lost Milton introduces Satan and Beelzebub, Raphael and Abdiel,
the Messiah and even God Himself as the chief actors in the
story along with Adam and Eve. In his Les Martyrs Chateaubriand
brings into play Satan and other fallen angels, the Spirit of
Jealousy, the Spirit of Vengeance, the good angels and God as
some of the protagonists of his story. In a similar manner, all
other epic poets have in some way or other made use of the
supernatural element in order to give more than ordinary
importance to the action which they celebrate in their epics. The
taking in of the aid of the supernatural in Epic Poetry has become
such a universal habit that even Pope thought his Rape of the Loclc
not dignified enough without the play of this machinery, and so
he introduced in his revised edition elves and fairies which
certainly add to the interest of the original poem.

In our Ramayana also, the supernatural element plays a very
important part in the action of the story. But it is, as is natural,
of a character different to that of the western epics. It is always
difficult to adjust the focus of one's mental vision to the conditions
of a world different from that to which it has been previously
adjusted ; and it is this difficulty that is to a large extent responsible
for most of the criticism that those whose taste is formed on a
study of the western epics alone are used to make against eastern
epics. We should draw the attention of such critics to the words
of Mr. Mark Pattison which he uses in connection with the
Paradise Lost, but which are capable of being applied with equal

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS 41

truth to all epic poetry and even broadly speaking to every fine
art. He says,

" The world of the Paradise Lost is an ideal, conventional
world, quite as much as the world of the Arabian Nights or
the world of chivalrous romance or that of the pastoral novel.
Not only dramatic but all poetry is founded upon illusion.
We must, though it be for the moment, suppose it true. We
must be transported out of the actual world into that world
in which the given scene is laid. It is chiefly the business of
the poet to effect this transportation, but the reader (or
hearer) must aid. If the reader's imagination is not active
enough to assist the poet, he must at least not resist him.
When we are once inside the poet's heaven, our critical faculty
may justly require that what takes place there is quite
consistent with itself, with the laws of the fantastic world.
But we may not begin by objecting that it is impossible that
such a world should exist. If in any age the power of
imagination is enfeebled, the reader becomes more unable to
make the effort and he ceases to co-operate with the poet.
Much of the criticism of the Paradise Lost which we meet with
resolves itself to the conditions that the poet demands, a
determination to insist that his heaven peopled with deities,
dominations, principalities and powers shall have the same
material laws which govern our planetary system. It is not,
as we often hear it said, that the critical faculty is unduly
developed in the nineteenth century. It is that the imaginative
faculty fails us ; and when that is the case, criticism is
powerless — it has no fundamental assumption upon which its
judgments can proceed."

A sympathetic understanding of the nature and conditions of
the conventional world postulated by the poet is therefore
indispensable to the critic if his criticism should be rational and
fruitful. Such an understanding is equally necessary for the
simple lover of poetry who desires only aesthetic enjoyment. So,
we propose in this chapter to give an account, necessarily brief,
of the nature of the supernatural beings that take part in the story
and of the miraculous machines of destruction used by them as
well as by the human heroes in their battles.

''** There are mainly two classes of beings which partake of the
character of the supernatural in the Ramayana. They are the
Rakshasas and the Vanaras. We shall take the Rakshasas first.
They are beings of enormous power and size, and should be, strictly
speaking, labelled as preternatural beings. Ravana has ten heads.

42 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Trishiras has three heads. Some other Rakshasas and Rakshasis
have heads of horses, wolves, jackals, lions, etc. By performing
great and severe tapas (austerities) these Rakshasas have acquired
enormous physical strength and many magical powers. They can
bend the bow with such force that their arrows can break to
pieces the rocks hurled against them by their enemies. They can
assume whatever shape they please at their will. They can fly
through the air with or without aerial chariots. They hold other
worlds than this terrestrial world in subjection under themselves.
They can create automatons looking like human beings or
Rakshasas. In short they possess all the powers and qualities that
are attributed to the gods in the Greek mythology. As a class,
the Rakshasas hate virtue and doers of virtue and love a life of
vice and luxury. Destruction and humiliation of men and gods
are their chief delight.

Besides the ordinary powers and strength of the Rakshasas,
Ravana possesses some very extraordinary powers. He is able to
lift with his hands the great Mount Kailas with Shiva Himself
enthroned upon it. He fights and conquers the Ashta-dik-gajas —
the eight immense mammoths — elephants which are supposed to
bear aloft the universe from its eight sides and corners. The
God of Death and Varuna 1 have to acknowledge defeat at his
hands. The Sun and the Moon, and Fire and Wind obey his every
wish. The very seasons obey him, and come and go at the slightest
expression of his will. In short his austerities have earned for
him from Shiva and the other gods power and strength only short
of omnipotence.

Gods as such do not take an active part in the story. They
have been conquered by their enemies, the Rakshasas. Their
world, the Svarga, is in the hands of Ravana. Their wives and
daughters are working as maids to the Rakshasa ' women ' in
Lanka. They themselves are doing menial service to their
Rakshasa masters. Their king Indra is a wanderer away from his
kingdom and throne. Even the Supreme Three 2 have been
defeated by Ravana and live under a self-denying ordinance,
resolving not to interfere with his doings till the strength of his-
austerities has begun to wane.

But at the command of Vishnu — one of the Supreme Three—
who is the one designed in this age to destroy the evil and
unrighteous Rakshasas and Asuras, the gods are born as Vanaras
or giant monkeys on earth. But while they are born on earth,.

1 Rain-God. 2 Brahma, Vishnu: and, Shiva.

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS 43

they keep also their own divine bodies in Svarga, or wherever
they are for the moment. The Vanaras are therefore spoken of
both as the sons of the respective gods as well as their
incarnations. The Vanaras, at least their leaders, have the same
preternatural strength and courage as the Rakshasas. They can
also assume at will whatever shape they please. They can leap
over immense distances of space. Hanuman, the greatest of the
Vanaras, can fly across the sea from the mainland to Lanka and
fly back. Again he flies to the hill of drugs situated far north
of the Himalayas and returns with the hill in his hand in the
course of a single night. He can grow as high as the heavens
and pervade the world with his body. Angada and Sugriva are
almost equal to him in strength but do not possess his pervasive
power. The strength of the Vanaras is such that they can tear
trees and rocks by the roots and hurl them against their foes.
The reader will not be far wrong if he imagines the Vanaras
as possessing almost all the strength and powers of the gods of the
Greek epics. Only, unlike the latter, they compose the entire
army of one of the combatants in the war.

Garuda and Sampati and Jatayus must be classed separately
among the supernatural and preternatural beings of the Ramayana.
Garuda is the great golden eagle, the Vohan or carrier of Vishnu.
He is the enemy of all serpents and he appears on the battle-field
to free Lakshmana and the Vanaras from the serpent noose of
Indrajit. At his mere approach all the serpents of the noose
either die or slink away. Jatayus and Sampati are vultures — the
sons of Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun, and they are the Icarus
and Daedalus of Indian story. They had tried to fly up to the very
Sun and had fallen down scorched by his fierce rays. Jatayus,
the younger, was protected from being burnt by Sampati who^
shaded him from the sun and had his own wings burned off. At
the period of our story, Sampati lives on the Mahendra hill at
the southernmost point of the mainland, till the choral repetition -
of Rama's name makes his wings miraculously to grow. Jatayus
is the friend of Dasharatha and so Rama has a tender filial affection
for the noble Vulture-King. Jatayus, as the reader will remember,
attempts to prevent Ravana from carrying off Sita, but after a
terrible struggle falls mortally wounded by Ravana.

These are about all the preternatural beings that take part
in the action of the epic. Although Rama and his brothers are
divine incarnations, Kamban, like Valmiki, treats their actions
as those of mere human heroes, only endowed with some
extraordinary powers. For instance, Kamban does not gift Rama

44 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

with the pervasive power or enormous size and strength of
Hanuman, though everywhere he reminds us that he is the Supreme
One who is immanent in everything and who transcends even
the Three Persons of the Trinity. In fact, Rama and his brothers
are human in their actions and their physical condition, though
they are divine in their ultimate nature.

But if Rama and Lakshmana are merely men in their actions,
they possess the power to command the gods to do their bidding
even as Ravana and the Rakshasa leaders have. We speak of their
power to convert their arrows by means of mantras or spells into
weapons possessing the power of Agni and Vayu, 1 Shiva and
Vishnu and Brahma, and other deities. Arrows thus impregnated
by spells are called Astras. It is these astras that deserve to be
called machinery, a term which western critics are used to apply
to the supernatural beings etc., that influence the action in the
Tliad and other epics.

The astra should be imagined by the reader to be an arrow
which the spell, pronounced by the bowman at the time of aiming
it, converts into a weapon possessing preternatural power, generally
the power of a god. Thus the Agneya-astra must be supposed to
be an arrow which the spell of the archer impregnates with the
Shakti or force of Agni, the God of Fire. Such an arrow must
be imagined to fly against the enemy carrying living fire in its
bosom and burning down everything before it. Similarly the
Varuna-astra would be the weapon possessing the force of Varuna,
the God of the Ocean, and hence would be aimed against the
Agneya-astra whose fire it would extinguish. The Maheshvara-
astra would be an arrow filled with the force of God Shiva or
Maheshvara, the Narayana-astra would be an arrow filled with
the force of God Narayana or Vishnu, and the Brahmastra would
be a dart filled with the force of Brahma, and so on. The
Naga-pasha or the serpent-noose must be imagined to be an arrow
or a succession of arrows which the appropriate spells convert into
deadly serpents which bind themselves round the bodies of the
■enemies and strangle them. Kamban speaks also of the
Maya-astra which creates any illusion that the sender pleases
before the eyes of the opponent. In rare cases, incantations are
supposed to be pronounced upon other weapons than arrows," a^rd
then these weapons, — sometimes even a blade of grass serves as
a weapon to the expert in the science of astras — become the
appropriate astras.

■ 1 Fire and Wind. N «

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS 45

The reader will observe that when an astra is aimed against
an archer, his obvious defence according to this convention would
be to send against it an astra of superior power which would
conquer or neutralise it. Thus arrows would wrestle against
arrows in mid-air, each armed with the force given to it by the
respective archers.

Out of all these astras, the Brahmastra is supposed to be the
most powerful, though" in one or two places Kamban speaks of
the Narayana-astra and Maheshvara-astra as equally or even more
powerful weapons. These astras are to be supposed to rush
through the air with fatal force, giving birth, both on their way
as well as when they strike the enemy, to innumerable destructive
machines and even beings such as cobras, demons, etc. The
torpedoes and shrapnels, and flame-throwers and poison-gas shells
and similar destructive weapons so abundantly used in the late
war are the analogues of the astras of the Ramayana. And who
knows if the first ideas of some of the terrific weapons of modern
times were not put into the heads of their European inventors by
the description of the several astras mentioned in the Ramayana !

Rama and Lakshmana on the one side and the great leaders
of the Rakshasas on the other are described by the poet as great
experts in the science of astras. Rama's arrows have another
peculiarity in that they come back to his quiver after doing the
destruction for which they were sent.

Although the gods do not take part in the action of the story
except through the astras, they make their appearance sometimes
in their own persons in the course of the action. Thus, when
Bharata persists in inviting Rama to come back to Ayodhya, the
Devas who are standing around unseen by the assembled people
pronounce a command, which is heard as a disembodied voice,
that he should himself go back and rule the kingdom for fourteen
years. Again Rama and Lakshmana see Indra approach
Sharabhanga in order to offer him residence in his own heaven.
Matali, the charioteer of Indra, is ordered by the gods to drive
Rama in the heavenly vimana or air chariot of Indra during the
final battle with Ravana. And finally the gods and the deceased
Dasharatha come down on earth at the time when Sita falls into
the fire and advise Rama to take her back to himself.

• We believe we have now placed before the reader all that
is necessary for a proper understanding of the conventional world
in which the action of the Ramayana unfolds itself. Now we
shall take up the study of the more important characters of our
story and see how Kamban treats them in his epic.

CHAPTER VI

RAMA

In the delineation of character, Kamban stands on a level
with the greatest poets of the world. The lines are drawn with
a firm hand, and the characters are painted with such accuracy
and fullness that from any single sentence, and sometimes even
from a single phrase in a speech, one can tell the person speaking
without any the least doubt.

Here too, naturally, Valmiki has set the stamp on the
characters of the Ramayana. But in Kamban's hand they have
become much more grand. The student of Valmiki will wonder
how his Rama and Bharata, Ravana and Kumbhakarna, Vali and
Hanuman, Sita and Kausalya and the rest could be improved. The-
fact, however, is there that Kamban's heroes and heroines are
beings of a decidedly higher stature than those of Valmiki.

The idealisation of Rama is not solely or chiefly the work
of Kamban. The fact is that the Rama of Valmiki has so
captivated the heart of Hindusthan that the whole nation has
expended on him all the love and devotion of which its rich nature
was capable. The Tamil Alwars, and especially Kulasekhara the
Chera Prince, have given literary expression in their devotional
verses to the popular pronouncement that Rama is the Supreme
Narayana Himself in human form. In Kamban's time, therefore,
the ideal man had grown into very God, the mere repetition of
whose name with devotion would lead unto heaven. What
Kamban has done is to give the impress of the master-artist to
the character that had grown into its fullness and grandeur by the
devotion-filled meditation of generations of the sons of India.

This, however, was no ordinary task. It is easy to pile epithets
upon epithets and constantly repeat that Rama was a divine king.
But to create the poetical impression of the divinity of Rama's
character and to maintain the epic in all places at the level that
will alone harmonise with such an impression is a vastly different
thing. And Kamban has eminently succeeded in this extremely
difficult task.

With regard to the other characters, and especially with
regard to the Rakshasas, the heightening of the colour is mainly
Kamban's work. With the instinct of the born artist, Kamban
must have seen that the idealisation of Rama alone without

RAMA 47

raising the other personages of the story to a similar height of
-character would not produce a harmonic whole. And so he has
made his Ravana and Indrajit, Sugriva and Angada, Kausalya
and Mandodari much grander characters than they appear in
Valmiki's poem. And although Valmiki's Bharata is one of the
finest creations of poetry, the little touches that Kamban has
given to the figure have rendered Bharata's virtue even more
resplendent than in the original Ramayana.

With these preliminary observations, we shall examine more
closely the characters of Kamban's Ramayana, .giving greater
attention to the more prominent characters therein.

Rama, of course, will claim our first attention. In three or
four places Valmiki has deified Rama. Even these passages,
however, modern critics regard as interpolations. But, howsoever
this may be, everywhere else in Valmiki, Rama is only the valorous
prince, perfect in virtue, but nothing more than a simple mortal
man. In Kamban, however, it is rare to meet with any reference
to Rama which does not indicate his divinity. He is the Supreme
Lord, he is Narayana, he is the one that sleeps the sleep of
wakefulness in the Ocean of Milk, he is the Great One whom
even the Vedas have not seen. If he runs after the golden deer,
' he sets forward the foot that measured the three worlds '. If
Rama and Sita love each other at first sight, ' is it not the meeting
again of those that were together in the Ocean of Milk, and were
separated only for a while ? ' It is the same from beginning to
end. But this constant deification of Rama does not stand in
the way of the most human emotions being attributed to him.
He feels all the anguish of separation from Sita. He is stunned
on hearing of the death of his father. He is affected by the simple
affection of Guha and the self-reproach of Bharata. He weeps
at the fall of Lakshmana in one of his encounters with Indrajit,
and is beside himself with grief at the report that Indrajit had
murdered Sita. And yet we do not feel that there is anything
unnatural in Rama's human acts and emotions. There is the same
mingled divinity and humanity about Kamban's Rama as about
the Christ of the Gospels and of the Paradise Regained.

The fascination which the character of Rama has exercised
upon the mind of Hindusthan is a measure of the great art with
which our poet, among others, has delineated him. Rarely has
literature anywhere taken upon itself the task of creating such
valour and such virtue. And still more rarely has it risen to the
level of such a creation.

And what a character is that of Rama ! All the qualities

48 KAMBA RAMAYAKAM — A STUDY

that belong to the hero are to be found in him to perfection. He
is the very personification of valour. He is not elated even when.
the imperial crown is offered to him. Valmiki's Rama announces
to his mother the fact of his prospective coronation with just a
touch of joy. And to Lakshmana he says with greater
expansiveness,

' Rule thou this kingdom with me, O Lakshmana. This
fortune is for thee too who art my other self. Life and the
crown I desire for thy sake more than for myself.'
But Kamban takes care not to put even these words into the
mouth of Rama. He says,

' When Dasharatha had finished, the Lotus-eyed One was

not elated, neither despised he the gift. But, feeling that it

was his duty to obey his father's commands, he consented ! ' 1 ,

After this, Kamban does not allow Rama to speak a word in

the poem till he makes his grand reply to Kaikeyi. 2 By this,

Rama is made to appear more stoic than in Valmiki. The poet,

as the reader is aware, draws pointed attention to this stoicism at

this place. And he calls it again to our mind when he describes

Sita's thoughts while she is a captive in Lanka. She would think,

he says,

' On that face, which, both when asked by his father to
accept the imperial crown as well as when commanded by his
mother to leave all and live a forest life, like the pictorial
lotus was ever the same ! ' 3

Another effect of this stoical calmness is that Rama not only
does not himself accuse Kaikeyi anywhere, but deprecates others
accusing her. When Lakshmana rages against her on hearing of
Rama's exile for the first time, Rama calms him saying,

' They blame not streams if water sometimes fails ; blame

thou not then our king, nor her our mother : 'Tis fate that

drives us on, my brother ! Why then this rage ? ' 4

A fine sidelight is thrown on this trait in Rama's character

when the poet makes Bharata say to his mother, when she

announced to him that she had exiled Rama for his sake,

' Thou livest yet ! And still my spell-bound hand
Leapeth not forth to finish thee ! Did not
I fear that Ram, my sovereign, would resent
The deed, shall ev'n the name of mother stay
My arm from slaying thee ? ' s

1 II i 70. 2 See p. 9. 'V iii 20.

* n iv 134. 5 II ix 72.

RAMA 49

Note here how the poet raises Rama in our estimation by
making Bharata say that Rama would never tolerate the slaying
of Kaikeyi even for her triple crime.

But it is not only that Rama forgives Kaikeyi her evil. He
retains his former love for her even in his exile. For among the
many things that Sita wants Hanuman to remind Rama about,
she says,

" And when I had a parrot fair I loved,

I asked my lord what name he liked to give

To her. And he with tenderness replied,

' Give her my virtuous mother Kaikey's name.' " x

If Rama, however, is a vairagi 2 , when it is a question of his
own personal fortunes, he is tender as a woman when he sees
others suffer. Thus when he sees Lakshmana's princely hands
engaged in building a cottage for him ih the forests, he exclaims
to himself thus :

' The flower-like tender feet of Janaka's child 3
Are strong enough to tread the jungle paths ;
And Lakshman's hands are skilled to build for us
A tasteful cottage home. Ah, those whom Fate
Has helpless cast upon the world, what's there
That they'll not learn to do ! ' *

The poet again touches on this side of Rama's nature when
he makes Sita recall to mind while in the Ashoka grove in Lanka,

The pain of Rama when he saw his brother 5
Wear not the crown upon his head, but wear
The dusty twisted knot of hair. 6

The grief of Rama at the fall of Lakshmana, in one of Indrajit's
battles, is pitched in a higher key :

Now he would plough the ground with his limbs ; now
he would heave heavy sighs ; now he would swoon away
as in death ; soon coming to himself he would act as one who
knew not what he was doing ; suddenly he would cry aloud,

1 V vi 83. 2 Stoic. 3 Sita. * II vjii 52.

5 Bharata. when he came to forest to invite Rama to take back the
Crown that Kaikeyi had deprived him of.
« V iii 25.

4

50 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' Lakshmana, O Lakshmana ! ' Then he would place his hands
under Lakshmana's nostrils, and call out, ' Livest thou, my
child ? '

Again he would gently press Lakshmana's feet with his
lotus hands ; he would pat his thighs ; he would look intently
into his lotus eyes, fair like fresh-gathered flowers ; he would
listen at his heart to see if it was yet beating ; he would look
at the heavens ; he would lift up his body and place it
against his heart ; then he would lay it down upon the
ground ; suddenly he would exclaim, ' Is the foe fled away ? '
He would look at his bow and then at the deadly noose
thrown by the enemy ; he would look at the night that
appeared as if it would never end ; he would look at the gods
that were crowding in the heavens ; he would want to tear
the earth itself up by its roots.

He would cast his eyes on the heroes assembled round ;
he would think of the fate that had brought about this
misfortune ; once again he would look at his powerful bow
and then at his arrows ; and then he would cry aloud, ' Has
ever man suffered like me ? ' 1

We shall close the study of this phase of Rama's character
with one more extract. Seeing that it was difficult to overcome
his enemy by pure force of arms, Indrajit wanted to destroy their
morale and so he created an automaton resembling Sita, breathed
life into it by his magic art, cut off its head in the presence of
Hanuman, and flew away upon his aerial chariot saying that he
was going to invade Ayodhya. When Hanuman brought this news
to Rama, Rama's grief knew no bounds, and he swooned away.
At length, rising from his trance, Rama spoke these words :

' It seems my curse ends not with Sita ev'n :

Needs must it swallow up my race ; nor know

I now whom else it will destroy. O Lord !

Is there an end to this ? and then, my brothers,

Will they be spared ? In his aerial car

Faster than thought, the foe towards Ayodh

Has flown, and is returned. The home that gave

Me- life, is shattered now, while Sita here

Has fallen under the murderer's knife ! What else

Is coming, I know not, nor welcome death

I find !' 2

1 VI xviii 222-225. 2 VI xxv 78, 79.

RAMA 51

This capacity for poignant suffering is but the obverse of
Rama's naturally affectionate disposition. The poet does not
forget to point out that even as a child Rama had kind words and
sweet looks for the veriest strangers. When Vasishtha approves
-of Rama's coronation, he says,

' 'Tis little if I say he loved all men
Ev'n as he loves himself : the love he bears
To thee, ev'n that's the measure of his love
To all things living.' 1

When the rough forest king Guha comes to see him on the
banks of the Ganga, Rama is so moved by his love for himself
that he begins to love him as if he were a blood-brother. And
so ,when Guha desires to accompany him southward and serve
him all the fourteen years of his exile, he addresses to him these
feeling words :

' Thou art dear to me as life : and this my brother
Is brother to thee as well, and this fair one
Is kin to thee ; and all the sea-girt earth
Is thine of right whilst I adventure on,
Thy duties doing. Happiness comes to us
Alone in the wake of misery. Grieve not
Therefore that now we part : we were but four
Before : to-day with thee we're brothers five
Attached one t'another with loving bonds.
Lakshman, thy brother, is here to suffer all

For me

Thy other brother Bharat is there to guard

Our kindred in the north ; now tell me who

But thee can guard our kindred here ? Thy men,

Are not they mine ? Then stay thou here and watch

O'er them till I return. ' 2

Such was the depth of Rama's affection for Guha that Sita
in her lonely stay at the Ashoka grove would go into raptures
when she remembered,

how Rama said to Guha, humble forester as he was,

' Lakshmana is thy own brother, and Sita here is brother's

wife to thee ! '

Two others Rama loved with the same kind of brotherly

1 II i 38. 2 II vi 68-71.

52 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

affection — Sugriva, whom he swore to avenge as soon as he heard
that his elder brother Vali was hounding him, and Vibhishana,
who was disgusted at the conduct of his own brother Ravana in
refusing to send back Sita, and who had come to Rama as a
refugee from Lanka. So, when he crowns Vibhishana as King of
Lanka, he tells him,

' When Guha joined us on Ganga's banks,

I counted myself blessed with brothers four :

Sugriv to me a fifth did add ; and now

With thee we are become sev'n loving brothers.

Blest verily is father Dasharath :

One son he banished to the forests wild,

But sons on sons do grow on him, and bless

His royal name.' 1

Towards Bharata and Lakshmana and Hanuman, Rama's
affection grows into a tenderer plant. We have referred to
Rama's grief at seeing Bharata coming to the Chitrakuta hill clad
in hermit's weeds. He has few occasions to exhibit his love for
him in the course of his wanderings in the forest and the war
with the Rakshasas. But Bharata is never absent from his heart
even for a single moment. And the memory of his sublime nature
was one of the most dearly prized companions of his lonely
thoughts. For when he sends a message through Sumantra to
Ayodhya from the threshold of the jungle country, he asks him
to request Vasishtha on his behalf to console Bharata in his grief
when he should hear of his exile, and asks him also to tell
Bharata not to be angry with his mother for having brought about
his banishment. When Lakshmana, seeing Bharata approach
towards where Rama was on the Chitrakuta hill, charges him with
desiring to kill Rama, Rama expostulates with him and says,

' It is thy love to me, brother, that makes thee blind to
Bharata's virtues. I regard the Vedas themselves as no more
than commentaries on Bharata's life. Is it the part of wisdom
not to see that it is his love for me that draws him here and
that he must be coming here to offer me the crown ?...."
Can'st thou suspect thus our Bharata, the touchstone of"
honour, the very God of supreme Virtue ? ' 2
How near Bharata was to Rama's heart is shown in a more
pointed manner by the poet when he describes the single combat.

1 VI iv 146. 2 II xii 44, ,45.

RAMA 53

of Vali and Sugriva. As Sugriva and Vali were wrestling with
each other, Lakshmana spoke to Rama condemning the conduct
of Sugriva in having invited him to kill his own brother. But
Rama said,

' If all

Were 'like in their devotion to their brothers,
How can my' Bharata be placed the first
I' th' list of loyal brothers ? ' l

The reader will not fail to notice the veiled blow aimed at
Lakshmana himself 2 who must have been proud, and not without
reason, of his unwavering loyalty to his brother Rama. This
veiled cut at Lakshmana by praising Bharata. is suggested by
Valmiki himself, but he introduces that sentiment at the time
when Rama is consulting his council as to whether they should
admit Vibhishana into their camp as an ally. And Valmiki makes
Rama say there — and Rama is addressing both Sugriva and
Lakshmana at the time — ,

' Not all brothers, child, are like Bharata,
nor all sons like myself ! '

This snub is more cruel being administered in the presence
of others — though friends — while the self-praise takes away
something from the character of Rama. The situation that
Kamban has chosen for the expression of the sentiment, and the
.suppression of the self-praise show him once again the grand
connoisseur as well as artist that he is.

But the superior praise given by Rama to Bharata does not
mean that he loves Lakshmana less. In fact, how could he love
anybody more than his inseparable companion who had left all
and was suffering all for his sake ? We have referred to Rama's
feelings when he saw Lakshmana building him his cottage and
also when Lakshmana was brought down by the Naga-pasha of
Indrajit. We may say that Rama regarded him as his own child.
For did not Sumitra tell Lakshmana in his own presence that he
should look upon Rama as a father ? And was not Lakshmana
doing him every service that a son does to his father ?

i IV v 34.

2 For if Lakshmana suffered all for Rama, was he not unkind to his
'Other brother Bharata? >

54 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And so Rama heaps on him all his tenderest epithets — but
almost always in his absence. Thus when he finds that what
Lakshmana had forewarned him of had come true, namely, that
the golden deer was not really a deer but a Rakshasa in disguise,
he exclaims to himself,

' Ah, wise, verily wise is my dear child, the life of my

life, the soul of my very soul ! '

So also when Lakshmana was way-laid by Ajomukhi and
did not come back in time, Rama went out in search of him in
the forest and gave vent to his love and anxiety for him in these-
words :

' Still he is not come back, the dearest part

Of my life. Alas, has he sunk 'neath the load

Of my great grief ? Eyes have I none but him

To lead me on in this dark wood. How then

Can I with bleeding heart the jungle scan

And find out if he lives ? O Lakshmana !

My only staff in life ! hast thou the heart

To hide thy face from me ? Hear'st thou, my child ?

Hard verily is thy heart !

' Sit just to make me roam in search of thee

As well, my fearless lion, who left thy all

And followed me ? ' 1

We shall give one final extract from our poet to illustrate-
Rama's affection for Lakshmana. When Lakshmana went to-
fight his last battle with Indrajit, Rama did not accompany him
but remained in the camp awaiting the result. And this is how
Kamban describes his feelings during Lakshmana's absence :

He waited on with an anxious, tortured heart,
To himself oft repeating, ' sure, he will
Conquer the guileful Rakshasa,' and praying
' May Dharma be an armour to my brother ! '

And keeping e'er his eyes fixed on the way

His brother would come, ev'n as good Bharata
In hermit's robes with many a prayer was
Awaiting him, at length he saw the march
Triumphal of his brother towards the camp. 2

1 HI ix 63, 67, 68, 71. 2 VI xxvii 64. >

RAMA 55

The sight drew tears from Rama's eyes. And this is how
the poet comments upon it :

The tears that flowed from Rama's lotus eyes
When he his brother's form descried, were they
The liquid stream of love ? or were they tears
Induced by painful memories of the past ?
Or were they tears of joy ? Or were they but
The tokens of His mercy infinite ? 1

The affection of Rama to Hanuman is the affection of a great
Guru to a great disciple. He honours the learning and wisdom
and physical strength of the great Vanara. But this respect is»
warmed by personal affection which arose at the very first sight
of him, and grew stronger by every day that passed. It is to
him that Rama entrusts his signet ring and his most intimate
message to Sita, at the time that he sends the Vanara host in
search of her. It is to him that he entrusts the ring once again,
this time in order to prevent Bharata from falling into the fire.
It is him that he keeps by his side as his constant companion
and friend, and it is on his joyfully offered shoulders that he
rides during his great battles with the Rakshasas.

If we say that Rama was all affection for Guha, Sugriva and
Vibhishana, and that he loved Hanuman, Lakshmana and Bharata,
how shall we describe his love for the beautiful, the holy, the
all-suffering Sita ? It was an all-absorbing love, was his love
for his incomparable spouse. The great composer of South India,
Thiyagayya, says that Rama's love for Sita was as unique as his
loyalty to his pledged word and his skill in archery. 2 That love
adds new nerve to his lion-like strength at Janaka's court, because,

The massive bow that like the Meru hill
Before him lay, he lightly lifted up
As if it were the wedding garland bright
For his beloved ! 3

That love makes him distractedly apostrophise the moon and
Manmatha 4 on the night previous to the Svayamvara of
Sita. And that same intense love makes him rave like a

i VI xxvii 65.

2 Oka mata, oka banamu, oka patni ! One his word, one his arrow's
aim, and one his beloved spouse.

3 I xii 33. * The God of Love.

56 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

mad man when he loses her, and fall down like a lightning-struck
sal tree when he hears that she has just been murdered by
Indrajit.

Kamban does not describe any entrancing love scenes between
Rama and Sita. He makes them first speak to each other only
when Rama desires to take leave of Sita at the time of starting
for the forest. There is a world of suggestion in their words of
their happy domestic life, and it is generally by suggestion that
Kamban speaks of the ineffable love that they bear towards each
other. Thus while walking towards the country watered by the
Ganga, Rama and Sita enjoy in each other's company the delightful
sights of rural nature. They see the swans sporting with each
other in the distance. Sita sees her lord's feet mock the lotuses
in freshness of colour and beauty of shape. The blue lotus
luxuriantly growing in the brooks puts Rama in mind of the soft
eyes of his beloved Sita. The lake banks where sleep the royal
swans, the sand dunes in the open country, the groves full of
young trees and smiling flowers, and the great Ganga herself
delight their hearts and add romance to their ever deepening love.
They bathe together in the holy Ganga. They enjoy together
the wild beauties of the forest, and it is there that Rama's words
become more and more tender towards Sita. She is Arundhati *
to him and sweeter than ambrosia. She is his unpaintable beauty.
She is to him the amrit that rose at the churning of the Milk
Ocean. She is the sweet-singing Jcoil bird fairer than the dancing
peacock. She is his light, and the life of womanhood itself. She
is the fair one that could teach virtue to Arundhati's self. She
is the one the very thought of whom is ambrosia to him.

Rama's passionate love for Sita appears most when, at the
time of giving his final instructions to Hanuman just before the
Vanaras were sent all over the earth to search for Sita, he dwells
with delight upon the beauty of her form, and calls to mind the
little telling incidents of their married and pre-marriage days.
Thus he tells Hanuman,

" Even the lotus has its petals pale,
The moon has got its spot, and where is form
Of any kind without the slightest fault ?
-• - 'But thou wilt see no imperfection mar

Her shapely form. Great Brahma made the flute

1 The wife of Vashistha held up to all womankind as the ideal of
wifely virtues and womanly chastity,

RAMA 57

And vina, parrots, koils, and children's babble,

And then he coped all sweetness with her voice :

But nought could he create to parallel

Her speech and tone ; and can he e'er succeed

Jf he should try ev'n now for all his life ?

Though earth and heaven should search to find its like

,What can approach amrit l in taste ? And what

Can e'er compare with the sweetness of her speech ?

Thou think'st of honey and amrit : but can

They e'er delight the ear ?

Remind her that our eyes did first commingle

When I a stranger came to Mith'la town,

The while she stood beside the dovecot fair

In her virgin bower. Recall again to her

How I beheld her form, like a lightning young,

And full of grace, at Jan'ka's palace hall.

Tell her I call to mind her great resolve,

When I the bow of Shiva broke in two,

To end herself if I should other prove

Than whom she saw with holy Kaushika.

Recall to her my words, when she resolved

To follow me to wilds unseen before :

I said, ' O Sita, thou wert a fount of joy

To me till now : but now thou wilt become

The source of griefs innumerable if thou

Persist in thy desire.' And she replied

With tears in her eyes, ' when thou dost leave

Thy crown, and take thyself to forest life,

O love, is everything supportable

By thee excepting only me ? ' And last

Remind her how, when we had barely passed

The gates of Oudh, she stopped and asked, ' Where is

The forest boundless in expanse ? Are we

Arrived in it ? ' " 2

How deep, how tender, how loyal must be the love that
could treasure up in its heart, and dwell with intense delight
upon such incidents as these ?

So when, with the -aid of her magical powers, Shurpanakha
.takes the shape of a woman of entrancing beauty and approaches

i The immortal drink of the gods,
•a IV x 60, 62, 63, 67-72.

58 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

him with lustful intentions, Rama merely exclaims, ' where is the-
limit to beauty of shape ? ', but his heart is absolutely untouched.
As the meeting with Shurpanakha brings into prominence the
unshakeable loyalty of Rama's love for Sita, we translate the-
scene and give it below almost in extenso :

And the daughter of duplicity approached, full of sweet
speech, her feet shapely and soft as the fresh red lotus and
leaf-buds, her appearance recalling to mind the tender creeper
and the swan and the young peacock.

The Goddess of the golden lotus herself would yield to-
her in beauty ; her face gleamed with the light of her
lance-like eyes ; and she was like lightning descending from
the skies.

Her form had the grace of the Kalpaka creeper ; her
words breathed tenderness and love ; she walked on like a
gay peacock, but her eyes she took from the young fawn.

Her anklets and her belt-bells, her gold garlands and
the bees buzzing about the flowers in her hair-, announced
that a fair one was approaching, and Rama turned his eyes
in that direction.

She came like softest ambrosia which the Devas were
delighted to offer and with her waist a little bent under the
weight of her superb bust, and He who in His mercy openefh
the eyes of wisdom to His devotees 1 now saw her before
his eyes.

He saw that melting form, the like of which was not to
be found in Svarga or the earth or the world beneath, and
thought within himself, ' Who can confine the Spirit of
Beauty ? Where is the limit to beauty of shape ? '

And she that was full of desire put into her expression
all the charm she could command, joined her hands together
in salute, lightly brandished the lances of her fascinating
eyes, and softly stepped aside like a young fawn. 2
After preliminary inquiries, in reply to which she says that
she is the sister of Kubera and Ravana, Rama asks her what she-
wants of him, and then the colloquy continues thus :

' It's hard for fair ones nobly born to speak

The love that burns their hearts : alas for me,

My life doth ebb away and there is none

To help me here. What can I in this plight, '

' 8«na 8 III v 31-37.

RAMA 59

Save speak to thee in boldness all I feel ?

I pray thee, save me from the cruel darts

That Manmath aims at me ! ' Thus boldly she

Her bad and lust-filled heart laid bare, the while

Her lightning glances did her tale confirm,

Whereat Kausalya's son thought in his heart,

' No shame has she, and evil is her mind.'

She did not see his thoughts, and once again

Began : ' I knew not until now that thou

Wert here : and so my time and youth were lost

In service done to hermits deemed wise.'

Quoth Ram, ' The Shastras do such unions

Condemn as thou desirest : for thou com'st

Of Brahman stock, and I am Kshatriya born.'

' If this is all thou urg'st,' said Shurp'nakha

' I die not yet ; for though my father was

Brahman, mother was a Rakshas queen.'

He heard the lustful Rakshasi : the shade

Of a budding smile suffused his lotus lips

While thus he spoke : ' The wise declare that men

Should not damsel wed of Rakshas birth.'

' What fool I was to say,' thought Shurp'nakha,

' That I was Ravana's sister ! ' Then aloud

Quoth she, ' As fruit of great austerities

I have my shameful Rakshas birth cast off,

And God has blessed me with this comely form.'

To her, thus He whom Vedas themselves find

For e'er to be beyond their utmost depth :

' If thou art sister to the sovereign,

As thou dost say, of all the worlds, and if

Thy other brother is Ruber, afraid

Am I to marry thee unless they give

Thee 'way in solemn f orm ! ' ' But know'st not thou,'

Persisted she, ' Gandharva rites are fixed

For those like us whom mutual love has joined ?

When thus our love is sanctified, my brothers

Will gladly welcome thee. Now they make war

On holy men ; and full of sin and rage

Are they ; unaided thou shouldst not approach

To where they are. When I shall make thee king

Of earth and heaven, then will they come and serve

And clasp thy lotus feet.' Ram laughed aloud,

And said, * with thee as wife, and Rakshas hosts

-<50 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

As friends, with all the endless wealth that comes
To me with thee, am I not blest indeed ? ' *

Although she saw that Rama was mocking at her, she did
not give up hope. And so, as Sita approached Rama just at the
moment, she thought that she might be just another woman like
herself who was come to Rama with intentions similar to her own,
and she warned him against her saying that she, Sita, was a
man-eating Rakshasi disguised. But when Sita nestled herself
in Rama's breast for fear of herself, and when Rama bid her go
away and went into his cottage accompanied by Sita who was
still clinging to him,

She was like one struck dumb, her life was fled.

Her breath stopped short, nor knew she where she was

Or what she thought. But jealous thoughts soon rose

And agitated once again her breast.

And then she slowly said within herself,

Deep verily is his love for her ! 2

That was Rama's love for Sita, a deep abiding love, which
charms, the most fascinating, could not for a moment alter.

It was his excessive love for her that made him disregard
Lakshmana's warning and go after the golden deer himself, and
thus sow the seed of endless misery to himself as well as to Sita.
For when Lakshmana offered, as the best of a bad bargain, to
hunt the deer and bring it himself,

Pouting her ambrosia-dropping ruby lips,

Like a sweet-tongued parrot young she lisped, ' Then, thou

Wouldst not thyself pursue and capture him

For me ? ', and left him with tears flowing down

Her cheeks. But Rama could not bear to see

Her in a pet, and said, ' My golden love,

Behold I myself go and I shall bring

Him in a trice.' 3

So saying he asked Lakshmana to guard Sita in his absence
And hurried after the golden deer.

i III v 45-56.

z III v 70. Aiyer follows a different reading of the 3rd line of the
-original poem.

3 III vii 237, 238.

RAMA 61

Again when he returned from his fruitless hunt and found not
Sita, he was

like the soul that had left the body for a while and
returning on its way finds it not in its place and mourns its
loss. He was like one whose all was swallowed up by the
earth and who had nothing else to call his own. 1
The depth of Rama's love is again described by Hanuman to
Sita at the Ashoka grove when he tells her how Rama was grieving
for her. One stanza must suffice for us. He says,

' I bless thee, mother, for I have found out at last the
secret spring of Rama's life. Thou hast not quitted his heart
and that is why he liveth yet. And where hath he a life to
part with, when thou his life art here ? ' 2
It is this same intense love that makes Rama's heart thrill
at the sight of the jewel that Sita sends him through Hanuman.
Says the poet,

He was like a man changed. When the jewel was placed
in his hands, his feelings were even as on the day when first
before the holy fire he clasped her hand.

His hair stood on end ; tears flowed freely from his eyes ;
there was a tremor in his arms and chest ; sweat drops
suffused his whole body ; he breathed heavily ; his body
swelled with joy. Oh, who can tell all that passed in his
heart ? 3

There is a blot in Rama's love, but of that we shall speak
when we come to Sita. Now we shall close the study of Rama's
character with an examination of his valour, his magnanimity,
and his loyalty to his pledged word.

Rama is the ideal hero of India. The great poet Bana gave
the drama of Rama's life that he wrote, the name of
Mahaviracharitra — the life of the Great Hero. Shri Krishna, when
he is describing his own glories as the Supreme One in the tenth
chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, gives Rama the first place among
warriors. He says, " RSmah shastra bhrtcim aham" — among those
skilled in the handling of weapons of war know me to be Rama.
And Kamban's description of Rama's valour and exploits rises
fully to the height of such a grand conception.

Indeed, in a way, the whole story of Rama's life in our epic
is a story of heroic deeds and valiant fights. Even while he was
very young, the fame of his strength had spread far and wide,
and the Rishi Vishvamitra chose him, of all princes and heroes,

l HI viii 158. 2 V v 77. .3 V xv 82, 83.

■62 . KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

as the protector of his Yajna-bhumi. 1 And great warrior that he
himself was in the days of his worldly life, Vishvamitra,
supplemented the military training of Rama and Lakshmana
during their sojourn with him, with his own special teaching.

Rama's skill in archery and the strength of his arm are
admired by the poet at every step. Tadaka's adamantine body
is pierced by one dart sped from his mighty bow. Vishvamitra
cannot speak too highly or too often of his strength and skill.
When Ahalya is freed from her curse by the touch of the dust
fallen from his feet, Vishvamitra tells him her story and at the
•end of it burst out with the following words :

' And e'en the sin of Gautam's wife has been
Ordained for good : therein I see a hope
For the suffering world. For in the marvellous fight
With Tadaka I saw the strength of thine arm,
And here I see the virtue of thy feet ! ' 2

Again at Janaka's Court, while introducing Rama, Vishvamitra
••must needs sing the praises of Rama's valour in three verses :

' Note thou, my lord, the strength of the beautifully long
and muscular arms of this manly boy, who is dark even
as the ocean with its incessant roaring breakers : it was but
one arrow of his, but it pierced the heart of Tadaka of the
flaming eyes, and after piercing her heart tore through the
rocks, and the trees, and the solid earth itself.

' Endless were the heads of the Rakshasas that fell that
day and were piled one over another like hills on hills. One
arrow of his sent one of the Rakshasi's sons to the other
world : I know not what became of her other son ; but thou
seest that my yajna is completed and I am here.

' Again, O king, behold the weapons which I taught him

to use — weapons that Brahma himself will not find it easy

to handle. Think of it, even I who taught him their use;

am astonished at the way that they obey his will and arm.' 3

Kamban generally takes care that Rama does not boast about

his prowess himself. But there are occasions when Rama cannot

but speak of his strength and power himself. For instance, when

he hears from Jatayus' lips that Ravana has carried away Sita,

■he bursts out into a terrible wrath and threatens the whole world

with destruction. Kamban describes his wrath in these words :

i Sacrificial ground. 2 I ix 82. 3 I xi 26-28.

RAMA 63

He scarce had spoke when rushed the blood at once

To Rama's eyes ; a storm was in his breath ;

A frown settled on his manly brow ; the spheres

In terror shook ; the stars their orbits fled ! . . . .

The worlds lay crouching lest his sudden wrath

Should burst on them ; when with a smile that meant

Destruction dire, he thus addressed the bird : *

' Behold the world on its stable axis moves

And gods unmoved look on, while in their sight

A Rakshas carries off a helpless dame,

And thou art mangled thus in her defence !

I will destroy them all in one single ruin.

The stars shall scattering fall ! The sun shall burst !

The void of heaven shall shimmer with the light

Of burning spheres ! And water, air, and fire

And all that lives and moves shall soon dissolve

To their embryon atoms ! And my wrath shall end

The gods themselves in heaven. And thou wilt see

The circling universe and all that lies

Beyond, burst like a bubble in the stream ! ' 2

When, after the rainy season is over, Sugriva does not bring
his Vanara host according to his stipulation in order to begin the
search for Sita, Rama sends Lakshmana to Kishkinda, the capital
of Sugriva, with the following threat :

' Tell him,' said Rama, ' that the bow which We
Have bent to 'stablish Righteousness, and end
All evil ones, unbroken yet doth rest
In Our hands ; and let him know that Yam 3 has not
Yet ceased to work, nor We to handle darts ! 4

When Ravana's spies are caught and are brought before him,
he bids them tell Ravana that he would destroy him, even if
Rudra and Vishnu and all that live in all the worlds come and
help him, and that he would pacify the spirit of Jatayus by
sacrificing to it in the blood of his adversary.

When at the close of the first day's battle Ravana's bows and
chariots are destroyed, and he stands alone, unarmed, with all
his army annihilated, Rama addresses him some stinging words

1 Jatayus. 2 m vaii 201, 203-206.

3 Yama is the God of Death. * IV viii 4.

M KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

wherein he speaks of his own prowess. Here are some of his
words :

' Know thou the gods themselves with all their might

Win not if unjust is their cause. Thou hadst

This very day been dead, did not I stay

My arm for pity sake, because thou stand'st

Helpless, alone, upon the field. If canst,

To-morrow bring the flower of thy troops,

Or seek in flight precarious safety. Listen !

If thou send Sita back, and Svarga's throne

Restore to Indra, and Vibhishan crown

As Lanka's king, thyself his will obeying,

Then I my deadly arrows shall withhold.

But if, perverse, in thy evil thou persist,

Bring all thy strength and face me on the field.

Thy evil soul might turn to good if thou

Should even die by my darts. But think no more

Thou canst return alive from here.' *

But such passages where Rama himself speaks of his prowess
are comparatively rare. The reader gets an idea of Rama's valour
much more from the lips of the other characters and Rama's acts
of heroism on the field than from Rama's speeches. The reader
will remember Ravana's description of his first battle with Rama.
The terrible Parashu Rama when he sees him bend with ease
the bow with which he challenged him, bows down his head in
acknowledgment of defeat and says,

' I doubt not now that thou art Vishnu's self !
Saved is the earth from all her ills, for ev'n
The bow I gave thee now cannot suffice
For thy lion strength ! ' 2

The invincible Vali, as the reader will find in Chapter XI,
speaks of Rama's valour in no measured terms. And it is his
valour more than anything else that binds the mighty Hanuman
and Sugriva to his cause and to himself for ever. And

it humbled Ravan's pride :

No further proof thou need'st of Rama's valour. 3

1 VI xiv 252-255. 2 I xxii 38.

3 See page 20. We do not describe in this chapter the exploits of
Rama in detail, as we reserve them for the chapters dealing with the
Rakshasas, and especially his great adversary Ravana.

RAMA 95

If Rama's valour is great and unique, his magnanimity is
greater and still more unique. We have, seen how he abstained
from further attacking Ravana when he stood defenceless and
unarmed on the field of battle. Even while he was a mere youth,
his chivalrous instincts were so delicate that he would not aim
his arrow against Tadaka because she was a woman, and
Vishvamitra had to persuade him hard to attack her, reminding
him of her violence against all things living that came within
her reach. The reader will remember that he entertains no
rancour against Kaikeyi for bringing about his exile. When his
father descends from svarga and embraces him on the battle-field
in Lanka at the time of Sita's sacrifice, the one boon that he asks
of him is to call back the curse which he had pronounced while
still in the land of the living against Kaikeyi and Bharata. This
is how our poet presents the colloquy between father and son :

Thus Ram his father tenderly addressed :

' When thou wert here below, O father mine,

Thou didst abjure my mother Kaikeyi

And Bharata thy lawful son : grant me

To-day that she may once again be mother

To me, and he my brother as ever before. '

' I grant ', said Dasharath, ' that guiltless Bharat

Be once again thy brother : but the sinful she,'

(And the hands that held his Rama to his heart

Fell limp, the while he spake these vengeful words)

' The heartless one that robbed thee of thy crown

And made thee wear these hermits' weeds, shall not

Escape my curse ! ' The pure one thus replied :

' The sin was not my mother's, but rather mine,

That I saw not the kingly office is

The pregnant source of endless sins and crimes,

And at thy bidding undertook to rule

Ayodhya, thyself living. Once again,

Therefore, let me plead with thee, call back that curse.' 1

And when Ravana had fallen in battle, Rama does not, like
Achilles, war with the dead, but directs Vibhishana to perform
his obsequies with all traditional rites, saying — and how nobly — ,

Although his evil has cleaved our heart in twain,
Let us forgive ! 2

1 VI xxxvii 129-131. 2 VI xxxvi 216.

5

66 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

It is this magnanimity — greatness of soul — which makes him
the Supreme Sharanagata Vatsala, the lover of the suppliant
refugee. He is ever waiting with open arms to receive with love
all, no matter who or what they may be, and whatever the injuries
they may have done to him, if, relying upon nothing else, they
take refuge in him. It is this large heart that embraces all,
forgives all, receives all, that has endeared his name to all the
children of Hindusthan from generation to generation. And it
is this same grandeur of soul that has raised him from the
position of an ordinary emperor to that of the hero of the great
national epic of Bharata Khanda, l and from the position of the
epic hero to very godhood. We shall give here some of the best
instances of the display by him of this grand quality.

When on his entrance into the forest, the Rishis pray to him
to protect them against the Rakshasas, Rama offers to them
unhesitatingly his abhaya, 2 and says,

If they surrender not,
My darts will bring them down e'en if they flee

To other worlds !

What use is life to me,

If I end not the sinners that oppress

Brahmans of holy vows ?

Whoso his life

Does sacrifice for saving Brahmans, cows,
Or feeble ones, aye whoso sacrifices
His life for saving other life, behold
He's worshipped by the gods ! 3

Although Indra's son had injured Sita disguising himself as
a crow, and although he himself had aimed against him in his
anger his death-dealing astra, he yet pardons him when he falls
at his feet and prays for protection. When Sugriva approaches
him, worn, weak, oppressed, and hunted by his great brother,
Vali, and he hears his (Sugriva's) story from the mouth of
Hanuman, he at once swears, careless of all consequences, that
he would destroy Vali and place Sugriva on the vacant throne.
When Vali charges him with attacking him unawares, Rama
repeats to him the vow that he had taken :

1 The continent of Bharat — India.

2 Protection, — literally, immunity from fear.

3 III iii 17, 19, 21.

RAMA 67

' It is my ever-pressing vow to help

Th' oppressed, the poor, and those forlorn 1 . . . '

When Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana, comes to Rama's
•camp as a refugee from the wrath of his brother, Rama consults
the Vanara Council as to whether they should admit him as a
friend or no. Differences of opinion naturally arise, among which
the most interesting is that of Sugriva who forgets his own past
record and opposes the admission of Vibhishana on the ground of
his treachery to his own brother. But, after hearing all of them,
Rama finally accepts the opinion of Hanuman, giving expression
Jit the same time to the following grand sentiments :

' Let there be victory, let be defeat,

I cast not out the man that refuge takes

In me. Why speak of this Vibhishana ?

Let come to me as suppliant the man

Whose cruel hands my parents, brothers, friends,

Had done to death. If leaving all other hope

He comes to me, himself surrendering,

Thenceforth he is my brother, lover, friend !

Ev'n if he does prove false, my glory nev'r

Would be eclipsed : 'twill only burn more bright.' 2

He is ready even to forgive Ravana if he would come back
to virtue and wholly surrender himself to him. For, does not
Jndrajit himself say to his father,

' If thou wilt cease desiring Janaki,

Their 3 wrath will cool, and they will go from hence

Forgiving us our evil ways.' 4

Such is the grandeur of soul of this supreme hero !

We need not expatiate much on Rama's loyalty to his pledged
word, because the whole story is hinged and motived on that
loyalty. But we should not forget that Rama gives as much
respect to the promise forcibly exacted by his step-mother from
his father as he gives to his own pledged word. When Kausalya
prays him not to leave her, he silences her by saying that he
should not make his father's spoken word a lie. So he would not
go back to Ayodhya even after his father's death, and even though

1 IV vii 102. 2 VI iv 108, 109.

3 Rama's and Lakshmana's. * VI xxvii 6.

68 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Bharata himself places the crown at his feet. He would not have-
been the hero that he is, if he had listened to Bharata and if he
had taken back the crown that he offered to return.
Satyasankalpa l , and Dridhavrata 2 , these are the titles that he
loves most, and these titles no hero in story or in life deserves in
an equal degree with Rama.

With this we shall close the study of Rama's character. Not
that we have exhaustively described or even mentioned all the fine
traits in the character of this great hero. We can write about
the delicate way in which he manages his friends and allies. For,
he always knows, as if by instinct, what to say to each and when
to say. For instance, when he accepts Hanuman's opinion
regarding the admission of Vibhishana, he makes the rest of the
Vanaras also accept the opinion cheerfully by saying,

' But for your excess of prudent care for me, would not
every one of you have told me yourselves that we should
unhesitatingly take unto ourselves the suppliant Rakshasa ? ' 3
And look at the delicacy with which, after removing from
Sugriva's mind the sense of his defeat in debate by the
preceding words, he asks him to go and bring him the
Rakshasa chief.

We can also write much about the great respect he always.
shows to his elders, how even when he is obliged to contradict
or disobey them, as, for example, when Vasishtha reiterates and
supports Bharata's request to him to return to Ayodhya, he makes
them feel that he does not abate one jot from the reverence that
he owes them. We can write about his uniform kindness and
ready accessibility even to the lowest of the low. But, all this is
unnecessary. We hope, we have given the reader sufficient
material to form an adequate mental picture of the Rama of
Kamban, and we hope that this will create in him a desire to
study the poet in his own words and enjoy the entire picture with
all its details filled in.

And where, is Rama's like or superior in epic story ? Can
we name Nestor along with him ? Can we name Ulysses ? Can
we name the pious ^neas ? Can we name Yudhishthira or
Bhishma ? Can we name along with him even the Messiah of
the Paradise Lost or Him of the Paradise Regained ? We think
every one of these falls short by many an inch of the stature of

i He whose one dynamic motive is truth.

2 He who never gives up a worthy resolution.

3 VI iv 120.

RAMA 69

pur Rama. Rama has the valour of Achilles, but is free from
the littleness that would, for instance, conjure Jove to hurl the
Greeks, his own countrymen,

headlong to their fleet and main,

To heap the shores with copious death and bring
The Greeks to know the curse of such a King.

Rama has the dignity of Nestor and the cleverness and the
skill of Ulysses, but Nestor lacks the fire and delicate moral
sensibility, and Ulysses the straightness, of the Prachanda
Kodhanda Rama 1 who will go through fire rather than go back
upon his pledged word. The Messiah is not worked up by Milton
with the same power with which he has worked up his Satan and
Beelzebub or Adam and Eve, and his figure does not leave a
lasting impression upon the readers' imagination as does the
figure of Satan ; and there is a shadowiness about him which
takes away a great deal from him, though as literary creations
they impress the reader with no less force than the character
of our hero.

In fact, Valmiki searched long for an ideal hero whose
achievements he could work out into a Mahakavya, and Narada
suggested to him the name of Shri Rama as the proper subject
for his contemplated poem. And, grandly has Valmiki exalted
and idealised the character of the great hero. But if Valmiki's
Rama is grand, Kamban's Rama is, as we have remarked before,
grander still. Kamban would leave no littleness, no crookedness,
no commonness, in his hero.

If Kamban's Rama admits Vibhishana into his friendship, he
would not immediately question him about the defences of Lanka,
so as to give the impression, as Valmiki's hero does, that he took
him primarily for his usefulness as Lanka's traitor. When Viradha
lifts Sita up in order to carry her off, Valmiki's Rama laments
in these words :

' O my Lakshmana, the intentions of Kaikeyi towards us,
the object with which she claimed and obtained her prayer,
the desire nearest to her heart — have all been very quickly
fulfilled today. For, far-sighted woman that she is, she was
not satisfied merely with obtaining the crown for her son ;
she took care to banish me to the forest also— me who have
the good of all beings at heart. Behold, today my
step-mother's heart must be verily delighted ! '

i Rama of the terrific bow called Kodhanda.

TO KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Again, when Sita has been actually carried off by Ravana^
Valmiki makes his Rama say to Lakshmana :

' When I am dead for the sake of Sita, and when thou

art gone, would not Kaikeyi's heart be full of joy ? And

would not holy Kausalya, the mother bereaved of her son,

have to wait on Kaikeyi who has her son living and who has

everything that she desires in the world ? '

But the thoughts of Kamban's Rama, as we have remarked

in another connection, never descend to this weak accusation of

Kaikeyi. They are always pitched in a higher key. Never from

his lips fall any words that condemn Kaikeyi who has done him

so much injury — not even when the worst misfortunes befall him.

Valmiki again, makes his Sita, while at Ashokavana, to

apostrophise Rama and say,

' Perhaps, thy father's hard commands fulfilled,
Thou art returned to fair Ayodh ; and there
Perhaps, thy vows performed, thou fearless sport'st
With large-eyed virgins young.'
But Kamban's Rama is too grand to be capable of being
suspected thus by his beloved Sita. For the thoughts of
Kamban's Sita, while she is in this mood, would only take this.
line :

' Perchance his brothers and mothers, have they come
Again, and called him back to lovely Oudh ?
But he would ne'er return, the while the days
To Kaikeyi vowed unfulfilled yet remain.
Alas, has any ill befallen him ? ' :

We may go on multiplying instances without end to show to
how great a height Kamban has raised the character of Rama,
But we hope that even the most partial admirer of Valmiki will
be satisfied with the extracts that we have given from our poet,
and will accept our contention that Kamban's Rama is cast in a
grander mould than Valmiki's hero. And if he is superior to-
Valmiki's hero, is he not Mahavira indeed, — the grandest among
the heroes of epic poetry ?

» V iii 17.

CHAPTER VII
LAKSHMANA

HIS CHARACTER AND HIS FIRST BATTLES WITH INDRAJIT.

In this chapter, -we take up the study of the character and
exploits of Lakshmana, the brother and inseparable companion
of Rama. Lakshmana has identified himself so much with Rama
that the devotees of Rama in the Tamil-land delight to call him
by the name of ' younger lord '. His valour is equal to that of
Rama himself, for he is able to bring down ' the first ' of those
that wield the bended bow, namely, Indrajit, the son of Ravana,
But the mainspring of his character is not valour or heroism,
though he possesses these qualities to a wonderful degree, but
love — an all-absorbing, self-forgetting love — for his brother, the
chief of his race and the first of men.

We do not see much of him in the First Book. He, of course,
accompanies Rama to the forest when Vishvamitra takes Rama
to guard his sacrificial grounds against Tadaka and her host. He
is perfected in his knowledge of archery by the old Rishi who
teaches him along with Rama the method of invoking magical
weapons. He marries a daughter of Janaka at Mithila. But,
generally speaking, he is but the shadow of Rama all through the
Balakanda of the Ramayana.

His character, however, unfolds itself rapidly in the Second
Book of the poem. He accompanies Rama to the Durbar Hall
when their father sends for the latter, and is present when
Dasharatha announces to Rama his intention to crown him as
sovereign of Ayodhya. But when the next morning Kaikeyi sends
suddenly for Rama, Lakshmana does not go with him, and so is
ignorant of the new developments that are taking place. The
news, however, is not long in reaching him, and when he hears
that his beloved brother is being deprived of his rightful crown
by the machinations of his step-mother, his whole frame throbs
with uncontrollable anger, and he starts for fight like a cobra
provoked. Says the poet,

When Lakshman learnt that Kaikai had the pledge
Revoked of Dasharatha, and forced exile
On Ram, he rose indignant like the fire
That doth on Dissolution's Day all things

72 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Consume. His eyes shot flame ; his front shone bright

Like noon-day sun, and scorched his very hair ;

And sweat suffused his limbs ; his breath came in

And went tempestuous ; and terrific

He looked like Adi Shesh 1 himself, in all

His fury roused ! 2

When he grasped the full significance of the news that reached
his ears, he laughed aloud saying,

' Doth she desire to give to a dog the meat prepared for

a lion-cub ? Wise indeed is Kaikeyi ! ' 3

He put on his armour, girded on his sword, and took his
bow and quiver. He wore on his ankle the anklet worn by the
invincible hero. And as he strode along the streets of Ayodhya,
the fell sound of his anklet-bells rose and fell shaming the roar of
the sea ; and none dared to encounter him. And he challenged
all men saying,

' I stand prepared to lighten Mother Earth,
Extinguish all the sons of guilt, and heap
Their lifeless corpses up to heaven, and crown
My Ram as Ayodh's king. Whoe'er desires
To offer battle, let them come ! Be't gods
Or Nagas, Vidyadhars, men or ev'n the Three
Supreme who challenge me, I let no woman
Usurp the throne in this my sacred land.' 4

As he was thus striding the earth like the very Meru
mountain endowed with life, frowning on all around even as the
burning midday sun, Rama heard the twang of his bow-strings
the while he was consoling Sumitra in her grief at the sudden
news of his parting. And,

His golden anklet glittering in the sun,
Breathing ambrosial words, he hurried on
To where his Lakshman stood : so flies the cloud
To quench the wind-fanned flaming forest fire
Fume- crowned. 5

1 The thousand-hooded divine cobra on the Sea of Milk, on whose
lap sleeps the Supreme Narayana. Lakshmana is the avatar of Adi Shesh.

2 II iv 116. 3 n iv 117.
* II iv 121, 122. » n iv 125.

LAKSHMANA 73

Rama saw him armed from head to foot and frowning against
all things living, and asked him,

' Why art thou armed for battle, my Child ?
Surely thou art not going to fight the gods ! n

Lakshmana replied,

' I have vowed to crown thee king, and that in the very

face of her who has murdered truth and robbed thee of thy

rightful inheritance. And even if it is the gods that stand

in the way, they all shall burn in the fire of my wrath.

When I hold the bow in this hand, even the gods will not

dare to oppose me. If any oppose, they will be but targets

for my fiery darts. And I will give thee the crown of all

the earth ! Deign to receive it at my hands.'

Rama tried to cool him by appealing to his sense of filial

obedience and generally to his sense of righteousness. But

Lakshmana did not grow calm. Burning like Rudra 2 himself

in his anger, he burst out saying,

' I know not father, mother, or lord : thyself alone art
master, mother, father, all to me. Thou hast learnt to give
away what is thine : now see me give back thy own to
thee ! ' 3

But when Rama asked him,

' How wilt thou win the crown for me, my child ?
Wouldst thou fight Bhar't the just, over-faultless,
Or wouldst thou kill th' adored of virtuous men
Our father ? Or wouldst thou fight our mother ? ' *

Lakshmana could only say,

' Let enemies insult thee in their pride,
Meekly I'll bear it all. Am not I born
To bear the burden of these idle arms
And pompous bow, impotent to avenge
Our injuries ? ' s

And he became, says the poet, ' even like the ocean that keeps
from overflowing its bounds in obedience to the will of that
same Rama.'

i II iv 126. 2 God of Destruction. 3 n iv 137.

4 II Iv 139. 5 ii iv 140.

74 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

In the few words, ' I know not father, mother or lord : thyself
alone art master, mother, father, all to me, r is contained the
key to the whole character of Lakshmana. He cannot bear to
see his Rama suffer in any way. So, when Kaikeyi's maids
bring to Rama coarse hermit's weeds to wear, Lakshmana says-
to them in bitterness,

' Behold, there stands he who is born to wear
All that she sends in the hardness of her heart ;
And me behold, whose fate it is to look
Impotently on all these rending sights ! ' 1

When Rama has put on those coarse garments, Lakshmana
does not say anything but himself also silently and as a matter
of course casts off his own royal robes and puts on the forest-
dweller's garb. But when Rama expostulates with him and
prays to him to remain in Ayodhya, his love receives a shock,
and like a wounded lover he asks Rama, ' In what have I offended
thee ? ' For he cannot so much as imagine how Rama could
think of parting from him even when going to the forest. And
then he continues thus :

' Fishes live not if waters fail ; and all

That lives must die if Mother Earth give way.

Now tell me, brother, on what do Sita's life

And mine depend

Thy words that bid me stay,.

While thou do'st Ayodh leave behind — these words
Are crueller far than those that bade me calm
My wrath against thy enemies. Thy wealth,
And all that is thine own thou leavest here :
Wouldst thou abandon also us, my brother ? ' 2

Such was Lakshmana's love for his Rama. It was now
Rama's turn to yield. He saw Lakshmana's face and his own
eyes filled with tears. How could he desist from tears at such
words, and how could he desist from taking him with himself
in his exile ?

And how Lakshmana serves his brother in the forest ! His-
one study is to look after every little comfort of Rama and"

i H iv 149. a n iv 1ST, 159.

LAKSHMANA 75

guard him against all enemies known and unknown. It is he
that builds the leaf-cottages wherever they move in the
forest-country. It is he that gathers their food. It is he that
mounts guard about the cottage while his Rama and Sita sleep
undisturbed in the bed that he has lovingly made for them.

Guha sobs aloud when he sees the devotion of Lakshmana
in watching, bow in hand, over Rama and Sita the livelong night.
And Rama himself when he asks him to crown Vibhishana as
king of Lanka, addresses him as ' my child of the sleep-
forswearing eye,' and shows how the thought of all that his
brother suffers for him is never absent from his heart.

Now this intense love for Rama makes Lakshmana regard
as his own mortal enemies all who have injured Rama. He
never stops to inquire whether they have actually injured him.
It is sufficient if he believes that they have injured, or even
suspects them to have injured Rama. This passion of hatred
clouds his mind in all that concerns Kaikeyi and those connected
with her. So, when Sumantra after carrying in his chariot Rama,
Lakshmana and Sita to the forest takes leave of them, and asks
them if they have any word to send home, Lakshmana for his
part sends this message. He says,

" Have I a message too for him, as if

He were my king, who promised first the crown

To Ram, and then in the sacred name of truth

Resigned the throne in favour of his queen ?

And then to Bharat proud this shalt thou say,

' Behold, Saumitri 1 liveth yet, although

His hands unworthy failed to fight for Ram.'

And this thereunto add as if for me,

' Lakshman forsweareth kinship with the son

Of Kaikeyi.' " 2

So also, when Bharata comes to the forest accompanied by
the whole population of Ayodhya in order to request Rama to
return and assume the crown, Lakshmana, as soon as he espies
the moving host, jumps to the conclusion that he comes with a
hostile design against Rama. So he rushes into the cottage, puts
on his armour, makes ready his bow and quiver, and thus
unburdens himself to Rama :

1 Matronymic from Sumitra, Lakshmana being Sumitra's son.
a II v 43, 45.

'76 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' Behold yon Bharata, now an out-caste to this world as
he has already become an out-caste to the next ! Thou wilt
see the prowess of thy brother's single right arm against
him and all his hosts. Thou wilt see me destroy the troops
of Bharata and make Svarga bend under the weight of
quick-rushing immigrants, the while Earth is lightened of
her load. Thou wilt see rivers of blood floating with thfe
carcasses of his elephants and horses, and with his broken
chariots flowing to the sea and making the seven oceans
one . . . Thou wilt see my feathered arrows pierce the hearts
of those twin-brothers 1 ; and fly through the ethereal void
carrying their bleeding flesh in their beaks. By the command
of the tyrant prince, who was thereto induced by his
favourite queen, Bharata is now the Sovereign of the Earth :
thou wilt presently see him ruling in Hell at my command !
And thou wilt soon see the guilty Kaikeyi roll oh the ground
in inconsolable grief, who delighted not long ago in the
tears of thy mother when thou leftest for the jungle-
country ! ' 2

Such is the violence of his wrath that Rama listens quietly
to all his out-pourings till they exhaust themselves, and then
alone attempts to reason with him. And even then see how he
begins his reply with delicate flattery :

' Do not I know, my Lakshmana, that there lives none

that can stay thy hand if thou desirest to confound even the

fourteen worlds ? But, my brother, hast thou thought that

in the long list of our glorious ancestors, there has never

been born one who ever swerved from the path of virtue ? ' 3

But, whenever it is not a question of Kaikeyi or Bharata,

Lakshmana's mind sees clear as crystal. He is in all other

matters the wisest of the wise and the wariest of the wary. His

devotion to Rama and Sita gives him a power of insight which

is denied to Rama himself. So if Sita and Rama are deceived

by the beauty of the golden deer, Lakshmana suspects treachery

even at the very first sight of him. As Sita's and Rama's

attraction for him grows greater, Lakshmana's suspicion grows

only deeper. When Rama sets out to go and capture the deer

for Sita Lakshmana warns him saying,

i Bharata and Shatrughna. Shatrughna, though the twin brother of
Lakshmana, is the inseparable companion of Bharata as Lakshmana is ox
.Kama.

2 II xii 30, 34, 36, 38-40.

3 II xii 42, 43.

] LAKSHMANA 77'

' If we pursue the deer, of this be sure,
We'll find ourselves encompassed by the guile
Of Rakshasas.' 1

But Rama will not listen to him. He replies,

'If this prove a Rakshasa disguised

He dies, and thereby I fulfil my vow ;
If but a deer I capture him for Sita.' 2

Lakshmana again makes an attempt to dissuade him. He
retorts,

' But . . . who is behind the veil

We know not ; this mysterious golden deer,

What he may be, we hardly care to think.

Forego therefore the hunt, my brother. For wise

Are they that have condemned the pleasures of sport.' 3

Rama laughs at his fears, but his suspicions are not allayed.
He proposes that at least Rama should stay at home and that
he himself would go and hunt the deer and bring him to Sita.
But, as the reader knows, his wisdom and forethought are useless
as Cassandra's prophesies. Sita goes into a pet, and Rama, to
satisfy her, asks Lakshmana to look after Sita and starts off
himself in pursuit of the magic deer and, finding the dead body
of the Rakshasa in place of the deer, he exclaims to himself — but
too late to be of any use — ' Ah wise, verily wise is my dear
child ! '

Similarly again, when Maricha, struck down by Rama's dart,
(who was the Rakshasa that had come assuming the form of the
deer) groans piteously as he falls, but assuming the voice of
Rama, Lakshmana is not at all deceived. He shows no anxiety
for the safety of Rama. But Sita fears the very worst. She
frowns at Lakshmana's coolness, and, in spite of his assurances,
darts cruel words at him which force him to leave her and go
on the trace of Rama's footsteps, the while his mind is tortured
with the worst forebodings for Sita's safety.

When Lakshmana and Rama return together to the cottage
and see not Sita, it is Lakshmana that calms Rama and suggests

1 III vii 232. 2 in vii 233. 3 m vii 234.

'78 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

that they should pursue the trace left on the ground by Ravana's
car. On the way they find a flag fallen on the ground, and
signs of fierce combat. When they see a number of golden
crowns fallen pell-mell here and there, it is Lakshmana that
suggests that Sita might have been carried off by Ravana, and
that Jatayus might be engaging with him on the way. They
hurry on and hear the story of Ravana's flight from the dying
Vulture-King. When Jatayus dies, Rama's heart is torn with
grief and he weakens for a moment. But Lakshmana brings him
to himself with his heartening words.

After this we see Lakshmana again at his best in the Book
of Battles. We get only little glimpses of him before the war
commences. For instance, we see him maim Shurpanakha and
kill Ajomuki, the Rakshasi, who like Shurpanakha sought him
with lustful intent. We see him charge Sugriva with
unbrotherly conduct, and receive a sharp reprimand at the hands
of Rama. We see him carry Rama's angry message to Sugriva,
who, in his drunken revels, forgets to come to Rama with his
forces at the appointed time. We see him take the word out
of Rama's mouth when Vali puts to Rama his last question, and
give to Vali the plausible answer which Rama would not and
could not give. 1 In all these places, however, he is only a side-
actor. It is only in the Yuddha Kanda that he has the stage
wholly to himself for long periods at a stretch.

Lakshmana distinguishes himself greatly in the very first
fight with Ravana. The reader will remember Ravana's
unstinted praise of his archery and skill in war. 2 But he falls
wounded by an arrow of Ravana. Ravana attempts to take him
prisoner but is unable to lift him from the ground. The hands
that could lift Mount Kailasa itself, with Shiva upon it, have
not the power to lift Lakshmana from the ground — such is the
divine power confined in that mortal body ! But Hanuman
rushes in and snatches the body of Lakshmana and carries him
with ease to the camp.

On the second day when Kumbhakarna carries everything
before him and bears without flinching the shock of the huge
rock that Hanuman threw against him with all his force, the
latter says to himself,

' Scatheless he stands the shock ! the hugest rocks
Seem powerless to bend or break his adamant frame !

l See Chapter XI. 2 See Ch. XIII ; also p. 20.

LAKSHMANA 78

Saumitri's l fiery darts alone, perchance,
(If mortal weapons can avail), can have
The strength to pierce his giant shape. ' 2

Lakshmana, on his part, seeing the havoc that Kumbhakarna
is working in the Vanara army hastens towards that part of the
field and restores the fight shooting down the Rakshasas by the
hundred and by the ' thousand. Seeing his skill and aim and
force, Kumbhakarna exclaims,

' The God who burned the cities three alone
Can rival Lakshman in the bowman's art ! ' 3

and directs his chariot against him. When Hanuman sees him
come against Lakshmana, he leaps with joy saying,

' These eyes will witness now unheard of deeds
Of valour,' *

and runs to Lakshmana and asks him to seat himeslf on his
broad shoulders.

When Lakshmana had seated himself on the shoulders of
Hanuman, Kumbhakarna challenged him, saying,

' Behold, thou art the brother of Ram, and I
Am brother to mighty Ravana : and lo,
The Gods assemble round to witness our deeds
Of war. 'Fore them I swear that I shall cleave
In twain the sacrilegious hands that dared
To hold my sister by the hair and her
Deformed ! ' 5

Lakshmana replied,

' Not learned in the braggart's art, we can
But answer thee with th' arrows point.' s

The fight now began in right earnest. The Rakshasa shot
numberless darts from his mighty bow, and Lakshmana broke

i Lakshmana's. * VI xv 230.

2 VI xv 203. 5 VI xv 234, 235.

3 VI xv 228. 6 VI xv 236.

80 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

their fury with his own arrows before they could reach him.
Again Kumbhakarna sent hundreds of arrows against him.
Lakshmana's swifter arrows scattered them away. Now
Kumbhakarna hit Hanuman with an arrow and Lakshmana also
with a couple of fierce darts. But Lakshmana, in spite of his
deep wounds, bent his bow almost to a circle and shot down and
destroyed Kumbhakarna's war-chariot and broke the bow in
his hand. Just at that moment the reinforcements sent by
Havana arrived and engaged Lakshmana leaving Kumbhakarna
time to arm himself. Kumbhakarna, however, after this sought
other enemies, and Lakshmana's part in this day's fight ended
with the struggle with these newly arrived Rakshasas.

Kumbhakarna fell by the hand of Rama in this second day's
battle. When news reached Lanka that Kumbhakarna had fallen,
Atikaya, one of the three sons of Ravana, swore that he would
kill Lakshmana and make Rama grieve for his brother even as
Ravana was grieving for his own brother, and marched to the
battle with great eclat. Vibhishana knew his strength and
hinted to Rama that Lakshmana might probably be unequal to
the fight. But Rama smiled at his doubts and praised
Lakshmana's valour in these words :

' Ten thousand thousand Ravanas may oppose

And all the Gods, and who in other worlds

Are counted mighty ; may be Three Supreme

May try, and join their strength with theirs ; e'en then-

They can't outmatch our Lakshman's warlike skill !

Can heaven stand his deadly aim, or earth ?

Breathes there an archer who can wield the bow

As he ? What's Vishnu, Indra, Shiva, or I

Myself, before him, if he frown ? ' 1

This is the only occasion where Rama seriously praises
Lakshmana in his presence.

Lakshmana did obeisance to Rama and started for the fight.
The battle raged furiously. The Vanara army was pressed back
by the onrush of the Rakshasas ; Lakshmana encouraged them
by his voice and by the twang of his mighty bow which was

The favourite home of Yama, the God of Death.

1 VI xvii 78, 79.

LAKSHMANA 81

Elephants and cavalry, chariots and Rakshasa infantry were
destroyed by the hundred thousand. Daruka and Kala, Kulisa
and Kala Shanka, Malin and Marut attacked him with tridents
and lances and maces. But Lakshmana's arrows broke or turned
away the missiles and killed the Rakshasas in the end. In the
evolutions of the battle, Lakshmana came face to face with the
main wing of the army commanded by Atikaya, and did great
havoc. Seeing the force of his arrows, mountains trembled and
the thunder-laden clouds feared for their safety. Hanuman joined,
and in the sight of Atikaya killed Devantaka with a blow of
his iron fist, and challenged and killed Trishiras who came to
support Atikaya. Atikaya, however, did not waste time in
attacking Hanuman but went for Lakshmana straight, saying to
himself,

' It is not the part of wisdom to take up another enterprise

when my first vow is unaccomplished.' x

Lakshmana seated himself now on the shoulders of Angada
who followed every movement of Atikaya's chariot to the
admiration of the Vanara army. After shooting down Atikaya's
guards, Lakshmana addressed the Rakshasa in this wise :

' Desirest thou t' engage with me when all
Thy men have met their fate or dost intend
To try thy strength with me before ? The choice
Is thine ! ' 2

Atikaya replied,

' Others shall watch our combat : I am seeking
Alone to meet thee, though the gods may stand
By thee and offer battle. Thou may'st call
Thy brother to give thee aid or Shiv himself
And all the gods of heaven or other worlds :
And yet this day shall be thy last ! ' 3

So saying he blew his sonorous conch. But Lakshmana only
smiled and said,

' Of those that thou didst name, not one will come
T' engage with thee. If fall I must, I fall
Alone. Tell thee this. If me thou beat.
Thou wilt have conquered also them ! ' *

1 VI xii 180. 2 VI xvii 188.

3 VI xvii 189, 190. * VI xvii 191.

6

82 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

and then twanged his bow and sent an arrow laden with
lightning against the chest of Atikaya. Atikaya sped first one
arrow to meet it in the air and turn it off from him, and then
Sent sixteen other arrows, fierce like cobras, against Lakshmana.
Lakshmana cut them off with darts of equal force, pierced
Atikaya's armour, and while he fainted with loss of blood
chivalrously turned to another side and sowed the Rakshasa part
of the battle-field with falling corpses.

When Atikaya recovered and saw the havoc played by
Lakshmana's arrows, his pride was up and he sent a veritable
iron-hail against him.

His arrows covered the sky and all the bounds
Of heaven ; the earth, it bristled with his darts.
The Vanar heroes screaming rolled, tossed by
That iron-tempest .... Rocks to pieces flew
Struck with the darts of mighty Atikay. 1

The sky became overcast. The sun was hidden behind a
cloud of arrows. The earth trembled under the shock of missiles
struggling against each other in mid-air.

The Devas, each his neighbour trembling asked,

' Is all the Vanar host to end this day ?

Has Lakshman skill and strength to master him ?

'Sit from the God of Death that Atikaya

His wondrous archery did learn ? ' 2

Atikaya wounded Angada and Lakshmana as well. But
Lakshmana's blood was up ; with one shower of lightning-laden
arrows he cut off the heads of the Rakshasa's horses and broke
the bow, and when he leaped up another chariot, sent against
him the Agni Astra. 3 But Atikaya sent the Surya-Astra, the
weapon inspired by the Sun-God, to tame it down. While these
two weapons were struggling against each other, Lakshmana
pierced the Rakshasa's body with his sharpest arrows, but still
he fought on unmindful of his wounds. Fiercely, and more
fiercely, came his arrows, and Lakshmana could barely parry
them. Just then Vayu, the Wind-God, whispered to Lakshmana
that his adversary could not die by any other weapon except the

1 VI xvii 197, 198. 2 VI xvii 198.

3 Weapon inspired by the Fire-God.

LAKSHMANA 8$

Brahmastra, the weapon of the greatest power. Lakshmana,
-therefore, sped the Brahmastra and lo, the arrow cut Atikaya's
bead clean from the trunk and carried it off.

This battle with Atikaya, great as it is, is only a rehearsal
for Lakshmana's greater battles with Indrajit. For Kamban,
like Valmiki, reserves the great Indrajit as the fit target for
Lakshmana's arrow. Already in the Sundarakanda he had made
Hanuman exclaim to' himself when he saw Indrajit sleeping in
his palace in Lanka,

' Is he the Rakshasas' king or Kartikey,
The son of Mahadeva, God of gods ?
He looks like a lion sleeping in his den :
A terrific fight I see in the days to come
When Lakshmana and Ram encounter him.' 1

And at the close of the combat with Atikaya, the poet finely
suggests the coming battles with Indrajit in the following lines :

When wise Vibhishan saw this feat of arms
And heard the shout of gods above, he leaped
With joy, and said, ' If this is his matchless skill
In war, the fate of Indrajit himself
Is sealed. 2

Great was the consternation in Lanka when the news spread
there that Atikaya was dead. When Danamala, the mother of
Atikaya, heard that her son had fallen on the field, she came
beating her breasts and fell sobbing at the feet of Havana who
was himself aghast at the death of his son ; and she vented
her grief at the loss of her son and chid Ravana in the following
"words :

'Where is my child, the apple of mine eye ?
Show me my son, Oh bring him back to me !
The Gods themselves did envy me as mother
Of him whom even Indra could not beat
In war : ah me, I see him delivered up
As prey to th' arrow of a man to-day.
Aksha is dead, and dead is Atikay,
And fallen are the warriors great in might.

1 V ii 141. 2 VI xvii 208.

84 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Among thy sons Mandodari's son alone
Is yet alive : now once again attempt
Thy world conquests ! . . . Silent thou sitst ! . . where*

now
Is gone thy might ? Hast lost the strength to tame
Thy powerful foes ? Hear'st thou my words ? Or hearing
Dost thou not understand ? Or wilt not hear ?
Wilt thou not weep at least for thy warriors dead ?
Oh cruel ! Black ruin has thou brought on us.
Cursed, thrice cursed is thy guilty lust :
And yet is this the last of the ills that are
To blight our race for Sita's sake. n

The lamentations of Danamala and her companions reached
the ears of Indrajit and, when he heard that it was Atikaya that
had fallen on the field, he swore that if he should not fell to
earth, that same day, Lakshmana who took his life, he would
give himself in slavery to Indra whom he had twice defeated
in battle. He then put on his armour, selected his troops, and
marched to the war in a chariot drawn by a thousand lions,
preceded by goblins and ghouls who heralded his approach
saying,

' Behold the hero that brought Indra down as a prisoner

tied to his chariot wheels ! ' 2

Lakshmana had not left the field, thinking that, after the
fall of Atikaya, either Ravana himself or at least Indrajit would
head the next attack. And he was ambitious to try his mettle
against one of them. So when the grand warrior — ' who had
only seen the back of the gods flying for life and never their
faces ' — came near, Lakshmana asked Vibhishana who he was.
Vibhishana replied,

' He is the hero who has crushed in war
The king of Devas : hot will be the fight
This day,' 3

and advised him to take Hanuman, Sugriva, and other Vanara
heroes to support him in battle.

As Lakshmana accepted his advice, Angada came back to
him, and Hanuman also hastened to him. On seeing him pitted
against the greatest warrior among the Rakshasas, Sugriva

l VI xvii 269-272. 2 VI xviu 21. 3 VI xviii 28.

LAKSHMANA 85

brought the pick of his troops in front and the attack commenced.

The encounter of the two armies was like two seas dashing
at each other in full flood-tide. The Devas who had come down
to earth to witness the greatest fight that mortal or immortal
eyes could look upon, shut their ears to the deafening sounds
of the trumpets and conches and the challenging shouts of the
■opposing heroes. The very field of battle cracked by the terrific
force of the arrows and lances, trees and rocks hurled against
each other by the contending armies, and the shattering encounter
of Vanara and Rakshasa heroes. Blood flowed in torrents,
■carrying the floating corpses of dead heroes on either side.
Death, parading in the form of Vanara heroes, broke the heads
of the Rakshasas with trunks of uprooted trees, drank their life,
or smashed their arms and feet. Even after the lances had pierced
their vitals, the Vanaras sprang upon their enemies and died only
after mauling them or crunching them in their iron jaws. In
every part of the enemy's army you could find the Vanaras, — on
the heads of elephants and of horses, on the chariots of the
Rakshasa leaders, on the top-ends of their mighty bows, and
sometimes on the heads of the Rakshasas themselves. The bodies
of the Vanara heroes broken by the maces of the Rakshasas floated
down to the sea over the rivers of blood flowing from the field.
But even then the grip of their hands did not relax— they still
held the rocks which they had uprooted in order to hurl against
their foes ! In the shambles made by the mighty paw of
Hanuman, you could not distinguish either horse or elephant,
banner or wheel, lance or bow or mace or even chariot.

The Rakshasa's assault now began in right earnest, and the
common Vanaras fled from the field. But the leaders stood their
ground and dammed the Rakshasa flood. The Rakshasas cared
not who died or who lived, and dashed forward pounding the
Vanaras with their maces and clubs. And yet, though suffering
terribly, the Vanara leaders broke the force of the onset.
Wherever Nila rushed, the eight-handed God of Death, Yama,
armed with trident and axe and noose had his hands full
capturing the souls of the falling Rakshasas. What is this sight ?
Is it a tempest ? Or is it the roaring deep ? Or is it all-consuming
fire ? No ! It is the Vanara Kumuda who knocks down the
Rakshasas : and Yama himself trembles at his work. Rishabha
and Panaja, Jambhavan and Kesari, Mainda and his brother carry
havoc in the enemy's ranks.

Seeking the Rakshasa attack broken by the leaders, the
"Vanaras that had fled away now formed up and were led to the

*6 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

attack by the chiefs. The Rakshasa army was pushed back.
Indrajit saw this, and full of anger and pride he now came to the
front causing to quake the very earth and the ocean by the twartg-
ing of his mighty bow. The arrows discharged from his bow clove
through the air like deadly cobras, and broke to pieces the rocks
and tree trunks flung by the Vanaras, and pierced the large bodies
of the Vanaras themselves. Hundreds of thousands of Vanaras had
fallen before a muhurta x passed. But they died not in vain. Even
at the moment of dying they would pull rocks by their roots and
whirl them into the enemy's ranks. Nothing was visible owing
to the tempest of arrows blowing from Indrajit's bow. No sound
was heard except the thunder of its twang. The Vanaras turned
and fled, unable to bear this whirlwind of missiles, and the Gods
trembled when they saw their champions flying from field. The
Rakshasa flood now recommenced to flow over. To stop it, Sugriva
and Hanuman came forward whirling trees and fragments of
rocks. When he caught sight of Hanuman, Indrajit remembered
his exploits in Lanka when he had been there to look for, Sita,.
and challenged him in the following words :

' Fly not ignoble, stand thy ground : I've come
To the front seeking thee. Thou canst not wield
The bow, but endless boast of great prowess
Thou makest. Thinkest thou with stones and twigs-
To master me ? ' 2

Hanuman's reply was not less proud :

' Here also there be some, O feeble, who

Can wield the banded bow, and thou wilt taste

By proof their strength to-morrow if thou 'scape

From here with life to-day. Face me if canst ;

Think not thou hast an Indra here who fled

In olden times before thy feeble arms ! ' 3

and he defied him still further in these words :

' Wouldst fight with me ?
Or wouldst thou measure thy strength with Lakshmana $
Or choosest thou to face the matchless chief
Who has vowed to bring thy father's ten heads down ?
The choice is thine to make.' 4

1 an hour and a halt 2 VI xviii 73.

S VI xviii 74. * VI xviii 75.

L A K S H-M ANA $tf

As soon as the Rakshasa heard the name of Lakshmana he
remembered his oath and addressed Hanuman as follows :

' Where is that Lakshmana doomed who took the life

Of my lion brother and reserves his own

As target to my tearing darts ? I've come

To cool my wrath in his blood ! And when I shoot

The fiery arrows that the world can burn,

Can he and thou and all your vaunted force

Suffice to feed their hungry maw ? I'll send

My troops and generals all away ; alone

I'll stand, with none to back me but my bow

Invincible. And you may come with all

Your strength, and all that mortal men or gods

Can bring of force : the sun goeth not down

This day or ere your severed heads had rolled

Upon the plain ! ' x

So saying, Indrajit shot hundreds of arrows into Hanuman's
mighty frame. But, though bleeding all over his body, Hanuman
aimed a huge stone at him saying,

' In their thousands though they come, can elephants tame

The lordly lion boiling o'er with rage ?

If thou the patience lack to 'wait Saumitri,

And battle want, I give thee this, now guard

Thyself, if canst ! ' 2

and hurled a huge rock at him.

But the rock broke into a thousand fragments when it struck
the iron body of the Rakshasa, and, as if nothing had happened,
he sent his shattering arrows against Hanuman. Hanuman was
overwhelmed, but, just at that time, Nila came to his side and
sustained the conflict. But neither he nor Angada who came to
his support could long withstand that iron-hail.

Lakshmana saw this from a distance and hastened to the spot.
The Rakshasa leaders who were furious against him for having
killed Atikaya concentrated against him from all sides and aimed
their deadly darts at him. But the cunning hand of Lakshmana
was able to break their force and bring the Rakshasas also to
the ground. Seeing the rapidity and force with which the arrows
flew from his mighty bow, the gods exclaimed,

l VI xviii 76, 77. 2 VI xviii 79.

88 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

' Is it from Lakshmana's archery that the rain-cloud
Learnt to rain in torrents ? ' *

The Rakshasa flood abated completely, but Indrajit stood
his ground like a rock rising sheer from the bosom of a dried-up
sea. And piloting his chariot that dashed on with the quickness
of his own thought he stood before Lakshmana. Hanuman,
meanwhile, had recovered from his shock and rushed to the front
and desired Lakshmana to seat himself upon his shoulders so as
not to give the advantage to the charioted Rakshasa. The giant
fight began.

Now thundered the twanging bows. At that terrific sound
the very boundaries of the world were shot away from their
places. The mountains split. The concave of heaven cracked.
The whole universe became embroiled in a whirlwind of dust.
The fierce arrows struggled in the air mauling each other to
pieces. The Gods in svarga trembled for their lives, and crouched
in their hiding places for safety. The universal sphere rocked
to and fro like a frail boat in a tempest. Hanuman paralleled
every evolution of the enemy's lion-drawn chariot. The arrows
flew so thick that even the Gods could not see whether the
combatants were alive or dead or wounded. The bounds of the
earth cracked to pieces at the deepening tumult. The spectators,
astonished at the mastery and skill displayed by the combatants
and their super-human deeds, exclaimed to each other,

' Is not the art of archery infinite

And various ? And where is the limit set

To strength of muscle ? Wondrous is their skill

And prowess ! Who has ever fought like these ?

Never was seen such fight before, and ne'er

Will be ! ' 2

There was no end to the flight of arrows. The two heroes
parried each other's arrows and found time to aim newer ones
against each other. Lakshmana's and Hanuman's bodies were
flowing over with blood. The Rakshasa's chariots were broken
one after another, and he got upon new chariots only to descend
from their broken ruins the very next minute. Lakshmana's
arrows killed the lions and horses that drew his chariot and tore

1 VI xviii 95. 2 VI xviii 105, 106.

LAKSHMANA 89

open his urmour. His body itself became a running sore. But
«ven in the midst of his terrible suffering he admired Lakshmana's
.archery and exclaimed,

' Superb is this man's skill with the bow. Let fools say

that he may be Shiva or Brahma. If he is not Rama or

Narayana himself, I do not know who he is ! Who is there

in our city who can match him in the art ? ' *

Seeing the plight of Indrajit, his guard flew to his help, and

on this side Angada came to support Lakshmana and Hanuman.

"The Vanara heroes flung rocks and stones and tree-trunks, and

the guard too was all but destroyed.

The Rakshasa was ashamed at the fate of his army and
exclaimed to his associates, ' What shame is this ? Our army of
forty myriad myriad troops is destroyed ! But they replied with
pride, ' The Vanara forces are no less punished by the torrents of
darts — we are not behind them in valour ! ' As Indrajit was still
exhausted by the endless fight, such of his personal guards as
were still alive took his place and continued the fight, but they
too were soon overwhelmed.

The wounded Rakshasas ran panting for water, and panting
died. Some slaked their thirst with water from the clouds and
died drinking. Rakshasa women who had come to the field to
encourage the heroes to greater heroism by their presence became
satis 2 and died embracing their dying husbands on the battle-field
itself. Some wounded Rakshasas warned their brothers and sons
and said,

' If this should be the might of Rama's brother,
The doom of Lanka is not far ; so, fly
Before death overtakes yon Indrajit.'
And saying, died. 3

Now, Lakshmana saw that one single final effort would finish
his foe and so, exhausted as he was, he pulled himself together
and bent his bow and sped against Indrajit arrows more powerful
than Yama's. The darts tore sheer and felled down the new
armour of the Rakshasa. But two of his faithful guards who
were close by rushed against Lakshmana who was fighting singly
from on the shoulders of Hanuman, and rained on him an iron-
shower. Lakshmana, however, not only parried the arrows aimed

1 VI xviii 120.

2 Self-immolators on the funeral pyres of their husbands.

3 VI xviii 167.

90 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

at him, but destroyed their bows and chariots shooting down
their horses. They were not non-plussed but took their clubs
and struck Hanuman on whom Lakshmana was seated. But who
could match the great Maruthi in hand to hand fight ? He
plucked their two maces each with one hand, and would have
smashed them had they not fled from the field in utter dismay.

Meantime the Vanara heroes who had retired from the battle
returned, and the Rakshasas also rallied, and again a hail-storm
of rocks and tree-trunks and clubs and shattering darts began
to blow. Indrajit, who had by now recovered from his exhaustion,
broke the force of the enemy's missiles with his mighty arrows
saying, 'Is this all your boasted might ? ' The sun was about to
sink into the western ocean. Vibhishana noticed the rapidly
sinking sun and warned Lakshmana saying,

' Invincible is Rakshasas blood when Night
Doth ride the heavens : if thou fell not the foe
This minute, he wins, and all the laurels won
This day do go in vain.' 1

So with one mighty effort Lakshmana shot his terrific arrows
against his great foe. The chariot broke into a thousand fragments,
but the Rakshasa was not hurt. In a trice that ' most worthy
among the workers of evil and dearly beloved of the Spirit of
Illusion ' assumed an invisible shape and rose from his shattered
car, and entered the solid darkness of the lowering sky.

The gods were filled with joy when they saw no trace of
Indrajit. And Lakshmana also was glad that victory had blessed
his arms. He got down from Hanuman' s shoulders and handed
his mighty bow to Angada, and, as a preliminary to giving himself
much needed rest, he began to pull out the arrows with which
Indrajit had sown his body all over. But,

Alas ! He knew not that the hour was big
With fate inevitable .... For, their foe
Of cobras fierce the dreadful spell pronounced
And sped on them his darts with mortal aim.

Lo, every dart became a monstrous snake

And hissing clove the air with force abnorm, ....
Driving the very darkness forth, and bound
Their arms with many a scaly fold involved. 2

1 VI xviii 180. 2 VI xviii 188-190.

LAKSHMANA 91'

The cobra-torts flew in their myriads and bound every one
of the Vanara host after wounding them all over the body.
Vibhishana alone was not touched as Indrajit had pronounced the-
incantation only against non-Rakshasas. Blood flowed in torrents.
The heroes were writhing with pain. They were hungering to
revenge themselves on the Rakshasa, but, whenever they tried to
rise, the strangling hold of the serpents would drag them down
and keep them transfixed to the spot where they had fallen. They
would look at Lakshmana and feel for his bonds ten times more
intensely than for their own torturing pains. They would ask
Vibhishana, ' Is there no remedy for this ? ' They would say,
' Hanuman alone can save us in this plight,' and ask, ' Is he
alive ? ' But Hanuman's mighty arms too were bound in the
same living coil and he, though unmindful of his pain, was tortured
with grief for the fate of Lakshmana. Angada, Nila, Sugriva
himself — all were held prisoners in the same strangling hold.
And Lakshmana,

though conscious of power to break through his bonds

was robbed of his will to break through, even as the human

soul, though possessed of infinite wisdom, is still entangled

in the folds of Maya. 1

Soon a deadly silence began to creep over the Vanara army.
The heart of Indrajit was at last glad. ' I have today accomplished
my oath,' he said ; ' Lakshmana and the monkey host are
destroyed today, and after resting tomorrow I shall return and
finish the other man and whatever remains of the Vanara army.'
And, his heralds announcing his victory before him, he entered
the gates of Lanka and proudly marched off to Ravana's palace,
the while he was pursued by other missiles — the admiring glances
of the Rakshasa damsels. There he announced his victory to his
father, and taking his leave he went to his own palace and began
to rest his tired limbs.

Rama had not come to the field this day, as he had the fullest
confidence in Lakshmana's strength and valour, and as he desired
to give him all the honours of the day. 2 When he was informed
of the fate that had overtaken his brother, he was overwhelmed
with grief. Having recovered from the first paroxysm of grief,
he reprimanded Vibhishana on his coming near him for not calling
him to the field when Indrajit came to engage Lakshmana. 3 But

l VI xviii 201. 2 See page 111.

3 Rama did not intend to allow Lakshmana to fight without his aid.
against Indrajit. He permitted him to go alone only against Atikaya.

92 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Vibhishana with tears in his eyes told him all that had happened,
and how the last weapon was an unforeseen surprise even to him
and added,

' They're living yet : but for the magic spell
Could ever mortal valour have sufficed
To bring them down ? Grieve not, therefore, my lord,
But hope : can sin o'er virtue ever prevail,' 1

Rama now asked Vibhishana to tell him the nature and power
of this cobra-noose of which he had never heard before. ' It was
created by Brahma,' he replied, ' and obtained from him by Shiva
and gifted over by Shiva to such as do very severe tapas and pray
for it. And,

No force can ever loose its strangling hold :
It falls not till its victims die. If e'er
The noose can be uncoiled, self-uncoiled
Alone 'twill fall : not e'en the four-faced One
Supreme can break its mortal spell ! ' 2

Rama cried out in despair,

' Shall I direct my darts against the Gods

Who forged the deadly arm ? Or shall I end

The worlds and take my life ? Shall I reduce

To ashes this sinful city ? If the God

Who framed this spell undoes its fatal force

I'll cool my wrath : if he refuse, be sure

Within a trice I end the universe

Even as Shiv the cities three ! If dies

My brother, then what to me is glory ? What

Is Dharm ? And what is infamy ? ' 3

But how can he, who came down specially to protect the
universe, continue for long in his mood ? And so the poet says,

But in his heart

The springs of mercy soon began to flow :
He called to mind how heinous it would be

1 VI xviii 233. 2 VI xviii 232.

3 VI xviii 238-240.

LAKSHMANA 93

To end the worlds for wreaking vengeance on
A single foe ; and then unknowing what
To do, he sank in blank despair. 1

When Rama was thus become a prey to despair, and the
gods were trembling with fear as to how all this would end,
the heavenly Eagle, Garuda, the terror of all serpents mortal and
immortal, who also had been watching the combat along with the
gods from a distance, spread his mighty wings for flight, and
arriving at the place where Rama was standing, fell at his feet
and worshipped him as his master, the Supreme Narayana
Himself. At the very touch of the air flapped up by Garuda's
wings, behold, the serpent noose lost its spell and the Vanara
heroes and Lakshmana broke through their bonds as if they were
no stronger than filaments of lotus stalk, and rose as if fresh
from the hands of the Creator Himself. The magnificent stanzas
in which Kamban describes the majestic flight and appearance of
Garuda have scarcely a parallel in literature for the roll of their
rhythm and the grandeur of the image that they present to the
eye of imagination. Though conscious of the impossibility of
giving an adequate translation of them, we feel bound to attempt
a translation and give some idea to the reader of their grand
swing. 2

As soon as the Vanaras were released from the cobra-noose,
they raised a shout that shook Lanka to its very centre, and
Ravana soon learned that the magic spell was broken and that the
Vanaras were as ready for fight as ever. He then sent for his
son and told him that, as it was but natural that he should desire
again to fight those that had escaped so narrowly from his hands,
he should command the army that day also. But, as Indrajit was
too tired, he requested his father to send others to engage the
enemy, and so other leaders and Makaraksha, the son of Khara,
were sent against the Vanara host.

Mahaparshva and Dumaraksha, two of the five commanders
now proposed to be sent, were at first found out to be
none but the guards of Indrajit that had fled from the field
the previous day from the clubs of Hanuman, and Ravana

1 VI xviii 241.

2 The translation of these seven stanzas are missing in the manuscript.
Aiyar appears to have postponed translating them but died before he
could do it. They are verses 243 to 249 of the 18th Padalam of the Sixth
Book. An inadequate translation is offered with apologies to Aiyar and.
the reader in Appendix I. (P)

KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

ordered that their noses should be cut off and that they should be
paraded through the streets of Lanka and proclaimed as base
cowards. But Mali opposed, saying that they had fought very
hard and stayed on the field almost up to the very last, and, if they
had run away from the battle-field, Indrajit had also all but done
the same. And who was not afraid in Lanka in these days ?
For, said he,

' In Lanka's streets let Lakshmana's name be called
Aloud but once : alas, a panic wild
At once does seize our people, and they'd hear
No more but shut their doors amain ! Such terror
Inspires that dreaded name ! ' 1

Ravana was, therefore, persuaded to give these commanders
a fresh opportunity to retrieve their good name. They and the
Other commanders with their troops fought bravely but could not
stand against the Vanaras. In the end they were all destroyed
and Indrajit had again to take the field.

This second fight of Indrajit was still more furious than the
first. Rama commanded the Vanara army to fall back, as they
were unable to fight the divine weapons that the enemy was
using, and took the field himself alone with the bow. Darts
after darts flew against the enemy, laden with death. The vast
army of Indrajit was blown to the winds, and Hanuman, seeing
that grand display of the archer's art, smacked his broad shoulders
with his mighty paw and sent up a shout of admiration and joy.
When Lakshmana saw Indrajit coming forward to engage
• personally with Rama, he prayed his brother to allow him to fight
•the Rakshasa singly by himself. Said he,

" The serpent noose, my brother, that helpless bound

My limbs, has cast a slur upon my name ;

And men will point at me and say, ' his friends

He could not save from worse than death ; nor could

He stand against a valiant foe ; and yet

He lives ! ' If Indrajitta's head, my darts

Do not remove, the lustre of my name

Is gone for ever. I burn t' engage this foe

Unaided, thyself only looking on ;

And killing him in single fight, emblaze

My name 'fore men for service leal done

->■ VI xix 13.

L A K S H M A N A 9$;

To thee, my king and lord. And witness heaven,

If Indrajit I bring not down this day,

May I the merit lose for ever that I

Have earned by service faithful done to thee." x

When Lakshmana took this solemn oath, the gods were filled
with joy and said, ' the days of our grief are over ! ' And the
endless worlds echoed .that joy and the Spirit of Righteousness
rejoiced. And the heart of Yama also was glad.

So, during this day, Rama plays but a minor part and even
that only during the earlier hours of the battle.

The brothers blew their conches, and at the terrific sound
■even the lions yoked to the chariot of Indrajit trembled. Clubs
and steel discuses, lances and spears, maces and sling-stones were
now hurled at the brothers and also at the Vanaras who were
drawn up at a distance. The fire-winged arrows of Lakshmana
brought down the chariots and horses, elephants and Rakshasa
heroes by the thousand. In that fell massacre you would not
know which were the leaders and which the ordinary Rakshasa
soldiers. Lakshmana's arrows would drop the head of the sons
in the cars of the fathers and the mangled heads of the fathers
in the chariots of their sons and then resume their flight. Rama
also joined his fatal arrows to Lakshmana's, and in the end, Indrajit
stood almost alone with his chariot broken, but, his high spirit as
high as ever. And getting on to another chariot, and directing
it to where the two brothers were standing, he addressed them
and said,

' Would both of you today engage with me
Or desires one alone to fall a prey
To this dart ? Or wish you with the remnants
Of your broken force to meet your fate ? Decide,
I'll grant your every wish ! ' 2

Lakshmana haughtily replied,

' I've sworn to fell thee dead upon this field
To-day. Thou mayest choose the sword or bow
Or lance or fists or any weapon else
Thy whim dictates : I'll meet thee arm for arm
And bring thee down.' 3

-1 VI xxi 39-43. 2 VI xxi 61.

3 VI xxi 62. ' •

98 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The rejoinder of Indrajit is no less haughty :

' I mean today to make the elder brother
'Gainst nature's way survive the younger born.
If first I send thee not to thy doom, and make
Thy elder younger seem and mourn thy loss
I call not myself son to mighty Ravan ! . . . .
Mistake me not for Kumbhakarna the brother,
I am the son of Ravan ! I have sworn
To soothe the manes of those my brothers dead
And him my mighty uncle, by oblations
Offered in the red blood of both of you ! ' 1

Lakshmana would not be beaten even in this war of words :

He said, ' Vibhishana is with us here

Destiny -chosen t' offer sacrifice

To all the race of doomed Rakshasas.

But that which thou to thy father owest dead,

The water-sacrifice, I'll make him give

Tear-mingled to thy predeceased soul ! ' 2

Without further words the Rakshasa rained his fiery arrows
upon Lakshmana and Angada, Hanuman and Rama. But Rama
saw the Rakshasa alone and unaided, and so, did not bend his bow
against him but let Lakshmana alone engage him. The sky was
sown with flying darts burning and tearing each other to pieces,
and everything around appeared to be on fire. Lakshmana could
only parry Indrajit's swift-flying darts for a long time, but, when
the Rakshasa's hand began slightly to slack owing to his terrible
exhaustion, he seized his opportunity and killed the lions yoked
to his chariot. Anger nerved the arms of Indrajit, and he regained
his old vigour and ploughed the bodies of his enemies with his
terrific arrows, and blew his sonorous conch to the trepidation of
the Vanara host. Lakshmana again awaited his opportunity and,
when it presented itself, he pursued his advantage and struck
down Indrajit's strong armour and twanged his mighty bow.
Rama was delighted to see his grand archery, and called the
Vanara army standing at a distance to cheer him with their
sphere-rending shouts.

1 VI xxi 63, 66. 2 VI xxi 67.

LAKSHMANA 9*35

Indrajit saw that Lakshmana was invincible by his ordinary
weapons, and thought again to employ his magic. But waiting
first to know what the brothers were thinking on their part, he
rose into the sky, and becoming invisible approached near where
they were standing. Lakshmana knew by the previous day's
experience what his enemy was capable of, and so proposed to
his brother that he should use the terrific Brahmastra and finish
him and all Lanka. As soon as he heard these words, Indrajit
flew amain to Lanka saying that, if they would attempt to use that
world-shattering missile, he would forestall them and prepare it
himself against them.

But here on the field, Rama replied to Lakshmana that if he
vised the missile in his anger it would destroy not only Indrajit
but all the worlds besides, and that, therefore, he should not use
it now and endanger the universe for the sake of one enemy.
The Vanara host now returned to the field, and there was immense
joy among them to see that the Rakshasa had fled away. Rama
also went to the rear to make fresh sacrifices to the gods, by the
strength of which sacrifices alone could the different divine,
weapons and missiles be used and parried with effect.

Indrajit, however, asked his father to send Mahodara with
fresh troops to engage the enemy while he himself went to do
the necessary sacrifices to the gods and obtain the power to send
the Brahmastra against them. Mahodara, therefore, led his vast
army into the field. But Hanuman now took the huge shape that
he could at will and scattered and destroyed a wing of the
Rakshasa force headed by Akamba. Sugriva and Angada joined
in the melee and they attacked and destroyed or drove from the
field other divisions of the enemy. But Mahodara with his magic
powers checked the advancing Vanara troops, reformed his army,
and then by feints at retreating drew the Vanara heroes and
Lakshmana further south towards the walls of the city.

As all sound of battle died away in the distance, Rama, who
was in the midst of his sacrifices for the divine weapons, became
anxious to know what was happening, left the sacrificial grounds,
and retracing his steps towards the battle-field followed the track
of his army which was being drawn further and further south
by the fascinating magic of Mahodara. Confusion reigned
everywhere, and it was after hours of anxiety that Rama learned
from Hanuman that unless he himself sent some missiles of divine
power the Rakshasa magic could not be overcome. Rama bent
his bow therefore and sent his darts instinct with the divine
power of Shiva, and Mahodara, seeing that his magic refused to

7

9$ KAMBA 'BAMi'TAifA-lt^-A STUDY

Stand against this class of weapons, rose up in %he air and bided
his time.

The field now being absolutely clear of the Rakshasa troops,
Rama went back to the sacrificial ground to complete his sacrifices
for the divine astras. But soon after, Indrajit returned having
perfected his sacrifices and obtained the cruel missiles called
Brahmastra that destroy whole masses at one fell throw. He
had not the compunctions that prevented the brothers from using
such a weapon, and so standing under the cover of the Illusion
again produced by Mahodara he bent his bow, pronounced the
mantras of the Brahmastra and released the dart. At once millions
on millions of arrows flew with deadly force from inside that
deadly dart, and killed the Vanara heroes by the myriad and even
Lakshmana himself.

Having achieved his fell work, Indrajit went back in triumph
to Lanka and proudly told his father that his enemies were now
destroyed for ever, for, said he, ' would Rama, if living, forget
his valour when I stretched his, dearest friends and brother upon
the field ? '

When Rama came back to the field after finishing his sacrifices
and renewing the power of his astras, he was stunned at the sight
that met his eyes. Wherever he turned, he saw nothing but heaps
of Vanara corpses. He saw his Sugriva and Hanuman, Angada
and Nila, and the rest ploughed with bleeding wounds and fallen
at the head of their respective divisions ; and his tears fell like
showers. But when he saw his Lakshmana also a lifeless corpse,
he fell down plumb, like a sola tree struck by the thunderbolt.

And who was there to console him in that awful moment of
soul-shattering grief ? Who was there to separate him from the
body of his brother which he was embracing with his trembling
arms ? And who was there to lift him up and bring him to
himself ? He was alone, all alone in that wilderness of the dead !

After hours of silent anguish in that weirdly dark night, Rama
thus gave expression to the measureless grief that was agitating
his mind :

' I died not when I heard of our father's death,
Though he a kingdom gave, 1 for in thy love
I learned to forget his loss : but, thee now dead,
What's life to me ? I come, my brother, I come.

1 Read : ' I died not though he a kingdom gave ' (to me) . The original
allows also a rendering as 'I minded not when he gave away the
kingdom.' (P)

LAKSHMANA - 9#

But wert thou brother alone ? Thou wert to me
A child and father, mother and blessings all :
And thou art gone ! And thou art gone without
A ' Farewell ' said. Alas ! have I become
More cruel than thee ? For I see thee dead
And still, pretending sorrow, I bear to live.
My heart is made of stone, it breaketh not ;
E'en thy loss J shall bear and cling to life !
In all these fourteen years of forest life,
Through sun or shower, thou labouredst hard for me
And ne'er didst rest : art thou now gone for rest ?

Thou hadst forsworn e'en sleep : wouldst not awake ?
Thy one desire, child, was to see me crowned :

Now ope thy eyes, behold, I'm grown home-sick ;
Take me to Oudh and crown me with thy hands !

Ah wretch I am that knows not what is love
Though losing thee, my brother, I am not dead.
Now who is brother to thee ? Alas our bonds

Are broke : Nor I nor life are kin to thee ! . . .
My love of throne has untold misery brought

On father, mother and all. And for this love

Of Sita I have sacrificed thee

Thou wert a brother born but grewest a friend

Inseparable, thou didst thy father leave

And mother and Dharm itself and followed'st me.

But do I follow thee now thou art dead ? . . .
Why did I part from thee, and let thee fight

Alone with Indrajit ? I hate myself ;

I hate this life inconstant : I come, I come !

Behold, I follow thee ! ' 1

Thus lamenting, Rama once again fell into a swoon.

Rakshasa scouts now thought that Rama also was dead and
ran to Lanka and informed Ravana that the whole Vanara army
and the two men lay dead upon the field. Ravana was now
triumphant and ordered that Sita should be taken over the
battle-field and shown the corpse of her husband.

After Sita had come and gone, Vibhishana who had gone to
look after the provisions of the army returned and saw the carnage
and the dreadful silence over the whole field. Relieved to find
"that, though Rama could not be waked from his swoon, he had

1 VI xxi 206-209, 218, 210, 212, 214, £17.

100 KAMBA RAMA7ANAM — A STUDY

no wounds on his body, and hoping that Lakshmana and the rest.
would escape from this astra even as they did from the Naga pasha,
he searched the field torch in hand to see if any of the great
heroes were living, so that he might consult with them as to what
they should do in this great disaster. He at last saw Hanuman
with his body drilled with the terrific shafts of Indrajit but with
life not extinct ; and then, removing the darts from his body and
cooling him with fresh water from the clouds, he brought him
back to consciousness. Hanuman now rose with Rama's name
upon his lips, saw with grief the shambles that their army was,
and asked if Jambhavan was yet alive as he alone could suggest
a remedy in that great hour. Jambhavan was searched for and
fortunately found alive. On being asked, he said that on the
Sanjivi hill grew the drugs that could heal all wounds and bring
the dead back to life, and that Hanuman should fly thither and
bring the drugs, and with their aid restore to life the fallen army.

So Hanuman flew through the air the thousands of miles
lying between Lanka and the hill, lifted the hill sheer with his
hands and flew back to Lanka before the day broke. As soon
as the hill of drugs was brought, the very air at once wafted
balsam, and the Vanara heroes and Lakshmana rose as if from
sleep with all their wounds healed and fresher than ever before. 1

Lakshmana had now escaped from two disasters. Although
he fought with a valour equal to that of his enemy, the latter's
magic powers and unscrupulousness were able to wrest victory
out of defeat. The challenges that he had thrown out to Indrajit
were yet unfulfilled, and it was by miracles that he himself escaped
with life. These two miracles, however, showed that the gods
were on his side and that he would end by destroying the
Rakshasa. But how great fights had again to be waged, through
what great fire he had again and again to pass before he was
able to bring the head of Indrajit to the ground !

i As the Rakshasa dead had been thrown into the sea at the command"
at Ravana, the balmy air was of no use for them.

CHAPTER VIII

INDRAJIT : HIS EXPLOITS AND DEATH

While describing Lakshmana's exploits in the last chapter, we
had inevitably to speak of Indrajit, the ablest fighter in the
Rakshasa army. In this chapter we shall study his character as
Kamban depicts him and describe his last great fights with
Lakshmana whom he had chosen as his especial opponent.

We have already referred to Hanuman's estimate 1 of his valour
even when he was asleep. He is the only Rakshasa who dares to
Use hard words to Ravana. For, when he hears that Hanuman,
during his first visit to Lanka, after discovering Sita had destroyed
Rakshasa army after Rakshasa army that were sent against him,
and also had killed his brother Aksha who had commanded the
last army, he rushes to the presence of his father and chides him
saying,

' Thou weighest not the danger beforehand but rushest
unthinking into it, and then thou sufferest. Even after seeing
the prowess of that monkey, thou hast sent against him in
batches those who could never hold their owri against him.
Is it not then thou that hast killed' them ? When the Kinkaras
and Jambumali and the five commandants with their goodly
force returned not with life from the fight, how can we call
our enemy monkey ? Ought we not rather to rank him with
Shiva and Brahma and Vishnu ? Thou hast in the days past
broken the force of the Elephants that hold the universe in
its place, and conquered the three worlds and lifted mount
Kailasa itself with Shiva upon it. But now what will wash
this humiliation received at the hands of the monkey who
has killed our Aksha ? After this, even a victory ■will not
be a matter for rejoicing ! ' 2

So also, when his father tells him that Atikaya was killed in
;4he battle with Lakshmana, he boldly attacks him saying,

' Is't Lakshman killed my brother ? No ! 'tis thou
That sent him to the slaughter. Knowing their might
Why sent'st thou not for me before ? The foe
That killed my other brother thou sent'st away

1 See page 83. * V xii 9-11. • ■ ■

102 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Unthinking, for, sooth, he as an envoy came.

And now where are thy sons to guard thy throne ?

Past are thy days of glory, Sire ! ' *

But though he chides his father to his face, he is extremely-
jealous of his father's glory. For instance, when he learns that
Hanuman had ended Aksha he exclaims,

' Alas, 'tis not my brother that is dead —
It is my father's glory faded lies
Upon the ground.' 2

When, on reaching the battle-field he sees the ground
soaked with the blood of Rakshasas killed by Hanuman, he is filled
with shame that Rakshasa blood should be spilled in Lanka by a
monkey. Says the poet,

He saw his comrades dear to him as life
Or th' apple of his eye, all fallen dead
Upon the ground, and endless phalanx fierce.
He saw the shambles they had become, and at
The sight he bit his lip ; and who could sound
The grief and shame that agitated him ?
A stick that probes a bleeding wound does give
A lighter pang. 3

When, at the Rakshasa council, Ravana speaks of heading an
army himself against Rama, Indrajit considers that he should
never think of doing a thing that is so much beneath his dignity
and asks him to send himself. He says, sarcastically,

' And thou to march against this puny man !
O great will be the glory thou wilt reap,
And great the triumph in that noble war !
Ver'ly thou dost despise the Rakshasas
That bear the arms divine, now rusty grown,
That Mahadeva gave and Brahma blessed ;
And I am grown the least before thine eyes
Of those that wield the sword ! '*

1 VI xviii 7, 8. 2 V xii 5.

3 V xii 18. * VI ii 58, S9.

IWDttAJIT 103

And then changing the mood he continues,

' Even if all the worlds conspire 'gainst thee
And range their powers upon the field, I'll brave
Them all and bring thee victory. If I fail,
I'll brag not myself son to thee, but deem
Myself a low-born craven. . . . Thou wilt see
The Vanars lick the dust, and Mother Earth
Groan with the weight of rolling heads : and I
Shall torture Sita with the blood-curdling sight
Of Lakshman's gory head and Ram's.' x

We have given the reader, we hope, in the last chapter an
adequate idea of his superb valour. Kamban calls him the
' perfection of all valorous qualities '. He leaps with joy when
he finds a brave and mighty enemy to fight with. Thus, during
Hanuman's first visit to Lanka,

Though he had conquered worlds before,
The mighty form of Hanuman when he saw,
And the field heaped up with masses of the dead,
' Here is a foe that's worthy of my steel,'
He thought, and was delighted at his luck
In having such a foe to fight. 2

The gods and the whole world live in perpetual terror of
his valour. As an instance, when he marches to punish Hanuman
after the death of Aksha,

Now thundered loud the trumpets and the bells
Jingling on warriors' anklets proud. The king
Of gods did tremble for his very life.
Even the Three Supreme from Yoga turned
Expecting fierce war. 3

The Devas' fear of him, however, was as much due to his
magic arts as to his valour. For he was an expert in the
employment of the black art as in the wielding of the weapons
of war. So much so, that anybody who displays an extraordinary
cunning is dubbed at once in India as Indrajit. We have seen
him, in the last chapter, resorting to the Naga pasha and

l VI ii 60, 61. a V xii 15. 3 V xii 4.

104 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Brahmastra after concealing himself from human sight. We shall
presently see him try to throw Rama off his guard by another of
his magic tricks and by false threats uttered before Rama's
faithfullest servant Hanuman.

For, when he found that Rama was not touched even by his
Brahmastra which brought down the whole of the Vanara army,
his hopes of final victory by pure deeds of valour began to grow
dim, and he spoke to his father, disclosing his plans for the third
day's fight, prefacing his speech by his opinion of Rama :

' Man he is not, nor Indra, ancient foe,

Nor Rishi striving after Brahmagnan 1

I doubt not now that he's the Ancient One

Adored by all, as Vibhishana held forth,

But not for that shall we our strivings cease :

Though fallen are our heroes great there's hope

Of victory yet for us : if I but go

To the field of Nikumbhal and undisturbed

I can perform my magic rites, I win

The power to conquer even him.' 2

And then he explains how he proposes to put the man and
the Vanaras on the wrong scent :

' By magic art I'll make a breathing shape
Like unto Janaki, and sever its head
In sight of Hanuman, and straight proclaim
I fly to Oudh, and for revenge destroy
The city and its king. Despair will seize
The Vanar army and the Man and they
Will either leave this land or send to Oudh
The mighty Hanuman and suspend war
Till he return. Meantime my rites complete,
I fall on them with mortal weapons new,
And bring thee triumph sure.' 3

Ravana agreed to this and Indra jit went his way to make
the living automaton.

Meantime, the Vanara army that was restored to life by the
hill of drugs determined to set fire to Lanka, and set about to

throw burning tinder and torches into the interior of the city.

i

1 Knowledge of the Ultimate Reality.

a VI xxv 13, 14. 3 vi xxv 16-18. . / > k*v;^|

INDRAJIT 106

"Hanuman who had gone north to restore the Sanjivi hill to its
place returned to Lanka and joined in the work. As, however.
Tie approached the western gate of the city, Indrajit appeared
before him sword in hand, dragging by the hair the automaton
made like Sita, and said,

' It is for Sita ye are making war :
My father careth not for her, and lo
I spill her blood e'en 'fore your eyes ! n

Hanuman knew not his trick and was taken aback. He knew
not what to do. In his confusion he thought a soft word might
save Sita and so he prayed to Indrajit to release her. He therefore
.addressed him in these words :

' O worthy son of a worthy race (thou art

The fifth in direct line from Brahma great)

Kill not a woman, shame not thy ancient line !

Thou hast the shasters mastered and the Ved :

Knowest thou not 'tis a crime and also shame

To fell a woman dead ? Behold, the Earth

Doth tremble at the sight and heaven above

And yet thou pity'st not ! O spare the fair !

If thou deliver her to me, I'll pray

That all the worlds may own thee king for ever.

Alas, forgettest thou the glory great

Of thy race ? Disgrace not thou its ancient name ! ' 2

Indrajit only laughed at Hanuman and replied,

' Well hast thou said ! We'll purchase safety, sooth,

Me and my father, by delivering Sita !

And great will be the glory thereby reaped !

No, I will kill her straight and send my shafts

That'll make you flee for life, and 'stablish firm

My father's throne — But all I have not said :

For I shall first to Oudh and burn her walls ;

Guard her if e'er ye can ! Behold I speed

Thither : Nor gods can save thy master's mothers

Or brothers. Behold, my flaming arrows fly !

Already, hark, their death-groans rend the air ! ' s ';

1 VI xxv 31. 2 VI xxv 34, 35.

; *VI xxv 38-41.

J06 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM A STUDY

So saying, while still the automaton was piteously praying for
life, he drew his sword and with one stroke severed the head
from its body and directed his charioteer to steer his aerial car
northward.

Hanuman fell where he stood, stunned, even like a mountain
torn by its roots. The poet describes his grief and lament for
Sita's fate in these words :

' O swan ! ' he would cry out, and sob ; and then
Would cry, ' O jewel of womankind ! ' He would
Then call aloud, ' O mother mine ; ' then groan,
Asking in deep despair, ' Is there no god ? '
And then would curse his heart that it did not
In pieces break when she was killed before
His eyes.

He thought of springing on his foe,
But lacking force he fell upon the ground
And groaned. His eyes did flash with rage. His frame
Did shiver for the anguish of his heart ;
And knocking his huge head against the ground
He thus lamented loud : ' I thought the night
Which did the three worlds envelop had passed,
And dawn was nigh ; alas, the thrice black pall
Of Misery has fallen once again
Upon the Earth, and she submerged groans
Beneath the flood of sin. For the cruel foe
Has felled down Sita, and Dharma mangled lie3 ! '

" The foe does kill that lovely princess pure;.
I see her killed — a woman killed before
My eyes ! — and yet I stand transfixed to the spot
E'en like a bird that has its wings lopped off !

bravely have I from captivity

Rescued her ! Maithili, my Rama's spouse,
That mother of unsurpassed austerities,
That spotless daughter of a spotless race,
A helpless one — her he has cleaved in twain,
And I have let him go : and now I weep
As if I have a heart that compassion feels !

1 braved the dangers of the deep, O mother,
And carried Rama's message here, and thine
O'er there, not for to end this curs'd race

Nor for to force thee from their hands : I canie

INDRAJIT 107 '

Alone to see thee killed before thy time!

And men would curse my name for e'er. When Ram

Did wander in his grief o'er hills and dales

Like one distraught, I had the fortune great

To rouse him back to life with the words, ' I saw

Thy love, I saw her still alive '. And now

Am I to say, 'I saw the Rakshasa kill

Thy spotless .wife ? ' Ah, wretched is my fate ! "

"I was proud I could the ocean cross, and bridge
Th' abyss unbridged, and carry off the hill
Of drugs and aye bring back the dead to life.
And I to myself boasted, ' There is none
Among the Vanars like thee '. Alas,
All my exploits are now no more than scent
Dissolved in ocean stream. I dared not spring
Upon the murderous foe and mangle him
To death ; I died not straightway rending my frame
In twain ; but saw him kill her undisturbed.
And still I'll live to fatten this body mine
With food : is then my glory small ? " l

After this lament Hanuman came to himself sufficiently to
enable him to run to Rama and inform him that he saw Indrajit
kill Sita. When Rama heard the words he was stunned :

there was no shudder in his frame ; he did not breathe
heavily ; his eyes did not move, nor tears came from them ;
he spoke not a word ; burst not his heart ; he did not fall to
the ground ; he did not sob ; there was no sweat showing over
his body — the gods even were not able to sound the depth
of the anguish in his heart ! 2

The Vanara heroes who heard the news fell as uprooted rocks
at the feet of Rama. But Rama,

who was unmoved even as a statue, looked not at the faces of
his friends ; he would not even reply to Lakshmana's
questions ; he lost control over himself ; and with his heart
carved and cut by the scalpel of deep attachment to Sita,
he fell down on the ground even as a man dead. 3
Lakshmana could not bear to see Rama tortured with such
grief. He felt that all their endeavours had come to nought with
the tragic end of Sita. Especially could he not bear the shame -

1 VI xxv 45-53. 2 VI xxv 58.

3 VI xxv 60.

108 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

that they were unable to prevent such a fate from befalling the
woman whom he looked upon as his own mother. 'And he also
sank down in grief like a calf that has lost its mother'.

At length, Vibhishana brought Rama back to consciousness,
but Rama was still too full of sorrow. Lakshmana too, soon after,
came to himself ; and, though full of anguish himself and sinking'
under the weight of such a terrible disaster, he felt that owing to
the attachment of Rama to Sita, Rama's heart would break
endangering even his life, and so he addressed to Rama these
trumpet-like words :

' When Fate her darkest hour unrolls, and all

Appears lost, 'tis only weaklings lose

Their heart and hopeless sink in black despair.

But wilt thou be like them ? When tarnished is

Our race itself by this irreparable loss,

Why slacks thy arm from ending all the worlds

And Dharma's self at one fell stroke ? Here was

A woman weak, a helpless one, of life

Austere, and she thy spouse, as Lakshmi fair :

If her the Rakshas kills and thou art still

Engulfed in sorrow, thy rage unroused, I ask,

Is life so dear ? Or dost thou pity feel

For men and gods ? What hast thou now to do

With Dharm itself ? What care we now for gods

Or Rakshasas, for Gurus, Brahmans, Ved

Itself ? When violence prospers in the world

And Righteousness in ruin ends, why sit

We here with folded arms ? Why hesitate

To end the triple worlds with fire and sword ?

Behold, the worlds are still revolving on
In their appointed spheres ; the gods are still
Alive ; and men are bowing yet to Dharm
As if it still exists ! And clouds yet yield
Their plenteous rain to man ! And bent with grief
We sit and weep and rise not to end them all !
Is not our valour great ?

Our duty was
If we but knew, to burn this city vile,
And scattering fire around, to line with flames
The roads, all through, that Indrajitta passed.
And send him to his doom. This unattempted,
If impotent we sit with indolent arms.

INDRAJIT 109

And water with our tears the earth, will not

Our manliness look small ? At Ayodh too,

We feared this Dharma, and renounced our throne

And wandering in the forests wild, we lost

Our Sita, tricked by villainous Ravana's guile ;

And yet we kept our wraths within our bounds.

Here also to this outrage fell if we

Should submit meek, what doubt but he will bind us

In chains and bid us slave for him ? Should we

Desperate, die by our own hands, the world

Will laugh at us and say we lacked the strength

A helpless woman's murder to avenge

And died consumed with shame. Yield not, therefore,

My brother to this unmanly, weak despair,

The portion of the feeble in mind and heart.' 2

Sugriva was fired with these words, and rose to spring on
Lanka. But Hanuman told the company, what he had forgotten
to say before, that Indrajit had threatened to march on Ayodhya
and that he had seen the Rakshasa direct his aerial car northwards.
llama's anxiety for the fate of his brothers and mothers at Ayodhya
was even greater than his grief for the loss of Sita. After a
moment's agitation he thought of pursuing the Rakshasa on the
shoulders of Hanuman. But Lakshmana heartened Rama by
reminding him of Bharata's valour while Vibhishana proposed
that, as he doubted that Indrajit might have played some trick
of illusion, he should first go to Ashokavana disguised and see if
Sita was alive. This proposal was immediately agreed to, and
Vibhishana soon returned with the happy news that Sita was still
alive and unharmed. He also further brought the information
that Indrajit had gone to the field of Nikumbhala to perform a
sacrifice, and proposed that Rama should send Lakshmana
immediately to attack him there and prevent the completion of
the sacrifice, as it had been foretold to Indrajit that if he
completed this sacrifice at Nikumbhala he would be able to destroy
his enemies, no matter who they might be, without fail. Rama
agreed to it, gave Lakshmana the great bow of Vishnu surrendered
to him by Parshu Rama, and after telling him with what weapons
to parry the Rakshasa's divine weapons and enjoining him not to
use the Brahmastra even if the enemy should use it, sent him to
the fight with his blessings.

i VI xxv 65-71.

110 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

At Nikumbhala Indrajit was at his sacrifice invoking the
gods for invincibility and final victory. The sacrificial ground
was guarded on all sides by the Rakshasa army standing silent in
circular formation called the Chakravyuha. Lakshmana and his
host now came to interrupt the Yajna and the battle began.

The Rakshasas met the challenging shouts of the Vanaras
with their counter-challenges, and their rocks and tree-trunks by
their arrows and maces and clubs and lances. The Vanaras and
the Rakshasas fell by the thousand, and the sacrifice was
interrupted. The limbs and trunks of the dead Rakshasas fell on
and desecrated the sacrificial fire. Their heads fell on the pots of
the sacrificial water and broke them in pieces. The blood of the
Rakshasas flowed in streams and extinguished the fire in the chief
sacrificial pit. The sacrificial buffaloes were killed by the swords
and lances still grasped by the torn and falling arms of Indrajit's
loyal soldiers. Lakshmana's arrows destroyed the Rakshasa army
' like the whirlwind, like the engineering art of the Kalingas 1 ,
like an epidemic of disease, like acid thrown in milk.'

Wherever Indrajit turned his eyes he could see only the
heaped up carcasses of elephants and heroes, the broken fragments
of chariots, the heads of his valorous soldiers, and a sea of blood.
'He could not see the bodies of his heroes — he could see only streams
of blood issuing from the fragments of their mighty limbs. He
saw the rest of his troops flying for life everywhere and dying
or dead or crouching with terror in their flight. And so he
stopped his invocations, and rose like a smoke-topped pyramid
of flame — about to be quenched. He thought that the extinguishing
of the sacrificial fire foreboded his own end. But like a true son
of battle he feared not but prepared to meet Lakshmana and the
Vanara army.

Hanuman now came within his earshot, and taunted him with
these words :

' O Rakshas of a hundred million lies ;

I ween I saw thee kill our Janaki

And fly to Oudh ? When didst thou thence return,

My warrior bold ? I hope success has smiled

On thee ! I hope thou hast that city fair

1 Read : ' military engineering art '. Aiyar here renders the original
phrase ' KaUnga-K-Kammiar noolena ' in a sense more apposite to the
other terms denoting forces of destruction than the more commonly
accepted meaning of ' the yarn of the workers on (the) cloth (loom) *
which is inappropriate as it refers to the frequent and easy snapping of
the yarn and is therefore the thing destroyed.' (P)

•I INDRAJIT til

Uprooted, and Rama's race destroyed ! I hope

Thou hast thy bow-craft shown to saintly Bharat,

Strong as the mighty Shesh that bears aloft

The spacious earth and all that is thereon !

I hope thou hast his youngest brother met

In battle face to face and conquered him !

I would not be surprised if e'en their heads

Thou hast as trophies brought. Knowest thou perchance

That now thy circling battle-front is pierced ?

Hath twang of Lakshman's battling bow by chance

Entered thine ear ? . . . Is it the noose to-day

That thou wilt wield, or Brahma's fatal dart ?

'Sit dart of Mahadev or Vishnu's disk

Thou dost purpose to hurl ? We die with fear,

O mighty sire, of all thy armoury ! . . .

E'en if Maheshvar comes to save thy life,

Or Vishnu from His Sea, thy doom is fixed

Today. I see the tremor ominous

On the wrong side of thy frame : stay'st thou to fight

This day ? Behold the hero challenging

Who's sworn to take thy life ; the thundering twang

Of his strong bow, I crave to know, is it

An indispensable part of sacrifice ?

The Gods are come to see him wield the bow
The supreme archer, brother to mighty Ram.
Death comes to every man one day — so why
Dost hesitate ? n

Though Indrajit now saw that he could not contend against
Xiakshmana, his hauteur did not abate an inch, and he flung these
words at Hanuman :

' Well hast thou learnt my words from me, and now
Forestall'st me well ! And ye to taunt me thus !
Where is the fight, in all our battles fought,
In which ye were not crushed ? With life restored
Ye forget clean your enemy's death-winged shafts !
Again ye thirst for death and challenge me :
Have you preserved the drug that saves from death ?
Let Lakshman come or Ram, let those that feel
They can now come to guard ye from my darts !

1 VI xxvi 70-78.

112 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The gods will only see the carcasses

Of Vanaras dead heaped up upon the field,

And anguish of their human masters feeble !

Long as I have my brawny arms and bow

I let no foe return alive — or man

Or hunch-backed ape. E'en if ye refuge take

In heaven, I will pursue ye even there

And end ye all : and e'en Sanjivi Hill

Cannot restore ye back to life ! Because

My sacrifice is interrupt, dream not

Therefore that victory will now be yours,

Nor brag in imitated speech of prowess

That '11 ne'er be yours. I waste my words no more :

The darts that one by one will cleave your necks

And drop your heads upon the blood-red sward

Will blazon forth my might to all the worlds.

I am not skilled like ye in the boaster's art,

But this I'll say : thrice have ye bit the dust

'Fore me. Have ever ye stood your ground to face

Me in my rage ? And now at least have ye

To face me trained yourselves ? Or will ye fall

Upon the field and stretch yourselves in death ?

Or will ye flee from here for life ? n

So saying Indrajit blew his war-conch and twanged his bow.
At the mere sound the common Vanaras threw down the stones
and tree-trunks in their hands and ran for their lives. The
leaders, however, stood their ground and gave him battle.
Hanuman took a giant rock and hurled it with such a force that
even his father, the God of Wind, trembled with fear. And the
gods said, ' what is too heavy for such brawny arms ? ' The rock
flew with the force of a thousand thunderbolts, and the worlds
trembled at it, and the Rakshasa host fled in terror. But Indrajit
laughed, and saying,

* Well done, my Vanar brave ! Thou hop'st with stones
To throw me down and kill me 'fore the gods.
Perhaps a monkey can this feat ! ' 2

sent a forceful shaft against that rock and blew it into fragments ;
but even the unwinking gods did not see when or how he aimed

1 VI xxvi 80 to 85. 2 VI xxvi 91. . -

INDRAJIT 113

his arrow. As Hanuman was lifting another rock Indrajit sent
a score of arrows against him and struck him down senseless.

Sugriva now took his place. But Indrajit despised his
strength and said,

' E'en though they rush on him with scowling eye,
Does e'er the lion turn from elephant chase,
And stop to war with chattering monkeys vile ?
Go, bring me - Lakshman who may stand some fight
And give my darts some work : fall not a prey
To their deadly point. Saw'st not thy Hanuman
Felled down ? Art thou more strong ? Hold I not still
My mighty bow ? Has ever my right hand failed
Me up to now ? Hast thou forgot thy lesson
Of yesterday ? Or hast thou gained new strength ?
Show me the man, and flee with all thy host
To thy native hills ! ' l

So saying, he turned towards where Lakshmana stood, but
the Vanara heroes rained on him rocks and stones, and received
his arrows on their limbs. Great was the havoc that the
Rakshasa's arrows played upon the Vanara army, and Vibhishana
prayed to Lakshmana to check his course. Hanuman had now
recovered from his shock, and taking Lakshmana upon his
shoulders strode to the front and stood facing Indrajit's chariot.
And though the chariot was drawn by a thousand horses, neither
in appearance nor in fact did the advantage rest with the Rakshasa
— so mighty and so swift was the great Vanara. Lakshmana's
arrows rushed through the air like fire, like thunderbolts, like
ghouls searching for living prey, like famine, like epidemic disease,
like the fruits of the sins of man when they return home to him
in their season, like molten metal, like vultures sweeping over
their prey for the sake of their living. But, for every arrow the
Rakshasa had a counter, and he sped his arrows in such multitude
that Vanaras wondered whether the world could contain any more
of them. Indrajit's chariot made its evolutions over hill and
dale, mound and plain, to catch Lakshmana at a disadvantage,
but Hanuman was as swift as the war-horses of Indrajit, and he
never for a single moment exposed Lakshmana's unguarded side
to the enemy. Such was the swiftness of their evolutions that
even tried warriors could not tell which was Lakshmana and
which the Rakshasa. The gods were glad that they were given

1 VI xxvi 98, 99.

8

114 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

to see such a fight as never was fought before. The combatants
looked like two avatars of Durga — the war-goddess — striving
against each other. The arrows clove the air with such swiftness
that they were right who said, ' behold, the arrows fly the air ',
and those also were right who said ' no, arrows cleave the air.'
The gashes in the bodies of the combatants alone showed that the
arrows had left the bow-strings — so rapid was their flight. Far
as the eye could reach, the sky was overcast with flames and
smoke. The very stars became cinder in that iron-hail. The
twang of the bow-strings rent the air like thunder. There was
explosion everywhere. The raging darts beaked each other. The
seas dried up, the hills crumbled to pieces, the trees caught fire,
the bodies of the combatants were crumpled up in the fire of the
burning arrows.

At length the armour of Indrajit was torn open and his body
was pierced by Lakshmana's arrows. But he did not mind this
and sent his darts which wounded Hanuman all over. Seeing
Hanuman wounded, Lakshmana got down and aimed at the
Rakshasa's chariot and sent it into a thousand fragments. Indrajit
now wounded and stunned Lakshmana with ten arrows rapidly
fired. But the latter at once recovered and pierced the enemy's
chest and arms with arrows that flew with the force of Shiva's
foot when he kicked Death in order to save Markandeya. Then
Indrajit drew out his divine weapons one after another, but
Lakshmana was able to parry them all by similar ones. At length,
seeing no other way, he sent the Brahmastra against Lakshmana.
The gods trembled and prayed for his life. But, though it was
against the injunction of his brother, Lakshmana sent the
Brahmastra himself to parry his enemy's weapon, and showed to
him that it was not for his ignorance of its use that he desisted
from using it during the second battle. Indrajit's Brahmastra was
destroyed by Lakshmana's which in addition threatened to consume
the whole world. But Lakshmana aimed another missile at his
own Brahmastra, and made it innocuous ; and the gods exclaimed,
4 what is there that is impossible to men of heroic mould.'

Indrajit now thought that perhaps the Narayanastra may
finish Lakshmana, and so, saying,

' If thou can parry this, none can oppose
Thee on the field. But this will send thee sure
To heaven — I know it cannot fail,' 1

1 VI xxvi 146.

INDRAJIT 115

lie aimed it at Lakshmana with all his might. It came like a
roaring fire, and Lakshmana, knowing that it could not be opposed
by any other divine weapon, meditated on Narayana, its presiding
deity and faced it ; and lo, it turned aside, went round Lakshmana,
and gathering its force into itself evaporated in smoke, harmless.
Indrajit wondered at the miracle and once more doubted that
Lakshmana might be the great Narayana himself. But checking
his thought, and saying, ' It does not matter who he is, I will fight
him to the end,' he invoked the Maheshvara-astra and sent it
flaming through the air. It came filling the vault of the sky and
exploding from its body lances and axes, red-hot arrows and
living fire, poisons and cobras and thunderbolts, the grisly shapes
•of death, and black ghouls and giant demons.

The world-consuming fire now issued from

Its loins, and now the whirlwind sweeping clean

The earth and all that lives on Judgement Day.

And now the waters of the seas beyond

The seven did issue forth from its entrails.

The sky it darkened as with outer darkness.

The gods in terror fled, and Rishis left

With whitened face the field : The Vanar host

Sank in despair upon the ground ; and moon

And sun and all the worlds their orbits swerved

In fear ! Vibhishan trembled at the sight

And called the holy name aloud of Ram,

But lion-like Lakshman only smiled. ' Fear not ',

He said to those who ran to him in fear :

' Fear not, trust in my valour, ye are saved.'

He said, and straight invoked the Infinite One

On whom Shiv himself meditates, and sped

His dart with unsurpassed force. And lo,

It shattered in the air th' exploding dart

Of Ravan's mighty son. It did no more,

For Lakshman in his mercy did command

That it should spend itself when was destroyed

Its deadly target. The heavens did shout for joy

And earth ; the seas and clouds the chorus joined ;

And Dharm and Wisdom cried out, ' Victory ! '

But where's the wonder when Jayalakshmi's 1 self

Did leap for joy ? 2

^ The Goddess of "Victory. 2 VI xxvi 156-160.

116 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Indrajit now came to think that one who could break the
force even of these astras with such supreme skill should be very
God. But he slacked not in his duty to his king. Even while
Lakshmana was aiming at the Maheshvara-astra, leaving Indrajit
free for the moment, the latter took advantage of the respite, and
rained his terrific darts upon him and the Vanara leaders.

But, just then, Vibhishana showed himself before him, and
when Indrajit saw him actually in the act of aiding and advising.
his enemy, his indignation grew to white heat, and he burst out
in the following words :

' Thou traitor base that hast thy duty broke,
And beggar-wise dost cringe before a man,
Echoing like a drum his every word !
Think'st thou I'll spare thy miscreant head to-day,
Because, forsooth, thou art my father's brother ?
Though, all our leaders dead, the sovereignty
Of earth and heaven be slipping from our hands,
We yet can bear our breasts to our foeman's darts :
But can we think of life distained with shame ?
As fish that leave not streams though water fails
The Rakshas race will leave not Ravan's side
But die with him : the earth alone will rest
And thou with it ; but who will own thee king ?

' 'Tis not thy valour helped my father great
(Who lifted sheer the hill that Shiva guards)
To conquer Brahm and wield the sceptre proud
Of the varied world. Thou mayest rule, when we
Are dead, over Brahma's race, by gods adored,
Thyself a slave to man ! What carest thou
For glory ? Ends it not with us ? Ah no !
Is not thy glory great ? For hast thou not
Our secrets to the foes betrayed who maimed
Thy sister ? Helpest not the men to kill
Thy brother and me and all the Rakshas race ? . . .

' And on the day that Ravan's mighty frame
Shall fall by Rama's darts on the dusty field,
Wilt thou, O valorous prince, his blood-stained limb
Embrace and roll upon the ground in grief ?
Or wilt thou join the victors in their shouts
Triumphal ? Or wilt fall at Rama's feet

INDRAJIT 117

And cringe for favours, blessing him ? I thirst
To know thy mind, my noble uncle brave ! n

Vibhishana justified himself for having left a brother who
carried off a chaste wife from her husband and persistently refused
to restore her back to him. And he closed his justification by
saying,

'I know that "Sin can never -overcome
Virtue : I've taken refuge in Shri Ram
The God of Gods ; let glory come to me
Or shame ; let evil come to me or good :
I am content.' 2

But Indrajit bent his bow, and saying,

' Alas ! thy dreams of glory and of good,
O uncle, will dissolve, the moment dire
My barbed arrows pierce thy traitorous breast,' 3

aimed a deadly dart against him. But Lakshmana cut it off
in mid-air and saved Vibhishana. Indrajit now poised a ,
lance and sent it against his uncle's chest, but it was parried
and broken in its flight by Lakshmana's arrows. Vibhishana's
anger was now roused, and taking his mace in hand he attacked
Indrajit. Indrajit's charioteer was killed, and the horses were
either killed or dispersed. But Indrajit was not hurt. He, on his
part, however, sent a shower of arrows against him, and shouting
a shout that sent the spheres in shivers disappeared in the clouds.
Indrajit had done all that he could to bring victory to his
father. Young, brave, full of resource, and proud of the great
record of his past achievements, he entered upon the war full of
hope. He knew, of course, the valour of his enemies. But their
courage and strength only gladdened him. For, their greatness
would give a lustre to his victory while their feebleness would
only have brought a paltry success. The first battle, however,
proved to him that Lakshmana was not an ordinary fighter. He
conquered him only with the divine weapon of the Serpent-noose.
When Lakshmana escaped miraculously and stood to give further
battle, he wondered but did not despair of defeating him. He
made more elaborate preparations, but his words to his father

1 VI xxvi 164- HO. 2 VI xxvi 177. 3 VI xxvi 178.

Il8 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

have the true ring of the warrior who believes that he holds the
key to ultimate victory. But when he found that this success was
also only temporary, and that his enemies were able to resuscitate
even the dead, his hopes fell. His belief in the sufficiency of
the strength that he already possessed was gone, and he, therefore,
desired to make new sacrifices to the gods and obtain the gifts
of invincibility and ultimate success in battle. The reader has
seen how his sacrifice was an utter failure. The only resource in
which he put his faith being gone, his third entry into the field
was characterised by hopelessness. But even when he has lost
his hope, his nerves are firm, and he displays all his resources and ,
all his skill. His words are still in the high key. His withering
taunt of his uncle does not lack anything of his customary
bravado. But the poet ably brings out in that speech the despair
that has now entered his heart. His words are brave, but he
has begun to envisage the defeat and death of himself and his
father. And when he flies over to the audience-hall of Ravana,
direct from the field of battle at Nikumbhala, his looks betray his
defeat and despair to his father.

Ravana saw for the first time in his life the scared look of-
despair on the face of his son. And he thus addressed him :

' The barbed darts still fixed in thy chest

Announce the failure of thy sacrifice ;

Thy more than adamant frame doth tremble like

A plantling twig : and thou hast the stricken look

Of cobras when they sight the eagle swoop

On them. So, son, now tell me what has passed.' 1

Indrajit replied with bitterness and humility in these words r

' Thy brother has betrayed my secrets, Sire,

To the foe who-has my sacrifices spoiled,

And broke the force of all my darts divine. . . .

If weapon blessed of Him who made the heavens
And earth doth bow to him and turn aside
Harmless, what can our other arms effect ?
Our race has sinned, or such a subtle foe
Arises not for us. If Lakshman frowns,
I fear he can the three worlds blow to dust.

i VI xxvii 2.

INDRAJIT 119.

The brothers from using Brahma's dart refrained
In battles past, because, I ween, they feared
'T would hurt the peopled worlds ; and so I won.
But now they've parried clean my heaviest arms,
And having tasted our unconquered might
They stand resolved to finish all our race !

Think not therefore, my liege, that I am seized
With fear : I speak for love of thee : If thou
Will conquer thy desire for Rama's spouse
And her release, they will forgive our sins,
And go from hence.' 1

It is not a weakling who spoke these words. For Kamban
adds,

So said the Rakshasa
Whose arms had to their centre shook the worlds ! 2
When Ravana heard these words, his heart brimmed over with
contempt and anger. His pride was up. The mere thought of
somebody forgiving him was poison to him. And with his reason-
submerging passion for Sita still possessing his mind, how could
he, with patience, listen to the words asking him to conquer his
desire for Rama's spouse ? And so,

The king of Lanka laughed, and with stinging words

He thus addressed his son : T ween thou art,

My son, now unfit grown for war ; I see

Confusion in thy mind ; fear not the race

Of men, and worry thou no more. This day

I'll take the field with only bow in hand,

With none to guard my side, and I'll bring

Thee victory ! Think not I counted on

The Rakshasas who are already fallen :

Think not that I did count on those who're yet

Alive : think not I hoped that thou wouldst beat

My foes upon the field : in my sole right arm

I placed my trust, and I provoked this war.!

Thou talkest like a child, my son : this life,

Transient as the bubble in the stream,

I may e'en in the sight of beaten gods

Forfeit upon the field, for then 't will shine

l VI xxvii 3-6. 2 VI xxvii 6.

120 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

With glory's halo that will never dim :

But her, can I renounce, I twenty-armed ?

E'en if I lose, if Rama's name will stand,

My name, will not it also last as long

As Veds are sung on earth ? We live to-day,

To-morrow finds us not : but glory, doth

It ever die ? Let it be known for once

That I have Sita sent away, would not

The gods besiege my Lanka ? Die, I may ;

But can I stoop to shame and littleness —

E'en I who. am the terror of the heavens

And earth ? What more ? thou mayest go to thy home

And, from thy chest the infinite barbs removed,

Lay down upon thy bed and sleep in peace ! '

He said, and turning on the instant towards
Th' attendant heralds like a tiger roused,
He thundered, ' Order forth my battle-car.' 1

As the reader will remember, Indrajit was cowed down. The
days in which he could upbraid his father were now over. He
fell at his feet pathetically saying,

' Pardon, my liege, the boldness of my words :
At least when I am gone, may thine eyes see
The good,' 2

and made his preparations to go to the field for the last time.

He took with him the great weapons that the gods had
surrendered to him after their defeat at his hands, and after
giving away as gifts all that he had about him to the poor and
needy who desired the same of him, he left the presence of his
father. Even as he was going, he would glance at his father at
every step, and tears would fill his eyes every time that he glanced.

And as he went the Rakshasa heroes flocked
To him, and weeping said, ' we cannot stay
While thus thou part'st ; we'll follow thee and die
E'en by thy side.' But he their ardour checked,
And saying, ' Range yourselves around our king
And liege ; I'll beat them even yet, fear not ! '
He went alone. 3

1 VI xxvii 7 to 12. 2 VI xxvii 13. 3 VI xxvii 15.

INDRAJIT 121

As he passes along the street towards where his chariot was
awaiting him, the Rakshasa beauties look at him with varying
emotions :

Some bowed to him ; some blessed him in their heart ;
Some trembled for his life ; some sobbed to see
Him part ; his lordly walk did fascinate
Some fair ones ; others melted longing for
His love and soft embrace. l

In the meantime Lakshmana and the Vanara heroes were
wondering where their foe had gone, and what he intended doing.
They had seen too much of his powers before, to leave the field
boasting of victory. They therefore waited. At length they
heard the thundering roar of the car majestically moving towards
them in the distance. The sheen of its gold plates and gems and
jingling bells pierced the gloom of night, making it look like a
column of moving fire or some vast aurora borealis. It was the
matchless, unique car which had ranged the heavens and earth
and brought victory after victory to the Rakshasa arms. The seas
boiled ; the hills shook ; the elephants that bore the heavens aloft
fled in terror ; the earth was scarred with deep gashes ; dust
covered the earth and sky and made the darkness more dark —
such was the force with which that grand chariot rolled on towards
the battle-field. But even that double darkness was ever and
anon pierced by the dazzling brilliance of its gold and gems, and
made the hooded snakes shrink their hoods and slink back to
their holes.

The rump of the Rakshasa army now reformed itself and
advanced with terrific war-shouts. Indrajit rained arrows in
showers, and Lakshmana advanced to face him, deafening the
world with the twanging of his bow. The Rakshasas and the
Vanaras fled on either side unable to bear the iron-rain rained
on them by the two matchless heroes even like clouds. Hanuman's
whole body was pierced by the Rakshasa's darts which entered
it like cobras entering their holes, and he minded them not and
fought on. Lakshmana tore off with a single powerful dart the
armour of the Rakshasa. But, in spite of it Indrajit did not stop
his shooting, but rained his darts fiercely on his foe. All his
arrows, however, were parried by the superior craft of Lakshmana.
So he took a lance, the gift of Shiva, and launched it right against

1 VI xxvii 16.

122 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

the neck of his enemy. But Lakshmana sent an arrow which,
went with the force of curses of the great Rishis, and cut the
lance in two in mid-air. Again the Rakshasa tried his deadly'
arrows. But Lakshmana aimed at his quivers and destroyed his
whole store of arrows, and with another skilfully aimed dart
felled his charioteer's hill-huge head to the ground.

But Indrajit flinched not. He took the reins himself. He
directed his horses with consummate skill with his left hand, and
holding his bow in the same hand, he plucked the arrows stuck
in his own mighty body — for his quivers were gone — and speeding
them back against his foe sent a shudder through the limbs of
all beholders with his war-cries. Even the gods, his enemies,
admired his skill and resource, and rained on him the flowers of
heaven saying,

' Verily this Indrajit is the first among the heroes who

deserve to be called the bravest of the brave. True valour

flinches not even at the point of death ! n

Even Lakshmana exclaimed,

' He flinches not : his hand is firm ; he plucks
The arrows I have buried in his chest
And aims them back at me, and lo, they come
Innumerable ! Methinks pure Valour ends
With him and Ram ! ' 2

Now Vibhishana said to Lakshmana that Indrajit might
possibly rise with his car into the sky, or, giving up normal fight,
try his magic illusions ; and suggested that, as the Rakshasa arm
is more powerful in the night than during the day, he should try
to prolong the fight without giving him a moment's respite till
daybreak. But Lakshmana proudly replied,

' Would not his car career in the sky
When I my shattering arrows fling and tear
Its wheels ? To-day, be sure, there's only one
Issue to the fight : this day he meets his doom ! ' 3

After some more fierce fighting Lakshmana was able to shatter
the chariot of the enemy. But Indrajit stood on the centre-plate,
of the car and showered his arrows upon Lakshmana, and then

1 VI xxvii 30. 2 VI xxvii 31. 3 VI xxvii 33;

INDKAJIT 123

rose into the sky. Lakshmana only heard his thundering war-cries
— he saw not his form. By the force of the tapas that he had done
in former days, Indrajit unfastened the flood-gates of heaven and
rained hail-stones upon his foes. The Vanaras fell by the
thousand, but none could locate him in the sky. So, Lakshmana
sowed the sky with his fiery arrows and forced him to discover
himself. As soon as he saw him, Lakshmana used all his might
and sent a powerful arrow against him that clove his left arm
clean. It fell like a cloud bearing the many coloured rain-bow
in its bosom, and in its crash-down it shattered rocks and trees
and killed innumerable Vanaras also. The gods wondered and
said,

' We'd thought the moon would fall or Meru hill

Would crumble and roll upon the ground, ere arm

Of Indrajit could broken be. If this

Could from its mighty trunk be torn, then life

Is but a machine toy : where is the use

In clinging fast to it ? (1

But even then Indrajit was not daunted. He took a lance
which Indra long ago had obtained by doing great austerities and
at his defeat had surrendered to him, and hurled it with a mighty
force against Lakshmana. It came like a whirlwind mad, like
,*he ' male ' thunderbolt, like fire, like Death when on the Day of
Destruction he consumes all. But the end of the Rakshasa was
come. It flashed in the mind of Lakshmana just at that moment
that without the greatest tapas, a foe who could send such a lance
with such force even when his left arm was clean cut off could
never be killed. And what tapas could be greater than taking
the name of Rama with an act of stupendous faith ? So he turned
aside to avoid the lance, placed an arrow in the rest saying,

' If Ram is none but He incarnate, whom
The Vedas sing and Brahmans worship low,
Then speed, my faithful dart, and hale the head
Of yonder Indrajit ! ' 2

pulled the string with all his might and Jet it go.

It clove the air, shaming the Chakra of Vishnu, the thunderbolt
of Indra, and the deadly trident of the Fire-eyed God, 3 and

1 VI xxvii 46. 2 VI xxvii 51. 3 Shiva.

124 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

breathing out flames all over, it struck Indrajit in the neck and
dean carried off his head !

When Indrajit fell dead, the first of those
That wield the mighty bow, the gods felt sure
That Ravan's cruel rule could last no more,
And danced with joy all o'er the fields of heaven,
Unknowing e'en their clothes had fallen off
Their forms : so look th' images of the saints
Which Jainas worship in their fanes.

The gods now made themselves manifest on earth, and their
presence resuscitated the Vanaras who had fallen on the field.
For had they not fought on the side of Virtue ?

So fell the mighty Indrajit. Lakshmana, like Achilles, lacks
the supreme grandeur of soul that refuses even to appear to
take revenge on the dead which characterises Shri Rama Chandra.
For, he has the head of the fallen Indrajit carried as a trophy
to his camp and displayed before his brother.

But the valour of Indrajit is not lessened by any indignities
shown to his dead body. As the poet makes Lakshmana himself
say, he is the very personification of valour equal to Rama himself
in that grand male virtue. It is true that he was bad, cruel, wily.
But his valour and the heroism that he displays till the very
moment of his fall make us forget his evil qualities and remember
him only as the proud defender of his father's glories. And the
last scene between him and his father, the tears that he sheds
for him, the appeals that his loyal Rakshasa knights make to him
to be permitted to die by his side, and his request to them to
stand by his father rather than follow him, all these add to the
tragic pathos of the circumstances that make this once proud hero
enter upon his last conflict with the consciousness that, however
bravely he might fight, he could not escape his doom.

CHAPTER IX

VIBHISHANA AND KUMBHAKARNA

We have seen in Indrajit the warrior whose heart is whole,
that is, is not torn by a conflict of duties. He finds that his
father has provoked a # war : he does not care to inquire whether
he is right or wrong, but straightway resolves to fight his battles
for him, and relying on his valour proudly enters the field with
the confidence of victory. In this chapter we propose to study
the characters of the brothers of Ravana who felt that Ravana
is heading towards ruin in retaining Sita in Lanka, but who
acted each in a different way in pursuance of his own idea of
■what duty requires of him.

Vibhishana is the youngest of the three Rakshasa brothers.
While Ravana and Kumbhakarna, (the latter in the intervals of
his deep sleep of months at a time) were conquering and
oppressing the worlds, Vibhishana was doing acts of righteousness
and mercy in Lanka. The reader will remember Indrajit's taunts
that he had no part or lot in the conquests made by his father.

The first time that we meet him in the epic is when he

interposes in favour of Hanuman when Ravana orders that he

should be put to death. He says that the envoy always acts for

another, and that, therefore, he should never be put to the sword.

' We have heard of kings putting even women to death,'

he said, ' but never yet have we heard of princes killing

ambassadors. Even the gods will mock at us if we stoop to

this sacrilege. . . . Did not even the Men desist from killing

our sister ? They sent her away alive after only maiming

her .... And, if this envoy is killed, how will the enemies

know and fear our power and strength ? n

Here we see Vibhishana using only those arguments that

would find favour with his brother. And Ravana also listened

to his advice without questioning any further. But, when after

Hanuman had burned down Lanka and it had been rebuilt, the

■war-council met, he stoutly opposed the war and recommended

that Sita should be sent back to her husband.

Indrajit had scarcely ended his fighting speech 2 when
Vibhishana intervened in the debate and began by reprimanding
his nephew, saying,

1 V xiii 113, 116. 2 See page 102 et seq.

126 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' Thou art still too young, my boy, to join in this debate.
Thy mind sees not whole ; thou dost not realise the critical
nature of the times we now live in, nor the consequences
of the advice that thou givest. Thou art like a blind man
who would foolishly attempt to touch up a picture that is
being painted by artists. . . .

' Even those who had in former times conquered the gods
in their might and ruled them in their pride with an iron
rod, have only fallen ignominously in the end. For who are
the evil ones that ever permanently ruled the Devas ? A
truce, therefore, to thy childish, foolish talk ! ''
After silencing Indrajit, he began to address Ravana in these
swords :

'If thou wilt not my words

Despise, my liege, I'll tell thee what I judge

Will save our state from overwhelming ruin.

Thou'rt father, mother, brother to me, and lord,

To whom I worship owe. I'm pained to see

Thee threatened with the loss of sovereign power

More glorious far than Indra's heavenly rule.

And that is why I dare to stand 'fore thee

And war oppose. I boast not learning great,

Or subtle mind that probes all things to their root,

Or gift of tongue that audience compels.

Yet hear me to the end, and then alone

Condemn. . . Our Lanka fair and all thy wealth

Therein is burned : but are they wise who say

It is a monkey caused this ruin dire ?

No, 'tis the fire of Sita's chastity

That has, believe me, our glorious town consumed.

That may'st recall to mind the oracle old

That said that through a damsel fair

Will wane the mighty Rakshas power. Has it,

My brother, now lost its force ? ' 2

Then, after saying that Ravana, in the days when he obtained
blessings and boons from the gods for his austerities, had neglected
to obtain invincibility at the hands of men and Vanaras, and
after reminding him that he had been overmatched in strength
by Kartavirya Arjuna, the man, and Vali, the Vanara, he assured

1 VI ii «6, 67, 70. 2 VI u 72-75, 77.

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 127

him that Sita was none else but the incarnation of the woman
who had fallen into the fire swearing to destroy him in her next
birth as a revenge for his attempting to violate her, and that
Rama and Lakshmana were none but the Supreme God incarnated
in two bodies for the salvation of the world. He said also that
he had heard that the great Vishvamitra had been their preceptor
in archery and military science, that Rama had broken the bow
of Shiva, and that Agastya had armed him with the bow with
which Vishnu had destroyed the Asuras, and the darts and astras
with which Shiva had consumed the three flying cities. He then
.continued :

' The mighty frame of Vali fell transfixed

By Rama's deadly dart ; the seven trees

That covered the earth and sky uprooted were

By that same force ; and the rock-like heads of Khar,

Viradh and all were rolled upon the ground —

And who but Ram that did this feat achieve ?

Then who could face this Man upon the field ?

And saints and sages do believe that he

Will end our race, and walk erect. And gods

Who lived but in thy smiles, have fearless grown,

And say that Janaki's the deadly poison

That is to kill the Rakshasas

Dark are the omens that we see about :
Our horses and our elephants — trophies won
From Devas in our fights of yore — now enter
Their stalls with right legs to the fore : and hair
Of many a Rakshas youth and many a maid young
Catch fire without a cause ; and jackals huge

Do promenade our streets in search of prey

So let us not the glory of our race
Distain with shame, but send away the fair
Sita, e'er fixed in her chastity.
No higher victory can bless our arms
Than this surrender willing ! n

Vibhishana ended. But Ravana merely mocked at him laughing.
He said,

v( Thou spok'st of judgement and of wisdom, brother :
But what has come o'er thee ? The puny race

1 VI ii 90-92, 95, 96, 99.

128 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

Of men, thou say'st, will conquer Rakshas might :

'Sit fear or love of them, I crave to know,

That does possess thy mind ? I am not armed

With blessings of the gods, forsooth, to fight

With men. But did the gods give me the power

Express to break the might of the Mammoths huge

That bear the earth aloft, or lift the mount,

The throne of Shiv ? Thou spokest of curses breathed

'Gainst me by Nandidev : But am I not

The targe of endless curses which the weak

Have flung at me ? And of the Devas, Saints,

And Sages, who are there that curse me not ?

And yet I rule the heavens and the earth without

A peer ! Where then are gone their curses ? I know

Thy Ram killed Vali great who conquered me.

But who could face the mighty ape and win ?

And Rama ambushed him and aimed his dart !

Now who but thee can sing the power of him

Who broke the crumbled bow of Shiv, and lost

His throne by woman's guile, and lost his home

By Ravan's sport ? ' 1

But Vibhishana again pressed his point that Rama was the
Supreme God, incarnated as man expressly to destroy the
Rakshasas who were oppressing the worlds, and that, therefore,
he should not provoke him, but return his spouse to him and live
with him at peace. But Ravana again spoke of his own might
and past achievements, and asked,

' When I, the king of heaven brought in chains,

Or broke the tusks of th' Elephants divine,

Or won in every war the rebel gods

Provoked, where was the God Supreme then hid ?

Lacked he his might those days ?

Seated upon their Eagle and their Bull

Vishnu and Shiv have fled before my darts

That broke their backs e'en as lightning breaks the rocks'

He ceased : and winking to his wicked peers,

He taunted thus his brother : ' Fear not I'll call

Thee to the field : rest thou at home secure ! ' 2

1 VI U 101, 102, 106, 108, 109. 2 VI ii 113, 116, 117.

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 128

Even now Vibhishana did not give up his attempt to cure
his brother of his pride and lust. He prayed to him to listen to
the story of Hiranyakashipu who was far more powerful and
stronger than him, and who ruled over even other universes than
this, and yet who was torn to pieces by the claws of Vishnu
incarnated as Man-Lion. 1

Though hardened in his heart against the sending away of
Sita, Ravana yet listened to the story. It did not, however, make
any impression on him and when Vibhishana had finished, he
only taunted him more cruelly and frowned at him. He said,

' Thou praisedest him who was rejoiced to see
His father clawed to death. And where shall we
In all the world his like behold, except
In thee who tak'st the side of thy brother's foes ?
And like him dost thou thirst to rule this land
When I have fallen upon the field ? Think'st* thou

That Fate will grant thy wish ?

Thou bearest love to men who're now become

My foes : Thou dost conspire my fall : thy heart

Is set upon the Rakshas crown. What can

My real enemies more ? The day when I

Commanded that the Vanar should be killed

Thou saved'st him from my wrath. I knew not then,

But now I see, the reason why. Thine eyes

Saw far, and even then thou didst decide

To join him. A coward thou, unfit

For martial deeds ! Thy heart is full of dark

Designs, and thou dost love my hated foes,

Belying thy race : methinks the cobra is

Less deadly than thee. Yet I kill thee not

Fearing reproach. But open not thy lips

Again, and leave me straight ! If thou dost show

Thy face in these my realms, thou die'st at once ! ' 2

Vibhishana at once rose up by his Rakshas power into the
sky, but even yet his heart yearned for his brother. He again
spoke to him of righteousness, but Ravana would not listen to
him. And so, saying, ' I intended nothing but thy good, but thou
will not listen : forgive my boldness, I go,' he flew with four

i This episode is one of the most interesting in the whole Ramayana,
and we shall devote a separate chapter to it.
a VT iv 4, 6, 7-a

9

180 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

of his councillors towards where Rama was encamped on the
mainland with his Vanara army.

He saw the army and asked his councillors what they should
do. They said that they must see the Holy One, and he accepted
their opinion saying,

' Let us take refuge in Rama's feet and then we shall
• . be freed from the cycle of birth and death.' *

He waited till the day dawned, approached the camp, and
standing in front of it cried aloud, ' O Raghava, I take refuge in
thee ! ' But the Vanara guards mistook him and his companions
for enemies and wanted to fight them. The cry, however, had
fallen on the ears of Rama and he immediately sent a messenger
to ascertain who was in distress. The messenger ordered the
guards to desist from molesting the Rakshasas and after
ascertaining from Vibhishana all that was necessary to know,
returned and told Rama all that he had gathered. Rama now
called a war-council and asked each of his friends to give his
opinion as to whether Vibhishana should be admitted to their
camp or no. After much discussion, Rama, as the reader will
remember, 2 accepted Hanuman's opinion and desired Vibhishana
to be brought in. When Sugriva came and told Vibhishana that
Rama had given him refuge and invited him to his presence,

Tears fell down Vibhishan's sable cheeks,

Joy filled his anxious heart, and his hair stood

On end ; and thus unburdened he his mind :

' Did He accept my homage, even mine,

Who am the brother of him who parted Sita

From Him ? Or did He pity feel, because

I come a refugee from Ravan's wrath ?

Unworthy though I be, O sir, I am

By Rama's ruth exalted high e'en as

The poison was when it was drunk by Shiv.

If this should be His mercy's way, and this

The counsel of His noble heart, then doomed,

Alas, is all our Rakshas race ! . . . .

The blessed Hero, Saviour of the men

Of holy life, has pledged His word august

And has accepted me His devotee !

Great is my blessing, for I'm saved from cycle

Of birth and death and aye from the burning pit ! ' 3

» VI iv 20. 2 See page 67. 3 vi Iv 126-127, 129.

VIBHISHANA & K V M B H A K A R N A- l'3l

Vibhishana was in due course ushered into Rama's presence
and acepted by him as a brother. l

Rama then solemnly crowned him as King of Lanka, declaring
that the sovereignty of Lanka would rest in him so long as his
own name would last on earth. And all the worlds shouted for
joy.

Valmiki motives Rama's acceptance of the Rakshasa to a
large extent on the tantra of Bheda — i.e. the policy of taking over
to his side the person who has become the enemy of one's enemy.
For although — as Valmiki tells the story — Rama tells the war-
council that he will never turn out any person who comes to him
as a friend even though he may have many faults, yet when
Sugriva objects to him as a traitor to his brother, and therefore
unworthy of faith, he says,

' The Rakshasa desires sovereignty ; and people of this

stamp are usually very clever. . . . He fears for his fate in

his native country and that is why he takes refuge with me>

giving up his brother.'

After Sugriva has again reiterated his original objections —
which appear to be, from the standpoint of dramatic construction,
entirely superfluous and untimely because Rama's decision has
been already very clearly expressed and Sugriva brings forward
no new arguments — Rama gives utterance to those grand words
•which are so highly prized by all Vaishnavas, among which occurs
the sentence,

' When a man filled with fear
Seeks refuge at my hands, I never say nay,
I give him protection — that is my vow — so
Bring him in whether it be Vibhishana or even
Ravana himself.' 2

The effect of this noble abhayapradana, 3 however, is almost
utterly spoiled when Valmiki makes Rama ask Vibhishana, at

i See page 52.

2 Griffith translates thus :

" Bound by a solemn vow I swear
That all my saving help should share
Who sought me in distress and cried,
' Thou art my hope, and none beside.'
Then go, I pray thee, Vanar King,
Vibishan to my presence bring.
Yea, were he Rowan's self, my vow
Forbids me to reject him now."

3 Offering protection from fear and danger.

Wi SAMBA HAMAYANAM — A STUDY

the very moment that he falls at his feet, to tell him all about the
defences of Lanka and the army of the Rakshasas.

That Valmiki depicts Vibhishana as partly at least attracted
to the side of Rama by his desire to usurp his brother's throne
would appear from the words that he puts into his mouth when
he sees Rama and Lakshmana fallen on the battle-field wounded
by the arrows of Indrajit. Among other things Vibhishana, in
Valmiki, says,

' Those two warriors on whose valour I counted
So much for the sake of my advancement
Are now fallen on the field and are dead.
Today I live a ruined man, with all
My dreams of sovereignty gone for ever.' 1

These words, taken along with Rama's quoted before, make
of Vibhishana little more than a common traitor who has had
the good fortune of having foreseen in time the sure ultimate
victory of Rama. And this should explain the bad odour that
surrounds the name of Vibhishana among modern critics of the
Ramayana in Bengal. But in the south, where the cult of Rama
as the avatar of Vishnu, if it did not actually take its origin, at
least found its greatest devotees of genius in the early centuries
of the Salivahana era, 2 the character of Vibhishana was seen from
a standpoint widely different from what would be justified by
the delineation of Valmiki. He began to be looked upon as the
great Bhakta of Rama, instead of as a selfish adventurer. And
it is as a Bhakta that Kamban delineates him. That is why he
takes care that he does not anywhere put into his mouth such
selfish sentiments as Valmiki does not hesitate to put. That is
why he elaborates his remonstrations with Ravana to such an
extent. And that is why, again, he does not allow his Rama to
speak of Vibhishana as coveting his brother's throne, or to begin
to discuss with him the defences of Lanka at the very moment
of his giving his abhaya.

l Griffith translates as follows :

'I on their might for aid relied,
And in my cause they fought and died.
Lost is the hope that soothed each pain :
I live, but live no more to reign,
While Lanka's lord, untouched by ill,
Exults in safe defiance still.'

a beginning from 78 A.D.

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 133

Kamban, of course, makes Rama obtain from Vibhishana every
information concerning Ravana and Lanka. But Rama, in
Kamban, does not attempt to obtain such information at once
or of his own initiative. After Vibhishana had been admitted into
Rama's friendship, Kamban describes Rama as lamenting once
again over the separation of Sita. As Rama is thus lamenting,
Sugriva comes to Rama and lightly reprimands him saying,

' How is it that thou art thus indulging in vain laments

when thou ought to be up and doing after learning all that

we can from him who has lately joined us as an ally ? n
It is only after this that Rama invites Vibhishana to tell him all
about Lanka.

By all these devices the sentiments of the critical reader
are bespoke in favour of Vibhishana and Vibhishana's character
is saved from the charge of treachery that the circumstances of
his position inevitably bring against it.

It is not that Kamban does not realise that Vibhishana can
be delineated as, at least in part, a self-centred adventurer. He
has studied his Valmiki, too closely for that. He does realise
the possibility of such a delineation and it is this realisation that
makes him consciously and deliberately remove the possibility of
such an impression being created by some of Vibhishana's actions*
So, when Lakshmana falls on the field bound by the cobra -noose,
-Kamban puts this lament in the mouth of Vibhishana :

' By side of Lakshman are fallen all

Upon the field, and I alone remain

Untouched : Oh, what will people say of me ?

The world will surely think I stood by him

Alone to have him killed by Indrajit,

Myself a false-faced spy betraying all

To my brother's son. Me miserable ! With mace

I did not rush upon the foe and bring

Him to the ground, and prove my native valour.

Nor quitted I this cursed life when I

Beheld my Lakshman fall : and still I weep

As if my heart is full of love ! If I

Had joined in the fight, I could have shattered

The Rakshas force, and proved my loyal heart

To Ram. Now neither am I loyal and true

To the land that gave me birth, nor to the Men

1 VI v 12.

134 KAMBA RAMAYANAJM — A STUDY

With whom I refuge took. I am become
A faggot that doth burn at both its ends ! n

Owing to the delicacy of his position, Vibhishana does not.
take part in the actual fighting in any of the battles. It is only
after Indrajit aims at him his lance in his third battle that he
forgets himself and strikes his chariot and horses down with his-
mace. But it is he, as the reader will remember, that advises
Lakshmana at every critical moment as to what weapon to use
and generally what to do. That is why Rama exclaims to
Lakshmana when Indrajit's head is brought before him after
the last battle :

' 'Tis not thy arms, O lion 'mong men, that brought

The foe of Indra down ; nor owe we this

Triumph to blessing of a god, or might

Of Hanuman though great as Shesh himself :

It is Vibhishan with his counsel sage

That's guided us to victory ! ' 2

In order to increase the interest of the reader in Vibhishana r
Kamban adds some able touches to a scene suggested by Valmiki 3
in the crude, and at a single stroke raises heaven-high the
characters of Vibhishana, Angada, Hanuman, Sugriva, and
especially of Lakshmana, and gives them the stamp supreme of
Indian heroism. While in one part of the field Rama was fighting
single-handed the whole reserve force of Ravana, Ravana marched
with a big army against the Vanaras led by Lakshmana. When
every other weapon had failed against Lakshmana, Ravana took
the Mohana-astra, the unfailing missile created by Brahma with
which even Shiva was conquered by Manmatha, and sent it against
Lakshmana. It would have ended him then and there had he
not, at the suggestion of Vibhishana, parried it with the only
weapon that had power over it, namely, the Narayana-astra.
Seeing his brother, whom he regarded as the blackest traitor
imaginable, ruin his only chance of victory at the time when
it was so near, Ravana burned with anger and hurled against
him the deadly lance called Shakti which could not be parried
by any missile in the three worlds. The lance came cleaving the-
air with a mighty force, and Vibhishana who knew its secret toldi

1 VI xviii 209-212. 2 VI xxvii 71

3 Book VI, Canto 101, Southern Recension. x *-

VIBHISHANA & K U M EH A K A R N" A r $35

Lakshmana that nothing could withstand it and that therefore
his end was come.

' But ', Lakshman said, ' Thou know'st my skill, fear not,

Be sure I'll break its force,' and aimed his darts

Against the rushing lance. But impotent

They fell, as sinners' curses 'gainst the man

Of life austere. Great Lakshman saw, and quick

As thought, he stepped before Vibhishana

To shield him from the deadly arm. For death

Was nought to him : but could he bear the thought

Of seeing him destroyed before his eyes

Who fearing the vengeance of a brother had ta'en

Refuge with Ram ? And what is fleeting life,

Thought he, when weighed 'gainst lasting glory earned .

By sacrifice of self ? But could the good

Consent to save themselves at other's cost ?

Vibhishan rushed before : but Angada

Outstripped them both, while Han'man and the king

Of Vanaras sprang in front to face the lance.

But Lakshman would not change his first resolve

And rushing past them all received its point

Upon his mighty chest. It pierced him through

From front to back and felled him down. 1

Vibhishana was touched to see Lakshmana fall while saving
his own life, and mace in hand he dashed against Ravana and
struck down his horses and charioteer. But Ravana rose into the
sky, and seeing Lakshmana fallen a prey to his lance, a better
result than what he had intended to achieve, he did not care to
aim at Vibhishana whom he despised as a coward ; and proud
of his victory he flew over to his palace inside the walls of the
city.

To resuscitate Lakshmana, Kamban, like Valmiki, sends
Hanuman again to the Sanjivi hills to bring the healing drugs.
But while Valmiki redescribes the flight of Hanuman in the same
detailed fashion as he had done the previous one, and makes hini
look for the hill — he having lost his bearings — , Kamban with
great tact relieves the reader, who is fearing a repetition of past
descriptions, by describing the flight and return in half a stanza.

When Rama heard what had happened, his heart leaped with
jby. He embraced his brother and said,

i VI xxxi 28-32.

136 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' By fearless sacrifice, without a thought
Of self, of thy precious life for him who has
his safety sought with us, thou hast, my brother,
Proved thyself worthy child of Raghu's race :
Who can thy greatness measure ? We can but try
To follow thee. Thou hast in ruth surpassed
Ev'n him our great ancestor who the dove
Redeemed with his own bleeding flesh. What more ?
Thou hast the saying proyed, my child, that men
With ruth-filled heart would rush through fire to save
Their own from grief, ev'n as the cow would face
The tiger and the lion to save its calf.' *

The love of Lakshmana and Rama has cast a halo round
the name of Vibhishana and the whole of Vaishnava India has
included him in its catalogue of saints and Bhaktas. But the
loyalty of Kumbhakarna to his nation and to his king makes him
thje more interesting and the more lovable of the two brothers
of Ravana. For, though he upbraids Ravana for his crime in
carrying off Sita and retaining her in Lanka, he would not leave
his side and betray his secrets to his enemy though he comes
to know that enemy to be God himself in human form.

At the war-council, in Valmiki, Kumbhakarna's speech is not
properly worked up. There he charges Ravana with having
provoked the war without having consulted his ministers. He
does not at all touch upon the moral aspect of the affair in his
speech which does not fit in either with what goes before or what
comes after. After saying that, although his brother had got
into a scrape, he would yet destroy his enemies, Kumbhakarna
prophesies 2 that by a second arrow Raghava would kill him, that
is Kumbhakarna. 3 But in the very next sentence he continues,

1 VI xxxi 48, 49.

2 This must be due to some interpolation in the text. It is unfortunate
that the editors of the Valmiki Ramayana have not given the same atten-
tion to the text in this passage as they have given generally to the whole
poem.

3 Griffith, however, renders differently :

" No second dart shall Rama cast :
The first he aims shall be his last :
He falls, and these dry lips shall drain
The blood of him my hand has slain;
And Sita, when her champion dies,
Shall be thy undisputed prize." (P)

VIBHISHANA& KUMBHAKARNA 13?

' Then I shall drink his blood. . . I shall kill
Rama and Lakshmana and eat up the Vanara chiefs.
Therefore enjoy all luxuries, drink wine, and dttend
To thy royal duties without any further anxiety.
When I send Rama to his doom, Sita will become
Thine for ever.'

Ravana, however, fights his first battle without Kumbhakarna
-who had gone in the meanwhile into his deep sleep of months.
When he is defeated, he wakes Kumbhakarna from his sleep and
prays to him in abject tones to take the field against Rama and
Lakshmana. But now Kumbhakarna speaks in quite a different
tone altogether. He speaks now of Dharma and Adharma and
says that Ravana would go to hell for his unrighteousness and
then makes a long-winded speech about the necessity of consulting
•one's ministers and advisers before entering upon a big
undertaking. He winds up, by asking Ravana to follow the advice
that Vibhishana had given in the beginning. When he ends,
Ravana frowns upon him, talks some commonplace and then begs
him to ' repair my errors with thy valour.' When he hears these
words, Kumbhakarna without any more ado asks him to give up
his fears, for he will fight and kill Rama and Lakshmana and
drive the Vanaras out of Lanka. ' Fear thou Rama no more,' he
says with a patronising air, ' I shall finish Rama, Lakshmana,
Sugriva, Hanuman,' etc. 1

But Kamban has given quite a different character to

Kumbhakarna. At the war-council Kamban's Kumbhakarna

condemns the unrighteousness of keeping Sita in Lanka, but, as

the enemy had been provoked and war had become inevitable,

he proposes that although it was impossible to conquer him who

had killed Khara, they should cross the sea and attack Rama in

force on the mainland itself. His Rakshasic pride makes him say,

' Thou hast left the path of the righteous and thou hast

made us hang down our heads : but if at this stage we send

away the fair Sita we shall be merely called cowards. It

does not matter if we die, for, then our fame at least would

remain unsullied.' 2

. 1 To add to the anarchy of the situation, Valmiki makes Mahodara,
one of the councillors of Ravana, reprimand Kumbhakarna for opposing
Ravana like a child, and Mahodara does this after Kumbhakarna had
•changed his mind and agreed to start for the field !

a VI ii 53.

138 KAMBA -RAMAYANAM — >■ A. STUDY

But, in Kamban also as in Valmiki, 1 he does not go to the
field on the first day of the war as another spell of his long sleep
had come over him, and Ravana believed that he could win the
war without him. When, however, Ravana finds his enemy's
strength by bitter experience, he has Kumbhakarna awakened
from his sleep, and after feeding him with cart-loads of meat
and casksful of wines asks him to march against the Vanara army.
The words of Vibhishana which he had heard at the time of the
war-council must be supposed to have impressed themselves upon.
Kumbhakarna's mind and entered deeply into his soul during his
hibernation, for, he addresses Ravana now in quite a different
strain altogether. He speaks in this wise :

' Is war begun, and grief of Sita, chaste

Beyond compare, is it unended yet ?

Is our good name that filled the earth and heaven

Become a story of the past ? And day

Of our final doom foretold, has it begun

To dawn ?

Thy sin has Heaven's king restored to his throne
And brought the Rakshas race to ruin's edge.
And Devas thou hast freed from Rakshas yoke !
Destruction hangs o'er thee and all thy house,
Inevitable. The Dharma that did build
Thy power has fled 'fore thine eyes : now what
Can prop thy tottering throne ? Thy foes are full
Of ruth ; their every act is based on Dharm ;
And courtesy is in their speech. Can we
Who know but guile, untruth and sin, hope e'er
To last ? And can they e'er be overwhelmed ?
The ape who storm-like could the ocean leap
Is yet alive ; Rama's quiver holdeth yet
The dart that tore great Vali's chest. What more
Want we for our success ?

One final word
I'll say to thee. If thou would hear, 't '11 do
Thee good. If thou would not, I fear thy fate
Is doomed. So send this damsel to her spouse
And falling at his feet, conciliate

i But Valmiki makes Indrajit's triumphs with his cobra-noose and
other weapons precede the flght with Kumbhakarna. In fact there is
much that is anticlimactic in Valmiki's description of the war:

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 139*

Thy brother and live in peace. If this thou hatest
To do, and dost decide to fight to th' end,
Battle at least with all thy forces joined,
And try to overwhelm the foe.' 1

But all this advice is only gall and wormwood to the proud
Havana.

' 'Tis not to consult thee,' said he, ' that I
Did call thee here '. I bid thee go and fight
The men : Art thou a councillor sage, that thou
Presum'st to give advice ? A craven thou,
Afraid to face the foe in battle ! I've filled
Thy gluttonous maw with flesh and flowing wine :
Now close complete thy drowsy, falling lids
• . And go to sleep ! Vibhishan's gone before :

Follow thou him and fall at the feet of men
And hunch-backed monkeys all. Such glory well
Becomes Vibhishana thy brother and thee ! '
He said, and turning to the waiting heralds
Burst forth, ' Bring now my chariot, and send
This challenge out by beat of drum : let earth
And heaven combine in aid of Ram ; I am
Prepared to meet them on the gory field ! ' 2

So saying, Havana stood up and made ready to start for the
field, but Kumbhakarna stopped him. And taking his mighty
trident in his hand, he fell at his brother's feet and thus spoke
to him :

' Forgive me, my brother, I go : but I hope not

For victory against the Men. 'Tis fate

That drives me on. This day will be my last

Upon the earth. But brother, at least when I'm

No more, release the human damsel fair.

I see no other way.' 3

As he is thus speaking, a prophetic vision comes on him and
he continues,

l VT xv 79, 83-89. 2 VI xv 90-93. 3 VI xv 94.

140 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' Our Indrajit, I see, will fall by dart

Of Lakshman, brother of Ram. And all that him

Survive, behold they're scattered like the dust

Against the angry storm. If me they beat,

My brother, 'tis certain they will vanquish thee.

'Tis only fools repent when all is lost :

Be wise in time and send her back to Ram.

And Dharma also points that way.

If from
Our childhood up to now, my king, I have
Ever offended thee, I pray to thee
With folded hands, forgive thy erring brother !
My heart doth tell me, brother, this meeting is
Our last. These eyes, alas, will look no more
Upon thy dear face ! I take thy leave.' 1

He left the presence followed by the tear-filled eyes of
Havana and those about him. He then ascended his car and
marched at the head of a vast army. Rama saw his colossal form
from far away, and, amazed, asked Vibhishana who and what he
was. After saying that he was his own elder brother and that
he was the terror of the gods, Vibhishana added that he had like
himself advised Ravana to send back Sita, but that, though Ravana
had refused to listen to his advice, he had decided to fight and
perish on the field. Sugriva, who was by, suggested now that
they should try to separate him from Ravana and win him over
to their side. Rama agreed, and as they were thinking as to who
was the fit person to approach him, Vibhishana offered to go
himself.

The whole of this scene between Kumbhakarna and!
Vibhishana is Kamban's own invention, and he has worked it up
grandly. He brings out beautifully the contrast between loyalty
to a losing cause and loyalty to Dharma but which is coupled
with disloyalty to one's king and brother.

Vibhishana passed the pickets of the Rakshasa army and sent
word to his brother that he was come to see him. Kumbhakarna,
while he was sorry, unknowing his purpose, that Vibhishana had
left Rama's camp, was yet delighted to have the opportunity of
casting a last look upon his brother, and ordered him to be brought
before him. Vibhishana came in and saluted his brother by falling
at his feet.

J VI xv 86-98.

T VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 141

He lifted up the brother that clasped his feet,
And folding him unto his breast, he thus
Addressed him : ' I was glad to learn, my brother,
That thou hadst left our doomed camp and ta'en
Refuge with Ram. Why leav'st thou now his side,
Thou innocent, and come to us that rush
Headlong into the jaws of death ? Wilt thou
Exchange thy nectar for our poison black ?
Although our glory's sun is set for ever,
I thought Pulastya's 1 race would be redeemed
By thee, and I was glad. But thou hast dried
My lips and broke my heart by thy return.
Thou hast thrown thyself at their feet who are
The props of Dharm, and they will never give
Thee up, e'en when it means their death. Thou'rt freed
From curse of death so long as men praise Ram,
And thou hast 'scaped the curse of Rakshas birth :
What further craving then does bring thee here ?
By serving th' One Supreme with all thy soul
Thou hast the blessing gained of holy life
And pure : wilt thou yet look on us as kin
Who hanker after others' wives ? Great Brahm
Has blessed thee with a righteous heart, my child,
And wisdom unsurpassed ; while Rama's word
Has given e'erlasting life. And still thou'rt here :
I fear they have not cured the cravings low

Of thy Rakshas birth !

If thou do spurn the shelter he has given

And cast thy lot with us, pray tell me, brother,

When all the Rakshas race is swept from off

The face of th' earth by Rama's furious darts,

Who will be there to offer sacrifice

To our Manes ? Go back, therefore, to Raghava

And enter Lanka after it is purged

Of all this sinful crew ; and, crowned by Ram

Enjoy a reign of glory unsurpassed.' 2

Vibhishana heard to the end and told his brother the purpose
of his visit in these words :

' The grand-souled hero who his mercy sweet.

i One of the mind-born sons of Brahma, and the first ancestor of
Havana and his brothers.
3 VI xv 130-135, 137, 138.

142 KAMBA RAMAYANAM^-A STUDY

Has showered on me unworthy, will accept

Thy homage too, if thou wilt come to him,

And save thee from the cycle of birth and death.

The crown that he has offered me, I'll place

At thy feet, and serve thee as my king and lord,

For thou art elder born. Thou wilt not hear :

But death is certain if thou stand against

Rama. When he his naming shafts does send,

Canst thou escape ? And whither canst thou fly ?

Throw not, therefore, thy life away, my brother,

But base thy ways upon the eternal Ved.

The righteous care not whe'r 'tis father, mother,
Or child, but cut themselves away, if these
Persist in mortal sin

For crime of one, shall we that know no guilt
Ruin ourselves by fighting on his side ?
And holy Parashuram, did he not kill
His very mother for her sin ? Ev'n Shiv
Cut off great Brahma's head when he from right
Did swerve : thou'rt wise, learn thou upon them. Shall we
Support a heinous crime and choose the way
That leads to hell ? The flesh diseased that grows
Upon our body we cut off and burn
If we would keep the body whole : do ever
The wise mix paste of sandalwood to change
The stench of ocean stream ?

Thou can'st not hope to save thy brother now.
And ev'n if fight'st with all thy former strength
What would it all avail ? Thou mayest throw
Thy life away : thou mayest matter give
For vassal gods to mock : but in the end
Will aught but Hell receive thy parted soul ?

Though great thy valour, thou hast not tasted joys
Of sovereign power, but wasted all thy youth
And manhood in unbecoming sleep. And now
Desirest thou to fight for sin, and waste
Thy life itself ? O brother, follow me :
The time itself is ripe ; and blessed by Ram
Conquer thy sleep and gain eternal life
And sovereignty which is thy right.

Perhaps,
Thou thinkest it disgrace to owe thy crown
To Ram. But know that He is God of gods

VIBHISHANA&KUMBHAKARNA 143

Himself, Who's born as man to 'stablish Dharm. . . .

If thou would come to Rama thou would earn
The friendship of the gods and blessings choice
Of Rishis ; and none would dare to injure thee.
And joy would come to thee that knows no end.
Tis he that in the fulness of his love
And mercy sent me here. Do e'er the wise
Go gathering flowers when fruits hang ripe upon
The tree ? Abandon thou therefore the camp
Of Sin and follow me.' l

So saying, Vibhishana again fell at Kumbhakarna's feet.
The great heart of Kumbhakarna was touched, but the resolution
of his mind was not shaken. So, taking up his brother and
embracing him once again, he thus spoke to him while tears
flowed down freely from his sable cheeks:

' Can I refuse to give my life for him

Who all these years has cherished me, and now

Has sent me to the field to fight ? Is life

So dear, that's transient as the wavelets playing

On the flowing stream ? So if thou want'st to heal

My sorrow, brother, tarry not, but do

Return to Ram. By great devotion thou

Has't got from Brahm the blessing of a heart

i That's free from thoughts of sin : the crown therefore

Of all the worlds doth well befit thy head.
But I'm a sinner born, and Fate is just
That dooms me to death ; — and it will crown
My head with glory's light, my sole delight.

When kings do swerve from virtue, 'tis but right

'■ To chide and try to turn their hearts from sin.

But if they would not hear, can those who have
Their bounties tasted see their masters run
To ruin, unmoved ? No, when the enemies press,
They'll gird their swords, and seek their fate upon
The field before he falls foredoomed. When Ram
Does aim his fatal darts, and Ravan falls
Embracing the earth ; surrounded by his kin
And loyal troops, shall he a brother lack
To fall with him, — he who the worlds and gods

1 VI xv 139-142, 144-150, 152, 153.

I'M SAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Without a rival ruled ? And when his arms
That lilted sheer the rock of Shiv are tied
With cruel cords by messengers of Death,
Shall he with downcast eyes approach the throne
Of Yam, his vassal e'en today, without
A brother by his side ?

And can I brook —
Ev'n I who have defeated the God of Death
Himself — can I consent to pass my days,
Singing with an aching heart the praise of him
Who will have pierced my brother's mighty chest ? . .

So tarry not, my child ; and if thou have
Regard for me, or love, return to Ram,
Abide with him. Think not I can be turned
From my resolve by further words. Now go :
And when w're dead, (this is my dying prayer)
Do soothe our Manes with Vedic rites, and save
Us from the gates of hell. Weep not, my brother
When time doth smile on us, all things we touch
Are turned to gold : but when the tide has fled
Despite our every care we rush to ruin,
Helpless. What can I tell thee more whose eyes
See straight and clear ? So do not pity us
Nor waste thy tears, but go from hence in peace. ' %

He ended, and embracing Vibhishana once again he said with'
tears flowing down his cheeks unchecked,

' This day doth break for ev'r the tie that bound
Us from our childhood's days ! ' 2

Vibhishana's tongue was parched. Tears filled his eyes and
his heart was big with unspeakable grief. But as Kumbhakarna
was firm in his resolve, he saw that he could not do anything
more to change his mind, and so he fell at his feet once again
and without a word turned back his step towards Rama's camp.
All the Rakshasa soldiers at every step joined their hands in
Worship as he passed by.

Kumbhakarna was glad that he went back, but the actual
fact of separation broke his heart, and his eyes rained blood, the
very fountains of his tears being dried up !

1 VI xv 155-160, 164. 2 VI xv 167.

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 145

But soon he recovers his poise and the fight begins. The
fight is described in the best style of Kamban but we shall not
describe it elaborately as we have to claim the attention of the
reader for many more single combats and battle-pieces yet. Still
we do not desire to deprive him of the enjoyment of some of
the great challenges of the heroes with which this canto abounds.
And so we shall describe this battle as briefly as possible.

After the common Vanaras and Rakshasas had fallen on either
side, and Nila the commander-in-chief of the Vanara forces had
been knocked down by Kumbhakarna with the left-hand — he did
not aim his trident against him because the Vanara was unarmed
— Angada, the son of Vali, came to the attack. He took up a
mighty rock and hurled it with force against the Rakshasa to the
amazement of the gods who cried, ' The end of Ravana's brother
is come ! ' But Kumbhakarna received it on his adamantine
shoulders, and the rock broke into a thousand fragments. The
Vanaras who saw the strength of the Rakshasa by this proof fled
in terror. But Angada stood his ground and caught by the hand
the huge mace that his foe threw at him, while the Devas blessed
him and admired his strength and skill. With the same mace in
his hand he sprang upon the chariot of Kumbhakarna, intending
to pound him to death with it. But Kumbhakarna eyed him in
wrath, and asked him :

' Art thou the king of Vanaras flocked from far
To leave their bones to whiten on our coast ?
Or may'st thou be his son ? Or art thou he
Who burned our city fair and triumphed o'er
Our heroes bold ? Declare at once.' 1

Angada replied :

' Know me to be the son of him who caught
Thy brother with his vice-like tail, and flew
Lightly to th' oceans four to worship Shiv,
The while thy brother breathless struggled against
His strangling hold. Behold I'm come to end
Thee here ; and what my father to thy brother
Did, I propose to do to thee : for I
Shall lift thy carcass with my coiling tail
And place it reeking at my Rama's feet.' 2

i VI xv 191. 2 VI xv 192.

10

146 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And then,

' Thy thought is just,' said laughing Kumbhakarn,

' For verily the world will laugh at thee

If thou fight not for him who from a cover

Concealed did kill thy parent innocent

With a single dart. Now that thou fight'st his wars —

For Thy father's foe — the chivalry of the world

Will sure acclaim thee bravest of the brave !

But I believe thou speakest not the truth :

Thou canst not even dream of touching me.

Much less wouldst hope to fly with me to Ram.

I fancy 'tis thy wish to taste the point

Of my fell trident that has in the past

The front of Devas oft pierced, and fall

Supine, thy hands and feet upthrowing wild

E'en like thy tail ! ' 1

Angada did not care to reply, but struck a thundering blow
upon the rock-like body of Kumbhakarna with the captured mace.
But the mace broke into a hundred fragments, and the Rakshasa
stood unmoved as if nothing had happened. Angada now aimed
a blow with his fist, but his enemy guarded himself and knocked
him down senseless with his own fist. Angada was removed from
the field by his friends, but Hanuman appeared on the scene just
at that minute. He lifted up a massive rock and aimed it against
Kumbhakarna's head. But Kumbhakarna caught it in his hands
and sent the same with force against Hanuman. The rock broke
into fragments when it struck the chest of Hanuman, giving out
sparks like the iron hammered on the blacksmith's anvil. Hanuman
now uprooted another and heavier rock and, poising it in his
hand, addressed his enemy thus :

' This rock I hurl at thee : if from its shock
Thou canst escape alive, the world will count
Thy might invincible, and I shall deem
Myself defeated at thy hands, and face
Thee not again in battle ; and great will be
Thy fame on earth.' 2

1 VI xv 193, 184. ■'■ 2 VI xv 200.

VIBHISHANA*& KUMBHAKARNA 147

Kumbhakarna laughed and thus replied :

' What speakest thou of shock and life and death ?
I tell thee this : I'll let it strike my frame :
If when it strikes I move from where I stand
The breadth of a single hair, I shall admit
Defeat, and own myself, a weaker, wight
Than thee ! ' 1

Hanuman now threw his rock, but Kumbhakarna did not
move. He received it on his mighty shoulder and, behold, it
oroke into fragments to the terror of all the worlds. Hanuman
kept his word, and went away crestfallen.

The reader will remember that Lakshmana now fought with
the Rakshasa and broke his bow and chariot and that the
reinforcements sent by Ravana separated them. In the melee,
Kumbhakarna found himself opposed by Sugriva, whom he soon
overpowered and caught in his arms. He looked upon his capture
as very lucky, as the Vanara host would lose heart if he could
remove him from the field altogether. So he hurried towards
the fort carrying Sugriva, who had already swooned in his hands.
Hanuman followed hesitating to fight, as he respected his own
word that he would not fight with him again. But Rama had
already been apprised of Sugriva's plight, and bow in hand he"
came to the rescue of his friend and built an impassable wall,
solely with his fast-flying arrows, across the path of the Rakshasa.
Unable now to move forward, the latter now turned round and
seeing Rama challenged him thus :

' Think'st thou I am Kavandh, or Vali the ape
Who lived on flowers, that thou dost dare to cross
My path and hope to throw me down ? Com'st thou
To free Sugriv ? I scorn to fight thy brother
Or Hanuman or Vali's son : for where's
The glory in defeating them ? I searched
For thee all o'er the field, but nowhere wert
Thou found : thy forces fled, thy brother deemed
It wise to seek some other foes ; while son
Of Vayu lost his gauge and slunk away.
Sugriva came my way, and lo, I have

J VI xv 201.

148 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Him in my arms a prisoner tight. I thank

The luck that brought thee here. I mean to send

Thee to the doom that others of our foes

Have found before, and free my brother's heart

Of all anxiety. What more of words ?

I challenge thee in sight of gods to loose

My iron hold and free this luckless ape

By force of thy much bepraised darts. If canst,

I shall agree that Sita too will be

Freed from her bowery prison.' 1

Rama laughed and thus replied :

' If I cannot cleave in two

Those arms that captured have my friend and brother,
I shall hold myself beaten : I shall fight
No more with thee.' 2

So saying he sent two arrows which wounded the Rakshasa
in his forehead. Blood gushed from his wounds as water from
mountain springs, and Kumbhakarna fell unconscious. The touch
of warm blood awakened Sugriva from his swoon, and he released
himself from the slackened arms of Kumbhakarna ; and like the
monkey that he was, he bit his nose and ears and sprang back
to where Rama was. The pain brought Kumbhakarna back to
consciousness, and bitten with shame and roused to wrath he took
his sword and buckler and rushed against Rama and the Vanara
troops. The Vanaras died or fled in thousands. Rama disarmed
him with his arrows but soon reinforcements came and the battle
was prolonged. The Rakshasa host, however, was like stubble
before the fire of Rama's darts, and soon Rama was again face
to face with Kumbhakarna and asked whether he would now at
least submit and join him, or whether he would flee towards
Lanka. Though a little disfigured by fancy, and a little wanting
in taste in some portions, the spirit of the reply of Kumbhakarna
is grand and proud. He said :

' It needs not that I speak of other things :
But can I care to live with disfigured face
E'en like my sister, whom thy brother and thou
Attacked and maimed when she had none

1 VI xv 281-285. 2 VI xv 286.

VIBHISHANA tc K U M% H A K AR N A 149

*

To help ? . . . The haughty eyes of gods lay quenched

For ages by our arms : that this might last

For ev'r, I prayed my brother to release

Sita, thy spouse : unheeded in the council

Of the wise, my tongue and voice were quenched

For once and all, but this I bore though grief

Did eat my heart. But can I now endure

My life, and shall I seek my death t' escape

When quenched is my nose by feeble foes ?

Thou counsel'st flight : but having ta'en the field

For to drink thy blood, and let my brother win

The fair he loves, now shall I move the gods

To laughter by lamentations loud addressed

E'en like my sister to my brother ? Although

Thou art the peerless one, unique in all

The worlds, art not a knight immaculate

By instinct come of human birth ? Know'st not

The duties of the knight, whate'er his race

Or clime ? Then tell me have I other course

Than fall on thee and take thy head from off

Thy trunk ? ' 1

So saying he sent a massive rock whirling against Rama but
Rama's arrows proved the stronger. Realising now that he could
not prevail against Rama, Kumbhakarna thought that the best way
in which he could serve the cause of his brother was to destroy
as many Vanaras as possible, and so he hurled shields and maces
against the Vanaras and killed them by the thousand. But his
time was come, and Rama, after tearing down his armour, sent a
powerful arrow which brought down his right arm. Says
Kamban :

Were heroes ever born like him ? He took

His brawny right arm severed in his left,

And roaring like an angry lion, he dashed

Into the Vanar host and felled them down

In heaps. The Vanars fled : the peopled worlds

Now dreading more the severed arm than that

Which yet remained, exclaimed, ' Though Ram doth stand

With Kodand bent, can our Vanar champions bold

Escape their fearful fate today ? ' 2

-*- VI xv 328-331. 2 VI xv 341, 342.

150 KAMBA RAftl-AYANAM — A STUDY

The Vanaras were flying for very lif e : the river of blood
that was freely flowing from Kumbhakarna's colossal body floated:
with many a carcass down to the sea : the amazed gods fled in,
terror of his fury : but he rushed upon Rama with a force that
threw down many a mansion and many a hill and sent back the
sea for many a mile. But Rama coolly bent his bow and struck
down his other arm also. Kumbhakarna, however, did not fall
down or cease his struggle even then. With his feet he kicked
and trampled and crushed down yet more thousands of the Vanara
army. Soon another arrow flew from the bow-strings of Rama
and cut off one of his feet.

But even then, with the remaining leg he leaped about and
sent the Vanaras to their doom ! The remaining leg also was
severed by the darts of Rama, but with his tongue the Rakshasa
lifted up the massive rocks that were lying on the field and blew
them all with all his might against the enemy and killed many of
the Vanaras. Rama was struck with his inexhaustible strength
and resource and devotion to his brother. But this feat was the
last flicker of the dying forest-fire — the last rumbling of the dying..
volcano. Even his might was sinking and he lamented thus about
the impending fate of his brother :

' A thousand Ravan's ev'n cannot suffice
To stand against my Lord and win : and here
I lie, an armless, legless trunk, and see
No way to further aid my brother. A life
Of endless joy and luxury was his :
Alas, I see its end approach, brought on
By lust unholy.' *

Kumbhakarna's life of Rajasic activity was now over. The
ineffable light of Sattva now lighted up his soul. With the advent
of this light his habitual affection for Ravana sloughed off his
mind and he addressed Rama in these words :

' Thou comest of the race of him, my Lord,
Who weighed his flesh to save a luckless dove :
Wouldst thou refuse a dying prayer ? My brother
Who has found refuge from our ev'l with thee,
May he, O Ram, for ever be thy care !
Though he is Rakshas born, his heart knows not.
Th' iniquity of Rakshas birth. He has
Now come to thee who art the Ancient One

i VI xv 354. '

VIBHISHANA & KUMBHAKARNA 151

Disguised in princely weeds : I pray thee once

Again, protect him first and last. For Ravan

Who hopes yet to prevail 'gainst thee, does hate

Vibhishan as a traitor black, and will

Attempt to end him though a brother born.

See, therefore, that Vibhishan does not leave

The side of Lakshmana or Hanuman,

Or thy protective wings. Now for myself

I'll make a last request to thee. Let not

The Rishis and the gods deride me, Sire,

For my face deformed : so shoot thy powerful dart

Clean through my neck, and send my severed head

To sink beneath the sea beyond the ken

Of living kind.' *

Rama took pity on him and complied with his wish. With
one arrow he brought down his head and with another having
the force of a thunder-storm, he sent that hill-huge head flying
through the air to sink into the ocean.

So ended the mighty Kumbhakarna. Instead of remaining
very little more than a sleepy and gluttonous giant as Valmiki has
left him, the mighty Rakshasa has become in the hands of Kamban
a seer and a Bhakta, a tender-hearted brother, and a stern pursuer
of duty. He reminds us of Bhishma and Kama in Indian story,
and Hector of the Homeric Epic. He sees that his king and
brother is fighting for injustice, and that Dharma is on the side
of the enemy. In the natural conflict of duties that arises in this
situation, he chooses to be true to the salt he had eaten. He
foresees his fate, but will not flinch from it, though he knows,
and his brother Vibhishana has shown, that he can save himself.
He finds that he cannot ' refuse to give his life for him who all
these years has cherished ' him, ' and now has sent him to the field
to fight.' He cannot let Ravana, after having enjoyed prosperity
that even the Devas envied, lack a brother to fall with him upon
the field of battle. And above all, he cannot brook the idea of
singing hallelujah to one who must kill his brother — though that
one should be God Himself incarnate. In the end, when he dies,
we hear the soft lyre of friendship and brotherly love mingling
its strains with the trumpet of battle, and we love him both for
his devotion to Ravana and for his affection and tenderness for
Vibhishana.

1 VI xv 356-360.

CHAPTER X

THE EPISODE OF HIRANYAKASHIPU

Thfe episode of Hiranyakashipu is one of the few additions
that Kamban has contributed to the story of the Ramayana. 1 His
epic imagination was so filled with the colossal figures of the
great Asura and his destroyer the Man-Lion, that he has alluded
to them more than a dozen times in his grand similes. But he
was not satisfied with these slight references and allusions, and
wanted to describe the world-bestriding Asura and the Avatar
that destroyed him in greater detail. And with his finely intuitive
cultivated taste with regard to everything concerning the
Architectonics of Poetry, he has placed this episode in the place
that is most fitted for it. For what place would be more natural
and more fitting for this episode than the speech of Vibhishana
in the war- council in which he attempts to advise his brother to
make peace with Rama ? Here was an Asura endowed with far
greater strength and enjoying greater power than Ravana, and
yet he was destroyed by an Avatar of Narayana who was now
incarnated again as Rama to destroy the evil ones of this

i Indian readers of this book will, we are certain, feel proud to learn
that far-off Paris, who, like Sita in Ravana's isle, had kept her soul and
honour untarnished throughout Hitler's occupation, has so rapidly stepped
back into her unchallenged position of the Queen of Culture that once
again ambassador's of culture from all parts of the world are crowding
into her court. There, in Paris, is published an excellent quarterly
magazine, hind, devoted purely to the rich and varied culture of Bharata-
Khanda called India. Monsieur S. KICHENASSAMY (Sakti Sei.) has
contributed to the second issue of the first volume a learned article on
Le Ramayana de Kamban — the Kamba Ramayana — from which we quote
certain sentiments here and elsewhere which accord so perfectly with
those of Aiyar in the pages of this book. He says :
/
" Etant donne egalement que le sujet m'a eti pose en ces termes : lc
Ramayana de KambaN, je m'efforcerai surtout d'opposer l'ceuvre tamoule a
l'ceuvre sanskrice ; cela me permettra d'elucider un point tres important : la
valeur morale de l'oeuvre de KambaN."

Writing with special reference to the chapter on Hiranyakashipu,
he voices Aiyar's — nay, the entire Tamil world's — pride when he says :

"Iranyappadalam " la chute inevitable du puissant Iranya devant la foi
inebranlable de son fils Prahalada. Ce chapitte inconnu chez Valmiki est
une creation stupefiante d'art et de genie : l'on eut consent! a predre tout le
Ramayana mais pas ce chapitre, car il couionne la plus belle pattie de
l'ceuvre de KambaN, le Yudda Kandam. " — (P)

HIRANYAKASHIPU 153

generation. Should not Ravana learn a lesson from the fate of
Hiranya ?

This story is grandly described in the Seventh Skandha of
the Bhagavata Purana and is a great favourite with all Bhaktas.
But Kamban as usual would not follow his original in all its
details, but would only retell the story in his own way, giving
his own touches, so that the story becomes as much his own as
it is Shuka's 1 .

We must say that- his description of Hiranya's physical
proportions is marred by hyperbolic details of the worst type
which defeat their own purpose ; for they do not succeed in making
an adequate and satisfying aesthetic impression on the mind. He
.says :

The seven oceans of the universe, whose depths it is
impossible to sound even with the joined trunks of two of
the great mammoths that support the universe, would only
wet the feet of the great Asura when he walked in them.
Where could he bathe ? The waters of the rivers were too
little for his colossal body : the waters of the seas were too
bitter : the waters from the clouds he would not touch, for
they were warm : he would therefore pierce the vault of the
sky and bathe in the showers descending from the waters
of the universe beyond. The hills of the rising and setting
sun were the jewels in his ear-rings. He tried the Mandhara
mountain with which the Devas and the Asuras had churned
the Ocean of Milk to see if he could use it for a walking staff,
but finding it too light for him he threw it away.

He had the combined force of all the five elements of
creation. He would rule the sun and the moon. He would
depute in his whim the god of one element to perform the
functions of another. Drunk with power and pride, sometimes
he would take the reins out of the hands of Vayu and rule
the winds and storms ; sometimes he would usurp the
functions of Varuna and direct the movements of the oceans ;
at other times he would do the work of Indra or Agni, Yama
or Nairruti, and even that of Ishana. 2 At every tread of
his, the heads would be crushed of the thousand-headed

i In Vyasa's Bhagavata, the stories are always put into the mouth of
•Shuka who tells the stories to king Parikshit.

2 Indra, Agni, Yama, Nairruti, Varuna, Vayu, Kuber and Ishana are
the respective guardian deities of East and the rest of the eight cardinal
points.

154 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Adishesha — the primeval Cobra that bears the earth on his-
shoulders. When he walked, his crown would graze the vault
of the sky. The very elements would dissolve and fly away
when he strode along.

He ruled not this universe only that we see about us.
The universe beyond also acknowledged his sovereignty and
only his. Devas and Yogis, Rishis and even the Supreme
Three — all were his vassals, and would live only by praising
and blessing his name. By intense tapas he had obtained
this awful power, and the blessing that nothing that could
even be conceived by the mind should be able to kill him.
He had placed his throne on the Meru mountain itself, and
from that centre he was ruling tyrannically over the
universes without a second or a rival.

Many ages passed thus and at length a child was born to
him whom he named Prahlada. While Prahlada was still in
the womb, Narada the great Bhakta had taught his mother
the truth that Narayana was the one supreme God and that
love to Him was the only true salvation here and hereafter.
The conscious child had stored the teaching in his heart, and
from the moment of his birth he became a Bhakta — a devotee
of the Supreme One. He grew in love and devotion, and
in his fifth year he was sent by his father to study under
the royal guru. 1

The guru began the teaching by asking the boy to pronounce-
the words ' Worship to Hiranya ', for the tyrant in the pride
of his heart had ordained that these words should be
substituted for the words ' Worship to the One Supreme God
Narayana ', with which words alone all studies had always been
begun before his time. But the child of wisdom closed his
eyes, and with tears of joy flowing down his cheeks cried
out, ' Aum namo Narayanaya' — Worship to the Supreme God
Narayana. How could the cringing master tolerate such,
sedition ? These words fell like thunder upon his ears, and
he cried out :

' Thou hast brought ruin on me, O sinful wretch ! ' Is
not the thought of self and the preservation of their own
position safe from the wrath of the tyrant the primary
thought and concern of all slave-minded teachers of all ages-
and climes ? Our guru then continued,

1 Preceptor.

HIRANYAKASHIPU 153'

*And thou hast dug a grave for thy own self.
And where is it didst learn to despise words
That e'en the gods repeat with loyalty
And love, and to pronounce those cursed words
That thou didst utter even now ? ' *

Prahlada replied,

' I uttered but the name of Him who is
The root wherefrom all Vedas spring. Wherein,
O master, have I sinned ? The name pronounced
Hath brought salvation to myself and thee
And even to my father and king.' 2

The master trembled, and conjured the boy to begin with
blessing his father's name. He said,

' Thy father, boy, is the sovereign liege of all :
And ev'n th' ancient one who made the gods
His homages pays to him. Thou must begin
Therefore thy studies with the holy name
Of Hiranya on thy lips. Art wiser than
Thy master ? Ruin me not therefore, my boy,
By uttering once again the name that now
Thou utteredest ! ' 3

The child could not tolerate this blasphemy, and proclaimed:
thus his faith :

' I'll honour nought, my master, but the name
Of the Lord Supreme. He has illumed my mind
And ta'en possession of my heart : when He
The Infinite One thus dwells in me, can aught
Be hid from me ? If such there be, I'll learn
From thee, so it is not opposed to truth.
Who else is worthy worship but the One
Whose praises fill the Brahman's' Ved, whose name
The knowing ones and sages, even gods
Repeat t' escape the bonds of birth ? I stand
Upon the rock to which the Vedas lead,

1 VI Ui 24. 2 VI iii 25. 3 VI iii 26.

:156 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And jnan 1 and sacrifice. What more is there

For me to know or learn ? That bliss is mine

That's earned by those who meditate in caves

And forests, solitary, careless how

They eat or drink or dress. For what shall I

Endeavour more ? Behold the men who serve

With loving heart the servants e'en of Him

Who measured with His feet the universe.

Though they should learning lack, their lumined soul

Can pierce the secrets of the Ved ; and from

Their honeyed lips would flow ambrosial verse !

Now He has filled my heart, who is my Lord

And also thine, and Lord of all the worlds

And even of Brahma's self : all knowledge, sire,

Is therefore come to me : and for thee too,

master mine, this is the highest good :

1 pray thee, bow to Him ! ' 2

The Brahman master trembled with the thought that Hiranya
would attribute all these ' seditious ' doctrines to his own teaching
and put him to death. So he rushed to the Asura's presence
like a scared man and thus addressed him with many a bow :

' Thy humble servant prays to thee, my lord,
Give ear : thy son has uttered words that I
Cannot pronounce, e'en conceive in thought
Without endangering all my hope of earth
And heaven ! And he has refused to read the Ved,
Saying he knows all that there is to know.' 3

Hiranya could not understand what the teacher meant, and
asked him to repeat the words uttered by his son. But the
terrified guru only mystified him still further by saying,

' If I those words before thee utter, lord,
Words mortal to the ear to hear as venom
Of cobras to the blood, my sinful tongue
Would sure to ashes burn, and the pit of Hell
Would open wide its mouth for me.' 4

1 Wisdom. 2 VI Hi 27-33.

3 VI iii 35. 4 VI iii 37.

HIRANYAKASHIPU 157"

Hiranya therefore ordered his son to be brought before him,
and when Prahlada stood before him saluting, he embraced him
with tenderness and love and asked him what he had said to
provoke the teacher to anger. Prahlada told him,

' I only took the holy name of Him

Of Whom the Vedas witness bore when first

Was heard their sacred sound : and thereunto

I only added this : whoso shall think

Or speak or hear of Him, shall cross the sea

Of misery, and higher good than this

There's none in all the world.' J

The words used by the poet to convey the idea contained
in the first three verses of Prahlada's reply could also be
interpreted to mean,

I only took the holy name of Him

Who stands without a rival, with which name

The great begin the chanting of Ved ;

and so Hiranya thought that there was nothing in his son's words
for the Brahman to disapprove of. For it was with his name
that, according to his ordinances, the chanting of the Vedas were
being begun in those days. Yet, thinking that it was better to
have it made clear, he asked Prahlada to pronounce the name
itself. Then to his great and rising indignation he heard these
bold words which his saintly son spoke :

' Wouldst hear the words that fill all worldly wants ?

Wouldst hear the words that ope the gates of heaven ?

Wouldst hear the words that give to sacrifice

Its virtue and the power to grant our wish ?

List then, they're Aum Namo Narayanaya —

I bow my head to Narayana, the Lord

Supreme.

Whe'r Brahma, Shiv, or man whoso forgets

This mantra has forgot his soul. 'Tis hard

To prove by signs ; for they alone can know

Whose eyes see whole, whose heart is free from likes

i VI iii 40.

158 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And dislikes both. This mantra is the boat
That saves us from the eddying whirls of life,
And death, and endless pursuing deeds. It is
A jewel dear to all — the cream of all
There is to know in Ved. And so it is
These words I uttered loud, my father, that
Thou may'st be saved, and I, and all the world
With us.' 1

The amazed Asura could hold his patience no longer and
.thus burst out :

' This sceptre stern, my boy, beneath whose sway
All worlds have lain in dread for ages past,
Would straight have burned the tongue that spoke and

mind
That dared conceive these words seditious ! Now speak :
Declare, and quick, which rebel uttered them,
Or taught the same to thee ? The sages, seers,
And gods that dwell in all the moving worlds
Do worship nought but these my feet — their vows
And prayers are e'er addressed alone to me,
Their lord. Who told thee he is God, who oft
Has come to try his strength with me, and who,
As oft defeated, has in panic fled,
Thanks to old Garuda's powerful wings, and now
Lies fast asleep somewhere i' the Sea of Milk ?
Innumerable as the ocean sands
Are those our fathers who, before I came
To sovereign power, had been destroyed by him :
Can good e'er come to rats, perverse, if they
Shall sing the praises of the hooded snake ?
My brother, who could, if he did please, devour
The fourteen worlds, this Vishnu gored to death,
Coming on him in shape a boar. Did I
Beget thee boy, to sing with joy the name
Of him the enemy of our race, whose hands
Are stained with our own blood ? Seest thou not me
With power omnipotent endowed ? Whence didst
Thou learn, thou luckless wretch, what sight denies
And every other sense, that there is one

i VI iii 44-46.

HIRANYAKASHIPU 159

Above us who creates, sustains, destroys ?

There is no higher truth than this as Ved

Itself will witness, that our actions yield

Their proper fruit — the good deeds good, and ill

Their ill appropriate. Vishnu, Brahma, Shiv,

Who rose by their austerities to their

Dominions in their proper worlds, have now

By great efflux, of time their places lost ;

And by my proper tapas I am raised

To sovereign power unrivalled over all

The worlds : success despaired, now none does wish

T' endeavour after it, and all have sought

Refuge from ill beneath my awesome throne !

I've banished from my realms all sacrifice,

And tapas, and all hankering after knowledge

Forbidden. Him whom these do falsely praise

Thou dost declare almighty. Who know not

Security themselves, can ev'r they save

Others ? I pardon thee thy childhood's prattle :

But cease henceforth such senseless talk, and learn

In all humility, all that this sage

Will in his wisdom teach.' 1

Prahlada heard to the end with filial respect, though every
word of his father's speech was a javelin to his heart. But when
he had ended, he affirmed fearlessly, like Abdiel, the faith that
was in his heart, and the truth as his intellect perceived it.
He said,

' The seed is the parent of the tree. . . Can we measure
His greatness who createth all things within Himself, liveth
Himself apart, and yet immanent shineth in all the work
of His hands ? He hath none before Him, and none there
is after Him. Deathless is He ! . . .

The mind cannot conceive Him — for the Upanishads

declare He is beyond the logical intellect. Words cannot

describe His nature as He is, nor's there another to whom

, or which we can compare Him. How then can those who

sense Him not uncover His secret ?

He is action and her fruit, and He is ordainer too
thereof. Whoso will know His greatness in his heart, will
cross the sea of good and evil. ...

1 VI ili 47-56.

160 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The cause He is that produces, and He is the effect
also that is produced : but there is no organon J by which
thou canst know what He is in Himself. The many see not
His wonderful magic.

Behold, He is the scentless, seedless lotus, many-petalled
and unique, blossoming on the stalk 2 studded with the fifty
sounds — safely lying in the secret cave of all living kind
from the Supreme Brahma downwards. . . .

He came as the single sound undifferentiated, and then,
evolved as sound triune, and then became the Word 3 . . .

Time He is and Space. He is Cause and Instrument :
He is Effect also and its Enjoyer ! Virtue He is and the-
glories that virtue brings. And behold His Power, He
contains all creation within Himself as the seed contains
the banyan tree.

He is the artist, and the world is His Vina. Within
He is, and without, and yet nothing touches Him. And it is
He that gives the Vedas.

He is the life of the unique sound Aum. He is the
Light of the Inner Light. . . . He is the Are and the worlds
are the smoke.

He is the garland, and the religions and sects are the
flowers thereof. But He is beyond the grasp of the fanatics.
For he is the Ocean, and the sectarians know only the wave.
And yet He is in the wave also !

And as I feared, father, that thy vast power, and life
itself, might vanish by thy contempt for the Supreme Lord,
I sang His praises that thy days may be long and thy power
may be lasting.' 4

When Prahlada finished, Hiranya's rising rage burst into
flame, throwing the very sun out of his sphere and the heavens
out of their foundations. His eyes dropped blood. And, to the
terror of all the worlds, he thundered out these words, fierce
as the boiling poison of the sea :

1 Instrument. <

2 The stalk is the spinal cord. The lotus is the brain. The fifty
primary sounds (letters) of the Samskrit alphabet are meditated on by
yogis in the brain as well as in the different plexuses of the spinal cord.

3 Nada — the mystic sound Aum. Also compare :

" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God;,
and the Word was God." — The Gospel of St. John — I i.
* VI iii 58, 59, 62, 64, 69, 70, 72, 74-78.

HIRANYAKASHIPU 161

' Have not I foe enough in him who's sprung
To my misfortune out of my own loins,
And pays his worship and his love to him
Who is my foe of foes ? Put him to death ! ' 1

The ministers of his vengeance rose at once and, taking
Prahlada into the open, aimed their most deadly weapons against
him. But all of them fell powerless to harm him who in the
midst of that iron-storm forgot not the loving utterance of the
name of the Lord. When Hiranya was informed of this, he
ordered them to light a big fire and throw him into the flames.
They obeyed him, but

even as the words of the chaste Sita cooled the fire to
Hanuman when we 2 set fire to his tail, even so did the
repetition of the holy name make the Are feel cool to his
fair body up to the very marrow of his bones. 3

When the executioners told Hiranya that Are did not burn
his son, he ordered them to throw the God of Fire into a dungeon
and the boy into a pit containing the eight venomous cobras.
The cobras were, therefore, set on Prahlada, but in whatever
part of the body they bit him, drops of ambrosia exuded from
the bitten flesh ; and it was the fangs of the cobras that fell
off, while he remained scatheless, unforgetful of the holy name.

Hiranya next ordered that an elephant should be driven
against him and made to trample him under foot.. Indra himself,
in fear, supplied his Airavata* and the elephant came rushing
on him in fury. As he came within earshot Prahlada addressed
him thus :

' Remember, father Airavat, He dwells
Within the lotus of my heart, who flew
To save thy kinsman struggling in the jaws
Of the fierce crocodile ! ' 5

1 VI iii 80.

2 Ravana and his minions — the reader will recollect that Vibhishana
is relating the story.

3 VI iii 86.

4 The name of Indra's state elephant.

5 VI iii 93. — Allusion to the story of Gajendra, the lord of elephants,
who was saved by Vishnu when he called on His name. Vishnu hurled
His discus against the crocodile who had seized the Elephant-king by the
leg when he was bathing in a lake. The crocodile was killed and the
Elephant was released.

11

162 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

When Airavata heard these words, instead of knocking him
down and trampling on him, he fell down on his knees and
worshipped him. Hiranya ordered the elephant to be put to death
for thus slighting his orders, and so in order to save himself he
rose reluctantly and dashed against Prahlada. But lo, when the
tusks but touched his golden body they broke to pieces and fell
off even as if they were plantain stalks !

Hiranya then tried to drown Prahlada in the sea with a rock
attached to his body, but the boy did not sink : he floated even
as the Supreme One floats on the banyan leaf during the Great
Deluge of the universe. Neither was the cup of poison that he
gave him to drink able to kill Prahlada who drank it as if it were
very amrit.

As nothing else appeared to have power over the child,
Hiranya at last determined to kill him with his own hands. As
he neared him wild with rage, the divine child fell at his feet
and softly said,

' My life belongs to Him who made the worlds
And all that is therein : how canst thou hope,
My father, to destroy what's His ? n

. We shall now continue the story in the words of the poet
which rise henceforth from height to height of sublimity till the
crescendo is reached in the last defiance of Hiranyakashipu.

Hiranya heard ; but still, though full of wrath,

He did not strike him, curious to see

If young Prahlad could show his God ; and thus

Addressed he him : ' Thou talkest much, my boy ;

Tell me, if canst, who made the worlds ? Is it

The three who live by praising loud my name ?

Or else is it the Rishis ? Or is it

The gods that have been crushed for once and all ? '

Prahlad replied : ' 'tis Hari, father, who

Created all these worlds. Is it the worlds

Alone He made ? 'Tis He that giveth life —

Our very souls are His. Why, like the scent

In flowers, and oil in ses'mum seed, He dwells

Immanent everywhere. I adore, and so

He shows Himself to me. Thou lovest not,

1 VI iii 118. ■ ■

HIRANYAKASHIPU i63

•Father, and hence thou seest not Him who killed

Thy golden-eyed brother. Three are His forms,

And three His qualities : His eyes are three,

The sun and the moon and the fire. His worlds are three,

And triune th' Effulgence of His Self.

And He is the witness argus-eyed, Who sees

Delighted, th' eternal dance of transient life.

And this is the final truth that Vedas teach.'

Jiiranya smiled contemptuous, and said,

' Thou say'st, though himself only one, he dwells

In every object seen in all this vast

Multiple universe. We'll test this first

And then decide what's best for us to do.

Now show me him if he is in this pile ? '

' What of this column, father ? ' said Prahlad :

' Thou'lt find Him in a span of space ; divide

An atom int' an hundred parts, and thou

Wilt find my God in every one of them :

He is in Meru hill ; thy very words,

I say, are filled with Him : and thou wilt find

' Fore long my every word a solemn truth.'

' Enough of words,' Hiranya spoke in wrath,

' Discover me him inside this pillar here,

Who, thou declar'st and rebel gods believe,

Pervades this universe : if thou dost fail

I'll fall on thee as on the elephant does

The lion, and tearing thee to pieces, drink

Thy blood and eat thy flesh ! ' The wise one thus

Softly replied : ' Thou canst not kill me, Sire !

But this I vow : if at any spot at which

Thou place thy hands, my blessed Lord do not

Reveal Himself, I'll myself end my life !

For e'en when I address this solemn vow

To Him, if He would not respond to my prayer,

And even after that I cling to my life,

I shouldn't deserve to see my God, for then

My love could not be perfect.' ' Be it so ! '

Hiranya cried in wrath and with his arm,

The home of victory, he struck against

The massive column high a thundering blow.

164 KAMBA RAMAYANAM A STUDY

# . ' i

He struck, and lo the heavens opened wide,
The universal globe asunder burst,
And rumbling came the laugh of the Man-Lion fierce,.
Tremendous, ominous ! When Prahlada heard
Him laugh Whom even Brahma seeks in vain,
He danced for joy, his eyes with tears filled,
He chanted loud His holy name, and hands
In worship joined above his tender head. . . .
Hiranya heard, and wild with rage exclaimed,
' Say, who art thou that daredest laugh ? Art thou
The god of whom this boy doth prate ? And hast
Thou found thy ocean small and refuge sought,
Thou despicable, within this pillar here ?
Come forth if thou wouldst fight with me, Come forth ! '
The pillar burst, the Lion stood self-revealed ;
He grew and filled this universe, and those
Around, and who can know and tell of all
His wondrous doings in the great Beyond ?
The globed vault did burst, and from the depths
Above to those below all space was torn
Sheer ! 1

Continues the poet :

Have any the science to count the arms that the Man-Lion
had ? The Asura force of ten thousand thousand millions
was annihilated by Him, and His terrific form confronted
every single Asura separately with one head and two arms
and three fiery eyes.

But can evil ever come to the good ? While He was
tearing to pieces all the evil Asuras with His terrific claws,
He protected all good souls from harm by keeping them within
Himself even as a mother does her infant.

He ate up alive the elephants and the horses and the
fighting Asuras, and then drank up the oceans seven with all
their myriad living beings, and crunched between His teeth
the very thunderbolts of heaven. Seeing His unquenchable
rage Dharma herself trembled for her safety !

Not one Asura he left alive in all the three worlds ! Not
even the foetus in the wombs of the Asura women were
spared ! And seeing no more Asuras alive in this universe^

1 VI iii 119-130.

HIRANYAKASHIPU ; 165

behold, some arms of His were searching for them in the
worlds Beyond !

Thus before the mind could so much as realise what was
"happening, the world-pervading Man-Lion destroyed all the
Asuras excepting alone Prahlada who was the staff of the Gods,
and his father ; now He strode towards the place where the great
Asura was standing.

And there he stood, vast like the Meru mount,
His diamond-studded sword unsheathed for fight,
His buckler hiding sheer the heavens from view.
At his thundering shout the Devas shuddered, and
The mountains trembled and the seven seas.
Prahlada saw his dauntless father stand
With firm-set lip prepared to meet the shock
Of the advancing Lion, and nearing him
He said, ' E'en after seeing the strength abnorm
Of the Lord Supreme, O father, why wouldst not
The truth perceive ? E'en now thou canst submit
To Him : and when thou fallest at His feet,
He would forgive thy evil deeds of old.'
Hiranya frowned, and thus defiance hurled :
' Listen, ingrate ! In sight of thee I will
Cut down the Man-Lion's branching arms and feet,
And then I'll give my sword thy blood to drink !
And when it shall have nobly done my hests,
I'll pay my homage to that matchless steel.
Hast ever seen this head obeisance make
To living being ? Not e'en to soften heart
Of woman has it ever yet bowed, thou boy ! ' 1

So saying Hiranya laughed a mighty laugh. A shudder ran
through the worlds when they heard the laugh which they had
■ever known to be the forerunner to his terrible deeds of valour.
As the Man-Lion approached him, Hiranya advanced to meet Him,
and they closed, the Man-Lion with his uncountable arms and the
Asura armed with 'his sword of victory. They rose above all the
worlds into primeval space for freedom of movement ! And what
•could we compare their forms to ? The Asura resembled that
■vast Meru mountain, and the blessed Lord resembled — all else

1 VI lii T44-146.

166 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

besides. The Lord of Illusion, with his arms rising tier on tier
looking like waves on waves, and with his world-quaking roar,
resembled the Ocean of Milk when it was being churned, and the
Asura resembled the mountain which churned it.

But how long can a mortal hold against the Supreme Lord
in his terrific form, and fighting hand to hand ? With one mighty
hand, at length, the Man-Lion took hold of Hiranya's feet and
whirled him round and round. His crown and jewels struck
against the circular walls of the universe and fell shattered to
pieces ; his ear-jewels called kundalas fell one to the east and the
other to the west, and remain to this day as the rocks of the rising
and the setting sun. And it is his jewels that give their brilliance
to the sunrise and the sunset even now. At length, at the time
of the twilight which is neither day nor night, the Man-Lion
sat at the gate of Hiranya's palace, laid him on his thighs and
tore open his entrails with his spear-like claws, and freed the
Devas from their thraldom.

Hiranyakashipu is the analogue of the Miltonic Satan in Indian,
story. Although in the description of the physical form of the
Asura Kamban falls below Milton, who with a few of his
characteristic touches gives the impression of hugeness without
offending the eye of imagination, Kamban has perfectly succeeded
in impressing us with the supreme pride and consciousness of
illimitable power of the great Asura. The gods were nothing to
Hiranya. He alone was the undisputed master of the universe,
and none deserved worship but himself. Even when he sees the-
terrific Man-Lion destroy his army in a trice, his heart does not
shrink ; on the contrary his words assume greater firmness and
pride. And his end too is equally heroic, contending face to face
with God, and requiring Omnipotence Itself to destroy him.

The story of Hiranya in the Bhagavata is more didactic than
artistic in composition and purpose, though some of the highest
flights of poetry are to be found in it. But Kamban gifted as he
is with a highly dramatic imagination, would introduce his own
changes in it in order to bring the dramatic into full play. Thus,
while Shuka, the narrator of the Bhagavata stories, makes Prahlada
speak his mind for the first time before his father who is made
to casually ask him what he had learned, Kamban makes him
repeat the holy name of Narayana before his master at the very
commencement of the instruction. This gives our poet the
opportunity of making the teacher tremble for his safety at hearing
the banned words, and of extracting the full poetic value out oft

HIRANYAKASHIPU 167

this circumstance. Again, according to the original, after this
incident, the boy is sent away by the father, after a slight
reprimand, to the masters to learn the proper doctrines. When,
after sometime had elapsed, Hiranya calls for him and again
questions him, Prahlada replies in the same strain, and in his
wrath Hiranya orders him to be tortured and killed. Prahlada,
however, as in our story, escapes miraculously from all the cruel
tortures to which he is subjected. After this, at the request of the
teachers, Hiranya again sends the boy to them to learn the
orthodox doctrines. This is clearly against all poetic probability,
for how could Hiranya or the teachers believe that Prahlada could
be converted after all these cruelties and miraculous escapes ?
There at the school, instead of being converted to his father's view
of the universe, himself converts his classmates to the love of Hari.
The teachers, therefore, bring him back to Hiranya saying that
his conversion is hopeless. The last scene before the striking at
the pillar too, is not so well developed by Shuka as by Kamban
who brings out the contrast between the wrathful and proud
Asura and his calm and devotion-filled son in a few but intensely
worked up stanzas. Kamban again would make the Man-Lion
finish the Asura army before coming to the leader Hiranyakashipu,
and thus keep the climax to the very end. The challenge of
Hiranya to the Man-Lion in Kamban is, again, more in character
than the last words that Shuka puts into his mouth. The words
that fall from the lips of Hiranya in the Bhagavata after the
appearance of the Man-Lion are only these :

" What ? Most probably this Hari, with his great

cunning has assumed this powerful body with the intention

of destroying me."

And how feeble these words read when compared with the
first challenge of the Asura in Kamban !

The last request of Kamban's Prahlada to his father to submit
to the God makes him more loveable than Shuka's Prahlada who
does not speak to his father after the Man-Lion had appeared ;
while the last reply of Kamban's Hiranya to his son makes him
look grander than the Asura in the Bhagavata.

Potanna in his Prahlada Charitra, as perhaps everywhere in
his grand redaction of the Bhagavata, has not made any changes
in the story as told by Shuka. His version is a close paraphrase
in Telugu of the original Bhagavata, expanding certain leading
ideas and images in the narration, but ail-religiously keeping to
the very order in the development of the story. He has added

168 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

no new trait or colour to the original sketch. But Kamban's
imperial imagination must needs remelt even the best minted coin
of the other sovereigns in the realm of poetry, and put its own
impress and superscription on the reminted gold. And so we have
in this episode, Hiranya expanded to even more colossal
proportions, and a Prahlada more tender than the creations of
Vyasa and Shuka. 1

I See loot-note 1 on page 153

CHAPTER XI
VALI AND SUGBIVA

In the character of Hiranyakashipu Kamban has shown to us
unequalled prowess and valour combined with extreme pride
refusing to acknowledge the supremacy of Almighty Power till
destroyed by It in Its terrible aspects. In this chapter we shall
see his presentation of valour and powers of the same degree but
combined with many generous and noble qualities, and yet which
was extinguished by Shri Rama for a single delinquency. We
shall devote the greater part of the chapter to Kamban's Vali.

After Ravana had carried off Sita, Rama and Lakshmana, as
the reader knows, went southwards and searched for her
everywhere in the impenetrable forests of Dandaka. At length
a great tapasvini 1 named Shaphari told them that a Vanara called
Sugriva who was residing on the Rishyamuka hill would be of
great help to them in their search, and they accordingly sought
him on the hill. Although Vali was the king of the Vanaras,
and the more powerful of the two brothers, and Sugriva was in
hiding for fear of Vali, the saintly woman considered that Vali
who had unjustly driven Sugriva out of his kingdom and deprived
him of his wife, and was even after his life, was undeserving of
Rama's friendship ; and that was why she sent him to Sugriva
in preference to Vali.

After much travel Rama and Lakshmana came to the hill.
Sugriva came to see them after ascertaining through Hanuman
that they were not men sent by Vali to kill him. After
preliminaries were over, Rama told Sugriva that he sought his
help in his great difficulty. 2 On the other side Sugriva replied
that he was being pursued and hunted by Vali, his brother, and
that it was Rama that must protect him from the latter. Rama
pitied his helpless condition, and impressed with his generous
nature swore eternal friendship with him.

After this, Valmiki makes Rama and Lakshmana go to
Sugriva's home of their own accord, and Sugriva to casually

i feminine of tapasvi — one who performs spiritual austerities.
2 Valmiki would make Lakshmana tell Sugriva that Rama had come
■to take refuge unfler him — Sharanam gat ah.

170 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

mention that he had been even robbed of his wife by Vali. But
Kamban with his greater dramatic skill represents Sugriva as
inviting Rama after the swearing of friendship to his cottage on
the hill, and Rama as asking him whether he also had lost his
wife like himself, seeing that there was no Vanarini in the cottage
to serve the guests. Here too he takes care that Sugriva does
not tell his story himself in reply to Rama as in Valmiki, but
makes Hanuman as his chief councillor to tell it for him and
thus saves Sugriva from personally referring to his misfortune
as hrita bharyah — one who has been robbed of his wife. Hanuman
describes in detail Vali's exploits and strength and ends by saying
that Vali had taken away Sugriva's wife.

The moment that he heard the last words, Rama's eyes grew
red with rage, for

Could he who gave away a crown that was
By right his own to a brother to enjoy —
Could he forgive an elder brother, who
Had robbed the younger of his wife by force,
And now was hunting him unto death ? 1

So Rama swore to Sugriva that he would kill Vali with his
bow and restore his wife to him and make him king of Kishkindha.
In order to give Sugriva confidence in his strength, Rama destroyed
with one arrow of his the seven sala trees that could never be
cut down by any living being, and cleared the ground of the
colossal skeleton of Dundubhi the Asura, who had fought with
and been defeated by Vali. Sugriva was now convinced of Rama's
capacity to destroy Vali. He therefore agreed to go and challenge
Vali on his hill, the arrangement being that while they were
engaging each other Rama should send his arrow and despatch
Vali.

When the challenge of Sugriva reached his ear, Vali rose from
his bed and frowning listened again. When he understood that
it was his brother that was calling him to fight he laughed a
laugh that threw the fourteen worlds off their foundations and
sent them whirling into outer space. His usual anger against his
brother soon took possession of his heart, and he now appeared
like the ocean boiling for the final deluge on the Day of
Dissolution. The mountain on which he stood sank under his

i IV ii 112.

VALI & SUGRIVA 171

weight. His eyes glistened with the fire of his hatred, shaming
the aurora of the north. When he smacked his arms with his
palm, as wrestlers do, the thunderbolts of heaven dropped down,
and the very hill on which he stood split to pieces. Even the God
of Death was terrified at his aspect, for he looked at that moment
like the Time Spirit brooding over and directing the destruction
of all creation on the final day, or like the boiling mass of poison
that rose from the ocean when he helped in churning it for the
gods.

He was just starting to go to answer the challenge of his
brother when Tara his wife came in his way and tried to dissuade
him from going.

' Stop me not,' he said, checking her : ' stop me not,
O wife, fair even as the mountain peacock of the noblest
breed ! I will answer his challenge and return to thee after
drinking his life, even as I churned the ocean and got amrit
in olden days ! n

But she persisted saying,

' Sugriva knows thy strength by proof, my lord,

And ne'er can stand against thy iron fists.

He is not born again to hope afresh,

Nor has he greater strength acquired to-day

By blessing of the Gods ; if now he dares

To challenge thee, it is because he has

An ally strong enough to give him hopes

Of easy victory.' 2

Vali only laughed at her fears and said,

' Even if all the three worlds, Tara, stood

Combined against me they are bound to fail !

Canst thou forget the day when Asuras

And Devas sought to churn the Sea of Milk ?

The Mandh'ra mountain was the churning rod,

And Vasuki the mighty cobra was

The string ! They pulled, but had not strength enough .

To turn the awful mount. I saw their plight

And moved with pity helped, and lo ! the sea

Did yield his glories to my mighty arm.

1 IV v 14. 2 IV v 15

172 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Though countless are the foes both Asuras
And Gods, who tried their strength with me, has one
Till now prevailed 'gainst me ? Even the God of Death
Doth tremble at my name : Who then could come
To help Sugriv ? Should there be such a fool
As loves to call on his own head his doom,
Then know that whoso faces me in war,
One half his force, and blessings earned by him
From Gods do pass to me sheer : such the power
That Shiv has blessed me with. Fear not, therefore,
My Tara, give me leave ! ' 1

But Tara's fears were not dispelled. She had heard too much
from her servants to be satisfied with Vali's assurances. She
therefore begins,

' My lord, I learn from trusty servants shrewd
That he has found a great ally in Ram
Who for his sake has sworn to end thy life
To-day.' 2

Vali had heard so much of Rama's nobility and chivalry and
brotherly and filial love that he had come to look upon him as
the ideal hero. So when Tara spoke of him as conspiring with
Sugriva to kill Vali, Vali could not at all believe it. Not merely
that. He could not brook to hear the ideal of his heart vilified,
as he thought he was, by these words of Tara. Hence, before she
could say all that she had heard, he cut her speech short and
spoke to her these angry words :

' What hast thou said, with that blaspheming tongue

Of thine, Tara ? Know'st thou not Ram is born

To show the way of virtue to the world

That has forgotten Dharm, and crying loud

For a saviour in vain, has helpless sunk

In dark despair ? But that thou art a woman

And hast in ignorance erred, thou shouldst have died

For this blasphemy ! How will he think on this,

Whose eye can see beyond this transient life ?

Can Dharma falsify itself, that's born

To save all living kind ? Though all the world

Lay at his feet, he gave his crown away

'1 IV v 20. 2 rv v 21.

VALI & SUGRIVA 173

Smiling to his brother at the bidding cruel

Of his step-mother. In lieu of blessing him

For the grandeur of his soul, do I now hear

Thee slander Rama ? E'en should all the worlds

Come thronging on and rush on him at once,

Does he an ally need beside his bow

To battle by his side ? Then thinkest thou

That he would hanker after alliance

With a worthless ape ? He does his brothers love

Ev'n as his life : would he then aim his darts

At me, when I and my brother are engaged

In combat to decide on rights upon

The sward ? Know he's a sea of mercy sweet !

Rest here a while therefore ; within a trice

I'll beat Sugriv, and send him to his doom,

And scattering all who come to his aid

I'll join thee : dispel thy fears ! 1

Tata feared to say more, and Vali dashed down the hill to
accept the challenge of his brother. When he stood before Sugriva
with the hill behind his back, he looked like the Man-lion who
came out of the massive column when it was struck by the great
and terrific Asura. They did not waste time in mere words, but
started to wrestle with each other with many a war-shout.

Rama who was ambushed behind a clump of trees close by
with Lakshmana, was amazed at their size and force, and said to
his brother,

' What oceans can we liken to their frames ?
What clouds ? What storms ? Or What deluging 2 fire ?
And can one universe hold two such clouds,
Deluges, storms, or frowning seas ? ' 3

But Lakshmana was then thinking of something else. He
said,

' Sugriva has

A Yama brought to end his brother : though
Their fight is worthy praise, my heart is pained
To see this fratricidal fight, and so
I cannot judge in calmness, brother ! '

1 v v 22-27.

2 The Fire of Hindu mythology which consumes the world during
the Deluge. (P)

s IV v 31.

174 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

He ceased.
But still his heart returned upon its theme,
And thus unburdened he his mind : ' They say
It is unwise to put our faith in those
That are unnatural : when he can harden
His heart against a brother, and fall on him
As on a foe, what can his loyalty
Be worth to strangers, brother ? ' 1

For this once even Kamban's Rama talks like a cynic. He
. began by asking,

' Can we expect ideal morals among
These foolish apes ? ' 2

But as Lakshmana's reference to brotherly love brought the
memory of Bharata, the ideal brother, to his mind, he added,
not without intending a slight hit at Lakshmana who in the
pride of his loyalty to Rama was unjust to Bharata,

' And then, my child, if all
Were like in their devotions to their brothers,
How can my Bharata be placed the first
I' th' list of loyal brothers ? ' 3

And then he continued thus :

'And
O hero of the well-developed arms
Which show like rocks armed with the banded bow, 4
Wherever thou go, the lovers of virtue are
But few ; the many love her not. We have
To take men as they are : and, brother, is there
A man of whom we can say, ' lo, here is
A man without a single flaw ? ' 5

1 IV v 32, 33. 2 IV v 34. 3 IV v 34.

* By this flattering epithet, Rama intends to heal the wound that
his previous words must have inflicted on the heart of Lakshmana.

5 IV v 35. Rama here hints that they themselves are engaged in a
questionable transaction at this very time, though he would not withdraw
■ from it now.

VALI & SUGRIVA 175

In the meantime Vali and Sugriva had well warmed to their
ifight. The poet describes the combat grandly, and we shall try
.to give some parts of that description to the reader :

They looked like two mammoths wrestling, like two rocks
dashing against each other, like two lions trying to tear each
other to pieces. Some time they stood facing each other with
steady feet, some time they whirled round and round each
other like a potter's wheel. The earth could not bear their
pressure when arm pressed against arm ; fire sparks were
thrown out when foot knocked against foot. Their quick
blows and guards and locks recalled the sheen of the lightning
in heaven. And they were like planets colliding with each
other in the sky.

We have not seen sea fronting sea, or mountain pit itself
against mountain, or Wrath taking shape and boiling, dividing
itself in two. Then what else can we compare their wrestling
to?

The fire burning in and dropping from their eyes burned
-the clouds and reduced rocks to a mass of ashes. The
mammoths of the cardinal points trembled for their lives,
the gods who had come to witness the fight fled away in

terror

Seeing them knock each other down unmindful of the
blood that was pouring from their bruises and wounds, the
bystanders wondered and asked each other, ' Are they
struggling in the sky or are they on the peak of the hill ?
Are they on the earth or are they gone beyond the universe ?
Or are they within our own eyes ? '

The smack of their arms cleaving the air like the tidal
waves on the stormy sea, was heard to the very ends of
the universe : the resonance of their fists striking at each
other's arms and chests resembled the full-mouthed thunder
of the Day of Dissolution.

When they struck with their fists on each other's chests,
it was like the hammer of the mighty-armed smith falling
on a massive piece of heated iron on the anvil. Veritable
sparks flew' from their iron chests thus struck.

They would press each other with their chests, aim kicks
at each other with their mighty legs, throw each other down
with force with their hands ; they would join each other and
knock each other down with fists, and uprooted trunks of
trees, and rocks. They would roar with wrath and glare at
•each other.

176 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

They would lift each other with their arms and throw
each other down, they would wet their hands in the blood
rushing from their blows, they would whirl round each other
like mighty kites flown in the wind, they would knit their
arms and body round each other, they would hug each other
and fall.

They would twist their tails round each other's bodies-
and draw them tight till the bones cracked and broke, they
would lock each other with their legs and slip from each
other's locks, they would pierce each other's bodies with their
lance-like claws, and leave cave-deep wounds upon each
other's mountain-huge bodies. *

At length Vali had the upper hand, and with all his force
aimed a blow against Sugriva which sent him flying into the air.
As Vali also had been terribly exhausted by the struggle he did
not pursue him, but stopped there and rested on the ground taking
breath. Sugriva limped on to where Rama was hiding and fell
at his feet. No words were needed from Sugriva to tell Rama
of his condition. Rama told him that he did not aim his arrow
during the late struggle as he could not distinguish between them
both, and asked him to wear a garland of flowers and resume the
fight, when, he said, distinguishing between the two he would
aim at Vali and bring him down.

So again Sugriva came and engaged with Vali who with a
superior smile — which but lightly concealed his frown terrifying
to the very God of Death — struck at his brother's life-spots with
all his might. Sugriva vomited blood, and blood flowed in torrents
from his eyes and nose and ears also. Unable to bear the
punishment, he looked towards the spot where Rama stood
concealed. But Vali, with the consciousness of certain victory
filling his heart, heartlessly followed up his success with further
knock-out blows. And then he gripped firmly Sugriva's neck
with one hand and his hip with the other, and lifting him sheer
poised himself to dash him with a terrific force upon the rock.

Just at that minute Rama, who was watching his opportunity
with his bent Kodanda, placed an arrow on the rest, drew back
the string and sent the dart flying with a mighty force. Says-
the poet,

Who can conceive the force of that fiery dart ?
Great Vali's frame which had the strength combined

1 IV v 36-38, 40-43, 45-48.

VALI & SUGRIVA 177

Of earth and water, fire and wind, was pierced
By it ev'n as is pierced a plantain ripe
By a sharp needle ! 1

Vali's strength failed. And he fell even as the Meru mountain
would fall uprooted on the Day of Dissolution by the whirlwind.
And as he fell, the grip of his hands loosened releasing Sugriva ;
but immediately he caught the feather side of the mortal arrow
with his hands and struggled with the added might of his hind
paws and tail in order to stop it from boring its way through his
adamantine frame. The very God of Death bowed his head in
admiration when he saw the force of his will and the might of
his limbs even at that moment. In his wrath at being thus
ambushed and shot at, he would wish to demolish the very vault
of the heaven, and attempt to rise in order to strike at it ; he
would think of destroying the world to its very bounds ; he would
plough the ground with his iron limbs and desire to bore the
earth down to its very root.

As the arrow was still boring into his body he would wonder
who could have sent that weapon against him. ' May it be the
Gods,' he would think to himself. But soon he would give up
that thought asking himself, 'have they the force to handle such
a missile ? ' Again he would ask himself who could it be ? And
smile at his inability to fix upon his assailant. And then he
would declare it must be the deed of one who has the power of
the Supreme Three. Again he would wonder,

' Is it the disc of Vishnu or the lance

Of blue-necked Dhurjati 2 ? Ev'n thunderbolt

Of Indra, and the lance of Kartikey

Whose point has bored through rocks, do lack the force

To pierce my chest ! What can it be, O what ? '

Again he struggled to pull it out saying to himself,

' There stands no bow that can this fell missile

Propel. Or, did a Rishi send it winged

With his curse ? ' 3

So saying he bent forward and then helping his paws and tail
with his jaw, drew it out sufficiently to see that it was only an
arrow. As soon as he saw it, he determined to draw it out
completely and see who aimed it against him, for all great warriors
carve their names upon their arrows in order to give their enemies

1 IV v 57. * Siva. 3 IV v 64, 65.

12

178 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

the chance of knowing by whom they were attacked and
challenging them if they so desire.

At length the hero of the dauntless heart

Drew out the arrow ; Gods and Asuras

Who saw that wondrous feat felt new force thrill

In their limbs : for who can help admiring strength ?

Out rushed the blood resounding even like

The sea in flood-tide ; and it flowed past rocks

And woods as if it wished to seek the sea.

Sugriva saw the blood out-rushing like

A mountain geyser from the rock-like chest

Of Vali : and he was much moved despite himself :

The tie of birth was stronger than his hate

Implacable, and so with scalding tears

Cascading from his eyes he fell upon

The ground senseless. 1

In his wrath Vali forgot his first thought and tried to break
the arrow, the head of which was still sticking in his body, but
it would not break even to his mighty hands. He now remembered
again his original intentions, and turned the portion that had
been drawn out towards his eyes in order to see whose name was
engraved upon its stem. And what did he see ?

He saw the name which is the Word, the seed

From which sprang all the worlds : the glory which gives

Its own self as the highest meed to those

Who meditate thereon : the healing drug

To th' ills incurable called earthly life :

He saw with 'is eyes the sacred mantra Ram —

Sweet to the eyes to see and ears to hear —

Carved on the dreadful dart. He saw and laughed

And blushed as thus he spoke : ' By birth of Ram

Who has disgraced the name of soldier and

His bow, great Surya's race, alas, has lost

Its name for Dharm which e'er was known to be

Its shield ! Is it for this he left his home

And took like saint or sage to forest life ? ' 2

Meantime his pain became more and more intense. Now his
head would fall limp on the ground. Now he would laugh an
explosive laugh. He would again fall to musing and say, ' perhaps

1 IV v 67-69. 2 IV v 71, 72.

VALI & SUGRIVA 179

ibis also may be an act of virtyie, who knows ? ' Now he would
roll in pain ' even as the elephant fallen into the trap-pit prepared
by the hunter, with the spear still sticking in his gigantic frame.'
And he asked himself,

'If he swerves from the right what cart we say of the

common run of men ? Verily he has acted worse than

myself.' J

But while he was saying these words aloud, He appeared,
whose name is always- mentioned the first in the list of righteous
men and kings and who incarnated himself as man in order to
«stablish righteousness on earth. Vali saw that form, looking as
if a blue cloud laden with rain had descended from the sky,
adorned with many a fresh-blown lotus, and with the rainbow
.gracing its body. And as he came near he looked him straight
in the face and addressed him these words frowning :

' O Rama, Fate indeed has blindly made

Thee son of him who threw away his life

For honour's sake and truth's ; but shouldst thou too

Have seen the light before the saintly Bharat ?

Thou punishest evil deeds : but do they cease

To be ill deeds when thou art thyself doer ? . . .

' Can any count thy blessings ? Learning, birth,

Beauty, and valour are all thine ; and thou

Art heir to a sceptre wielding power o'er all

The worlds ! And thou hast shown the strength and skill

Of thine arm even now : were all these given

To thee alone to bring eternal shame

Upon the name of Knight ? and thou art wise,

I've heard it said !

' All highly virtues come
By instinct to the children of thy race :
How then couldst thou this deed of shame commit ?
I fear thy mind has lost its balance, since
Thou didst from Jan'ka's swan-like daughter part,
Who was as life to thee and very soul !

' Now tell me, Ram, has Manu anywhere
Ordained that if a Rakshas parts thy wife
From thee, thou must at once destroy the king
Of apes ? Where's gone thy tenderness, O man ?

^ IV v 74.

ffcO KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And how have I offended* thee ? If thou
Should run thus after infamy, on whom
Should Glory shed her rays ?

' In all this wide
World ocean-girt, should th' Age of Iron dawn
Alone upon an ape ? Are equity
And right reserved alone for feeble ones ?
I did forget ; when Might committeth sin
Doth not the world bestow on it a crown ?

' And who can beat thy glory ? For thou gavest
A kingdom to thy brother at Ayodh !
And here in jungles wild, to balance that
Thou hast my kingdom on my brother here
As gift bestowed !

' Thou hast now thyself shown, O Ram, that power
Can work its will, unjust or just, secure :
But say, if thou art right in killing me,
Because thou couldst thy arrow aim unseen,
Canst thou at all the Rakshas king accuse
Of carrying off thy spouse by force or guile ?

' When two in duel stand engaged, the just
Regard them both with equal eye : but if
A man is moved towards one, and hid behind
A bush, does shoot the other down with sharp
And pointed arrows aiming at the heart,
Is it an act of Dharm ? — or something else ?

' It is not valour thou hast shown, or love
Of equity ; there is no feud betwixt
Thy house and mine ; my body did not press
Thy earth with its intolerable weight ; and sure
Thou wouldst not call thy sinful deed a deed
Of mercy : what then was in thy mind, O Ram ?

' If thou didst hanker after an ally
To fight the war against the Rakshas king,
What wisdom led thee turn thy back upon
The tusker roaming fearless o'er the wilds
And kneel thee down before a puny hare ?

' It is the moon alone that had a spot
Till now upon her face : the sun remained
A stainless globe of light. But thou hast ta'en

- VALI & SUGRIVA 181

"Thy birth in his thriite glorious house, and lo,
He beats the moon in, the blackness of his spot !

' Are not ashamed to show thy face as man
And warrior, who hast laid a trap for me,
And lying concealed behind a bush, hast aimed
A mortal dart against my chest, when I
But came to meet a foe that challenged me ?
Thy conduct gives the lie to the learning which
They say thou dost possess : thy deed has brought
Disgrace upon thy great forbears ! for, Man !
Thou hast not killed Vali, but hast destroyed
The fence that shields the seedling Dharm from ill !

' O fie on thee ! A foe has carried off
Thy spouse, while on thy idle shoulder lies
That bow mocking thy valour. Is't only good
In unfair fight concealed for shooting down
An unarmed foe ? ' 1

Thus did Vali address his bitter reproaches to Rama who was
standing before him calm and unperturbed the while Vali's words
were coming on like sharp-pointed arrows. When Vali had
exhausted all his sarcasms and invectives, Rama justified himself
as follows :

' When thou hadst gone after thy foe, O Vali, inside the
mountain cave, and days innumerable passed without any
trace of thee, Sugriva desired to follow thy footsteps and look
for thee ; but the councillors of thy state prevented him and
desired him to assume the crown. He protested that he must
fight and die ending the enemy that must have killed thee,
his brother, and that he would not think of ascending the
Vanara throne. But thy sage ministers and generals, and
ancients would not allow him to have his way, and crowned
him king of Kishkindha. When thou returnedest victorious,
he was glad, and he explained to thee how he came to sit
upon the throne. But thou got'st enraged and desired'st to
kill him though he prayed to thee as a suppliant to spare him.
Although he fled to countries far and wide, thou didst not take
pity on him who is thy own mother's son. It is only the
curse of the Rishi Matanga that checked thee from seeking
him on yonder hills where he had at length sought refuge.

1 IV v 76-84, 86-90.

182 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

. . . . ' Thou talkest of mercy and gentle birth and equity
and valour : depriving another of his wife — is it mercy ? Or
nobility of birth ? or justice ? or valour ? The arrogant
tyranny that fights without cause, and pitiless cruelty towards
the weak are the chief unpardonable crimes against the laws
of chivalry. And lust towards the wife of another is the
highest crime against Dharma. This is the conclusion of the
wise. Thou knowest the Dharma and understandeth what is
right and what is wrong. And still thou didst not care for
Dharma or the right. For if thou hadst cared, wouldst thou
have desired the dear wife. of thy brother? Because of all
this, and because thy brother has come to me a friend, dear
as life, I shot my dart at thee '. ' For,' concluded Rama,

' It is my ever-pressing vow to help

Th' oppressed, the poor, and those forlorn.' 1

Against this elaborate counter-attack Vali defended himself
thus :

' Brahma, O sire, has not ordained for us Vanaras the
same laws of marriage that he has established for you men,
amongst whom the chastity of women is a most cherished
possession. He has made us to mate as we please. There
is no marriage amongst us, nor conduct based on the Vedas,
but what comes out of our own inclination of the moment.
Where then have I offended against Dharma, O Rama ? ' 2
Rama now clinched his argument, repudiating the self-
justification of Vali in this wise :

' Thou call'st thyself a brute ; but as thou art
The son of Indra, king of gods, and canst
Distinguish right from wrong, who can accept
Thy specious words, unworthy of a king ?
'Tis not the body but the mind that rules
The moral life. Canst thou be called a brute
Ignoring right and wrong, who know'st the ways
Well-trodden by the wise of austerities ?
Can we that tusker class with brutes, who when
The savage crocodile did grip his leg
Called on the Lord Supreme, and for his trust
And love was blest with ever-lasting life ?

1 IV v 92-102. 2 IV v 104, 105.

VALI & SUGRIVA 183

And he, my noble father, who did fight,

Moved by his love of Dharm, to save my spouse

Lamenting in the enemy's chariot,

And falling has attained the hero's heaven,

Was not he born a vulture in form and shape ?

' They alone are brutes who know not right from wrong.

Hast thou not shown by words that have e'en now

Fall'n from thy mouth, that there is not a truth

In all the moral codes that thou ignor'st ?

If one cannot the right from wrong discern,

He is a brute though bearing human form.

But even brutes the wise look on as gods

When they do shape their life on Manu's laws.

By great devotion to the God * whose lance

Did quench the might of Yam, thou hast been blessed

With strength combined of all the elements four.

But many by their later sins do fall

From heights that good deeds once had earned for them :

While not a few there are who have retraced

Their steps from sin, and have become great saints

And even gods. So beings rise or fall

By their own deeds, or good or ill : thou know'st

This truth, and yet thou hast thy brother's house

To ruin brought and hast destroyed his peace ! ' 2

Vali was now convinced that he deserved to die for the great
and unpardonable wrong that he had done to his brother. But
being brave himself, and knowing Rama to be the very
embodiment of valour, he could not understand why Rama took
the cowardly expedient of shooting him unawares. So he asked
Rama,

' O thou of perfect rectitude, I grant all that thou hast

said : but why hast thou shot me, concealed behind a bush,

like a base and cruel hunter shooting down a beast ? ' 3

Rama had no real reply to this pertinent question. His action

could be explained to Vali only by a specious reason. 4 So Kamban

takes care that Rama does not answer this question himself, and

1 Shiva. 2 rv v 111-115. 3 IV v 116.

4 The real reason is that if Rama faced Vali, half his strength would
go over to Vali in accordance with the blessing he had received from
Shiva. So Rama could not use all his normal strength while Vali will
get a new accession of strength which would have successfully
prevented Rama's arrow from entering his body and killing him.

184 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

makes Lakshmana take it upon himself to reply to it. Lakshmana
said,

' When first thy brother refuge sought with us
From thy unrighteous rage, my brother swore
That he would send thee to the halls of Yam.
He feared that thou too, should he show his face
To thee, might haply wish to save thyself
And fall a suppliant at his feet ; 1 and so
It is that he concealed himself to aim
His dart at thee.' 2

The generous-hearted and, therefore, simple-minded Vali
questioned no further. He saw that Rama was the Lord of the
earth and heaven and felt that he could never do an unrighteous
act. So he bowed to Rama and thus addressed him :

thou who art th' embodiment of right !

From e'en the way that thou hast dealt with us

1 clearly see thy justice stern and love
To living kind as deep as is a mother's.
Forgive my sins, O Lord, and counting me
A mere ape, take not to heart the words

With which I thee reproached. O giver of good,
Who art the medicine rare that cures the ills
Of birth and death ! Thou hast thy arrow aimed
Against my chest, and at the point of death
Has given me jnan. Thou art the One Supreme,
Thou art Three in One, thou art the All :
What else there is, e'en art thou ! Both Sin
Thou art and Dharm, and foe thou art, and friend !
Is there a Dharma other than thy dart
Which has destroyed the blessings given by Shiv
And other gods, and pierced from front to back
My powerful chest ? Great Shiva blesses all
By power acquired by only saying thy name.
Now what is hard for me to get, when I
Behold thy holy self in flesh and blood ?
Sages have said that thou art everything

i The reader will remember Rama's sentiments as regards suppliants
expressed in his speech in the Vanara council when Vibhishana came to
seek refuge. Lakshmana's idea is that if Vali should have fallen at
Rama's feet he would have been in a dilemma — whether to kill Vali and
make good his solemn oath to Sugriva or to save Vali and falsify it

2 IV v 117.

VALI & SUGRIVA 185

And all, and Time, and fruit that Time evolves :

The world's the flower, and thou the scent thereof.

Can heaven escape me now that I have seen

Thyself with fleshly eyes ? Thee I have seen

Who art but Dharma in human shape : what more

Is there for me to see ? And all the sins

That I have done from ancient days up to

This moment — all are burnt away today !

Is there a better good that brother can

To brother do ? Sugriv has brought thee here

To kill me with thy dart, which straight does take

Me to the realms of heaven, leaving him

The tasteless, empty crown of an earthly realm.

' Permit me now, O Ram, to make to thee
A dying prayer : if he, my brother, errs,
His mind confused by drink, aim not at him,
I pray with joined hands, the death that's named
Thy dart that thou hast aimed at me. And see
That thy own brothers point not the finger of scorn
Against Sugriv for having brought about
My death : for thou hadst thyself sworn to right
His wrongs ; and how could he be charged for deeds
That flow therefrom as effects from their cause ?

' For other things, O victor, though unblessed,

That fortune might yet have been mine to place

Before thee Ravan tied unto my tail,

And show thee all my little monkey tricks.

Alas, e'en this has been denied to me.

But what avails it now to think of all

That might have been ? Let's think alone of that

Which might yet be : if thou desire the king

Of Lanka to be brought to thee o'er here

In chains tied hand and foot, or anything

Impossible for others to attempt,

Behold this Hanuman, he will fulfil

Thy every hest. Look on this hero, Lord,

As a bow ready bent in thy own hand.

Look on my brother as thine ; nowhere canst find

Allies like unto these. Pursue, therefore,

O Ram, thy search for Sita fair, thy queen.' 1

a IV v 119-130.

186 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

He ceased ; and then calling Sugriva to his side he advised
him thus :

' Remember, and doubt not, Sugriva, that the Supreme
One declared by the Vedas, Rishis, Brahma himself and
the Shastras, has incarnated Itself and walks the earth as
Rama in order to re-establish Righteousness here below.
It is on his name that those meditate who desire lasting
good. If proof thou wantest, is not the fact that he has
been able to wound me mortally itself sufficient proof ?
When even those who die by his dart attain the highest
heaven, though they might have been committing all the
deadly sins, and all the days of their lives, how can we
measure the good that will be the portion of those who
serve him with love ? . . . Yield not to the temptations
natural to our kind, but remember with gratitude the help
that he has given thee, and help him in thy turn even to
the extent of thy life. Obey his every command implicitly,
and attain Eternal Life. Forget not thyself in the pleasures
of thy palace, but remember that kings are like fire : think
not they would forgive one when one sins against them.' 1

After thus admonishing Sugriva, Vali turned to Rama and
said,

' O son of the king of kings, I here consign
To thy protection and paternal care
Sugriva here and all his kin ! '

Angada, the son of Vali, then came from his hill sent for
by Sugriva at Vali's request. When he saw his father lying in
the sea of his own blood, he fell on his body, ' even as a star
of tiny magnitude falling upon the full-orbed moon,' and
lamented loud. But Vali embraced and consoled him saying,

' It is for my own good, child, that Rama has done this
to me. Birth and death come inevitable to all who live
in the three worlds. It is because I have earned great merit
by my austerities that this end has come to me, and Rama
who stands as the Eternal Witness in the hearts of all has
come to me in person and given me salvation. Now give
up thy childhood thoughts, my boy, and if thou wouldst
learn, behold, the One Truth than which no higher does

I IV v 132-134, 136, 137.

VALI & SUGRIVA 18?

exist has come down to earth in flesh and blood for our
eyes to see, and stands before us, Its feet touching the ground.
Worship thou therefore Him, my child, as the medicine to
the Illusion-bred disease of birth ! Think not ever that He
has wrought my death, but work for thy salvation by serving
Him, and if he has wars to wage, aid him with all thy might
and fight his battles for him.' 1

He finished, and embracing him once again, he addressed
Rama and said,

' Behold this only child of mine, O Lord !

He loveth Dharm, but is a consuming fire

To the stubble called the black-skinned Rakshas race.

I leave him to thy tender care, O Ram ! ' 2

Angada then fell at Rama's feet, and Rama as a token of
his accepting the pledge handed to him his sword. Seeing that,
the seven worlds shouted for joy.

Vali was now perfectly happy. He saw his boy accepted by
Rama, and himself, as having fallen by Rama's hand, was sure
of salvation. He had therefore nothing more to desire or say.
And so, even with the sight of Rama blessing Angada, his soul
passed away in peace.

Vali is a grand creation of Valmiki. His strength and
stature, valour and self-confidence, love and hate, and last great
repentance, have been drawn by Valmiki in firm outline. His
reproof of Rama is scathing and true to life. But Rama being
nothing more than a great king to Valmiki, he has not hesitated
to put specious arguments and cruel and unfeeling expressions -
in the mouth of Rama when replying to the invectives of Vali.
Bhaskara, the Telugu poet, has closely followed Valmiki in the
relation of the incidents as well as in the speeches of Vali and
Rama. As this is one of the finest of ghattas 3 in both Valmiki
and Kamban, each poet endeavouring to give the reader the best
that he is capable of, we extract in Appendix II 4 the vital

» IV v 146-149. 2 iv v 151.

3 Episodes.

* Aiyar had not provided the extracts, or at least the manuscripts
which have come to us do not contain them. We have done our best
in the circumstances and have provided in the Appendix as copious
extracts as may be necessary. Aiyar appears to have contemplated a
comparison between Kamban and Tulsidas as well, for we find in his
rough manuscripts translations of extracts from Tulsidas's Ramayana

188 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

portions of this episode in Valmiki's Ramayana, so that the
reader might see for himself in detail what Kamban takes from
his original, and what he makes of it. We shall, therefore,
content ourselves here with pointing out and comparing only the
salient features of the episodes in the two authors.

In the first place Valmiki has made a comparatively long
time to elapse between the first and second engagements of the
brothers. In Valmiki, after the first engagement, Sugriva flies
far into the hill of refuge, whither Rama and others follow him.
This compels Valmiki to put piteous words in the mouth of
Sugriva from the effect of which even the genius of Kamban has
not been able to rescue his character. Griffith thus translates
Sugriva's condition and words as given by Valmiki:

Then, for intolerable shame,
Not daring yet to lift his eyes,
Sugriva spoke with burning sighs :
' Thy matchless strength I first beheld,
And dared my foe, by thee impelled :
Why hast thou tried me with deceit
And urged me to a sure defeat ?
Thou shouldst have said, ' I will not slay
Thy foeman in the coming fray.'
For had I then thy purpose known
I had not waged the fight alone.'

The Vanar sovereign lofty-souled,
In plaintive voice his sorrows told ....

The reader will remember Kamban's description of
Sugriva's defeat after showing equal valour and almost equal
strength. Contriving the situation in the fashion that he has

under the heading ' Appendix '. But as Aiyar had not in his final manu-
scripts made any reference to Tulsidas anent this episode we refrain from
publishing that Appendix.
The appendix begins :

"This episode of Vali has not been well handled by Tulsidas.
The reader has seen how much poetry Valmiki has introduced into
this episode and how much of heroism and pathos and other rasas
Kamban has embellished it with. By the side of these, Tulsidas's Vali
vadha upakhyana looks callow indeed. We shall give hereunder the
vital portions of it in order to satisfy the curiosity of the reader : "
After comparing extensively with the supreme Valmiki it appears
pointless to compare again with Tulsidas, which may be why Aiyar finally
discarded the appendix. (P)

VALI & SUGRIVA 189

done, he has avoided the necessity of putting any words, which
must necessarily be weak and feeble, in the mouth of the future
king of the Vanaras. It is Rama, in his story, that explains to
him on seeing him in his exhausted condition, why he did not
aim his arrow against Vali. So also in the second fight after
the interval, Sugriva in Kamban only looks in the direction where
Rama was standing.

When Sugriva challenges Vali for the fight, and Tara trie&
to dissuade Vali from accepting the challenge, Valmiki makes
Vali hear her words to the very end. And he dismisses her
reference to Rama only with these words :

' Nor, O my love, be thou dismayed
Though Rama lend Sugriva aid ;
For one so pure and duteous, one
Who loves the right, all sin will shun.'

But see how Kamban's keen sense of the dramatic makes
Vali interrupt Tara as soon as she says that Sugriva has got an
ally who would conquer Vali for him. And how cleverly again
Kamban makes his Vali cut short her words at her mere mention
of the name of Rama as the ally she spoke of in the beginning !
The zealous and passionate defence of Rama by Vali to his wife
at once increases Vali's moral stature and intensifies the tragedy
of the situation. For while on the one hand Vali admires Rama's
grandeur of soul in parting with his crown to Bharata, looks
upon him as the mighty hero who requires none to help him,
and enthusiastically declares him to be the very Avatar of
Dharma and a sea of mercy, on the other hand Rama is full of
rancour and hatred against Vali and stands ready ambushed to
kill him by treachery.

Again, just *as a great musician conscious of his powers
would keep his hearers in suspense by interposing between them
and the climax that they are expecting, a surprise avritta, 1
perfect in itself and satisfying to the ear in spite of the delay
in the expected crescendo, so Kamban introduces an aside
between Rama and Lakshmana before he would allow the reader
to see the fight of Vali and Sugriva and hear Vali's reproof and
subsequent exoneration of Rama. In that little conversation of
the brothers, Kamban displays all the art and skill of the Hoysala

i a musical paragraph.

190 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

.sculptor in the carving of the tiny elephant in the Hoysalesvara
temple at Halebid. 1

The wrestling of Vali and Sugriva is more elaborately
described in Kamban than in Valmiki. The reader's interest
is kept keyed up to the highest pitch from beginning to end
of the whole fight, and though he expects Rama to shoot Vali
down, the description of the last grip of Vali makes him almost
believe that soon all will be over with Sugriva. Compare
Valmiki's description,

Then Rama saw Sugriva quail,

Marked his worn strength -grow weak and fail,

Saw how he turned his wistful eye

To every quarter of the sky.

His friend's defeat he could not brook,

Bent on his shaft an eager look,

Then burned to slay the conquering foe,

And laid his arrow on the bow

with Kamban's description of the final step of the fight where
he presents the reader with the picture of Vali lifting Sugriva
bodily up, and poising himself to dash him upon the rock.
Kamban takes care to avoid the impression of slowness in the
. action which the last four lines of the above quotation give.

The struggle of Vali with the arrow, in Kamban, culminating
with the line ' for who can help admiring strength ' 2 is one
of the finest word-paintings ever painted in literature of sheer
physical force and might. And note his art which by delaying
the appearance of Rama sharpens the curiosity of the reader as
to what Vali will say to him when he sees him, while at the
same time delighting the reader to the full with his majestic,
slow-moving, cinematograph-like picture of Vali's struggle with
Rama's dart. This is higher art than that of Valmiki who
interposes no action, let alone action that captures all the
attention of the reader, between Vali's fall and Rama's
appearance, and satisfies himself merely with a description of
the ornaments and physical appearance of the great Vanara.

Even Rama's appearance before Vali, how finely Kamban

i The elephant is carved in perfect proportions, though a bean will
cover the whole carving. It will be found in the southern face of the
temple. Halebid is in Hassan district in Mysore State.

2 IV v 67 ; see page 178.

VALI&SUGRIVA 191

stage-manages It, introducing it first with the reading of the
name by Vali, and then with his' soliloquy over the treachery
of Rama, and lastly completing the picture by again reminding
the reader of Vali's condition which was ' even as an elephant
fallen into the trap-pit prepared by the hunter, with the spear
.still sticking in his gigantic frame.' 1 We shall also bring to the
notice of the reader, another master-stroke of the poet deliberately
introduced with a deep underlying purpose, but which looks as
if it was merely flourished into the canvas by a lucky accident
or as the result of an over-exuberant fancy. We refer to the
swooning away of Sugriva at the sight of the blood flowing from
Vali's wound. By this one little stroke Kamban has to a large
extent redeemed the blackness of' Sugriva's treachery to his
brother.

For he desires that Sugriva, the sworn ally and brother
and constant companion of Rama in the future, should bear
as white a character as can possibly be given to him without
doing violence to the main incidents of the story as given
by Valmiki.

Vali's speech attacking Rama is so exhaustive in Valmiki
that Kamban finds himself obliged to use most of the arguments
and turns out of it. The ideas in the verses from line 14 of Vali's
first speech up to line 42 alone 2 seem to be his original contri-
butions to the arguments and attacks of Vali. But the reader
will notice that while, in Valmiki, Vali's speech is rambling and
lacking in order, in Kamban it is certainly more cogent, and rises
in intensity gathering new force to itself as it unrolls itself until
the final taunt is delivered.

But what is most worthy of remark in the colloquy in Kamban
is the greater dramatic skill displayed by the poet from beginning
to end, and the high moral tone that pervades the replies of Rama.
In Valmiki, as we have remarked before, Rama's arguments are
specious. He declares himself to be the Deputy of Bharata, and
the executor of his orders. He says,

' We now, as Bharat had decreed,

Toil each sinner to repress ....
Now Bharat rules with sovereign sway,
And we his royal word obey ....

i IV v 73.

2 See pages 179, 180— lines beginning " I fear thy mind has lost '
4o " And kneel thee down before a puny hare ".

192 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And we, chastising those who err

His righteous doom administer ....

We

Obey our king and are not free.' ....

The second and final argument of Valmiki's Rama — that he,.
as a kshattriya, was quite at liberty to kill, in whatever manner
he pleased, Vali — who was no more than a monkey — lacks
tenderness and truth, and is unworthy of the character of Rama.

But in Kamban, the argument is based on indisputable grounds
of morality. Vali in the pride of his strength and power was
pursuing his innocent brother with the object of killing him and
besides had deprived him of his wife. ' Therefore ' says Rama,
' I shot my dart at thee. For,

It is my ever-pressing vow to help
Th' oppressed, the poor, and those forlorn.' l

Vali's defence of his conduct with regard to his brother's wife-
and Rama's reply thereto are Kamban's contributions to the story.
Rama's reply is grandly conceived. In his allusion to Jatayus,
the poet gives us an exquisite blend of the Vira and Karuna
rasas. 2

Vali now admits that Rama is justified in punishing him with
death. But why is it that he, a warrior and lover of Dharma, did
take to the cowardly expedient of ambushing him and then aiming
his dart at him ? As we have remarked before, there is no real
justification for it except expediency. Vali is blessed with the
Ttnagic capacity of drawing to himself one half of the force and
powers of any opponent that would face him, and God himself
may not take away the fruits of austerities earned by any being —
virtuous or vicious. And hence Rama circumvents the boon
conferred upon Vali by Shiva by shooting him without coming
before him. So by making Lakshmana reply to Vali's question,
Kamban has saved Rama from the dilemma of either speaking an
untruth or admitting a limitation to his powers. 3

1 IV v 102. Also see pages 181 and 182.

2 The heroic and pathetic emotions.

3 Monsieur KICHENASSAMY, writing in the Hind (see page 152),
also alludes to the Vali Episode ; and we quote certain extracts below
which accord surprisingly closely with Aiyar's sentiments :

"Si j'ai pu faire rialiser a met auditeurs la conception reelle de Rama.
selon KarabaN, je pourrai raaintenant aborde'r. avec fruit, l'une des questions-

VALI & SUGRIVA 193

The conversation between Tara and Vali, beautiful as it is
from the point of view of dramatic construction, serves a .subtler
purpose in the hands of Kamban. As we have already remarked
above, it impresses the reader with the super-normal physical
prowess of the Vanara king and the grandeur of his soul iri
defending a great man from the slander of his own wife. But
Kamban in the same conversation and the subsequent march of
the episode is also slowly preparing a justification for Rama's
action. The reference by Vali to his immense prowess and magical
capacity ' mentioned by us above aims at making the reader think
that perhaps even Rama could not have killed Vali if he should
have faced him. And if Vali must be killed for his crimes against
Sugriva, as the reader like Vali himself must agree after Rama's
justification, what has Rama to do except shoot at him from
behind a cover without facing him ? But at the same time, see
how Kamban takes care that Vali does not say that this magical
power would work against Rama also. It is after his reference
to his magical power that Tara mentions Rama's name, and
naturally one would expect Vali to say that that magic would
cover Rama's case as well. But the careful Kamban does not
put these words into his mouth. For he wants to leave the
capacity of Rama to fight face to face with Vali an open question,

les plus delicates du Ramayana, le meurtre de Vali, et confronrer en toute
objectivite les arguments fournis par Valmiki et KambaN.

Vali qui De s'attendait pas a cette agression reconnut la la fleche de
Rama et dans l'agonie se mit a proferer de violentes injures.

Ce a quoi le Rama de Valmiki repond en ces termes:u Je vous ai tut
ainsi farce que vous n'avez pas rtspecti le Darma de vos ancetres ; la punitien que
je vous ai infligee est equitable a tout point de vue ; les hommes emplaient divers
en fins pour attraper Its animaux et comme veus etes un singe, je peux vous tuer
n'importe comment. >) Or, ces arguments ne tiennent pas iacilement debout
d'autant plus qu'il est assez difitcile de determiner de Vali et de Sukrlva
lequel a vraiment tort. Pourrait-on vraiment soutenir que le cadet n'a point
voulu usurper le trdne de son frere, car, comme le fait remarquer Subramaniya
Moudaliar, il eut ete plus logique de sa part de faire couronner roi le fils de
Vali plutot que soi-meme lors de la disparition de ce dernier.

Mais chez KambaN la reponse est nette : c'est Sukrlva qui d'abord
implora le secours de Rama et une fois la promesse faite il s'agissait avant tout
de la tenir. Or, si Rama se presentait en personne devant Vali ce dernier
pourrait k son tour se refugier a ses pieds et Rama, de par son principe, se
verrait contraint de manquer a sa promesse."

• l In Valmiki, as the reader will see in the Appendix, Vali' makes no
such reference to it in his speech to Tara. '

18

194 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

being satisfied with the impression in the mind of his reader that
possibly the Vara 1 of Vali would have enabled him to withstand
the force of Rama's dart if Rama had appeared before him.

The last words of Vali in Kamban, again, convert the ordinary
hero of Valmiki into a being endowed with supreme moral
grandeur. In Valmiki, Vali's words on behalf of Angada and Tara
crowd out his generous gift of his might-bestowing garland to
Sugriva, and the reader does not get poetically impressed with
Vali's grandeur of soul in bestowing the gift on his late enemy
instead of on his own son. But in Kamban, every word of Vali
after his acknowledgement of his sins is calculated to increase
his moral stature. Vali's addresses to Sugriva and Angada and
Rama are a masterly study of how the clarified soul will look
upon the affairs of the world after attaining jnana. He not only
exonerates his brother of his murder, but looks upon him as one
who helped him to attain the highest salvation. He recommends
him tenderly to Rama. The manly pathos of his reference to the
help that he could and would have rendered to Rama had fate
been kind to him is a beautiful touch of the poet. And then it
is a grand stroke to make Vali recommend Hanuman to Rama.
While on the one hand it raises the character of Vali in pardoning
Hanuman for his disloyalty against himself, 2 on the other hand
it makes us think highly of, and start with a decided partiality
for the Vanara whom Vali regards as his own equal in strength
and valour. This reference is a fitting introduction to Hanuman's
grand exploits in the Fifth and Sixth Books of the Poem, and it
is in the fitness of things that Vali is made to extol his great
powers.

The reader may have noticed that Kamban's Vali does not,
as Valmiki's Vali does, recommend Tara to Rama or Sugriva. He
does not even see and console Tara who comes on the scene only
after his death. But the ending of Vali in Kamban is so dramatic
and satisfying to the poetic sense that the mind does not inquire
why Kamban did not make Vali see and speak to Tara before he
passed away.

i The blessing given by gods to beings with whose devotions and
austerities they are pleased.

2 i.e., by joining Sugriva in his exile and aiding and abetting him in
the bringing about of Vali's death.

CHAPTER XII

HANUMAN

Today Hanuman holds a unique place among Hindu gods and
heroes. Temples dedicated to his godhead are scattered all over
India. Miracles are performed in his name. Scholars meditate
on his powers for years, and as a result of that meditation attain
intellectual powers unimaginable by people belonging to the
younger civilization of the West. 1 Ramadas, the Guru of Shivaji,
imagined himself to be an incarnation of Hanuman and dotted
the whole of Maharashtra with temples built to his divinity. The
orthodox Hindu still believes that Hanuman is even today living
in his own identical body, and that when this Kalpa 2 ends and
another Kalpa begins, he will be appointed by the Supreme as
the regent of the Brahmaloka and creator of the universe. We
shall in this chapter study the character and exploits of this
great hero of the Ramayana as our poet has developed them:

The most outstanding feature of Hanuman's character is his
devotion to Rama. At the very first sight of Rama and Lakshmana
— at the time that he comes to find out who they might be — -as
they were wandering on the slopes of the Rishyamuka hill, his
heart melts with love for them. He feels as one who unexpectedly
falls in with friends from whom he had parted long before.

' How even tigers and pards,' he thought within himself,
' look on them with tenderness, even as they would on their
own cubs ! Peacocks and other birds fly in groups and shade
the delicate bodies of these strangers from the hot rays of
the sun with their great wings : clouds cool them with their
little rain drops, marching over them as they walk on. The
burning stones on their way become soft and cool as honey-
dripping flowers to their feet at every step. Even trees and
plants worship them, bending down their heads when they
come near. Are they Dharma's self ? Are these beings gods
indeed who wipe off the sorrows of living kind and give them

i The late Tiruppati Kavi, the great Shatavadhani * and poet of
Andhradesha, is said to have attained his phenomenal memory and
poetic gifts by meditating on this great servant of Rama.

(* Shatavadhani — one who could concentrate his mind on a

hundred topics at the same time.)

196 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

salvation, burning away the inevitable fruits of their deeds ?
My very bones melt, the flood-gates of love are opened within
my heart, and I see no limit or end to the affection that surges .
within me towards them ! ' 1

He nears Rama and Lakshmana, disguised as a Brahman
youth, and impresses Rama greatly with his modest bearing and
his replies to his questions. After listening to but a few words
of his, Rama says to Lakshmana,

' It appears that there is no knowledge, brother, that this

young man has not acquired. He looks a very ocean of Vedic

lore. Who can he be, this childe of the eloquent tongue ?

May he be Brahma or may he be Shiva ? ' 2

As he took leave of Rama after this short interview, promising

to bring Sugriva to him, Hanuman fell at his feet. Rama

protested that being a Brahman he should not have fallen down

at his feet. But Hanuman, ' who was born to save Dharma from

her loneliness,' told him that he was only a Vanara ; and intending

to show Rama his capacity to serve him, he stood assuming his

own proper shape. Even the Meru mountain appeared too small

to be compared to his high and mighty shoulders. Seeing his vast

size and superhuman strength, Rama spoke to his brother these

words about Hanuman :

' Even that perfection which cannot be expressed by the
Vedas, or even perceived by the uncorrupted jnana, has
descended to this earth, brother, taking the shape of a Vanara.
We have won this grand hero for a friend, and the omens are
good : vanished now are all our sufferings, and days of
happiness are dawning for us. And think of the greatness
of the king of the Vanaras who has such a hero to obey his
every hest.' 3

As Hanuman is on his way to Sugriva after seeing them, his
mind is incessantly dwelling on their noble features and nobler
virtues. And when he sees his master, he cannot contain himself,
but says to him,

' O sire, We are blessed indeed, beyond measure, both

myself and thy race ! For the Yama is come who has the

force to destroy Vali : we have crossed the sea of misery ! ' *

and he dances for joy, ' even like the God who drank the poison *

to save mankind.'

l IV ii 12-15. 2 IV ii 20. 3 IV ii 36, 37.

4 IV ii 40. 5 Shiva.

HAtttTMAtt *' 197

With every minute, however, his love and admiration for
Kama go on differentiating themselves from his love and
admiration for Lakshmana, and he adds to the former another
emotion, namely that of Bhakti. 1 His attraction to Rama finally
becomes as inevitable as the attraction of iron to the magnet.
His whole heart fills itself quickly with the image of Rama to the
exclusion of almost any other. He can never from now on speak
of Rama in the language of moderation. For he has come to
believe Rama to be greater than the Trinity — he believes him to
be the Ultimate Brahman Itself. So in the course of the same
account to Sugriva of his meeting with the Men, he says,

' Rama is Vishnu himself worshipped by the Devas : for
what man could have killed Maricha who came disguised as
a magic deer ? ' 2

Hanuman's belief in the divinity of Rama was further
confirmed by the incident of Sampati which we shall relate here.
After the death of Vali and the ending of the rainy season, Sugriva
assembled his Vanara forces and sent them all over the earth to
search for Sita. Hanuman marched south under the command
of Angada, the son of Vali. After a great many adventures his
party reached the promontory of Mahendra abutting itself into
the channel between India and Lanka. Sita had not been
discovered so far, and now the ocean barred their further advance.
The time of one month fixed by Sugriva for them to return with
their task accomplished was fast drawing to a close, and they
were filled with despair and sorrow at not having discovered her.
While they stood on the hill discussing whether they should take
their lives there on account of their failure or should return to
Kishkindha and report their ill-success to their king, Hanuman
said, ' we must rather pursue our search and fall like Jatayus who
gave up his life in defence of Sita ! ' Sampati, who was a brother
of Jatayus, was living on that hill with his wings burnt out, in
the hope that somebody might come there and repeat the name
of Rama, when alone, the Sun-God had told him, his wings would
grow again for flight. When he heard Hanuman speak of Jatayus
as dead, he walked to where the Vanaras were holding their
council and full of grief asked them how Jatayus had died. When
Hanuman told him that he had died by the sword of Ravana, the
great vulture king wept pathetically and asked him why they
had fought with each other. But when Hanuman replied that h»

1 Devotion. 2 TV ii 49.

198 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

fell while trying to rescue Sita while she was being carried off
by Ravana, the grief of Sampati was turned to joy, and he
exclaimed,

' Thrice blessed is my brother, O son of Truth,
Who gave his life in cause of holy Ram !
If in defence of Rama's spouse my brother
Was killed, how can we say, he died ? He has
Attained immortal fame, and life that knows
No death. When he did earn the love of Ram,
Who's great as Righteousness itself, he earned
A glory that does rarely come to men,
Or gods. What matters now if he is dead ?
What joy is greater than what is now his ? ' 1

He then desired the Vanara heroes to repeat in chorus with
devotion the name of Rama. They repeated ; when lo, his wings>
grew to their original size and strength. He told them the
Daedalus-Icarus-like story of himself and his brother, how in the
pride of their youth and strength they rose sheer into the sky to.
explore the Svarga, how the Sun-God grew wroth at their
presumption and concentrated his rays upon them, how in order
to save his younger brother Jatayus he, Sampati, flew over and
protected him from the burning rays while his own wings were
being singed and burnt, and how the Sun-God at length took pity
on him and blessed him saying that his wings would grow when
the Vanaras, who would in due course of ages come in search of
Sita, would repeat the holy name of Rama in his hearing. After
thus detailing to them the story of himself and Jatayus, Sampati
told them that he had actually seen Ravana carrying away Sita in
his chariot, and that she was at the moment actually in Lanka,
beyond the sea. He then spoke to them of the dangers of the
deep and the prowess of Ravana, and suggested to them that one.
of them might try, if possible, to cross over to Lanka and ascertain
everything ; and if that should not be possible they should return
to give the information to Rama. So saying, he spread his wings
for flight and flew away to assume the guardianship of the
Vultures now left without a king by the death of Jatayus.

When Hanuman saw the Vulture's wings, singed ages before,
grow by the mere hearing of Rama's name, Hanuman's belief in
Rama's divinity increased a hundredfold, and required only the

1 IV xiii 43-45.

H A N U M A N 199

sight of Sita at her bowery prison to become absolute. So much
so that when after seeing Sita, and after destroying the Rakshasas
whom he had provoked, he was captured by Indrajit and was
brought before Havana, and Ravana asked him,

' Art thou Narayana, or wielder fierce

Of the thunderbolt, 1 or he of the triple lance ? 2

Or Brahma ? Or the cobra bearing high 3

The earth ?

Thou must be one of them in disguise come ! ' 4

Hanuman replied without hesitating :

' I'm none of those that thou hast named e'en now :

Nor do I serve such puny beings as these.

Know me as messenger of Him whose eyes

Are even as the blood- red lotus, who

Stands pledged to save from bonds of ill and good

Rishls and Gods, and e'en the Three Supreme . . .

He is the God Supreme, th'- embodiment

Of Dharm Itself, whose nature absolute

Even the Vedas have not power to sound ;

Who in the hoary ages past came down

To save the elephant who called aloud

' O Lord Supreme, I trust myself to thee ! '

Know that the Ultimate Cause that has no first

Or last or middle, or time or measure that bounds,

Has thrown away the lance and disk and pot

And armed Itself with bow and murd'rous dart,

And leaving sea and flower, and Silver Hill

Has come to show itself in fair Ayodh.' 5

What wonder is there that, believing as he does Rama to be
the Supreme God, Hanuman should love and serve him as a
devoted servant ? From the moment that he has decided for
himself that Rama is God, Hanuman lives for him and him alone.
He has no other interest in the world except the service of Rama.
Rama's friends and relations are his own friends and relations,
and Rama's enemies are his own foes.

And when Rama blessed him with his love and affection, and

1 Indra. 2 Shiva. 3 Adishesh.

4 V xiii 70. 5 V xiii 74, 75, 79, 80.

200. SAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

made it known to him, among other ways, by taking him apart
(when the Vanaras were being commissioned to go in different
directions in search of Sita) and entrusting to him his most
intimate message to Sita, Hanuman's enthusiasm for Rama's
service knew no bounds. So, as the reader will remember, he
joyfully accompanied Angada to the Southern Ocean.

The Vanaras were glad that they had obtained some reliable
information from Sampati about the whereabouts of Sita. But
' who could cross the sea and enter Lanka ? Nila and other leaders
said that they had not the strength to attempt the feat. Angada
said that he could by a supreme effort cross over to Lanka, but
that he could not after that trust himself to recross the ocean
back to the mainland. Jambhavan the Nestor of the Ramayana
both in years and wisdom, excused himself saying that his feet
had become too delicate for such superhuman efforts ever since
they stumbled against the Meru mountain, the while he walked
round the earth announcing by beat of drum the glories of the
Lord on the day, ages before, that He measured the earth and
heaven as Trivikrama. But he addressed Hanuman and reminded
him thus of his prowess and his great qualities :

' O thou whose days will longer last than life

Of Brahm himself ! Thou art a scholar subtle

And wise, of unsurpassed eloquence.

The ~very God of Death doth tremble when

Thy wrath is roused : such is thy strength renowned !

Nor fire, nor air, nor water can destroy,

Nor weapons scathe thy mighty frame. And who

Is there we can compare to thee ? For thou

Alone can rival thyself. If thou spring

From here, thou canst with ease alight upon

The outer universe

Thou canst expand and equal Meru mount

In size : if thou desire, thou canst enter

Within the space minute that doth divide

One line of falling rain from its fellow ....

Even if all the worlds do stand opposed

Thou canst withstand their might, unknowing fear . . .

Thou stand'st firm-based on justice, chastity,

And truth — thy heart unagitated stands

For ever free from thoughts of sex

So cross the sea (thou hast the proper strength

HA HUM AN 20i:

And force t' achieve that dreaded task), and give
Us back our lives, and earn for thyself fame,
And for thy king the joy of pleasing Ram ! ' *

Here, in the words of Jambhavan, we have all the noble traits
of the Vanara enumerated by the poet. Hanuman's might and
physical prowess are unequalled. The reader will call to mind
his fights with Indrajit and Kumbhakarna which we have
described in the chapters dealing with these Rakshasas and their
battles. He will not also have forgotten how Hanuman flies over
to Mount Meru from Lanka in order to bring the Sanjivi plant,
and how he plucks the hill itself by the roots and carries it in his
hand. The Hindu wrestler and gymnast even today meditates
on him and his prowess, and sings his praises before he begins
his daily exercises. Hanuman, again, is the eternal bachelor,
preserving the strength of his body and the purity of his heart
and chastity of mind for noble achievements and fame, and the
service of his divine master.

Hanuman did not speak about his prowess — he was, as it
were, unconscious of it — till Jambhavan suggested to him that
he was the only fit person to cross to Lanka and return with news
of Sita. But when he heard the words of Jambhavan, already
filled as he was with his unbounded enthusiasm for the service
of Rama, he became conscious of his powers and thus proclaimed
his determination and his confidence :

' Do you command me to uproot the isle
Of Lanka yonder, and place it 'fore you here ?
Do you command me to destroy the brood
Of sinful Rakshasas and fly to Ram
With Sita freed ? Behold I will obey
Your every hest. I'll cross the ocean stream
Of a hundred yojans 2 with a single step,
Ev'n as the Lord Trivikram strode the worlds !
And I will tame the wicked Rakshasas
Though gods should fight upon their side. Each one
Of you has got the force, within a trice
To leap the oceans seven, subdue the worlds,
\ And Sita lead to Ram, where'er she is

Kept imprisoned. So who is blessed like me

1 IV xvi 9-12, 14, 15, 19. 2 One yojan = 36 miles 3 furfgng^.

202 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Who am commissioned by such worthy heroes

To do this task and show my skill to them.

Ev'n if the ocean burst its bounds and stride

Along with terrific roar t' engulf the worlds,

E'en then, your blessings and my Ram's commands

Would lift me up as wings on either flank,

And I could fly across like Garud great !

So give me leave, O friends, and wait for me

Upon this hill till I return, my task

In yonder isle fulfilled.' *

In Valmiki also Hanuman speaks of his own prowess after
Jambhavan's encomium of himself. Griffith translates his speechi
thus :

' The Wing-God, Fire's eternal friend,

Whose blasts the mountain summits rend,

With boundless force that none may stay,

Takes where he lists his viewless way.

Sprung from that glorious father, I

In power and speed with him may vie,

A thousand times with airy leap

Can circle loftiest Meru's steep :

With my fierce arms can stir the sea,

Till from their beds the waters fiee

And rush at my command to drown

This land with grove and tower and town.

I through the fields of air can spring

Far swifter than the feathered King,

And leap before him as he flies

On sounding pinions through the skies.

I can pursue the Lord of Light

Uprising from the eastern height,

And reach him ere his course be sped

With burning beams engarlanded.

I will dry up the mighty main,

Shatter the rocks and rend the plain.

O'er earth and ocean will I bound ;

And every flower that grows on ground,

And bloom of climbing plants shall show

. 1 IV Xiv 21-25.

H A N U M A N 203-

Strewn on the ground, the way I go,

Bright as the lustrous path that lies

Athwart the region of the skies.

The Maithil lady will I find —

Thus speaks mine own prophetic mind —

And cast in hideous ruin down

The shattered walls oj Lanka town.'

Compare this speech with the words that Kamban has put
in the mouth of Hanuman. Just one or two strokes of the brush,
a softening of the colour here, a slight change of the colour
there and behold Hanuman is changed in the hands of Kamban
from a boasting Vanara into a hero, conscious of his strength of
course, but free from the spirit of bravado.

As Hanuman's search for Sita and his adventures in Lanka
during and after the search show some of the best traits of his
character, and are also the best and oftenest remembered of his
exploits, we shall give Kamban's description of the same in some
detail.

After taking leave of his companions, Hanuman climbed up to
the highest peak of the Mahendra promontory, and stood like a
pillar supporting the vault of the sky. Then poising himself for
flight, with hands and tail outstretched in air, his neck drawn
in, his legs bent, and his chest contracted, he pressed down his
feet and rose sheer into the sky and clove through the air towards
Lanka. After sundry adventures during the course of his flight,
he sprang on the further shore and began to reconnoitre the
environs of the capital. 1

There, in Lanka, he saw every magnificence that could be
imagined by man or god. The sky-reaching turrets of its very
private houses, the height of its fort walls, the depth of its moat,
its gold-plated chariots, and bejewelled elephants, its high-bred
horses and proud warriors, its lancers and bow-men and knights
of heavy armour, impressed Hanuman with the strength and power
and prosperity of the Rakshasas. He saw the wondrous trees
of heaven growing in the pleasure parks of the Rakshasas and the
river of Svarga flowing by their house-gardens. He saw the court-
beauties of Indra's Amaravati 2 serving as handmaids to the

i Kamban's description of the flight of Hanuman across the sea is
full of fancy, and lacks the grand simplicity and naturalness of Valmiki's.
description of the same. But still it is rich with fine similes and is doner '
in le grand style.

2 Capital of Indra's celestial empire.

.204 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

Rakshasis, and gods waiting upon the Rakshasas. And he saw
the dancing and the singing, the playing and the sporting of
Rakshasa beauties and Devadasis 1 to the delight of the Rakshasas
in their homes and public halls. Seeing the magnificence of the
mere outer city Hanuman exclaimed to himself :

' If archers here are strong, the dancers seem
More dangerous ; the pugilists surpass
Them both, while swordsmen seem invincible.
And when I see my Ram, what shall I say
Of Karpanas and Dands and Bhindipals 2 ? ' 3

His capacity to assume whatever shape he pleased stood
Hanuman in good stead here. He contracted himself in size and
approached the gateway of the fort. The sun had set, and
Rakshasas were mounting guard armed with spear and lance, axe
and pestle and bow, karpana and musundi, steel discus and clubs,
.slings and noose and other weapons.

' Where are the gods,' he said, ' or Asuras

Who have the strength to force these gates ? If such

Should be our foes, and such their grand defence,

Can we for vict'ry hope when war begins ?

It is not hard to cross the roaring sea :

But sea of Rakshas arms to cross is not,

I fear an easy task. If I relax

Ever so little my wariness, I can't

Return with task accomplished to my lord.

And it will be a terrific war, when war

Breaks out.' 4

Avoiding the gateway, Hanuman jumped over the battlements
and entered the city. Here he had need of all his coolness and
resolution and strength, for the Argus-eyed Guardian-Spirit of
Lanka, unconquered ever since the foundation of the state, opposed
his further march, and advanced against him with fierce mien.
Seeing however that he was a Vanara, she -called out to him to
' leap back and fly from here '. But cogitating within himself
whether it would be proper to kill a being which appeared to be
female, he said to her,

i Celestial maidens.

2 Most probably battering rams and other artillery of ancient and
"medieval times.

3 V ii 41. 4 V ii 72, 73.

HANUMAN 205'

'What harm is there if I just look 'round the city and
satisfy my curiosity ? Thou seest I am but a poor monkey.' 1
The spirit grew enraged at his want of prompt obedience
and addressed him thus :

' Say who art thou that dar'st to slight my word ?
Even he who burned the flying towns of yore 2
Would fear to tempt my anger thus. Think'st thou
That Lanka is a place for curious mites
To peep into an' explore ? ' So spoke the form
And laughed. Han'man echoed the laugh, and fanned
Her anger more. ' Who then art thou ? ' she roared ;
' And say, for whom dost spy ? Thou wouldst not stir,
It seems, till all thy life is shaken out
Of thee.' Great Han'man smiled and quietly said,
' I go not hence before I take a round
In Lanka fort.' 3

Seeing his nonchalance the spirit ransacked her brjstins to ■
guess who he might be. She thought within herself,

He comes not on an honest errand. Sure
A Vanar he is not : Even God of Death
Would sink to earth when he encounters me.
Who can he be ? He smiles as He who drank
The ocean poison — Three-eyed Mahadev ! *

And fearing danger for Lanka if he were not ended, she
aimed at him her three-pointed lance, which came on him like a
thunderbolt. But he caught it adroitly with his teeth as if in
sport, and broke it into two as Garuda would break a cobra in
mid-air. The Spirit was taken aback at seeing his force and skill,
and then recovering herself rushed at him with other divine
weapons. But Hanuman closed with her and wrested all of them
from out of her hands before she could hurl them. So she struck
him with her fists with such force that sparks of fire flew about
at the stroke. Hanuman desired merely to punish her, while
sparing her life as she bore a woman's form, and so he struck at
her with but half his force. But she fell down vomiting blood.

1 V ii 83. , , a Shiva,

a V U 85. < V ii 88.

'206 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And then, behold, from the prostrate form arose a Spirit divine
and fell at Hanuman's feet. She told him that she was an inmate
of Svarga, who had been cursed by Brahma for misbehaviour and
sent down to earth to guard the city and site of Lanka, and that
Brahma had promised to her at the moment of cursing her that
the day that a monkey should knock her down here the curse
would expire. And,

' What was foretold in ages past,' she said,
' Has come to be, for Virtue does triumph
And sin does fail, when all is said and done.
Enter therefore and do thy work : thou canst
Achieve thy wish — what canst thou not achieve ? ' 1

So saying she rose into the sky and sought her home in
Svarga, while Hanuman entered the city without further trouble
' even like a drop of acid for the milk of Rakshas power '.

And what luxury did he not see in that island city which
was adorned with the plunder of a hundred realms ? The gems
inlaid on the turrets of the palaces converted night into very day.
The Rakshasis could see their faces mirrored upon the crystal
walls and the golden pavements of their palatial homes. The
flooring of the stages in their theatres was made of burnished
gold. It was the Deva damsels that danced and acted for the
Rakshasas' pleasure. Rakshasis moved from place to place in
vimanos canopied over with pearls. The daughters of Svarga
sang for the Rakshasis, played on their divine instruments and
delighted the Rakshasa couples with their soul-capturing music.
Some Rakshasas and their wives were revelling in the luxuries
of wine and love and delicate sensual delights. Even Devas and
Rishis were singing the praises of the Rakshasas and blessing
them — such was their fear for the name of Rakshasa.

Hanuman went on searching everywhere for Sita, entering
through chinks and key-holes and windows and taking every shape
convenient for the time being. After long searching without
encountering any notability, he entered a huge hall adorned with
tj|e- trophies taken from the realms of Indra — Indra's own lustrous-
jewelled crown, inlaid in the vast canopy, scattering the darkness
-of the night to the very ends of the earth. He saw the gigantic

1 V ii 95.

H A N U M A N 207

•form of a Rakshasa sleeping there like Adishesh 1 or like a
veritable heaving ocean.

The form was dark even as if all the darkness of the world
had been concentrated in one place, and as if all that there is of
sin in the universe had taken fleshly shape. The Devadasis —
maids of heaven — were pressing his feet. His breathing was like
the whirlwind awaiting the Day of Dissolution to blow everything
into atoms. And he • looked in his sleep like a huge cobra
mesmerized by the wizard's spell, or like the ocean reserving its
all-destroying force for the Day of Final Dissolution. It was only
from the single head of the Rakshasa that Hanuman corrected
his first impression that he might be Ravana himself, and inferred
that he might be his famous brother Kumbhakarna ; and so he
subdued his rising wrath and passed on.

After entering and searching several other palaces, he saw
Vibhishana sleeping on his bed in his home. He saw his noble
face, and thought that Dharma itself had taken shape and was
living in a Rakshasa body in order to escape detection and
destruction at the hands of the wicked Rakshasas of Lanka. He
did not see Sita there and passed on. After some more searchings
he came before the citadel within which Indra had been kept
imprisoned. He entered and saw Rakshasas with fierce weapons
and fiercer aspect guarding the gates and courts. He who could
by his magic pass through even chinks which smoke cannot enter,
went in and saw Indrajit reposing in sleep like a lion. Seeing
the heroism and valour shining in his manly face, he thought
within himself,

1 Is he the Rakshas king or Kartikey, 2
The son of Mahadeva, God of gods ?
He looks a lion sleeping in his den.
A terrific fight I see in the days to come
When Lakshmana and Ram encounter him.
With such a hero to conduct his wars,
Where is the wonder that Visrava's son 3
Is, master of the universe ? Except
Vishnu or Brahm or Shiv, can any face
This Rakshasa upon the field ? ' *

i The huge thousand-hooded divine cobra bearing the earth on its
heads.

2 Son of Shiva, so called because six heavenly maidens from the
constellation Kartik (Pleiades) were his nursemaids.

3 Ravana. * V ii 141, 142.

#08 KAMBA RAftfAVAKAM-A STUDY

So saying he passed, and crossing another moat he was before
another citadel. He jumped over its walls, and there, behold,
a more magnificent sight than had hitherto attracted his eyes
unrolled itself before his vision. Every building was like a palace
of Wonderland- Diamonds and emeralds, sapphires and rubies,
moonstones andh&ett's-eyes, made the night shine with tenfold more
brilliance than day. Women of perfect beauty were in all stages
and postures of sleep and repose, and dalliance and sport, Many
.were pining for the love of Ravana who had forgotten all his
dames after he had conceived his passion for Sita. Vina * and
mridanga 2 , and the sweet voices of the beauties of heaven
entranced some, inflamed the passions in the hearts of others, and
saddened yet others by calling up memories of their absent lovers.
There were dicers playing on golden boards, betting garlands of
pearls and the crown jewels of conquered kings. There were
Rakshasa beauties dancing and singing sensual songs forgetting
sleep.

But in none of these palaces did he find the object of his
search. At length he entered the superb palace which belonged
to Mandodari, the wife of Ravana. There she lay a queen among
beauties, her feet pressed by Menaka and Rambha, Tillottama
and Urvasi, 3 the deer-tail fans softly waving over her reposing
form, the god of soft breezes himself regulating to a nicety the
amount of cool air that must be allowed to touch her delicate
body. Seeing her glorious form, unequalled by any that he had
anywhere seen, throwing into the shade by the brilliance of its
beauty even the dazzling gems that adorned her apartments,

There crossed a thought in Han'man's mind that she

Might be his Rama's spouse. The thought consumed

Like flaming fire his limbs and heart and soul,

And thus he spoke within himself : ' Ah me,

In vain has been my huge gigantic size

And more than mortal power. But die that thought !

If she who sleeps o'er there should hap to be

Sita — her virtue trodden underfoot

And bond of love and chastity undone —

With this day ends th' unsullied honour of Ram.

l The most melodious of Indian musical instrumehts. K has four

or seven strings and countless stops.

a The soft-sounding drum. ••

3 Famed beauties; and danseuses of the court of Indra, the king of

the Devas.

H A N U M A N 209

But shall it end alone ? No, no ! with it
Shall end this town with all her Rakshasas,
And after I have killed them all, I will
My own accursed life straightway destroy ! ' x

So saying he looked at her once again, and seeing that her
lineaments were not human he said to himself,

' She looks not human, but seems a Danava 2
Or Yaksha 3 dame. Ah woe is me that I
Could entertain this sinful thought ! For can
A woman who has looked on Ram as Lord
E'er cast her eyes upon another being
Though he were Manmatha himself ? ' 4

And now taking a nearer view of the Asuri, the great Vanara,
who was an expert also in the science of face- reading, concluded
thus :

' Though on her person are not wanting signs

Of luck, I find her days of prosperity

Are o'er. She looks as if she is alarmed

In dream : she stutters forth some words in fear :

This doth forebode her widowhood ; and ruin,

I see, doth hang o'er this extensive fort.' 5

So saying he left the abode of Mandodari and entered the
magnificent palace of Ravana. As he entered, the earth trembled,
the right eyes and brows and limbs of the Rakshasis sleeping or
serving therein quivered ; a shudder passed through the firmament
to the farthest bounds of the earth ; the clouds thundered without
lightning ; and the pots containing sacrificial water burst.
Hanuman's prophetic eyes saw the impending fate of all this
splendour, and

His heart was moved, and he exclaimed, ' Alas,
A few days more, and there'll be nothing left
Of all this matchless splendour ! For be he
Who he may, every one must reap or good
Or ill, as he has sown ! And who can 'scape
The rigour of this law ? ' *

l V ii 199, 200. 2 & 3 Clans of Asuras.

4 v ii 201. 5 v ii 202. 6 V ii 205.

14

ilO KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Inside the palace he saw Ravana sleeping on a faultlessly-
white silver bed of vast expanse. With his huge body of many
heads and hands he looked like a black ocean scattering gems
and gold, with its innumerable waves reposing on another sea,
the Sea of Milk ; or like the great Man-Lion with his innumerable
heads and hands and sun-bright crowns reposing in the cave of
the golden Meru after destroying Hiranyakashipu.. Though a
• thousand maids of heaven were waving their golden-handled
fans of deer-tail, and the coolest of cool breezes was playing over
him, the thought of Sita disturbing his heart even in sleep was
wearing his life away inch by inch. The breeze that was waving
over the sandal paste on his body, instead of cooling him, served
only to fan the flame of his passion. His very soul having fled to
where Sita was kept imprisoned, his dark and empty heart was
even like an earth-hole which its cobra inmate had abandoned.
His bed of silver was white-hot, and the flowers over his person
burned to ashes even with the bees inside them — such was the
burning heat of the passion in his heart.

A brilliant smile was now stealing over Ravana's face as he
was dreaming that Sita had entered his chamber. When Hanuman
saw the Rakshasa thus reposing without repose, his heart was
agitated with a volcanic rage, eyes shot fire, and heaven and
earth split to pieces at his frown. And he cogitated within
himself :

' Of what avail is all my strength, and what
Will people say of me, if the jewelled crowns
Of him who stole the lovely spouse of Ram
I kick not down, nor break his serried heads ?
And what will be my service worth if, him
Encountered, I my valour fail to show ?
My service should be real — not vain pretence.
Shall he with life escape e'en when I've seen
Him here ? Let me but kick his crowned heads
And break his branching arms, and end this town ;
I care not, what befalleth me thereafter ! ' 1

So saying he ground his teeth and clenched his fists for action.
But immediately he began to reason within himself whether this
was the right thing to do ; and after considering more coolly, he

1 V ii 219, 220.

HANUMAN 211

decided that it was not proper for him to use force at that
moment. He said to himself :

' I have not executed yet my lord's

Commands : it is not wise to turn aside

From present work unfinished and to run

After enterprises new and strange. And now,

To think of it, if I had acted rash

Qh th' impulse, grievous would have been the fault ! ' 1

"Kamban moralises in a grand stanza on the self-control of
Hanuman. He says,

' Though mighty as the Shulin 2 who could drink
The boiling ocean poison at a draught,
Will ev'r the wise launch on an enterprise
Difficult without deliberation due ?
Hanuman stayed his hand, e'en as the deep,
Which, though it can o'erwhelm the earth, yet bides
Its time and keeps itself within its bounds.' 3

A deeper reason also prevented Hanuman from then and there
■waking Ravana and fighting him. He thought,

Let me restrain this rage, for overshadowed
Will be the fame of Ram, if a Vanar low
Should end the wicked one who stole his spouse
And keeps her in captivity. 4

Ravana's features and condition relieved him completely with
respect to one matter. The reader will remember the suspicion
that rose in his mind when he saw Mandodari. Now that he
had seen Ravana exhibiting all the signs of unrequited passion,
the burden was lifted from off his heart completely, and he
carried himself out from the presence of Ravana on the wings of
the happy thought that Sita was safe from his sacrilegious touch.

But as he came out of Ravana's palace he saw that all likely
.and unlikely places in Lanka had been searched by him and yet

i V ii 221.

2 He of 'the three pronged lance — Shiva.

3 V ii -222. 4 V ii 223.

212 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

he had not seen Sita. So he fell into a despairing mood and:
soliloquised thus :

' Alas, that jewelled one is not in this
Extensive fort. Has he, perchance, killed her
Because she would not yield her charms to him ?
Or has he eat her in his wicked rage ?
Or haply does he hold her captive close
In another world ? I know not what to think
Or where to search for her ? What shall I say
To Ram when I return from here ? I fear
My sorrows will not end unless with life.

4 Kakutstha 1 would be thinking I would bring
A message from his Sita : while my lord
Sugriv would ev'n expect that I'd return
Accompanied by Sita freed : and this
Is what I've done : Can I at all return
To Ram, success achieved i' th' task that I
Have undertook ? Or shall I have to end
My life with those that I have left upon
The continent to wait for my return ? . . . .

' O'er all these seven hundred yojanas 2
Of land, there's not a living thing that I
Have missed, and yet I have not seen the spouse
Of Rama : having crossed the ocean stream,
Am I to sink beneath this sea of grief ?
Shall I yon Ravan ply with blows, and force
Him to discover Sita ? Or shall I
Burn down this city with its wicked king ?
I may the Devas ask : but how can they
Reply, when they with terror die at sight
Of Rakshas arms ? Who else will me direct ? . . .

' ' Sampati, king of Vultures said he saw

That lovely one in Lanka ; e'en his words
Are falsified ! Shall I not even now
Destroy myself ? But shall I die without
Even revenge ? For there is not a doubt
That Ravana did steal our Sita fair ;
I may not die therefore, before I lift
This citadel and cast it in the sea.' 3

l Rama. * 36 miles 3 furlongs,

a V il 225-227, 229-233.

HANUMAN 213

But he still walked on to see if he had by chance missed
seeing any spot, and as luck would have it, he espied a grove
of Ashoka trees which he had not visited so far. And determining
within himself that if he should not see Sita there he would
destroy Lanka, he entered it. As he entered, the gods rained
showers of flowery rain over him, for Sita was placed by the
Rakshasa in that lovely garden.

There in the midst of black-skinned Rakshasis,
Seated as a flash of lightning in the bosom
Of a sable cloud, he saw the sun-flower bright
That smiles alone to the light of Kaustubha —
The brilliant sun-like gem on Rama's breast. *

He doubted not but that she must be Sita — she was like a
swan floating on the stream of tears flooding down her cheeks.
-He became intoxicated with joy at sight of her holy grief, and
•exclaimed,

' Dharma yet lives, and I will seek no more

My death ! For I have searched, and lo, the Lord

Has blest these eyes with sight of Holy Sita ....

The wicked tyrant of the universe

Has wrought this guile for his own destined doom ;

For Ram is none but Vishnu come to earth,

And Sita, Lakshmi of the lotus throne !

' She looks a gem laid o'er with dirt ; she's like
The moon, her rays by sunlight dulled ; her hair
Has lost its gloss. But lo, (the Lord be blest !)
Her virtue stands intact : who can set bounds
To strength that Dharma gives to mortal life ?
Whom shall I praise for this grand conquest o'er
Such great temptation ? Shall I praise the valour
Of Ram ? Or the grandeur of her hero-soul ?
The gods are free from blame, and Brahmans true,
And Dharma firm-established stands ; hence, what
Is there impossible for me ? And I
Have not in vain the ocean crossed for Ram.
If Sita should from highest self-control

1 V iii 63.

214 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Have fallen even by the breadth of an hair,

I feared Ram's wrath would clean deluge the world.

That fear now is gone, and earth is now

For ev'r immune from ill. For what are they

Who live 'mid fire or kill their appetites

Or practise other austerities besides,

When placed beside the fire of Sita's soul ?

Sita, behold, has given a lustre new

To womanhood and chastity by the life

That she is leading in this Lanka proud.' *

The thought of Rama suddenly comes to him and he pities-
him for not having the good fortune to see how Sita is living in 1
the midst of so much allurement and force and fear. He says,

' What pity, 'tis not given to Ram to see

With his own eyes this holy one, as she

Does lead her life austere in Lanka's grove ! ' 2

And then he continues and concludes thus his soliloquy :

' Was it the spirit of Dharm protected her ?

Or was it Jan'ka's virtuous deeds did fence

Her body 'round from touch of ill ? Or does

She owe her chastity and life to her

Own steadfast soul ? Can my wonder ever cease ?

And who has fought temptation like to her ?

And when I speak of her to comrades mine

Can ev'er I tire of praising her holy life ?

And what temptation ? All the dazzling splendours

Of Rakshas power were there to tempt her heart,

While Ravan's lawless might was there to force

Her body : and gods are serving him both night

And day. Who could withstand such snares ? And yet

She won. Now vanished are all obstacles !

In sooth, can Sin o'er Virtue e'er prevail ? ' 3

The reader will agree after reading the above that Kamban
has risen to the highest ideals of loyalty to a heroic master and
of love of Dharma in this soliloquy of Hanuman. How enthusiastic-

1 V iii 65, 67-71, 73. 2 V iii 73. 3 v in 75, 76.

HANUMAN 215

Hanuman becomes when he sees the perfect virtue of Sita ! He
cannot tire of her praises or of the enumeration of the temptations
that she has overcome. A new strength has now filled his heart —
the strength that comes to man when he sees a grand soul that
had opportunities of falling but stands serene and triumphant —
and he exclaims, ' what is there impossible for me now ? '

As he was in the midst of these reflections, Ravana who had
awakened from his disturbed sleep came in state to see Sita, and,
in spite of the fruitlessness of his previous attempts, to again try
to persuade her to accept himself as her lover.

As we propose to give large extracts from this interview in
the chapters dealing with Ravana and Sita we pass it over here.

As Ravana went away spurned by Sita, he ordered the
Rakshasi guards of her prison to threaten her in every manner
possible and make her yield herself early. They abused her,
therefore, and taunted her, and threatened her with their cruel
weapons. But Trijata, the daughter of Vibhishana, checked them
and consoled Sita. The Rakshasis held their tongue ; and
thinking that this was the proper time to make himself known to
Sita, Hanuman pronounced some spells which made them go to
sleep on the instant. As he was thinking, however, as to how he
should approach her and what he should speak to her, the threats
and taunts of the Rakshasis which had burned into her heart
drove her to despair, and seeing the Rakshasis sinking to sleep
Sita began to lament her fate. What with the Rakshasa's words
and the threats of the Rakshasis, her despair had become so
intense that she doubted the very love of her husband. Her
lamentations were in this strain :

" I have been living all these days upon

The hope of seeing my Lord, and so I've been

Bearing with patience all the ills that came

On me. But, sooth, will he admit again,

One who has lived so long in this sinful land ?

I see a stranger look with lust on me,

I swallow every word with which he fills

My ears, and yet I choose not death : is there

A Rakshasi more wicked than myself ?

Dishonour now has lighted on my name

And can't be warded off : where is the chaste

In story or in life who has loved her life'

When forced away from home by lustful men ?

216 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Is not my honour great, and modesty,

Who cling e'en now to life ? . . . .

I must have sought my death the moment when

Disgrace did come on me : do I expect

To open a path for me to heaven, that I

Extinguish not my life though stained with shame ?

I sent my Lord to hunt for me the deer

That came as bait, and on his trace I forced

My Lakshman good, with many an insult heaped,

Against his will ; and lo, the Rakshasa

Has parted me from Ram and brought me here

To this accursed town. Can e'er the earth

Hold me if even after this my life

I do not end ?

And shall I live to have the finger of scorn

Pointed at me by women chaste and pure

As one who parted from her Lord and lived

In Rakshas lands ? And then, ah wretched me !

When Ram shall have destroyed this race for e'er

And freed me from my prison, how shall I prove

My virtue uncorrupt, if he should say,

' Away, thou art now worthy of my love ' ? " 1

What hope will there be left except death for a woman who
has worked herself up to think like this ? So she concluded :

' So death alone is Dharma's way for me.
And lo, the little merit I have earned
Has sent the guardians of my body fast
Asleep. And where can I a better place
Discover to cast my life away ? ' 2

So saying, she stepped towards a bower of jasmine creepers.
But before she had walked many steps Hanuman presented himself
before her, his heart agitated with grief and joy ; and saluting
her with joined hands, he addressed her saying,

' Behold me, mother, I am the messenger of thy Rama.
Numberless are the Vanaras scattered the world over to look
for thee, but as a result of my austerities in the past I have
the unique fortune of setting my eyes upon thy feet. Though
lamenting deep thy loss, Rama knows not where thou art, for

1 V v 11-13, 15, 17, 19, 20. 2 v v 21.

HANUMAN 217

if he knew thinkest thou that the Rakshasa race would not
have been uprooted till now ? Doubt me not, O thou who
art pure as the sacrificial lamp, for I shall tell thee about
matters that Rama alone can know.' '

After some hesitation Sita decided that he could not be a
Rakshasa in disguise, and that he might be a Rishi or a god as his
thoughts and words looked pure. And then saying to herself,

' What matters it if he a Rakshasa be

Or god, or Vanar king ? And let him come

With violence in his thoughts or ruth : he melts

My heart pronouncing soft my lord his name,

And sheds a ray of light in th' utter dark

Of my soul ; is life a dearer gift ? My heart

Goes out to him : his words are choice, and free

From guile : and tears flow free from his love-filled eyes

While he does sob aloud : I'll therefore speak

To him,' 2

she asked him who he was.

These words of Sita impress upon the imagination of the
reader the devotion of Hanuman for Rama and all that belong
to him, and his tenderness towards the helpless. By these few
words, again the poet introduces to us as if without any art, the
beginnings of the devotion of Hanuman for Sita and the grateful
and tender affection of Sita for Hanuman which characterise
their feelings towards each other in the future as the events unroll
themselves.

Hanuman gave her his name and told her the story of the
death of Vali and the coronation of Sugriva, and of the sending
of millions of Vanaras all over the earth to look for her. Look
at his generous praise of his fellows of whom he says,

' Each one of them can lift the earth on high
And cross the ocean stream.' 3

And now he speaks of Rama !

' And from the spot at which, thy jewels bright
Were found by us, thy Lord wist thou

l V v 22-25. 2 v v 27, 28.

3 V v 32.

218 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Must have been carried towards the south; and so
He took me 'part, and did entrust me, mother,
With a message for thine ear : his love, can it
E'er go in vain ? ' 1

He continued,

' And then, what can I say
Of how he felt when he was shown those jewels ?
Weren't they giver of life to him ? Believe
My word, O mother, it was those jewels thou
Hadst thrown behind thee saved thy mangal 2 string
Intact ! ' 3

Hanuman then concluded saying that Angada had come to
the further shore at the command of Rama, and that he himself
had crossed the sea at the bidding of Angada to look for her in
Lanka.

The stanza in which Kamban describes the feelings of Sita
when Hanuman finished his story is full of the highest pathos,
but is very difficult of complete rendering into English. He says,

He ended : joy ineffable did fill

Her breast — her dried up limbs did swell with life

New found ; and as the tears flowed freely from

Her eyes, from her reviving lips a cry

Escaped, ' Is life, in sooth, come back to me ? '

And then she said to Hanuman, ' O Sire,

Wouldst thou describe to me my Lord his form ? ' 4

Hanuman's description of Rama's person is done only in the
conventional style. But if Kamban now and then submits to the
conventions of the rhetoricians of his time, it is only for a time.
JFor before he goes very far, he spreads his wings for flight and'
rises again to the highest regions of poetry. Thus after Hanuman's

i V v 34.

2 The mangal string is the string on which the sacremental jewel
called mangalya is strung. It is tied round the neck of the bride at the
lime of the marriage. It is only at the death of the husband that the
string can be untied or cut. Hanuman means that but for the sight of
her jewels Rama would have died of his grief for Sita, and that Rama's
seeing them alone saved her from widowhood.
3 V v 35. 4 v v 37.

-RX"N1J-M.K-N mis-

description of Rama's physical appearance, the poet describes
Sita's condition and Hanuman's further speech in these words :

Ev'n as a piece of wax when put in fire,

The heart of Sita melted away as he

Described to her Rama's manly form. He feli

Again at her feet, and said, " O mother, deign

To list to words that Rama bid me say

To make thee trust in me : ' Recall to her '

Said he, ' that when I prayed her to remain

At home and serve my mothers, as forest paths

Were thorny, wild, and steep, her eyes grew red,

And with a cloth of bark put on, she came

And stood beside me. Tell her on the day

That we for the jungle started, hardly had

We passed the city-gates when she did ask,

' Where is the forest, dear ? ' Again remind

Her,' said thy Ram, ' that when Sumantra x left

Us on the forest bounds, she clean forgot

Her grief and sent a message to her birds

And parrots left at home ! ' " He ceased, and then

Thinking that he had said enough, he showed

To her the ring on which her Rama's name

Was carved. 2

We shall refer the reader to chapter XV for a description of '
the effect that the sight and touch of the ring wrought upon Sita.
The ring finally dispelled all her doubts and suspicions and a new
hope now entered her heart. She blessed Hanuman for thus
saving her life with the message of Rama. She then learned from
him all that had taken place after she was parted from Rama.
When Hanuman, however, said that he crossed the ocean from the
mainland to Lanka, she found it hard to believe it. She, therefore,
asked him how he could cross the sea without a boat. He said :

' Just as those, mother, who meditate on the holy feet
of thy Lord cross the endless ocean of Illusion, even so I
crossed the black ocean stream with my feet.' 3
But as this did not satisfy her, he showed to her his Vishvarupa
— the gigantic, world-filling form in which he flew across the sea. -
Says the poet :

l the charioteer.
2 V v 59-62. 3 y v 97.

.'220 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Saluting her still with his joined hands, he grew in size
till his head almost touched the roof of heaven and he bent
himself for fear lest his head should actually strike against
it. The gods wondered when they saw that universe-
pervading form, whether absolute power belongs to elements
five that compose the world or to Hanuman alone. The stars
in the heaven looked like fire-flies hanging to his hairs —
so high he stood and so huge he looked ! Eyes could not
take in his size nor the mind conceive his form ; one could
not ascertain which were the sun and the moon and which

the ear-rings shining in his ears And in that form

he could see with his own lotus eyes the eyes of gods and
men looking to him for their protection and safety from
Rakshasa violence. 1

When Sita saw the Vishvarupa of Hanuman she felt that,
with such an ally as he, Rama could destroy the Rakshasas with
ease. But while on the one hand she was satisfied with the
exhibition of Hanuman's strength and might, on the other hand
she could not bear without a sense of fear the sight of that
world-pervading form ; and so she prayed him to resume his
original shape. Hanuman obeyed her, and when he stood before
her as an ordinary normal Vanara, she sang his praises thus :

' 'T were little if I say thou canst the earth

Uproot, and lift her with her stable hill,

Or take the hooded snake that bears the world

Aloft and make of it a plaything light

In thy hand ! Thou hast the strength of the raging storm :

Is it a praise indeed to say that thou

Didst cross the sea that does not hide its head

In shame ? Thy single prowess will suffice,

long-armed hero, to extend the fame

Of Rama and his grace, and make them live
For untold ages green in the minds of men.
What pity Lanka's isle is not beyond
The oceans seven, for to demand of thee
The exercise in full of all thy might ! . . .
Whenev'r I thought of Rakshas might and power

1 used to fear that Ram had none besides

To help him but his brother : but now that fear

i V v 100-302, 104.

HANUMAN 221

Has left me quite, for what is Rakshas might
When he has such a hero for ally ? ' l

All trace of her despair and grief had now left her soul. She
felt herself free of all care and even full of joy. She therefore
continued,

' Even if death does come to me, I can
Now pass away in peace, for even now
I feel as if I'm from this loathsome prison
Released. And lo, I shall be soon avenged
Upon the cruel Rakshas who must fall
With all his race destroyed. And what do I
Desire now more ? My Lord his holy feet
Have now adorned my head and Glory 'gins
To shed her light on me, and no disgrace
Will ev'r attach itself to Sita's name ! ' 2

Thi large soul of Hanuman, however, is not elated at her
praises. His reply is full of modesty and the praise of his
companions and his leader. He says,

' O thou, chaste as Arundhati, 3 more numerous than the
sands of the sea are the Vanara leaders who serve Rama. I
am but a humble servant of those mighty chiefs, obeying the
commands that they lay upon me. Seventy Vahinis* is the
total of our Vanar force. Is this ocean large enough for them
even if they set themselves to drink each but one handful
of water from it ? It is because he did not know the
whereabouts of this Lanka that it is still undestroyed. Can
it long remain on its foundations now that we have seen it ?
Vali's brother is there and Vali's son, and Mainda and Tumind
and the fierce Kumuda.' 5

Hanuman gives an impressive list of the Vanara leaders and
concludes,

' They can lift this earth and even the other worlds from
their foundations. And they are as obedient to Rama's will
as his very arrows. What are these Rakshasas to them ? ' 6

i V v 109, 110, 112. 2 v v 113.

3 The wife of Vashistha and the ideal of chastity.

* Armies. In the latter-day world of mere men, this term meant a
detachment of an army consisting of 81 elephants, as many chariots, 243
horse and 405 foot. Some put it at three times this figure. But here
the term obviously stands for very very much more.

5 V v 114-116. 6 v v 117.

* 222 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

After saying everything calculated to give her hope and
courage, Hanuman told her that he would like to carry her on
his shoulders and place her at the feet of Rama. But her innate
sense of delicacy would not let her consent to it and she only sent
instead a pathetic message to Rama through him. She accom-
panied the message with her head-ornament which she desired
him to give to Rama as a pledge of her affection and her trust
in him.

At last walking round her in devotional homage Hanuman
took leave of her and walked away. But once again alone, he
wanted to leave a memorial of his visit to Lanka, and after some
thought he decided to destroy the grove and provoke a quarrel
with the Rakshasas and put his prowess to the best use in Rama's
cause. Things happened as he wished, for the mischief that he
committed in the grove was bruited abroad and Rakshasa after
Rakshasa, and army after army were despatched against him by
Ravana. But not one Rakshasa returned alive even to tell the
story of the fate of the armies. At length even Aksha, the son of
Ravana, was crushed to death by the mighty paw of Hanuman.
The reader will remember how Indrajit chid his father for not
measuring earlier the strength of the Vanara and thus having been
the cause of the death of his own son.

When at length Indrajit came with his big army against him,
Hanuman was not terrified, but on the contrary was glad to meet
such a famous foe. He thought within himself in this wise when
- he came in sight :

The prowess I have shown in killing some

Of these heroic Rakshasas has had

Its quick effect ; for here I see the foe

Of Indra coming on. It matters not

If now I fall or conquer him, for great

Will be the fame in either case. If I

Succeeded in killing him, 'twill be as if

Ravan himself has fallen crushed beneath

My arm. And he would know his end is come,

And send our Sita back ; while Rakshas pride

Would lick the dust, and Indra'd come again

Into his own. 1

'■ Hanuman scattered and destroyed Indrajit's forces, and at
length engaged with Indrajit himself. Hanuman fought with the

1 V xii 25-27.

HANUMAN 223

•branches of trees while the Rakshas assaulted him with his arrows.
The fight continued for long and Indra jit's bow itself was broken
by Hanuman. At last seeing no other way to end Hanuman,
Indrajit sent the Brahmastra against him, and it bound his limbs
and made him prisoner. Although the Brahmastra is the most
shattering weapon known to the heroic armoury, Hanuman had
been granted the blessing of invulnerability against it by Brahma
himself in former times, and so he was merely overpowered by
the weapon and not killed. 1

He was dragged by the Rakshasas and Rakshasis in his
temporarily helpless state and placed before Ravana by Indrajit.
Ravana was sitting in state surrounded by his ministers and
courtiers and musicians and dancers, and when Hanuman was
brought before him his very sight angered Hanuman as the sight
of the cobra would rouse the wrath of the eagle. His first impulse
was to break asunder the noose that was still holding him in its
bonds and spring upon Ravana. He thus revolved the matter in
his mind :

' When on his bed I saw him sleep, I thought

It was not just to kill him unawares :

Now that my luck had made him sit upon

His throne, I shall not further think, but shall

Now fall on him, and felling down his heads

Shall free our Sita, and take her back to Ram.

If in the presence of Gods and Danavas,

Who guard in terror Sita's bowery prison,

I do not clip his crowned heads, what'll be

The worth of all my courage and my might ? . . .

'Twill be a shame if after seeing him —

The chance of a full life-time — I do return

With only words exchanged with the Rakshas king.

I need not even conquer him : I'll have

Renown if ev'n I die in fight engaged

With him.' 2

But presently he grew more collected and looked at the
situation in a different light. Now he argued within himself in
this wise :

i Brahma's blessing also limited the bondage ts an hour and a half.
2 V xiii 56, 57, 59.

?24 KAMBA HAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' He looks too strong for me to kill — his power

Does forbid hopes of easy victory. y,V

And can a mortal triumph over him

But Ram ? He cannot conquer me if fight

Begins, nor can I hope to bring him down.

And days unending will elapse without

Success : so wisdom rules against a fight.

And has not Rama sworn that he would lop

Himself the serried heads and branching arms

Of Ravana and free the world of fear ?

And Sita's oath does stand that she would end

Her life, if Ram does not within a month

Invade these realms in force : I shouldn't therefore

Engage in doubtful fight, and waste my time.

So I shall stand before the Rakshasa

As carrier of the message of my King.' 1

So Hanuman took upon himself the job of ambassador and
waited to be questioned by the Rakshasa. We have extracted
Ravana's questions and Hanuman's answer in the first pages of
this chapter. After saying that he was serving Rama, Hanuman
assumed to speak on behalf of his own king Sugriva and advised
Ravana to send back Sita to Rama and save himself. Ravana
only grew indignant at his presumption and ordered his attendants
to kill him. But Vibhishana interfered and dissuaded Ravana
from putting him to death saying that a messenger sent by a
king should never be killed. Ravana agreed not to kill him but
desired to give him some punishment, and so he directed that
his tail should be tied round with cloth and all sorts of
combustibles, and set on fire.

Sita when she heard of it trembled for Hanuman's safety and
prayed to the God of Fire not to burn him, and lo, though the
fire played all about him, enveloping him in flames, Hanuman
felt cool upto the very marrow of his bones !

When Ravana desired to punish Hanuman, he counted without
his host. For as soon as his tail was on fire, Hanuman freed
himself by force from the guards that were holding him on either
side, and jumped about the whole city flourishing his tail in every
direction. The whole of Lanka was soon in flames. All that was
made of silver and gold in the city erected by the hand of the
heavenly architect melted in the flames. Groves and parks and

1 V xiii 61-65.

HA N U M A N 225

theatres and palaces caught fire and crashed down. Elephants
and horses died, and chariots were burned to ashes. Rakshasas
and Rakshasis ran for their lives all over the city. The cries of
women and children and dumb suffering animals filled the sky.
In a few hours the whole of Lanka so fair to look on — the cynosure
of all eyes in the universe — became a mass of cinder and ashes.

As soon as Ravana saw Hanuman jumping about, he
commanded his guards to recapture him, but that was impossible.
Hanuman seeing the miraculous escape of Sita's grove alone from
the general conflagration, attributed it as well as his own immunity
from fire to Sita's unique chastity, and making a last salute to her
and receiving her last message he got upon a rock, and putting
out the fire in his tail sprang across the seas and rejoined his
companions.

They were delighted to see him back in their midst from his
great adventure, and wept, and danced, and jumped about in
joy. Some embraced him, some drank him with their eyes, some
lifted and carried him on their shoulders. Some brought honey
and fruits and roots, and placed them before him saying that his
very face showed to them that he had come back with success
in his undertaking. Some looked on his wounds — the wounds
caused by Indrajit and other Rakshasas in his fights — and wept
tears of grief. At length after saluting Angada and Jambhavan
and each of the rest according to his dignity and worth, Hanuman
told them that Sita was safe and had sent a glorious message
through him to Rama. Then, says the poet :

The Vanars joined their hands in worship, and

Their hearts with joy unspeakable filled, prayed him

To tell the story of his flight and back

In full. So he described the holy life

Of Sita and her great austerities —

And how she gave and how he brought the gem

That would, as sign that she did live, delight

The heart of Ram. But the story of his fights

With Rakshasas, or of his setting fire

To Lanka town, he passed in silence o'er,

For he was loth his own exploits to tell. *

Such was the modesty of this great and mighty hero. But
they inferred all that he hesitated to say, for they said,

i V xv 9.
15

226 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

'The wounds announce thy struggles with thy foes,

While thy return proclaims thy victory.

The columns dark of smoke, that yonder rise

Into the sky betray the ruin thou

Hast brought upon thy enemies ! What need,

Alas, of words about the strength of foes

When brought is not the queen with thee ? ' 1

But all the same glad that their party was able to trace out
(the whereabouts of Sita, they returned to Kishkindha to place
before Rama the happy results of their wanderings. Hanuman's
account of his work to Rama occupies a very high rank in
literature for the grandeur of its sentiments, but we shall reserve
it for the chapter on Sita as it deals chiefly with her. Sugriva
\vould not waste even a single minute — even to thank Hanuman
for his great work — after receiving news of Sita, and so the whole
army began to march southwards.

Hanuman now prays Rama to honour him by riding upon his
shoulders, and Rama graciously complies with his request. In
Valmiki the position is reversed. It is Rama that proposes that
he would ride upon Hanuman's shoulders. It is wonderful how
Kamban attends even to such minute matters and invests his
characters with greater delicacy and sweetness. De minimis non
curat poeta, 2 says the critic. But Kamban's chisel can carve a bee
on a lotus with the same ease with which it can shape a giant
or cut a battle-piece.

We have had occasion in previous chapters to speak of
Hanuman's valour and physical strength, and so we need not dwell
much upon them here. In fact, is not the whole Ramayana in a
way the story of Hanuman's valour and might ? There is not
one opponent of his who does not at once recognise his strength
and heroism. We have seen Indrajit classing him with the
Supreme Three even before seeing him 3 ; and when he sees him
he is glad that he has such a foe to engage with. Ravana refers
to the part played by our hero in the first day's battle in these
words :

' My foe upon the monkey rode : (but who

Can say he only was a monkey tailed ?)

The while he fought I wondered whether it be

i V xv 10.

* Poets do not care to bother about trifles.

3 See page 101 and 103.

HANUMAN * 227

The whirlwind that he rode, or leaping Fire,

Or Death himself. Can even Garuda

The heavenly Eagle bear the fierceness

Of that fight so lightly as that Hanuman.' x

When Kumbhakarna aims his terrible lance at Sugriva, and
.all beholders are every moment helplessly fearing that he cannot
escape its force, it is Hanuman that leaps into the air and cleverly
catches it and snaps it into two. And the sound of the snapping
was as deep as when the bow of Shiva was broken by Rama for
the sake of the fair hand of Sita !

Kumbhakarna wonders at his strength and says,

' The mind cannot conceive nor tongue can praise
The might uncommon of thy arm ! Whom can
I couple with thee, who stand'st alone t' achieve
The impossible ? Engage with me, and I
Shall even now abide by what I said
Before.' 2

But Hanuman had already made and lost his bet against
Kumbhakarna. So his code of honour prevented him from again
engaging him, and he went his way, satisfied only with saving
the life of Sugriva.

When Malyavan, the grandfather of Ravana, hears thai the
Hill of Drugs had been brought from the north to raise the dead
in the Vanara army, he at once thinks of Hanuman as the only
person who had the strength to achieve such a gigantic task. And
-so he says to Ravana,

' Who has the strength but Hanuman to fly

From hence and cross the Meru mount within

A trice, and bring the hill of drugs o'er here ?

For he it is who has into the deep

Of things with solemn thought explored.

Who can with life escape if he uproot

This rock of Lanka and dash it against

The earth ? How can we war with him ? If he

Should bring the Meru mount and drop it plumb

On this isle, have we the strength to break its force ?

l VI xv 29. .'..'.-. 4 2 VI xv 262, 263;

228 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

If on destruction he is bent, there's nought
To stop him from the attempt ! I say 'tis fools
Alone who say that They of whom the Veds
Do speak are only Three : I do declare
That with this Hanuman, the Gods Supreme
Are Four ! ' 1

In the Vanara army also, wherever there is a difficult task''
to perform — a task that cannot be done by ordinary Vanaras — "
it is Hanuman that is thought of by the leaders as the proper
person to be entrusted with the same. We have seen in this
chapter how Jambhavan praised him on the sea-shore, and pointed
to him as the only Vanara who could cross the sea and return
with success achieved from Lanka. We have seen how in the
different battles he aided the other heroes at critical moments,
and how often he saved the situation for the Vanara army from
the mortal onslaughts of Kumbhakarna and Atikaya and Indrajit.

We have referred more than once to Hanuman having brought
the Hill of Drugs in order to save the Vanara army from the effects
of the Brahmastra. The reader will remember that Vibhishana
brings back Hanuman from the unconsciousness into which
Indrajit's weapon had stunned him. He takes him to where
Jambhavan, the wisest of the Vanaras, was lying overpowered by
the same astra. As soon as Jambhavan hears Hanuman's voice
he exclaims in joy,

' Now all is not lost : we shall conquer yet :

We shall even now rise from this fall — we shall ! ' 2

Such is his faith in Hanuman.

He then asks Hanuman to save Lakshraana and Rama and
the seventy Vahinis of Vanaras by bringing the Hill of Drugs from
the north. The rolling stanzas which Kamban puts into the
mouth of Jambhavan, describing the route which Hanuman ought
to take, and those in which the poet describes the flight of
Hanuman are a treat to the lover of Tamil poetry, and will call
to the mind of the English scholar the sonorous stanzas of Byron
on the Ocean, both in the beauty of rhythm and the grandeur
of the images that they suggest to the imagination.

1 VI xxv 3-5. » VI xxiii 20.

H A N V M A N 229

When the Hill of Drugs wakes up Lakshmana and the Vanara
-.army as if from sleep, Rama embraces Hanuman and with tears
in his eyes thanks him in these words :

' Once we were horn of Dasharath, O friend,

But those our bodies now are dead which took

Their birth from him. And now we're born again,

And thou it is to whom we owe this birth !

O thou that savedst us from o'erwhelming ruin,

Thou hast enabled us to fight again

Our foe, and saved our vows and honour dear

As life, our ancient line and Ved itself !

And as thou didst my brother save, and all

This host from the jaws of death, may never Death

Approach thy frame : live thou for ev'r and ev*r ! ' 1

When once again Hanuman saves Lakshmana, Rama's words
to him though few are full of tenderness and soul. Says Rama,

' O great one, Fortune has blessed me with thy love

and friendship : what can I lack in life ? ' 2

Hanuman's tender regard for Sita is one of the finest traits in
his character. In this chapter itself, the conversation between
Sita and Hanuman, and Hanuman's soliloquies that we have
translated would show his chivalry and devotion to that paragon
of women. And can the reader have forgotten Hanuman's
behaviour and words when Indrajit cut off the head of the
automaton made to look like Sita ? 3

We think we have spoken of Hanuman both in this chapter
and elsewhere sufficiently to give a tolerably living conception
of the hero whom not only Kamban but all lovers of Rama love
as their very Guru and God. But as we have said before, from
the moment that he enters on the scene, Hanuman absorbs to
himself an interest equal to that of Rama or Sita, and the three
last books of the Ramayana must be studied from beginning to
end in order to obtain a full and adequate mental picture of the
great Vanara hero who came into the world ' to remove the
helplessness of Dharma '. The parting words which Kamban puts
in the mouth of Rama when after his happy coronation he sends
Hanuman back from Ayodhya to his own Kishkindha are very
beautiful, and are a measure of Hanuman's place in the story.
Says the poet :

1 VI xxiii 111-114. 2 VI xxxi 46.

3 See page 105 et seq. _ v ,

230 KAMBA BAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And turning full on him his eyes that rained

Affection and love, he said, ' There's none like thee,.

When dangers hedge us round, to free us from

Their fangs and lead us to shelter safe !

What guerdon can I give thee for the help

Invaluable that thou hast rendered me

I' th' past ? Embrace me, O my hero brave ! ' x

What reward indeed can be greater than embracing the sacred"
body of Rama whose beauty painters could not paint or sculptors
chisel, and which none but Sita, not even the Rishis, were given
to touch in that incarnation.

But Hanuman's modesty and devotion would not allow him
to put himself on a plane of equality with his master. He just
hung down his head and stood aside — thus showing to the world
how true merit always effaces itself avoiding public recognition.
We shall also leave our hero in this same attitude, only pointing
to him as a beacon light to those who desire to achieve greatness-
in this world and the next.

J VI xxxix 2d

CHAPTER XIII
HAVANA

In this chapter we take up the study of the character and
exploits of Havana, the great enemy of Rama, as depicted by
our poet. Ravana's. chief characteristic in our story is his unholy
passion for women. But he is much else besides. He is a
Rakshasa learned in the Vedas, handsome with the handsomeness
that strength and the consciousness of valour give, who by great
austerities has acquired immense strength and invincibility
and victory in war. He has conquered the Devas and the Asuras
and the Yakshas and the Nagas, and exercises sway over the
Three Worlds. In former days he had fought with every being
considered powerful and had always either conquered them or
made friends with them. The very mammoths that bear the
universe on high from the eight extremities thereof had owned
him victor after having had their tusks broken, while charging
at his breast. Even the Supreme Trinity desisted from interfering
with him, for austerities must always have their full effect till
their strength was exhausted, and his austerities were not
ordinary. He had been defeated only twice — and that only in
single combat — once by Vali and another time by Kartavirya
Arjuna, but in spite of these defeats he continued as ever before
to be the master of the universe, these enemies never thinking
it possible to remove him from his throne.

These are the antecedents that Valmiki himself gives to
Havana. Generally speaking, his delineation of Ravana is worthy
of the antecedents that he presupposes for him. He depicts him
as a hero proud and fierce and full of the authority that comes
of supreme power. Everybody obeys Ravana's slightest word.
None dare question his acts or even his orders. Where anybody
has to differ from him, he expresses his opinion with due
deference and after profuse apologies. But in one or two places
Valmiki has forgotten himself and has lowered the dignity of
Ravana. When, after being maimed by Lakshmana, Shurpanakha
returns to Lanka, Valmiki makes her address Ravana thus :

' Wilt thou absorbed in pleasure, still
Pursue unchecked thy selfish will ;
Nor turn thy heedless eyes to see

232 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The coming fate that threatens thee ?
The king who days and hours employs
In base pursuit of vulgar joys
Must in his people's sight be vile,
As fire that smokes on funeral pile.

How, heedless, wicked, weak, and vain,
Wilt thou thy kingly state maintain ?
Thou, lord of giants, void of sense,
Slave of each changing influence. . . .
Thy counsellors are blind and weak,
Or. thou from these hadst surely known
Thy legions and thy realms overthrown.

Enslaved and dull, of blinded sight,
Intoxicate with vain delight,
Thou closest still thy heedless eyes
To dangers in thy realm that rise.
A king besotted, mean, unkind,
Of niggard, hard, and slavish mind,
Will find no faithful followers heed
Their master in his hour of need.

O weak of mind, without a trace
Of virtues that a king should grace,
Who hast not learnt from watchful spy
That low in death the giants lie.
Scorner of others, but enchained

By every base desire,
By thee each duty is disdained

Which time and place require. '

And how does Havana receive this gratuitous and meaningless
insult from a woman ?

As thus she ceased not to upbraid

The King with cutting speech,
And every fault to view displayed,

Naming and marking each,
The monarch of the sons of night,

Of wealth and power possessed,
And proud of his imperial might,

Long pondered in his breast.

HAVANA 23?

Bhaskara, the Telugu poet, just follows the lead of Valmiki
and makes Shurpanakha reprimand Ravana with bitter words
ihus :

' Glorious indeed is the manner in which thou and thy
favourites are ruling the realms under your sway ! Ye are
perfectly satisfied with your low pleasures. Thy powerful
arms that lifted high the Kailas mount, now hang useless
by thy side ; the glory of thy authority that extended over
the three worlds" has now lost its lustre : thy arms have
been victorious all over the worlds as far as space extends,
but the light of thy victories has now grown dim : thy fame
that has been flourishing up to now has now begun to fade
away.

' For when I gave out that I am thy sister, it only
provoked my injurers the more, and this is the way they
have dealt with me innocent ! And still they live ! Verily
I cannot find words bitter enough to address thee, O hero
of the serried heads, valiant in battle as Rudra himself ! '

Tulsidas too repeats the same scene of Shurpanakha
reprimanding Ravana in his audience-hall, as if Ravana, though
her brother, was not the proud and hitherto undisputed ruler of
the universe. He puts such words into her mouth as,

' Thou spendest thy time in revelries and sleepest both
day and night ' etc.
Contrast these with the way that Kamban represents the meeting
of the maimed sister with her brother :

She entered the northern gate of the city with her hands
joined over her head as a suppliant. . . . The Rakshasas
that looked on her grew red with rage ; some spoke words
like thunder ; some' could not speak at all ; their eyes rained
fire and they bit their lips ; some were heard to say, ' could
Indra have been guilty of this sacrilege ? or could it be
Brahma ? or may it be Shiva ? Others would answer,
' where are the foes that we can point to in this universe ?
It is impossibe that any in this triple universe should have
attempted this deed : it must be the doing of some from
the Worlds beyond.'

The music of the Vina and the Mridanga, of the Yal
and the flute, of the Shankha and the horn, all were hushed
that day in Lanka and only lamentations were heard for
the fate of Shurpanakha.

234 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

While all Lanka was thus immersed in grief as she-
walked along, she reached the audience-hall of Ravana and
fell at his feet as a cloud settling at the foot of a hilL
Darkness fell over the universe as pall. Adishesha, who
is bearing the earth on his shoulders, was terrified as to-
what would happen when Ravana's anger was roused, and
bent down his head. The mountains of the earth shook.
The Sun was beside himself with fear. The mammoths that
bear aloft the universe fled, and the Devas concealed
themselves in nooks and corners.

With smoke rushing through his mouths even as he bit
his lips with his teeth, his very moustaches trembling and
smelling with the fire of his breath, with his teeth giving
out the sheen of lightning while he ground them in his anger,
he thundered out, ' whose deed is this ? '

She replied, ' There are two men who are like him whose
standard is the fish. 1 They are protecting the earth from
ills and live in the forest ; there is none that can compare
with them in beauty of form ; it is they that cut at me with
their swords ! '

When she said it was men that did this injury to her,
he laughed a laugh that resounded to the very ends of the
earth, his eyes radiated fire, and he asked, ' Is this all that
these feeble hermits have done ; or have they done anything
more ? Fear not thou and speak thou without concealing
all that befell.' 2

Kamban represents Shurpanakha as still under the
infatuation of her passion for Rama and Lakshmana, and makes
her describe their beauty and prowess with extreme warmth,
at the end of which description she gives out that their names
are Rama and Lakshmana and that they are the sons of
Dasharatha.

When he had heard to the end, Ravana broke out thus :

' Tis men that've maimed my sister dear as life,
And having maimed her they're yet alive ? And still.
His sword in hand and bitten not with shame,
Lives Ravan yet, not even hanging down

His eyes or heads !

Behold they live who have offended me :

i Manmatha — the Indian Cupid.
a III vii 24-29, 36, 45, 46, 49-51.

RAVANA 235

• And lo, my sword is by my side ; my arms
Unparalysed do hang ; the years that Shiv
Has blessed me with are running on — I live !
Art thou ashamed, O heart ? and fearest thou
To bear the dire disgrace ne'er felt before ?
Think not thyself too weak : thy heads are ten,
And twenty are thy arms, full strong enough
To bear this weight of shame ! ' x

So saying, and with his eyes flashing fire, he asked, ' And
what were Kara and the Rakshasas doing without killing these
feeble men ? '

As soon as he asked this question, tears gushed from her eyes
as if from a fountain. She struck her breast and fell down upon
the ground. Again joining her hands she began, ' thy kindred
all are dead, O Sire ! ', and continued thus :

' As soon as they heard my complaint, Kara and the •
rest . of the bull-like heroes rose with their troops and
marched against them, but all of them fell within a space
of four hours, struck by the arrows of the lotus-faced prince
called Rama.'

When he heard that his brethren had died at the hands of
a man, and who fought only singly, grief and indignation,
struggled in his heart, and tears flowed and lights flashed from
his eyes as rain and lightning play about a storm-cloud. The
grief that was submerged under the fire of his anger now acted
like ghee 2 and roused it into a flame ; and he asked her, ' What
is it that thou hadst done them, that they laid violent hands-
on thee and chopped thy lips and nose ? '

' My fault,' she began, ' it related to a woman whose
waist is like the lightning, whose tender arms are like the
bamboo stem, and whose colour is that of pure gold. I
imagine she is Lakshmi herself who has left her lotus home
and lives with Rama ! ' 3

' And who is She ? asked Ravana, when she began thus :

' Her name is Sita : blessed is the earth
That bears her tender feet upon her lap.
Her bosom shines like cups of burnished gold :
The music of her voice recalls the sounds

1 III vii 58, 60, 61. » clarified butter.

a m vii 67.

1236 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Of woods, and groves, and honey tender-sweet.

Her tresses rich adorned with flowers, she is

A queen among the fair of heavens ! If she

Who dwells i' the lotus is not worthy ev'n

To be her maid, how can I make thee feel

Her beauty ? Like a deep-black cloud do show

Her tresses fair, and also falling rain.

Her feet are cotton-soft, her fingers show

As corals tender-red. Ambrosia she

Has robbed, and lo, her ravishing speech doth flow

Therewith. And though her face is not larger than

The lotus, her eyes are deeper than the sea !

They're fools who say that Manmatha was burnt

By fire of Shiva's eyes. This is the truth :

He saw this damsel and smitten was with love

For her form ; but being spurned by her,

He wasted sheer away and a martyr died

To love — such is the beauty of her form ! . . . .

Shall I her arms describe, or the swords x that rove
Upon her gold-bright face ? Or shall I praise
Her other charms ? I am confused for I
Have not the skill to paint her lovely limbs
In words ! But thou wilt surely see thyself
Tomorrow : why should I thy time consume ?
If once her charms are thine, O Sire, thy heart
Can never rove again and all thy wealth
Thou'lt place at Sita's feet : and mark my words :
Thou'lt bless me for my pains when once thou look'st
On her : but all thy queens will vent their hate
On me — for verily I bring them nought
But ruin.' 2

After rousing Ravana's passion for this unseen beauty,
Shurpanakha now reveals the motive which induced her to do so.
She tells him :

' Possess her, immerse thy soul

In love, while all the world shall sing in joy
Thy marriage song : a guerdon now I claim :
Put forth thy valour and, defeating Ram,

1 eyes. 2 III vii 68-71, 73, 77.

R A VAN A 23?

Wed me to him, for, him I love as life.

Though great the merit earned by austerities,

As destiny doth rule us all, no good

Can come to us except in its own time.

For, Sire, 'tis only now that thou art given

T enjoy th' advantage of thy twenty eyes

And arms ! "Tis such a fair that I did try

To bring for thee, when Lakshman brother of Ram,

Attacked and wounded me. I hurried here

To tell thee this, and after telling all,

To go and end my life disgraced for ever ! ' 1

Hero in this conversation we see how Kamban keeps high
the prestige and dignity of Ravana. His sister talks to him as
a suppliant and not as a virago who is used to treat her brother
with scant courtesy. See also how our poet exploits to the full
the dramatic possibility of the situation. Shurpanakha coming
as an injured suppliant with hands over her head, the remarks
of the Rakshasa people at the unheard of insult to their power
and prestige, Ravana's indignation at the sight of the wrong to
which his sister had been subjected, his self-deprecation that
in any part of his dominion such an ignominious insult should
be offered to his sister, the bringing in of the reference to Khafa
at the psychological moment — all these are contrived and
arranged with the justesse of the trained master-artist.

Here also we may note, in passing, Kamban's just taste in
the matter of the architecture of the epic. Those who have
finally arranged and revised the Benares and Southern Recensions
— which agree with each other very closely — of Valmiki's
Ramayana have not exhibited in this part of the story that .
apprehension of bhavika which they so generally exhibit in their
recensions. In Canto XXXI of the Forest Book in these recensions,
a Rakshasa named Akampana, after acquainting Ravana of the
prowess of Rama continues thus :

' But guile may kill the wondrous man :

Attend u>hile I disclose the plan.

His wife, above all women graced,

Is Sita of the dainty waist,

"With limbs to fair proportion, true,

And a soft skin of lustrous hue.

l m vii 79-81.

.238 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Round neck and arms rich gems are twined :

She is the gem of womankind.

With her no bright Gandharvi vies,

No nymph or goddess in the skies ;

And none to rival her would dare

'Mid dames who part the long black hair.

That hero in the wood beguile,

And steal his lovely spouse the ivhile.

'Reft of his darling wife, be sure,

Brief days the mourner will endure.'

This plan pleases Ravana and he goes to Maricha and tells
him :

' My guards, the bravest of my band,
Are slain by Rama's vigorous hand ;
And Janasthan, that feared no hate
Of foes, is rendered desolate.
Come, aid me in the plan 1 lay
To steal the conquerer's wife away.'

Maricha, however, speaks of the great prowess of Rama and
.advises Ravana to give up his dangerous ideas. He says,

' And pacified and self-possessed,

To Lanka's toum return.
Rest thou in her imperial bowers

With thine own wives content.
And in the wood let Rama's hours

With Sita still be spent.'

Ravana takes the advice and returns to Lanka. Then
Shurpanakha comes to Ravana's court and after reprimanding
him, gives an account of Khara's fall, Rama's beauty and prowess,
and Sita's charms and advises him — she also as Akampana — to
steal away Sita. Ravana again flies to Maricha, to demand his
help. This conversation between Maricha and Ravana, though
much more elaborate, is constructed as if the first visit and
conversation had not taken place at all.

This is such an obviously faulty bhauika that we cannot
understand how the commentators like Govindaraja and others
did not correct the error and remove the incident of Akampana
and the first meeting with Maricha from the story. It is a still

RAVANA 239

.greater wonder that Bhaskara copies even these re-duplications in
his rendering of the Ramayana. Kamban, as the reader would
have noticed, has cut away the Akampana incident altogether and
concentrates all his poetry and art in the elaborations with
Ravana.

The Passion of Ravana for Sita, being the bija — the seed—
irom which grow all the subsequent incidents of the story, we
should have expected Valmiki to have emphasised and elaborated
it at the end of the conversation between Shurpanakha and
Ravana. But neither in Canto XXXVI where Ravana tried to
persuade Maricha to disguise himself as a deer in order to inveigle
Rama and Lakshmana from the side of Sita, nor in Canto XL
where he threatens Maricha with death if he does not obey his
direction, does the Samskrit poet lay emphasis on Ravana's passion
for Sita.

We shall see how Kamban sows the bija and develops it.
When Shurpanakha had finished the description of Sita's person,
says the poet :

all his anger and valour and sense of shame now left his
heart, even as all good emotions leave the soul into which
sin has gained entrance. Now lust and the pangs that
accompany lust became like two fires and mingled with his
soul. Struck by the arrows of Manmatha, 1 he forgot Khara,
he forgot the strength of his arm who maimed his sister, he
forgot the disgrace that had befallen him, he forgot the limits
of the blessings received by him, but he forgot not the fair of
whom his sister spoke.

His thoughts and the name of Sita of the slender waist
had ceased to be two and had become but one single current :
had he now another mind to leave off one of them and to
take only the other ? How else could he forget her ? Can
even the learned conquer lust unless they have acquired
wisdom.

Even before he brought away the fair one whose form
was like unto the peacock, the Lord of Lanka imprisoned her
within the dungeons of his heart ! And thereby his heart
began to slowly melt away even as butter when placed in the
sun.

Because his own destiny egged him on from behind, and
because his actions and thoughts of the past were maturing

i The Indian Cupid. .'--•' '•,.:..

640 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

in 9rder to bear their appropriate fruit, and also because the

days of his prosperity were fast approaching their appointed

end, the pangs of his passion grew more and more intense

even as the seed of evil secretly sown by an ignorant fool.

And Manmatha acquired the strength to hit the Rakshasa,

for in passion lies the force that can wear away strength. x

Kamban then describes the pangs of the Rakshasa filled with

his lustful thoughts. The whole description amounting to eighty

stanzas is an extravaganza in which Kamban submits to, or rather,

he joyously and riotously follows the examples set by earlier

epic-poets and by his period. Thus he depicts Ravana as feeling

a burning sensation all over his body — the result of his passion for

Sita. The cool breeze that blows from the sea only roasts his

limbs. He goes into a grove with spreading and shady trees and

tries to rest in a summer-house or a bed of new-plucked flowers.

But though it is mid-winter he cannot bear the heat. He roars,

• I hate this season, change it.' At once winter disappears and

spring takes its place. ' But what can cure those men who have

drunk the poison of love ? ' So, displeased with it, he calls for

the autumn. That season too does not suit him, ' Let there be

no seasons ! ' he commands, and then all the seasons disappear

and Lanka shines like heaven itself where there are no seasons,

but one uniform and entrancing flow of time. But even then

the body of the Rakshasa continues to burn, for, ' what is there

in times and seasons ? Unless one conquers passion with

self-restraint one can never escape its stings. '

Then he calls for the moon, and then the sun, and finally
the night, and each one of them comes trembling at his bidding.
The darkness is ' palpable ', ' visible ', ' thick ', ' black like a heart
without ruth '. In the night Ravana sees the form of Sita floating
before him in the form of a coral creeper. He raves about her
and at length calls Shurpanakha and asks her to tell him whether
the form before him is the very woman that she had described
in the morning. But she on her part raves in her passion.
She says :

' The figure that stands over there is that of Rama of the
strong bow, with his lotus-eyes and lips like red fruit, with
his broad chest and strong arms and long beautiful flower
garlands. Behold he stands like a blue hillock.' 2
But when he says that the figure that he sees is female in
shape, she replies that men in love are used to see the forms of"

l III vii 82-87. > III vu 149.

HAVANA 241

their loved ones projected before their mind's eye as if they are
real persons. To the question how it is that she saw the form of
Rama, she satisfies him by saying that ever since he maimed her
she could not forget him. He asks her again ' what will become
of me who am suffering these tortures on account of her ! ' She
then gives out the suggestion which is the seed of all the subsequent
action of the Ramayana :

' Thou art the undisputed master of the universe. Why
art thou then hesitating to act ? Go to the place where she
is and capture her for thyself ! '

It is after this that Ravana consults his councillors and then
hurries to where Maricha was leading a retired life, to persuade
him to help him by his wiles to capture Sita.

We have given a resume of this extravagant scene, in order
that the reader might see Kamban as he is, both in his strength as
well as in his weakness. Although Pandits of the old school will
go into ecstasies over these verses, critics whose taste is corrected
by a comparative study of the Western as well as Eastern poetry
cannot but condemn the extravagances in which Kamban indulges
in these verses. But the beauty and merit of our poet, is that
there are few occasions in which he offends the taste of even the
most exacting of critics. On the other hand, the richness of his
poetry, and the general justness of his taste, and his architectonic
skill are so conspicuous that these defects look only like the dark
spots in the sun.

But even this extravagance, faulty as it is when taken by itself,
serves a very necessary purpose in the scheme of the story. For,
what but such an intense and unreasoning passion could make
Ravana cling to Sita to the last, in spite of his own terrible defeats^
and the loss of Kumbhakarna, Atikaya, Indrajit, and even his
reserve force ? So although we should like that this passion had
been described in a more natural manner, we cannot but admire
Kamban's instinct in deciding that it ought to be described very
elaborately in this part of the story. This passion of Ravana for
Sita is not, however, the vulgar lust of a depraved heart, but
the tender and delicate desire of a heart that desires reciprocal
affection. He wants to conquer Sita's heart and win her willing
love. He does not desire to force her hand. There is indeed
the story and Kamban speaks of it in more than one place, that
there is a curse on him that, the moment he tries to unite with
a woman against her will, his head would burst into a hundred
16

242 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

fragments. But our poet depicts Ravana as if he genuinely, and
not for fear of the curse, desired the willing affection of Sita.
And so the words he addresses to Sita are always full of a rare
delicacy, taking every circumstance into consideration. At the
first meeting With Sita in the forest of Dandaka, Valmiki makes
Ravana speak bluntly to her like a vulgar wooer of her beauty.
Though coming disguised as a sanyasin, Valmiki's Ravana tells
her, among other things,

' Thy charms of smile and teeth and hair
And winning eyes, O thou most fair,
Steal all my spirit, as the flow
Of rivers mines the bank below.'

His speech also lacks consistency with itself. For while very
soon, without any further ado, he is going to announce himself
as Ravana, the words,

' Leave, lady, leave this lone retreat
In forest wilds for thee unmeet,
Where giants fierce and strong assume
All shapes and wander in the gloom.

Here giants roam a savage race,
What led thee to so dire a place ? '

are more calculated to injure than help his cause.

Sita is not indignant at this vulgar and almost lascivious
admiration, but tells her story at his request, and in the end asks
him as to who he is. His reply can hardly be called delicate.
He says,

' Lord of the giant legions, ....

Ravan the Rakshas king am- I :

Now when thy gold-like form I view,

My love, O thou of perfect mould,
For all my dames is dead and cold.
A thousand fairest women, torn
From many a land my home adorn.
But come, loveliest lady, be
The queen of every dame and me.'

RAVANA 245

We shall see how Kamban presents the first meeting of Ravana
and Sita.

As soon as Lakshmana left the cottage, Ravana disguised
himself as a hermit with a triple staff in hand, in order the
better to deceive his victim. His body was now thin as if
he had worn it away in fasts. He wore a tired look as if
he had been walking a long distance. He chanted the Vedas
to' the accompaniment of the Vina on which he was playing
himself. He stepped with the softness of flowers falling on
the ground — he could not have been more circumspect if the
earth he walked on was spread over with fire. Sita took
him for a hermit of pure thought and welcomed him.

The flood-tide of passion was agitating the sea of his
heart and his frame was suffused with sweat as he saw with his
eyes — her who was the crown of beauty, the home of honour,
and the queen of chastity. At her sight his strong shoulders
swelled and shrank. It is little if we say that his eyes were
intoxicated with the sight of her beauty even as bees get
drunk with the dripping honey of the flowers ; the intoxication
•of his heart alone could compare with that of his eyes. He
thought to himself, ' Can these twenty eyes be sufficient to
drink in the beauty of this fair one who has left her lotus
home and come to live here below ? What pity I have not.
a thousand unwinking eyes ? It is to enjoy the ocean of
this damsel's charms that I have been blessed with three
crore years and a half of mortal life and all the other blessings
that my austerities have earned.'

Again he thought, ' I shall make her queen of all the three
worlds and appoint all the Asuras and Devas with their wives
to obey her every command, and I shall myself obey her
slightest wish.' Another mood came on and now he said to
himself, ' If this is the loveliness of her face, when she is
under a cloud of grief, what must be the charm of her
heavenly smile ? I shall give away my throne to my sister
who discovered this beauty to me '. While he was thinking
on these things in his passion-inflamed breast, Sita wiped
away a falling tear from her eyes and offered him the mat
made of rushes to seat himself. He took his seat placing the
triple staff beside the mat. 1

Although Kamban fills in here the picture quite differently
from Valmiki, he does not hesitate to take a hint from Valmiki

1 III viii 20-22, 26-34.

244 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

for some sublime images which he imports into this scene. So
before he takes up the conversation between Sita and Ravana, he
prepares a grand background by saying that when the Rakshasa
sat there revolving his nefarious purpose in his head,

The mountains trembled at the Rakshas' sight,
And trees a tremor felt from lowest root
Up to their topmost height. The birds grew dumb,
While beasts in terror crouched, and cobras stole
Away with shrunken hoods ! l

The student of Milton will here recall to mind those sublime
lines in the Ninth Book of the Paradise Lost wherein the poet
makes Nature feel responsible for the huge misfortune that was
about to befall the human race through the act of Eve :

" So saying, her rash hand in evil hour
Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate !
Earth felt the wound and Nature from her seat
Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe
That all was lost."

The conversation between Ravana and Sita in Kamban begins
in this wise :

He sat and sitting asked, ' who is the sage

That liveth here ? And tell me, lady, who

Art thou ? ' When large-eyed Sita thus replied :

' The chief of Dasharatha's royal race does live

In this retreat with his devoted brother :

And he has taken to this forest life

In obedience to his high-born mother's commands ;

Thou must have heard his name, O holy Sire ! '

' I've heard of him,' he said, ' but know him not,

Though once I wandered by the realms that 're laved

By Ganges holy stream. But who art thou,

And who's thy sire, O dame of large bright eyes ? '

' I am the daughter,' Sita said, ' of sage

Janaka who honours holy men like thee

As Gods. My name therefore is Janaki,

And I'm the wife of Rama of the race

i IU viii 35.

RAVANA 245

Of Kakutstha. Now holy sir, thou seem'st

To hail from far off lands, for tired is

Thy look. I pray thee tell me, whence dost thou

Thy holy person bring ? ' 1

In reply to this question, the pretended holy person fell to
praising Ravana and his glories. After giving a glowing account
of his sovereignty, beauty, and power and valour, he continued
thus :

' Though countless are the beauteous damsels who

Desire to call him Lord, he hasn't given

His heart to one of them : he is searching earth

And heaven for one who could delight his heart.

I passed these days in Lanka where he reigns :

But as a longing came on me to join

My friends in holy endeavour, I left

His realms and am come back to Janasthan.' 2

The reader will notice the art with which the conversation is
pushed on and the dexterous manner in which Ravana is made
to lay siege to Sita's heart. No expression escapes the lips of
Ravana, which is indelicate, rough, or rude. Ravana works only
by suggestion, and very remote suggestion at that. The suggestion
is so remote that Sita does not notice it at all at this stage and
only asks him,

' O sir that should'st regard the body ev'n

As weight unbearable, how didst thou choose

To dwell in the city of the sinful beings

Who honour not the Ved's or Brahmanas

And who do eat the flesh of living kind ?

Thou left'st the forest-land where sages live,

Nor didst thou care for the fertile realms where men

Of holiness do congregate, but lived'st

Amidst those Rakshasas of wicked life.

What hast thou done, O Sire of holy vows ? ' 3

-And then the colloquy continues thus :

The Rakshas thus replied : ' O lady fair

We who have conquered evil, how can we fear

The Rakshasas as cruel beings ! And if

1 III viii 36-40. 2 ni vili 49, 50. s m viil 51, 52.

246 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Thou want the truth, I trow they are not worse

Than gods. In sooth, I find the Rakshasas

A friend invaluable to men like me.'

When Sita heard his words she thought within

Her heart, ' he is no holy man who thus

Associates with evil ones — he is

Of those who follow with their lips alone

The path of holiness.' She did not know,

Poor innocent, that the wily • Rakshasas

Could at their will assume whatever shape

Or form they pleased ; and so she didn't suspect

A worser guile. 1

The wily Rakshas felt at once that he

Had raised suspicions in fair Sita's breast,

And thus attempted he to smooth them down.

' And thou must call to mind, O Janaki,'

He said, ' that when the Rakshasas do rule

The worlds without a peer, what can we do

Of holy endeavour unless we walk

Their way and earn their friendship and their love ? ' 2

The substance of the subsequent portion of this interview till
Ravana reveals himself as he is, has been given at page 15 et seq., 3
and so we shall not translate it here. We have, however, we hope,,
placed sufficient material before the reader to enable him to judge
for himself the difference between Valmiki and Kamban in the
description of Havana's courting, and consequently in the
delineation of Ravana's love for Sita.

In the second interview also between Ravana and Sita, which
takes place in the Ashoka grove, when Hanuman sits concealed
in the foliage of a tree close by, Kamban preserves this same
delicacy on the part of Ravana very carefully. Valmiki on the
other hand makes Ravana blunt and rough in this interview also. 4 '
He makes him begin his speech thus :

i m viii 53, 54. The reader will recognise a flavour in these lines
similar to that in the lines in the Third Book of the Iliad, where Homer
speaks of Helen's ignorance of the fate of her brothers :
' So spake the fair, nor knew her brothers' doom.
Wrapt in the cold embrace of the tomb.'

a III viii 55.

3 At page 15 et seq. a bare outline only has been given ; for a fuller
account see the Chapter on Sita. ,

* This interview is really the third in Valmiki. For he intervenes-
unnecessarily another interview between Ravana and Sita as taking:
place immediately after they reach Lanka.

RAVANA $47

' Why dost thou cover thy breasts and body at sight of
me, O thou whose thighs are like the trunk of an elephant ?
I desire thee O Sita ; look upon me with favour ! '

Observe the enormous difference of tone in Karoban. He
says :

What was to him a poison mortal, he
Thirsted to taste, as if it was the drink
Immortal, "and his speech he thus began :
' O Koil sweet of the slender waist, when wilt

Thou look on me with ruth ?

The days are passing one by one away,

And this is all the kindness thou hast shown

To me ! Mean'st thou t' accept me when I'm dead —

Aye, murdered by thy cruelty ?

O thou who'rt lovely like a tendril of gold,

Thou dost despise my throne of high renown !

But granting that thy husband liveth yet,

And thou canst see again Ayodhya town,

Wouldst not thou find the joys but human joys ?

And what's the highest blessing tapasvins

Desire ? It is the joyous life of those

That do my favours win by service leal !

O Sita, life and youth are transient,

Thou canst not youth enjoy for long : if all

Thy days of youth are wasted thus, when dost

Thou hope to reap the fruits of life ? 'Tis not

For me, I grieve : I shall die willingly,

If that's thy wish : but if thy heart is turned

To bitterness, show me another one

Beside thyself for charm that never cloys,

And love and beauty's perfect shape.

Shall Janak's race in female loveliness,

And strength of mind and other noble charms

Alone be rich, and wilt thou make men say,

That it does lack in tenderness and ruth

And has a niggard heart ?

When all thy good deeds of the past, betimes
Matured, are come to yield thee golden fruit,
Wilt thou for spite despise the fruit and sulk

Away ?

Thou canst, if thou my prayer grant, acquire

248 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

With" ease a glorious name as saviour proud
Of the Rakshas race : dost thou the shame prefer,
To be pointed at as its destroyer fell ?
Fortune has placed within thy reach, unasked,
Th' imperial crown of all the worlds, and wives
Of gods will be maids to wait on thee ;
And thou dost scorn the gift ! Was ever fool
Like thee ? O scorn it not but do accept
Me as thy slave, who rule the triple worlds
Without a rival or a peer ! ' He ended :
And raising his hands above his serried heads,
He fell prostrating at her feet. 1

If the love of Ravana for Sita is of a higher type in Kamban,
it is, as the reader will have seen here and elsewhere, not the less
deep or less passionate or less absorbing. No defeat, no death —
death even of his nearest and dearest — will induce him to part
with her or give up the hope of making her his own. It is only
when Indrajit had fallen on the field that in a paroxysm of grief,
he rushes sword in hand to kill her, but the words of Mahodara
cool him and he becomes himself again. In a fancy of Mandodari,
when she laments for her fallen lord, our poet has concentrated
all that can be said of the depth of Ravana's love for Sita, and
with that we shall close this phase of Ravana's character. Kamban
makes her say thus :

' The noble frame that lifted high the hill
Of Shiv is pierced through and through by darts :
There is not even space for a ses'mum seed
To rest o'er all its vast expanse ! Did Ram
Desire to sound and see the exact spot
Where did reside my Ravan's mighty spirit ?
Or did that hero's conscious darts believe
That love for Janaki might yet remain
Concealed within that handsome frame, and did
They probe for it, o'er every needle-point
Of space therein ? ' 2

It is not always, however, that Ravana's heart was so fully
engrossed by passion for women. It is only after hearing about
Sita that passion for women became the predominant note of hi3

1 V iv 24, 26-29, 31-37. 2 VI xxxvi 239.

R A V A N A 24ft

character. But before that, love of power, love of warlike
•enterprises and love of glory were the chief characteristics of the
great Rakshasa. Even after the entry into his soul of this
inordinate passion for Sita, glory and love of military achievement
occupy a very high place in his heart. So, when Maricha tries to
dissuade him from his nefarious attempt to steal Sita away,
Havana replied to one of his arguments in these words :

' My sway ia undisputed o'er the worlds :
If new foes rise what can delight my heart
Better ? ' l

Thus again during the first interview with Sita, he cannot
bear her remarks against his prowess, although she is speaking
to him not knowing who he is, he being still disguised as a
wandering hermit. So,

When she these stinging words did speak, his eyes
Flashed fire : he ground his lightning-laden teeth
Which crashed out thunder : and his false form burst,
Revealing all his branching arms and crowns
Upreaching to the sky. 2

It is this sense of honour that makes him feel acutely the
ignominy of the maiming of Shurpanakha by Rama and
Lakshmana. When Hanuman had burnt the city of Lanka and
escaped alive, he feels the shame of it more keenly than the loss
of his immense treasures or even the destruction of his capital.
He says in his council after the rebuilding of the city by the
-architects of the heaven :

' The world resounds with bruit of our disgrace,
And yet I am not dead, but sit with pride

Upon this throne

The air of Lanka smells with tresses singed
Of Rakshas dames, and yet we sit in peace

As if enjoying th' odour

If the Vanara at least had fallen killed

By Rakshas swords, our honour might have been

Redeemed : but now we're drowned in ignominy.' 3

i III vii 199. 2 III viii 64.

3 VI ii 12-14.

<250 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Again, when Sugriva leaps on him, the while he was observing.
the enemy's army at the commencement of the hostilities, and
after a hand to hand struggle with him plucks away the gems
on his crowns, he feels acutely the shame of such a defeat and
says to himself ; ' It were better if I had died.'

And where except perhaps in Milton's Satan, can we find
greater pride or determination than exhibited by Ravana in the
course of the war ? Ravana's authority is greater than Satan's :
none dares question his authority, none dares even to presume
to advise him except Kumbhakarna. And see how he treats
Kumbhakarna when he advises him, and how Kumbhakarna
submits to his will the moment he sees that Ravana is threatened.
It is true that Indrajit uses bitter words to Ravana, and Danamala
is even harder as her words are more taunting. But in both these
cases it is in the paroxysm of their grief that these words escape
their lips. And on both these occasions, Ravana himself was
grieving along with them for the loss of his valient sons on the
field.

Note, however, Indrajit's concern for the honour of his father,
even at the moment that he reprimands him for sending Aksha
against Hanuman after he had shown such prowess. For when
he sees Aksha's body on the ground he says :

' Alas 'tis not my brother lying dead —
It is my father's glory faded lies
Upon the ground.' 1

And, after the third battle with Lakshmana, when he advises
Ravana to send Sita away, see how submissive Indrajit's tone has
become. He is afraid even to say that it is through Ravana's
passion for Sita that all these misfortunes have befallen them.
He merely says,

' Our race hath sinned or such a powerful foe
Arises not for us.' 2

Such is the awe with which Indrajit regarded his father. And
need we recall to the reader the reply of Ravana to this suggestion
of his son, to the sublime sentiments and haughty tone of which
very few passages in World literature can afford a parallel ? In

1 V xii 5. 2 VI xxvfi 4.

R A V A N A 251

how many epics can we find sentiments and language 1 like the
following ?

' Think not that I did count

On those my men who are already fallen :
Think not I counted on the crew that's yet
Alive. Think not I hoped that thou wouldst beat
My foes upon the field : in my sole right arm
I placed my. trust and I provoked this war !

Ev'n if I lose, if Rama's name will stand,

My name, will not it also stand as long

As Veds are sung on earth ? And who canst death

Escape that comes to all ? We live to-day,

To-morrow finds us not : but glory, doth

It ever die ?

Die I may

But can I stoop to shame and littleness ? ' 2

And in the mouth of how many of the creations of poetic
genius will such words appear as natural as these do in the mouth
of Ravana ? In fact, Kamban has carved his Ravana in such
proportions that no words that may be put into his mouth can
be too brave or too exalted for his moral stature.

Now, while Ravana is proud and exacting when what he
thinks to be his honour is concerned, he is not without deep
affection for his brother and sons. In fact his love for them falls
short only just a little of his love of glory and honour. We have
seen how he melts into tears when Kumbhakarna starts for the
field. When messengers come and tell him that Kumbhakarna
has fallen in the field, he falls down unconscious like an uprooted '
sal tree. Says the poet :

From childhood's days they had not lived apart :
Though two their bodies, their life was only one.
When such a brother died, and for his sake.
The heart of Ravan broke in two, he swooned :
And thus lamented he his fate aloud :

1 We always refer to the words of Kamban and not to our transla- 1 -
tion, the inadequacy of which, we realise more keenly than the hardest
of critics.

2 VI xxvii 8, 10, 11.

252 KAM3A RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

* O brother, who hast destroyed the Danav hosts,
As a tusker does the o'er-grown lotus pond !
O hero, who erased'st great Indra's name
From the list of kings ! O first of Rakshasas !
Lived I so long alone to hear these words ?

thou of the flashing lance, thy dear face
Is hid from me : I speak these words and yet

1 cling to life ! If thou hast gone, O brother,
In the hardness of thy heart abandoning me,
Who will believe again in brotherhood's love ?
If thou art fallen thus upon the field,

Would not yon Indra go in triumph back

To his celestial realm ? And Danavas

Who live in terror of our eye, wouldn't they

Our valour mock and try to walk erect ?

O thou, to whom the Meru hill was but

A scrubbing stone at bathing time ! The word

That thou art killed by th' arrow of a man —

That word doth burn me to the quick and doth

Consume my heart with shame

The triple lance of Shiva blunt fell,

And disk of Vishnu, and the thunderbolt

Of Indra, King of Heaven lost their force,

The moment they did touch thy adamant chest !

And do I hear it said the feeble darts

Of yonder men had power to pierce thy frame ?

And so I hear it said they're strutting o'er

The field in glee, proud of this victory ?

' While thou wert marching proud in victory

To victory, I had my fill of the joy

Of life, but now that thou art dead, my brother,

I do not care to live. I cannot live

Alone, nor shall I let thee go alone :

I come, my elephant proud, I come, I come ! ' 1

Similarly, when Atikaya's death was announced to him, tears
gushed forth from his eyes : he sobbed and stood like a sea
agitated by the changing emotions — dashing one against another —
of grief and shame, and pity and indignation, and heroic
determination. Now he would look in the direction of the battle-
field ; now he would look at the Devas standing around : now

i VI xvi 83, 86.

RAVANA 255'

he would think on the unbearable shame of his son's defeat and
death ; now he would look at his sword that had earned for him
so many triumphs ; now he would wring his hands in despair.
Now like a mad man he would in turns smile and weep, frown
and crouch in shame. Now he would think of demolishing the
vault of heaven ; now he would think of lifting the earth ; now
he would think of destroying all life in one fell swoop. Then he
would think of cleaving in two the bodies of all who bore the
name of woman. But when this thought would cross his mind,
he would feel the pang as of a wound that is seared by fire. None
around him did open his mouth. None even dared to breathe.
Those who stood by him suppressed their very thoughts. Such
was their terror when his heart was thus torn with grief. But
it is the news of Indra jit's death that causes him the greatest
grief. For, unique was the love that he had for this son : and
unique the pride that he felt in his prowess and achievements.
People knew the intensity of his love so well that those who
brought the news from the field trembled and shook ' to the very
root of their teeth,' and just stuttered out the words ' Thy son
has fallen today '. The tapasvins and the Devas and the
Devadasis and others who stood by his side vanished from there,
fearing that in the first paroxysm of grief and anger Ravana
would surely end the world. When he heard the words, his eyes
flashed fire, and he drew his sword and with one fell sweep he
beheaded the messengers who brought him the news. Such was
the madness of his wrath and grief.

He then fell down on the ground, and ' boiling like the churned
ocean when it vomitted forth the poison,' he bewailed the loss
of his son thus :

He would cry out ' O my child ! ' ; he would call out ' O
my great son ! ' Now again he would cry, ' O my life, do
I yet live when thou art dead ? ' He would ask, ' Has Indra
been avenged ? ' and again, ' did the doomed Devas shout
in triumph at his fall ? ' and once again, ' are Shiva and the
thief who has taken refuge in the Sea of Milk now freed for
ever of their terror ? ' 1

The poet then puts one lament each into each of the ten
mouths of Ravana. Though this looks rather too artificial, there
are some fine thoughts in these stanzas which are worth being.
placed before the reader :

1 VI xxviii 7, 10, 11.

. 254 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

With one mouth he would call out ' O child ! ' With
another he would ask, ' Shall I yet sit on the throne and rule ? '
With the third mouth he would accuse himself saying, 'O
thou of powerful arms, can I continue to live who have
delivered thee over to the foe ? '

Another mouth would lament, ' Thou hast not embraced
me, O son, with thy powerful and beautiful arms ; while
another would cry aloud, ' shall a deer eat up a tiger cub ? '

With another mouth he would exclaim, ' Art thou really
dead, my son ? I have lost in thee the best of friends. Is it
guile or treachery that overcame thee ? ' And then he would
say, ' Wilt thou not come to me ? ' And then again, ' I have
become alone, all alone ! My heart breaks and fear has seized
on me ! '

With another he lamented, ' Death must have lacked
courage to face thee and take thy life away, O son of
measureless valour ! To what other world then hast thou
gone unknown even to me ? ' 1

After bewailing thus at his palace, Ravana rose and went
to the battle-field to search for the body of his son.

He searched the heaps of the slain for the body of his
son. After a long search he found his mighty arm, its grip
of the bow not loosened, though it was severed from the trunk.
Tears fell down his cheeks and his heart melted at the sight
as the ghee in fire. ... He took the arm — long and beautiful
like the body of a cobra — jingling with the sounds of armlets
and bangles, and quivers and darts infixed in it, and Dlaced
it like a holy relic on his head. He would embrace it with
his arms ; he would put it round his neck ; he would touch
his eyes with it with great devotion ; he would put it again
on his head ; he would swoon away ; he would sob again.
At last he saw the body like a vast ocean and he fell on it
and wept. He took the body, and with tears welling up from
his eyes, pressed it to his bosom and groaned. Who has ever
felt the pangs that he did feel at that time ?

He would pluck the darts from the body one by one,
and even break to pieces the darts thus plucked ; he would
suddenly fall into a swoon ; he would kiss the body and
embrace it ; he would desire in his wrath to crunch with his
teeth the sun and all the seven worlds. 2

i VI xxviii 16, 17, 19, 22. 2 VI xxviii 26-32.

HAVANA 255

He then searched for the head, but could not find it anywhere
upon the field. So he concluded that the men must have carried
it away ; and the thought pierced his heart as a wound reopened.
And he once again burst forth in lamentations in this wise :

' I could the mammoths tame that bear the earth

Aloft ; I could the hill uproot and lift,

On which the great God three-eyed sits enthroned ;

All these were feeble foes enough. Are men

Alone to be too strong for me ? O fie

On me that bear this load of shameless life,

And see them live unscathed, who've killed my son

And carried off his head ! And I have burnt

Fair Alaka 1 , and Indra's spacious realms

As food to fire consigned, and have I ruled

The worlds without a rival all these days,

Only with these my eyes to see my child's

Fair limbs devoured by greedy jackals vile ?

bitter is my food than food of dogs !

Of those who proudly marched to war with him,

1 see not one alive ; all, all are fallen,
While, of the foes, the men are yet alive !
Nor is that monkey killed ; and many stand
Unharmed : Is not the valour of Ravan great ?
If thy Khandarpa, Yaksha, Siddha wives —
The fairest of the fair, whose very speech

Is music soft — if they, O son, should come

And falling at my feet should cry, ' O give

Us back our lord ! ' shall I my tears join

With theirs and weep with them, ev'n I who have

Vanquished the God of Death himself in war ?

In days gone by I've carried fire and sword

To Indra's realms, and had them brought beneath

My sceptre strong ; but now to passion fallen

A slave, the funeral sacrifices, which

I' th' course of nature thou shouldst offer me,

I have to offer thee with mingled tears

And sighs ! Who's there like me in all the worlds ? ' *

It now remains for us to consider the valour and exploits
of Havana. In fact, it is his valour and great prowess and

1 The capital of Kubera's kingdom.

2 VI xxviii 35-39.

256 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

invincibility on which the whole story of the epic is based. For,
it was because the gods could not themselves destroy his
tyrannical power that they went to Vishnu and prayed to him to
come down and destroy him, and that He consented to incarnate
Himself as ' the emperor's holy son '. The power and the
unrivalled conquests of the Rakshasa loom large over the whole
background of the Ramayana. When Rama enters the forest,
Agastya and the other Rishis come and pray to him to free the
world from Ravana's tyranny saying :

' For untold years we have been suffering from the

tyrannous rule of Ravana, who has acquired the sovereignty

of the three worlds by his endless tapas. Who can overpower

the mighty Ravana, who makes the Devas flee before him

and carries away their wives, who makes the very confines

of the universe resound with the cry of his enemies and

plunders all their wealth ? . . . We see the Rakshasas spread

themselves up to the farthest worlds, but nowhere can we

find the holy Devas. Shiva has loaded the Rakshasas with all

his blessings and sworn that he would not raise his hand

against them, while Vishnu has been often defeated by them.

Brahma is able to get on with his work only by flattering

them, and the sun and other planets are only lately released

from their prisons in the land of the Rakshasas. ' l

It is with these and similar exploits behind him that Ravana

comes before us in the Ramayana. And so it is that the hyperbolic

language, which Kamban puts into Ravana's mouths and of others

concerning his prowess and exploits, does not sound incongruous

or absurd but quite consistent with his character and stature.

We shall take one case as an instance. In his interview in

Janasthan, just before revealing himself, Ravana says to Sita :

' Dost thou want the Meru Hill to be uprooted, or the
vault of heaven to be broken, or the ocean to be stirred to
its depths, or the fire in its bosom to be extinguished, or even
the earth to be lifted on high ? Which of these is impossible
to Ravana, whose words are few but deeds are mighty and
many. Who dost thou take Ravana to be, O innocent one ? ' 2

Though ordinarily speaking, this is the language of wild
exaggeration, we feel no incongruity even as we find none in the

1 These are six poems which are to be found in some editions of;>
Kamba Ramayana between the 14th and 15th poems in Book III
padalam Hi.

2 III viii 62.

R A V A N A 257

battles of the Angels in the Paradise Lost, where

" Millions of fierce encountering angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements and arm him with the force
Of all their regions."

And our poet has, by his grand style as well as by the attitude
he gives to other characters in the presence of Ravana, succeeded
in giving the impression of reality to these hyperbolic descriptions
of the valour and power and physical strength of the Rakshasa.
The reader will remember readily the contrivances that KamDan
makes in order to create this impression. We shall, therefore,
give here the translation of but one passage out of the many
scattered in all parts of the Ramayana and especially the Yuddha
Kanda, the cumulative effect of all which passages is to make
more distinct and to intensify the impression.

After the Vanara army had crossed over to Lanka, Rama
sends an ultimatum to Ravana asking him either to deliver Sita or
come out and fight. It is Angada, the son of Vali, that was
selected to go and deliver the ultimatum personally to Ravana,
for Rama said :

' If this time too we send our Hanuman,

Our foes will think there's none besides him here

In all our host to dare the Rakshas power,

And fearless enter Lanka town. I wish

That Angad go today ; for, even if forced

To fight, he has the valour, force to force

To meet, and safely to our side return.' l

Angada made his respects, and springing into the air like a
lion, he flew into Lanka with the swiftness of Rama's arrow,
brimming with joy with the thought,

" Now who of all the Vanaras are like
To me, for with his holy lips my Ram
Has said, ' If Hanuman is not to go,
Whom can we send but Angada ? ' " 2

When Angada dashed through the streets of Lanka, the
Rakshasas fled in terror, believing him to be Hanuman come back
to desolate their city once again. Such was the appearance and

1 VI xiii 9. 1 VI xiii 13.

17

258 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

powerful aspect of the mighty son of Vali. But this hero, when
he sees Ravana seated, listening to the accounts received of his
foes and inspecting with pride his army as it was marching to
the field, wonders at his strength and thinks within himself in
this wise :

' We pride ourselves upon our having crossed

Yon puny strait, and what have we but stones

And trees with which to fight ? Has e'en the God

Of Death the force to vanquish him ? Then who

Can meet the Rakshasa of the shining arms

Upon the field on equal terms ? I see

A feeble ray of hope in Rama's bow.

But that I see that he has come to battle

In person, who did with a single dart

My father's chest pierce through — my father great

Who triumphed o'er this Ravana himself —

Can I believe there lives a living man

Or God who can defeat this mighty giant ? ' 1

And then Angada impresses on us the same idea by another
turn of thought. He continues :

' Who has the might to kill this Rakshasa,
Though broken by his unrequited passion ?
And so I think that none is stronger than
My uncle brave, who yesterday did spring
On him and tore from off his crown the gems, 2
As Garud tears its gem from the cobra's hood ! ' 3

We have now described the main traits of Ravana's character,
so far as is possible within the limits of space we have fixed
ourselves. We shall close the study of the great enemy of Rama
with a short description of the two great battles which he fights
with him.

When Angada returned from the palace of Ravana he told
Rama, in reply to his inquiry about the success of his embassy,
that

' His passion wil not bate till all his heads
Do roll upon the ground.' 4

and so Rama gave his final orders for the battle.

1 VI xili 16, 17. 2 See page 250.

3 VI xiii 13. * VI xiii 43.

R A V A N A 25£

Rocks and tree-trunks were, in accordance with his
instructions, thrown in the moat surrounding Lanka town, and
.a bridge made for the Vanara army to march up to and escalade
the walls of the city. They were divided into four divisions,
each of which marched and established their line at the four gates
of the city. The scouts of each of these divisions sprang upon
the walls and attacked with roots and trunks of trees the divisions
of the enemy as they were marching out. The enemy's soldiers
dislodged these scouts from the walls with great difficulty, and
at length found themselves face to face with the divisions of Rama
in the great plains outside their city.

The fight began on all sides in right earnest. Rocks and
stones and trees were flung fiercely by the Vanara heroes against
the Rakshasas, while the Rakshasas used their bows and swords,
maces and lances, with terrific effect against the Vanaras.
Elephants and horses rolled down on the ground, their blood
running in streams to the ocean, chariots were broken to pieces,
and Rakshasa heads were piled one over another like mountain
boulders. The Vanaras fell in thousands and tens of thousands,
and their bodies floated down to the sea in the very stream formed
of their blood. Angada and Sugriva, Nila and Jambhavan, and
Hanuman fought fiercely, and the Vanaras under their commands
annihilated the Rakshasa armies on all the four fronts.

The Rakshasa messengers brought to Ravana the news of the
failure of the armies under Durmukha, Suparsu, Vajramushti, and
Prahasta. Ravana was stung with shame to hear that the despised
monkeys were able to destroy the warriors that had conquered
worlds after worlds in the past. He exclaimed :

" Did monkeys beat the veteran Rakshasa troops
Who brought down Indra's flag ? The word does burn
My heart like ghee-fed fire ! The Vanar mites
To beat the Rakshasas of the rock-like arms !
Well have the wise declared, ' Think not that fire
Or foes are weak, but ever keep them down.' " l

So saying, he ordered reinforcements to march out immediately
to the support of his broken armies, and himself made preparations
to take the field in person.

He did the battle-car ascend to which

Were yoked one thousand stallions fleet. It was

r )

i VI xiv 91, 92.

260 KAMBA RAMAYANAMT A STUDY

The car that Indra left as prize, when he
Did flee before the Rakshas arms, and which
Had flown over heaven, a symbol of Ravan's pride
And sovereignty unrivalled. Ocean-like
Was its grand reverberating roll. His bow
Was by his side, the bow which he, before
He took, had worshipped with devotion deep.
Can we at all describe in words its force,
When the God of Death himself with terror dies,

Whenever he hears its twang 7

Although the tuneful Vina was the sign

Upon his banner bright, his standard did

O'ershadow all the universe and seemed

To lick the heaven and earth like Yama's tongue. 1

He took all the divine weapons that past austerities had.
armed him with, and marched to the northern front. When Rama
was informed that Ravana had come to the field, he also put on
his armour and girded his sword, and bow in hand, he left the
camp from where he was watching the fight, and approached
the fighting line with the choicest of his troops.

In the meantime, the fight between the reinforcements of
Ravana and the Vanara troops was fierce and awful. There was
great carnage on both sides. When Ravana at length arrived on
the field and twanged his mighty bow, even the Rakshasas
trembled at that resonant twang ; what then of the Vanaras ?
Even the Devas were filled with terror, as if they heard the
thunder of the Day of Deluge. The Vanaras turned and fled. But
Sugriva who was there lifted a big boulder and aimed it straight
at the Rakshasa. It came whirling through the air giving out
sparks of fire, but one arrow from Ravana's bow broke it into
fragments and it fell harmless. Seeing that, Sugriva tore a tree
by the roots, as if tearing the very bowels of the Earth-Goddess,
but, before he could aim it, the enemy sent an arrow which cut
it into a thousand pieces, even in the hands of Sugriva. The latter
then lifted a huge rock and hurled it on the foe, but even that
met the same fate as the previous one. Before he could do
anything further, Ravana sent a shower of arrows and buried, them
into his mighty frame, and he fell exhausted.

But just at that time, Hanuman, who had been fighting on
the western front, came to know of Sugriva's condition, even as if
he had been all the while by his side, and rushed to his help*

1 VI xiv 95, 96, 101.

HAVANA 261

in a trice. And then, saying :

.'Wouldst thou show thy skill and battle with me, O

Rakshasa, the while Sugriva gets ready to resume the fight ? ' *
he lifted bodily a huge hillock and hurled it against Havana with
his arm, true like Veda's self. Ravana looked fiercely on him,
and saying, ' Come on for thy share ', sent simultaneously against
it the arrows which blew it into atoms. Hanuman broke another
mountain peak and aimed against one of Ravana's arms with all
his force. It struck the arm true, but broke to pieces the moment
it touched it. Such was the strength of Ravana's arm. Indignant
at his failure to make an impression on the Rakshasa's body,
Hanuman was taking a larger rock, but Ravana sent his terrific
darts and pierced Hanuman's body with them.

Hanuman, however, stood his ground firm, and while the .
Devas were wondering whether any mortal being could have such
endurance, he tore up a tree by its roots and sent it whirling
against Ravana. The tree struck the charioteer and felled him
down, and ricochetted and killed other Rakshasas besides.
Another charioteer took the place of the fallen Rakshasa ; Ravana
sent a heavier rain of arrows which buried themselves all over
Hanuman's body and put him out of action for a time, while blood
flowed in torrents from his wounds. As Hanuman sank on the
ground, Ravana exclaimed :

' Think ye with stones and trees, and hairy arms
And fists, and shining teeth and empty words,
To vanquish Rakshas might ? When I have come,
(Though tarnished is my glory when I face
Such puny foes) and send my iron hail
Against ye, can ye hope t' escape with life ? ' 2

But, not desiring to aim at a foe already stricken down,
Ravana aimed millions of darts against the Vanara troops which
had reformed in the rear. The troops were agitated terribly, even
as a sea that is agitated by storms. Now Lakshmana, who was
in the rear, advanced to meet Ravana, like a Meru Hill armed with
a bow. At the sound of his bow-string, the Rakshasa army fled
as herd of elephants at the roar of a lion. He sent his arrows
against Ravana, but the veteran troops of Ravana formed
themselves as a guard before him and gave battle to Lakshmana.
They were, however, destroyed by the unceasing rain of arrows

1 VI xiv 133. 8 VI xiv 139.

262 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

from the bow of Lakshmana. Chariots and elephants, horses an*
Rakshasas rolled one upon another, stricken by his cobra-like
darts. Even the Devas could not say whether he was still aiming
or whether he was discharging the arrows from his bow. The
lances and maces and other arms aimed against him by the-
Rakshasas were all broken to pieces by his arrows.

Down fell the Rakshas heroes bold upon

The field, some struck by Lakshmana's fiery darts,

And some by the severed heads of their own friends.

The bow of Lakshmana won its laurel crown

On that day of days, while fiercely burned the Are,

Named Ravana's heart, at triumph of his foe. 1

So Ravana faced Lakshmana and employed all his bowman's
skill against him, but could make no impression on him.
Lakshmana was able to parry all his weapons, ordinary and divine.
While they were still engaged, Hanuman recovered from his swoon,
and striding up between the two combatants addressed Ravana-
thus :

' 'Tis true thou, vanquished hast the triple worlds
By thy might that knew no waning ; and thou hast
Destroyed the glory of the King of Heaven,
And spread thy rule to th' ends of th' universe !
But this day, Rakshasa, will be thy last ! ' 2

So saying, he took the gigantic shape which he showed to*
Sita, and challenged Ravana again in this wise :

' Thou art a skilful wielder of the bow,
And sword and mace, and every weapon of war.
Thou art a master of the warrior's art,
And great's thy fame for valour and for strength.
But if thou dare to fight with me with fists,
With one blow of my fist I will destroy
Thy strength and skill and fame, and valour high
Renowned ! Why waste more words ? Although thy

frame-
Could not be shaken by the mammoths eight,
Or Shiva's hill, canst thou forsooth, escape
Alive when thou my matchless Vanar blows

1 VI xiv 155. 2 VI xiv 161.

RAVANA 263

Receivest ? If thou die not when I my blows
Deliver, thou may'st, O thou of the rock-like arms,
Return my blow with all thy might, and then,
If I remain alive, I shall no more
Challenge thee on the field.' 1

This was the first time, after Hanuman had burned Lanka, that
Ravana saw him face to face and within ear-shot. While he was
filled with anger for the injuries that he had done to Lanka as
well as to Rakshasa prestige, Ravana admired his courage, and
cleverness, and prowess, and so he addressed him in these words :

' Thou speakest like a hero, O mighty ape !

Who else but thee can fearless stand before

My presence stern ? Thy glory is as great

As th' universe itself : Can aught besides

Contain thy fame ? Though thou hast killed my kin,

And I do sit upon my chariot, bow

In hand, surrounded by my army vast,

Unarmed thou stand'st defying me ! Where is

Thy peer in all the worlds, O hero great ?

What god or Danava or mortal man

Will dare to challenge me, unless they 're seized

With madness ? E'en the Three Supreme have not

The nerve to face me thus. And thou dost stand

Rock-like, and dost invite upon thy chest

My shattering blow : Can I thy praises sing

Enough ? ' 2

So saying, Ravana descended from his car and called on

Hanuman to use all his force and knock him on the chest. When

Hanuman clenched his fist and struck on his chest a mighty blow,

the hills crumbled into their component sand ; sparks

came out of the eyes of the Rakshasas ; the brains of other

Rakshasas came out of their heads by the shock of the blow ;

some others fell down dead ; the teeth of some of the Vanaras

fell out — the very roots of their hair felt the shock. The

strings broke in the bows of the Rakshasas ; the sea dashed

upon the shore causing deep breaches ; the eight royal

mountains were split and boulders fell from their sides ; the

sun gave out sparks ; the tusks of the elephants fell down ; the

1 VI xiv 163-166. 2 VI xiv 167, 169.

264 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

weapons fell out of the hands of the opposing heroes : and
sparks and jewels fell down from Ravana's chest. 1

Even Ravana felt the blow and shook like the Mem hill when
the Storm-God attempted to uproot it. The gods were glad and
rained flowers on Hanuman, but Ravana soon came to himself and
praised Hanuman's physical strength in these words :

' I see there is some strength ev'n outside me,

And that I find in thee, O mighty one !

All else but thee I class eunuchs weak.

What ! even Brahma cannot shake me, though

He sends his curse with all his spirit's force !

I own thou hast defeated me ! There is

But one test more. If thou canst bear my blow —

The blow which on thy chest like a thunderbolt

Will falling strike — and after that remain

Alive, then thou canst say that there is none

In all the world to equal thee ; no foe

Would dare to challenge thee and thou wouldst live

For ever and for ever.' 2

But Hanuman said :

' Hast thou not conquered me when thou art yet
Alive unscathed ? I do commend thy strength !
Now take thy even chance.' 3

and bared his chest to the Rakshasa. Ravana clenched his teeth,
made firm his mouths and pressed his lips, and, with eyes dropping
fire, clenched his fists and struck a blow on Hanuman's broad
expansive chest from which at once flew sparks of fire. Hanuman
reeled at the blow.

And when he reeled, the gods in heaven reeled,
And Dharma, Truth and Nobleness did reel,
And reeled the Vedas, Justice, Fame, and Ruth ! 4

But just at that minute, the Vanara heroes came on with rocks
and rained them on Ravana. The very sun was concealed from
sight and darkness set in — so thick was the shower of the stones

1 VI xiv 174, 175. 2 VI xiv 181, 182.

3 VI xiv 183. 4 VI xiv 185.

RAVANA 265

which the Vanaras aimed at their foe. The Devas believed that
the Rakshasas would be ended that very moment. But Ravana
bent his bow and, quick as thought, aimed millions of darts against
them and broke their force and saved himself and his army. He
rested not there. Swearing that he would end the Vanara crew
and the men that day, he sent an endless shower of iron rain
which wrought dire destruction in the Vanara army. Nala,
Gavaya, Angada, Jambhavan — al] fell pierced by the lance-like
darts of Ravana. ' .

Lakshmana saw the plight of his army and its leaders, and
faced Ravana in right earnest. He parried the darts of Ravana
without missing even one, and thus saved the remnants of his
army. He then sent ten powerful arrows and cut down the ten
bows in the ten hands of his foe. The Devas were glad. Dharma
burst forth into songs of triumph and even Ravana admired the
skill of Lakshmana. He said addressing him :

' Grand is thy prowess, grand thy skill in war,
And grand thy valour, and the lightning quickness
Of thine arm ! I do commend thy aspect stern,
And mastery of the bowman's art. And who
Is there to equal thee but he, thy brother,
Who brought the Rakshasas with Khara down
In Dhandak forest the other day, or he
My son, who with his single bow could break
Devendra's might, or I myself thy foe ? ' 1

And then, thinking that it would be impossible to defeat
Lakshmana with any weapon that could be propelled by the bow,
Ravana took the lance that Brahma had given him in the days
gone by, and hurled it with all his force against Lakshmana. But
before Lakshmana could think of any weapon that could overpower
it, it struck him in the chest and laid him low on the field, to
the terror of the Devas and the Rishis and to the joy of the
Rakshasas. Seeing, however, that Lakshmana was not killed,
Ravana desired to capture him prisoner. So he descended from
the chariot and attempted to lift him with all his twenty arms.
But Lakshmana, who was conscious, realised his oneness with the
Infinite One, and then even the arms that lifted Shiva with his
Kailas Mount were powerless to move him ! Exhausted by his
fruitless endeavour, Ravana just moved from the place in order

i VI xiv 203, 204.

266 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

to rest his hands a little. At once Hanuman, who was watching,
everything, sprang to where Lakshmana was, and armed with the
power of love, lifted him up as if he were a child, and dashed
away to the rear.

Rama now came to the front and engaged with his mortal
foe. But Hanuman safely deposited Lakshmana in the rear, and
ran to Rama and begged him to ride upon his shoulders ' though
they are not worthy '. Seeing the ease with which Hanuman was
bearing Him, who in three steps measured the worlds, ' evqrt
Garuda hung down his head ' :

Hanuman was the Sea of Milk, and Ram
Was Vishnu riding o'er its waves, The son
Of Vayu was the eternal Ved, and Ram
Was jnan that e'er resides upon the crown
Of Ved ! 1

The twanging of Rama's bow was like the attahasa 2 of Rudra,.
when on the Day of Dissolution He devours the earth and the
sea, and the sky with all that exists. The Rakshasas were stunned,
unable to move from their places. Their tongues were parched
and they trembled, and then they fled. The marshalled worlds
shook in terror, and even Brahma and Shiva were afraid.

Meantime, Ravana sent against Rama seven darts, fierce as
the Are of the Day of Destruction, whose force was enough to
drink the ocean dry, break the earth and pierce the vault of
heaven. Rama parried them with an equal number of arrows,
and aimed five darts against Ravana which gave out sparks
making ashamed even the Kalagni — the fire of the Final Day.
The battle then engaged in right earnest. The Rakshasas around
Ravana also aimed their arrows and lances and stones against
Rama, but he parried them all and destroyed the Rakshasa's
army wholesale. Hanuman kept pace with the enemy's chariot
with ease and did not give any advantage to the enemy even for
a moment.

Before one could say, ' he is on the ground,' he would
be high up in the air ; wherever Ravana or his soldiers
turned their eyes, there they would see Hanuman sure and
certain carrying Rama upon his shoulders. For he was
swifter even than Rama's thoughts that flew in advance of
his darts. 3

1 VI xiv 221. 2 ro ar. 3 VI xiv 232.

HAVANA 267 '

The battle-field became veritable shambles ; the spirits who
live on corpses danced for joy ; rivers of blood were flowing
inexhaustible, carrying the severed heads, trunks and bodies of
elephants and horses and men. The Rakshasa women were
lamenting for their dead husbands, and embracing the dead
bodies, themselves died as satis upon the battle-field itself.

At length, Death masquerading as Rama's darts had destroyed
all the Rakshasas upon the field excepting alone Ravana. Ravana
boiled with rage and drawing the bowstring with all his force
buried two terrific darts in Rama's arms. But Rama only
smiled, and aimed at his enemy's bow and broke it into two.
Ravana took another bow, but before he could bend it, Rama
again sent a shower of arrows which cut off the heads of his
horses, brought down his Umbrella of Victory, and tore open his
armour. Another chariot drew up behind him, but he was not
destined to ascend it. Rama's fiery arrows tore it to pieces, and
Ravana could only view him with concentrated fury. But Yama
himself trembled at his scowl.

Then Rama with his invincible arrows broke the diadems
on Ravana's heads, who now looked like the night without the
moon or the day without the sun.

He also looked like kings who though they stand
Unrivalled in their wealth and sovereign power,
Straightway their honour and their name do lose,.
The moment noble poets send their shafts
Of stinging satire. 1

And as he stood unarmed, his arms hanging loose like the
shoots of a banyan tree, his toes scratching the ground, his faces
and heads shorn of their lustre as of their ornaments, his eyes
looking down upon the ground, while all the worlds were
exultingly saying ' this is the fate of those who go against
Dharma ', Rama took pity on his plight and desisted from killing
him, but at the same time he addressed him the stinging words
that we have translated in another connection. 2

So ended the opening battle of the war in which Ravana
intended to put an end to his foe.

After this battle, as the reader will remember, Ravana did
not come to the battle-field for many days. He had
Kumbhakarna waked up, and sent him to the field. When he
died, Atikaya offered to lead the army himself, and when he ■

1 VI xiv 249. 2 See page 64.

!>2$8 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

also fell, Indrajit chid Ravana for not sending him earlier, and
took the responsibility of the command and led his great attacks
on the Vanara army. On his fall, Ravana sent word to all the
Rakshasa colonies all over the universe and assembled a big
army— rhis whole reserve force — and dashed it against the enemy
and himself took the field. Rama opposed the reserve forces
single-handed, detailing Lakshmana and his army to face Ravana.
The reader will remember how Ravana sent his lance against
Vibhishana, and how Lakshmana bared his breast to it. When
Lakshmana fell pierced by the lance, Ravana returned
triumphantly to the city believing Lakshmana to be dead. He
also expected that his immense reserve would bring him an easy
victory. But the reserve was destroyed by the wonderful bow-

• craft of Rama, while Lakshmana and the fallen army were
resuscitated by the drugs brought for a second time by
Hanuman. Kamban describes the battles with the reserve forces
in 235 stanzas with his usual power and verve, but space forbids
us to even summarise that description to our reader. At length
there was nothing left for Ravana but his guard, and he
determined to lead them in person.

But if nothing remained in Lanka except the guard, the
guard were an immense and most powerful force, and it was
Ravana in his fury that now led them.

He put on the golden armour that Brahma had created at
a great sacrifice, and which had been a trophy won by himself
from Indra. He wore the anklets round his left ankle, at whose
sound the worlds trembled as at the sound of thunder. He girded
on his trusty sword and threw over his back the inexhaustible
quiver of arrows to which the waters and sands, and fish of the
sea and even science 1 were too small for comparison. He put.
on his pearl and diamond garlands, and walking out of his
palace under the shade of his pearl-umbrella, he ascended his
war-chariot. The thousand horses yoked to the chariot were of
the highest breed — being descended, some from Uchchaishvanas,
' the divine-horse that came along with ambrosia at the churning
of the ocean of milk, some from the horses drawing the chariot

• of the sun, and some born to the Storm-God in the womb of the
< Ocean Fire. Drawn by such horses,

The car could run upon the land or sail
The sea ; it could ascend the sky and fly

i Knowledge.

HAVANA 269 1

V th' air ; it could the fire cross unscathed ;
And in a trice it could ascend to the world

Of Brahma's self ! and,

It was the home of Victory. ! 1

He blessed the car with many a flower thrown, made gifts-
to innumerable brahmans, generous beyond the dream of avarice, .
and ascended the car exclaiming :

' Or Janaki shall beat her breasts today

And mourn her Ram with dishevelled hair, or poor

Mandodari shall fall upon my corpse

And rend her breast in unconsolable grief !

So fierce shall be my fight if Rama cross

My path today ! ' 2

He then smacked his arms in the manner of wrestlers, and
at the thundering sound the vault of the sky clove into two, the
mountains split, the earth felt as if a wound was opened in her
side, and even the sun fled from his golden car. He twanged
his bow in high joy at the coming final fight, and at the terrible
twang the hills burst to pieces and the Danava and Deva women
touched their Mangal 3 strings fearing danger for their lords.
And then proudly bearing himself like the thousand-headed
Adishesha, to the terror of all beholders, he drove his chariot to
the battle-field surrounded by his troops. The Supreme One
and all the immortals saw the ocean agitated, the Devas filled
with terror, and every living thing shaken with dread at the
furious aspect of the Rakshasa.

Vibhishana informed Rama of Ravana's appearance in the
car at the head of a vast army, and of the flight of the Vanaras
at his approach, and Rama at once made preparations himself
to go to the front. He determined not to spare Ravana today.
He put on his arms and girded on his sword, and saying :

' This day shall bring an end to Sita's grief
And suffering of the Gods for once and all.' 4

he took his bow and quiver of arrows. As he was about to start,

1 VI xxxiv 20, 23. 2 VI xxxiv 28.

3 Symbol of the married state for women among Hindus, like the-
wedding ring.
* VI xxxv 2.

:<270 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

i
Matali the charioteer of Indra brought him the car of Indra at

the command of Shiva and the Devas.

Is it the chariot of the Sun ? Is it

The overpowering light that is to shine

On Dissolution's Day or can it be

The Meru hill ? This car is larger far,

More brilliant. May this be the peerless car

Which in its bosom bears the Three Supreme ? 1

Its inside was filled with innumerable divine drugs that could
heal any wound or cut, and its roll was like that of the sea when
the storm beats on, and tides on tides drive one against another
upon its bosom.

In answer to Rama's enquiry, Matali told him that the Devas
sent him the chariot of Indra in order that he might fight on
equal terms with Ravana who was riding his miraculous car. A
suspicion . rose in the mind of Rama that this might be a trick
of Ravana, but the conscious horses yoked to the car chanted
the Vedas in order to dispel the suspicions of Rama. Rama
looked at Lakshmana and Hanuman, and asked them what they
thought of it. And when they said that Matali's words could be
believed, he ascended the car and steered against the Rakshasa.

Ravana bit his lips when he saw that the Devas had sent
Indra's car to his enemy, and determining to take his revenge
on them after finishing Rama, he ordered his charioteer to direct
his car straight on him. The Vanara army that had fled at the
sight of Ravana, now reformed and advanced without fear when
they saw the miraculous car of Indra come to Rama, and believed
that now that Rama was equally equipped and armed, Ravana
was sure to be defeated at his hands. The Vanaras began their
battle with their usual weapons. But Mahodara prayed to
Ravana to permit him to engage Rama, and asked him to contain
Lakshmana and his troops on the other side. Ravana agreed
and turned towards Lakshmana's front. But Mahodara could
not long stand against Rama and soon fell struck by a single
arrow of Rama.' Ravana, therefore, hastened towards Rama who
destroyed the Rakshasas in their millions. Of the others, those
that did not fly away stood apart, and Rama and Ravana faced
each other at length, even as Wisdom and Evil Deeds, as
Knowledge and Ignorance, as Righteousness and Sin in their final

l VI xxxv 17.

RAVANA 271

conflict. They looked as Garuda, the King of eagles, and
Adishesha of the thousand hoods engaged in mortal cambat ; and
like two of the mammoths bearing the universe ready to dash
against each other ; and even as Vishnu and Shiva fighting as
to who is more powerful.

Ravana blew his conch that was ever used, by the thunder
of its resonance, to create trepidation and terror in the hearts of
gods. But then, without Rama's knowing it, his five divine
weapons had taken their place by his side in the car, and his
Panchajanya 1 now" sounded of its own accord, feeling jealous of
Havana's conch.

Matali also sounded the conch of Indra, making the heaven,
and sea, and the mountains tremble. The sound of Panchajanya
and Indra's conch delighted the hearts of the Devis of heaven
and they turned on Rama the arrows named their glances, even
before Ravana's darts began to shower on him.

The twang of Ravan's bow was like the roar
Of all the oceans seven heard at once :
While twang of Kodanda 2 was like the chant
Of Ved Eternal on the Final Day. 3

Even Hanuman and the other leaders were terror-stricken
at the sight of Ravana and his host. They were filled with
despair not knowing what to do or where to turn. Ravana's
war-shout and the sounding of his bow were unbearably terrific.
The roar of the sea and the thunder of the clouds that are heard
even now are only the reverberations of that war-shout and
twang ! He shouted, ' I shall either lift up Rama with his
divine chariot and dash him to the earth, or destroy his chariot
with my arrows, powerful as the thunderbolt, and capture him
prisoner with his bow ! ' So shouting he aimed his arrows in
veritable showers. They came like thunderbolts- and like fire,
like death and like rain, and they were longer than the cobra
that was tied round the Mandara mountain to churn the ocean.
Rama parried them with a similar shower of arrows aimed with
equal force. The combined shower

Did cover the earth and sky, and hills and seas ;
The eyes of even gods could see in all

i Vishnu's divine conch is called Panchajanya.

2 Rama's bow. 3 VI xxxvi 35.

272 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The world naught but these iron-shafts. Can' ev'n
Men of Wisdom ever count them ? Darkness spread
All o'er the universe and there was fire
Burning all living kind — such was the fight
Of Ravana and Ram. And even Shiv
Wondering, did exclaim, ' Was ever fight
Like this ? ' »

As Rama parried and destroyed with his arrows all the
darts that Ravana aimed against him, the latter thought he should
try other weapons, and so he hurled lances and axes and maces
against Rama. But they too were cut into pieces by Rama's
sharp-pointed arrows. Rama now buried ten darts into the body
of Ravana, who, furious like the elephant goaded by the steel-
goad, rose into the sky with his chariot. From the sky he
showered a hail-storm of arrows against Rama and the Vanara
army, and so Rama ordered Matali also to rise up into the sky
with his car. And lo, it came over that of Ravana even as the
globe of the sun over that of moon. The chariots now made
their evolutions in the air, each warrior trying to take the other
at a disadvantage. The evolutions were so rapid that even the
gods could not tell which was Rama's car, and which the
Rakshasa's. Meteors fell down, dashed against by the wheels of
the chariots. There was.no hill whose summit was not broken,
no direction that escaped from the conflagration set in by the
arrows and astras of the combatants, no living being that did
not vomit blood in terror.

The chariots steered over the seven oceans and the continents
seven, over the seven royal mountain ranges, and over the seven
worlds. The walls of the universe were the only limit they
respected. They pursued each other like the whirlwind
and the thunderstorm, and yet the horses were not tired on
each side.

Ravana at length saw his opportunity and sent a crescent-
shaped arrow, which, however, only succeeded in carrying away
the thunderbolt which was the standard flying on Indra's car.
With the same breath, he buried his darts in the heart of Matali
and on the bodies of his horses, and aimed a terrible flight of
arrows against Rama himself. Rama was quite invisible to the
eyes of the Devas, so innumerable were the arrows that Ravana
aimed at him. The Devas wept saying, ' Alas ! Rama is

i VI xxxvi 50.

HAVANA 273

conquered ! ' The Rakshasas shouted for joy, and the universe
trembled.

The God of fire his lustre lost and heat ;

The Sea unmoving stood without a wave ;

The sun his chariot stopped in heaven ; the moon

Moved not ; and even rain-clouds were dried up

I' th' sky. 1

Even Vanara leaders and Lakshmana trembled for the fate
of Rama. But Rama was not injured ; he only showed his
nonchalance by his leisureliness. At length, he surprised both
friends and foes by the rapidity with which he broke up the
screen of arrows which appeared to have all but destroyed him.
And the Devas recovered from their despair. As the standard
fell from Rama's car, Garuda himself fit ,v and settled on the
staff as the living standard of Rama.

Ravana then sent against Rama the astra called Tamasa,
which came in the shape

Of arrows tipped with fire and blood, of darts
With face of Asuras and gods and spirits,
And cobras of the crooked fangs. They came
As darkness black, and eye-dazzling light, as rain
And thunder, and a veritable shower
Of iron hail. 2

But when Rama sent the astra named of Shiva, the power
of the Tamasa failed. Ravana then sent

The Astra named the Asura which had

In former days the name of gods destroyed,

And maw of Yama surfeited with lives.

It was the arm 'fore which the king of heav'n

Had fled in terror. 3

But the Agni-astra — the weapon named of fire — aimed by
Rama burned it before it could reach him. After trying the
weapon forged by Maya which also failed, broken by the
Gandharva-astra of Rama, Ravana

1 VI xxxvi 80. 2 VI xxxvi 90, 92. 3 VI xxxvi 97.

18

3^4 KAMBA RAMADAN AM — A STUDY

Now threw the mace on Ram with which in days
Of yore great Daruka had felled the gods :
(The four-faced god had forged it by his art ;
The Asuras, fierce Hiranya and Madku,
Had tamed their foes with its almighty force.) 1

Everybody thought that Rama's end had come. The mace
tame with a force that made the very Meru Hill tremble,
destroying all that crossed its way in space. But one dart from
Rama's bow was able to break that divine mace into fragments.

Ravana now sent the Maya-astra, the weapon of illusion,
against Rama. And behold, all the Rakshasas dead in previous
battles appeared to have come back to life and to be advancing
on Rama and the Vanara forces with terrific war-shouts. There
was Indrajit and Atikaya and the other commanders of the
Rakshasa armies up to the very reserve forces that fell only the
previous day, all rushing with arms and shouting :

' Hast thou forsooth defeated us ? And dost
Believe that we could die ? Thou'lt see our fight
This day ! Advance, Advance ! ' 2

The gods and rishis believed the illusion true and were
"thunderstruck to see alive the Rakshasas who had been destroyed
by their defenders. Rama was also put out and asked Matali
what he could do. Matali told him that it was illusion and would
be destroyed the moment he sent a dart pronouncing the Supreme
Name of himself. Rama, therefore, pronounced his own name
and sent a dart presided over by the Spirit of Wisdom and
behold, the Maya of Ravana was broken.

The triple lance of Shiva was then hurled by Ravana, which
came flaming through the air, spreading a weird light over all
things and terrifying the gods. The arrows that Rama aimed
against it, all fell powerless to hurl it, and it came on and on,
and nearer and nearer Rama. When even divine weapons could
not prevail against it, Rama stood motionless. The Devas
trembled to see Rama standing inactive, a target to the terrible
weapon of Shiva hurled by the foe. Dharma itself was terror-
struck. But as it struck his chest Rama pronounced the symbolic
mantra of Hum and lo, the Shula of Shiva broke into fragments !
Seeing the exhibition of this divine power of Rama, Ravana
exclaimed :

1 VI xxxvi 105, 106. 2 VI xxxvi 115.

HAVANA 275

i ' Who can this Kama be ? He is not Shiv,

Nor Vishnu, nor the Four-faced One divine.
As for austerities, he looks not strong
Enough to mortify. his flesh. Is he,
Perchance, the Universal Cause, of whom
The Vedas speak ? ' *

But his valour checks him from considering further as to
who he might bo. Like Rustom of the Shah Namah he disdains,
in spite of suspicious appearances, to inquire into the true
-character of his enemy.

He, therefore, formed his resolution saying,

' But be he who he may,
I will not swerve from war's straight path : I won't
Withdraw from my warrior's duty plain. I will
Yet conquer him. E'en should I fall by 'is darts,
My name for valour undismayed will last
For ever ! let there be victory or death :
I turn not back ! ' 2

So he fought with unabated fury. His Nairriti-astra came
like millions of cobras spitting venom all over, but the Garudastra
of Rama turned itself into eagles which bit the cobras to pieces
and made the venom harmless. After many more astras had
been aimed and parried, Ravana began to show signs of
exhaustion, but Rama, who had not put forth half his strength
up to now, was as fresh as ever, and now began to take the
offensive. He aimed at one of the necks of Ravana a crescent-
shaped arrow. It flew with a terrific force and cut and carried
off a head of his and sunk it into the sea. But behold,

E'en as the virtuous soul that after death
Doth take its birth again in a better frame,
Ev'n so, upon the trunk another head
Arose, its fury unforgot : is there
Among endeavours yielding golden fruit
A higher one than tapas ? 3

The new head defied Rama in tones of thunder, while that
which was thrown into the sea was also roaring no less loudly.

1 VI xxxvi 135. * VI xxxvi 136. 3 VI xxxvi 152.

276 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Filled with fresh anger against Rama for having shamed him.
by cutting off one of his heads, Ravana buried into Rama's chest
a flight of fourteen of his sharpest arrows. But Rama did not
mind his wounds and sent an arrow which cut off an arm of
Ravana which fell down, but with its grip on the bow unloosened.
Ravana took that fallen arm and dashed it against Rama, but it
struck only Ma tali, who vomitted blood at the shock. And again
he aimed a tomara against Matali, thinking to destroy him and
disable Rama from using the car. But Rama's arrows broke it
on its way and saved the life of his charioteer.

Ravana now hurled his lance, and mace, and battle-axe
against the foe. Rama, however, broke or parried them, and
aimed arrows after arrows against him, which entered his trunk
and limbs and eyes. Ravana sank exhausted in his chariot. His
charioteer saw the plight of his master and steered his car back
towards the rear. Matali advised Rama to kill Ravana even as
his car was retreating, but Rama with the true chivalry of the
Indian warrior said,

' Do not the laws of war, O Matali,

Forbid the taking of an enemy's life

When he has thrown away his weapons of war

And agitated flees for life ? The fight

Doth end today ! n

Before the car had retreated far, however, Ravana recovered
from his swoon, but he did not see Rama in his front. He turned
back, and found Rama standing in his place like a victorious
hero. At once he turned furiously on his charioteer, and saying,

' Thou hast, O villain, turned my chariot back
And made yon Rama mock my valour 'fore
The very gods ! Thou hast enjoyed my bounties,
And yet, though I did put my trust in thee,
Thou hast by turning back the car, made me
Appear a coward. Think'st thou I'll spare thy life ? ' 2

Ravana drew his sword. But the charioteer remonstrated with
hrni saying, that he had fallen on his seat exhausted, and that if he
had stayed longer he would have been killed with the darts of
Rama. He concluded :

1 VI xxxvi 175. a VI xxxvi 178.

RAVANA iTt

' The charioteer must judge the condition
■ Of him who fights from on his car : when sinks
The hero powerless to continue
The fight, 'tis the duty of the charioteer
To save his master's life by wise retreat.' l

Ravana's anger cooled at these words. He therefore put
back his sword into the scabbard and ordered his charioteer to
retrace his steps and drive the car back to the front. He felt
indeed that his end -was come, but he would not yield in valour
to Rama. On the contrary, he fought with the strength of
despair. The bystanders thought that it was another and a
stronger Ravana that was fighting now, and trembled. Such was
his new fury.

But Rama's blood too was up, and he determined, finally,
to put an end to the Rakshasa. He aimed an arrow at his bow
which had been given by Brahma, and broke it to pieces in his
hands. And as Ravana took another bow and showed all his
usual skill, and varied his attack with lances and maces and
spears and kappanas, Rama thought that Brahmastra alone could
end him. So, parrying the enemy's shower of weapons, he took
the astra, pronounced the appropriate spells, and sent it tearing
against the chest of Ravana. It flew with a ferocious speed,
illumining the very ends of the universe, and shaming even the
Sun of the Final Day by its dazzling light. The Chakra of
Vishnu, which had also, as the reader will remember, taken its
place on Rama's car, now joined its force to that of the
Brahmastra, and impregnated with this twofold force, Rama's
.arrow struck and entered the mighty chest of Ravana.

And Ravana fell mortally wounded !

The holy dart of Raghava did drink
His three crore years of mortal life, and all
. The strength of his austerities ; it quenched
The blessing Brahma had bestowed on him
That none should have the power to conquer him ;
It did the might extinguish which had brought
The universe beneath his awful sway ;
And piercing clean his chest, it drank the blood
And straightway flashed through th' air with lightning

SJjCGu*
l VI xxxvi 182.

278 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Rejoicing in the grateful blessings breath'd

By Gods and Brahmans true, and followed close

By the rain of flowers that they did shower all through

Its path, the dart pursued its way to th' Sea

Of Milk ; it washed therein its bloody stains,

And turned, and flying over the waves that played

On the sea of Ravana's blood, it entered quick

And hid itself within the quiver of Ram,

Its eerie home. '

So ended the hero of a thousand battles, the most valiant
hero excepting Rama that epic poetry has ever created or sung.
Achilles and Hector, ^and even Arjuna and Bhima look like mere
pigmies when placed beside this giant-king of Lanka. We do
not speak only of the physical stature that the poet attributes
to him. His passions and his power, his valour and his pride,
his prowess and his authority are on the same gigantic scale
as his vast physical proportions. Milton's Satan is grand indeed
in his rebellious pride and ambition, in his power and the
determination of his indomitable will. But all his achievements
and valour are reserved only for heaven. On earth, he is not
more than a wily old serpent. And compare Satan's end in Hell
with Ravana's. Milton describes the end of Satan thus :

" His visage drawn he felt too sharp and spare ;
His arms clung to his ribs, his legs entwining
Each other, till supplanted down he fell
A monstrous serpent on his belly prone,

Reluctant, but in vain

He would have spoke,

But hiss for hiss returned with forked tongue
To forked tongue."

How different is the end of Ravana ! His valour shines to the
very last, and the crescendo is completed in his short but sublime
address to the charioteer. And even after he has fallen the
poet would say,

but the hero's face

Even at that awful moment wore a look
Of majesty, surpassing far the splendour
Even of days when saints and Rishis had
To flee for safety from his oppressive rule. 2

« » VI xxxvi 198, 199. 2 VI xxxvi 201. .. .

CHAPTER XIV
BHARATA

We have, so far, studied all the main characters excepting
Sita that are directly connected with the destruction of Ravana,
which is the one action of our epic. We have also seen and
discussed Kamban's delineation of the heroes of two of his
grandest episodes, namely Vali' and Hiranyakashipu. Exigencies
of space prevent us from studying the other characters of the
story, interesting as they are, except in the manner that we have
done hitherto, namely by bringing in their traits and doings as
much as possible in the studies of our main characters. We shall
close our examination of the characters of the Ramayana by
discussing Bharata and Sita in this chapter and the next.

Bharata is, as well as is not, intimately connected with the
story of the epic. He is connected intimately with our story
in that his love for Rama gives rise to some of the most touching
episodes in the epic, and also, chiefly, in that it is for his sake
that Kaikeyi forces Dasharatha to send Rama to the forest. He
is not intimately connected with the story in that he is not
associated with Rama in the destruction of Ravana and his forces.
But the reader that knows not Bharata misses more than half
the beauty of the Ramayana, and knows not one of the most just
and tender-hearted and most touching characters known to story
or history.

Bharata, like Lakshmana, does not appear much in the
Balakanda. There we only hear that he loves Rama with a
tender love, and that he marries one of the daughters of Janaka's
brother. It is in the Second Book of the Ramayana that we see
the whole evolution of his character, while the final touch is
reserved for the end of the story in the Book of Battles.

It is the cruel conduct of his mother, Kaikeyi, that brings
Bharata to prominence in the story, and it is the remembrance
of that same cruelty that ever after presses heavily upon his
tender and noble heart. Hence, the reader must know something
more than what we have given in the second chapter about
Kaikeyi and her heartless behaviour towards Dasharatha and
Rama.

Kaikeyi was not always cruel. In fact, she loved Rama

280 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

very ostentatiously, if not deeply. She was the wife to whom
Dasharatha was most attached. She, therefore, naturally and
as a matter of habit, tended and nursed the child on whom was
set the whole soul of her lord. The beauty and noble qualities
of Rama must have made Kaikeyi take pride in loving, which
was the only way of owning, such a child. Rama on his part
loved her deeply. He never made any difference between his
own mother Kausalya and her.

So when Manthara, her favourite maid, tried to poison her
mind against the coronation of Rama, Kaikeyi reprimanded her
and even grew indignant.

When Manthara, filled with jealousy against Rama's and the
world's happiness, ran to announce to Kaikeyi the sudden news
of Rama's impending coronation and to rouse her to- oppose it,
Kaikeyi was half-asleep. So she pressed her feet to rouse her
from her drowsiness, and when Kaikeyi did not even then rise
from her bed, she exclaimed :

' Ev'n as the moon will not abate her light
Effulgent, up to the very moment when
The dragon stealeth over to eclipse
Her face, thou dost, O lovely mistress mine,
Slumber secure e'en when disaster hangs
Heavy upon thy head ! ' 1

Kaikeyi heard the words of Manthara and replied,

' When all my brave and worthy sons

Are hale in body and swerve not from the path

Of righteousness, can e'er disaster come

On me ? They say, that joy ineffable

Belongs to them who're blessed with children whom

The world can never enough commend : can harm,

O Manthara, approach me ev'r, who have

Good Rama for a son ? ' 2

/
Seeing her wanderings in the realms of impartial love,
Manthara tried to awaken in her the jealousy natural to a woman
for her co-wife, and partly succeeded in her attempt. For, when
she shed crocodile tears saying,

i ll ii 45. * 2 II a 47.

BHARATA 281

' Woe unto thee ! thy days of joy are o'er :
Tor, deep Kausalya has ascended now
To the topmost rung of fortune's ladder.' 1

Kaikeyi replied with hauteur,

' If the King of kings is still my lord, and if
Bharat of unsurpassed fame is yet
My son, wherein is she, Kausalya, better
Than me ? ' ?

Pleased with the effect of her first assault, and believing
that she had broken the defences of her mistress's heart sufficiently
well, in order to ensure a victory by a simple walk-over,
Manthara aimed a dart just tipped with a little venom. She said,

' Thou askest wherein is Kausalya better :
Only there is a young man who has shamed
Manhood and earned the laughter of the wise
By bending 'gainst a woman — Tadaka —
His well-carved bow. Tomorrow he is to be
As king of Ayodh crowned ! ' 3

But the dart fell blunted, for,

When she announced

The happy news, Kaikeyi's heart was glad

Ev'n as Kausalya's motherly heart : she felt

No jealousy within her heart ; may't be

Because sweet Rama's father lived within

The palace of her heart ? A very sea

Of joy arose within her soul, a light

As of the full-orbed moon shone on her face ;

i II ii 48.

2 II ii 49. In consonance with the noble sentiment Kaikeyi utters in
the earlier poem, where she exclaims, ' can harm, O Manthara, approach
me ev'r, who have good Rama for a son ? ' this poem is rendered by some
commentators as follows :

' If the King of kings is still her lord, and son,

Bharat of unsurpassed fame is ber's,

Than this, what greater fortune here is yet

For her to reach ? '
Thus, the peace and unity which prevails among the queens, and which
Manthara is now to destroy, is painted vividly in the surrender to Kausalya
of the king whose favourite is Kaikeyi and of her own Bharata too. (P)

3 n ii 50.

282 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

And she took out a garland made of gems,
The brightest of their kind, and threw it round
Manthara's neck. 1

Manthara had not negotiated for this — to her mind —
unnatural joy. She had thought that the announcement of
Kama's coronation coupled with a slight reference to Kausalya
as the person who would most profit by it would be sufficient
to wake up the dormant feelings of rivalry in the heart of
Kaikeyi. But instead of burning with jealousy that the son of
another wife was crowned while her own son was away at his
grandfather's home, here was Kaikeyi so overjoyed at the news
that she presented a garland of gems herself to Manthara for
bringing the tidings. So she thought that she should set about
to lay siege to her heart in a more methodical manner, and
accordingly put her plan into execution. She, therefore, wept
and moaned, and wailed, and being a favourite maid, frowned
at and even abused her loudly and dashed the garland on the
ground. And then, eying her in wrath, she burst forth in these-
words :

' O fool, thou may'st if thou desire, expose

Thyself along with Bharata, thy child,

To sufferings of every kind ; but I

Cannot endure to be the slave of those

That serve Kausalya, thy cunning co-wife proud.

If Ram is crowned, thy son will have to sit

As a common man upon the floor, the while

His brother with Sita seats himself upon

Th' Imperial throne ; how comes thy heart to be

In ecstasies o'er this impending fate !

Kausalya has not been unmindful, sure.

Of her interest and lo, her son will wear

The crown imperial. Poor Bharata !

He is not even dead, he lives ! How can

He bear the sight ? For the sin of being born

Thy child, alas, his royal birth has gone

In vain ! If Rama and his Lakshmana

Alone will share the glories of the crown,

'T were better far, for Bharata and his brother

T' exile themselves to forests dark than dwell

i II ii 52.

BHARATA 283

In fair Ayodh. Our luckless Bharata's name,
If not destined to shine in the proud list
Of monarchs of the earth, is it not better
If he is dead ? I could not then divine,
But now I see too clearly, why the king
Did send thy son by long and weary roads
To far off Kekay. Alas, unfortunate child !
My luckless Bharata ! Thy father is turned
Thy foe, for he is partial to thy brother ;
And now thy mother too is turned 'gainst thee !
What will become of thee ? Of what avail
To thee are now thy valour, learning, youth,
Thy beauty, and thy skill in war, and all
Thy noble traits ? They are like nectar fallen
Upon the grass : they are a sheer waste ....

' A daughter of a glorious line of kings
Thou grew'st in palaces and wedded art
To the descendant of far-famed line
Of emperors, thyself a queen from head
To foot : and yet thou plungest in a sea
Of misery despite the warnings wise
Of a friend. Is there a greater fool than thee ? ' 1

Kaikeyi's affection for Rama and her sense of right were too
strong to yield to this sapping and mining operation of Manthara,
elaborate as it was. So she replied to Manthara with indignation
flashing in her eyes, thus :

' The righteous kings of Surya's holy race,
O evil one, do never break the word
Even to save their life : and ev'n as 'mong
The crested peacocks, 2 'tis the eldest son

• i II ii 54-62.

2 Manu is the first king of the Solar-race to which Rama belonged.
It is a common belief among Indian poets that the first born chick of
peahens, and it alone, is born with a crest on the head to mark it off
from the rest of the young chickens. Kaikeyi says that Rama alone, as
the first-born of Dasharatha is fit to succeed his father on the throne of
Ayodhya.

[The above note of Aiyar follows the common interpretation by com-
mentators who had only known books, and had not known Nature as
knew the poet of the Thonifcai Puranam, who made the first reference
to this trait of the peacocks which has come down to us.

We now know that it was not merely to a common belief that
Kamban was referring to. but it was a fact in Nature. We are indebted.

.284 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

That's marked as heir in Manu's royal house.

What did thy tongue suggest, degraded -wretch ?

Thou art no friend to me nor to my son,

Nor, if we look to Dharma, to thyself !

To evil drawn by ill deeds done by thee

I' th' past, thou speakest thoughtless one, whate'er

Thy ill-regulated, low-born mind suggests !

If all that're born must die, and what is left

On earth by men as gain or lost for ev'r

Is only glory unsullied, then whate'er

Is lost — whe'r life, or justice, or e'en right

And holy vows and works — can we give up

Traditions that descend from ancient Sire

To son ? If others should suspect what passed

Between us two — but be thou gone from 'fore

My face ! Bless thou thy stars, O sinful wretch,

That I refrain from cutting thy tongue.

Avaunt, thou fool, and open not thy lips.' 1

In spite of these harsh words, Manthara did not own defeat.
On the contrary, she determined to carry by storm what would
not yield to the more feeble operation of sapping and mining.
So, ' like the poison that would not abate in virulance even after
incantations are pronounced, but continues to attack the system,'
she did not cease her attempt. She fell at Kaikeyi's feet, and

for this information to the Poet-laureate of Madras, Shri V. Ramalingam
Pillai, — popularly known as the Namakkal Kavingar (poet of Namakkal) —
whose article on this simile appears in the October 1949 issue of the
Kalai-Magal, Madras. He says :

'It was in 1915 that I saw an article by an eminent American
Ornithologist in the Scientific American. He had bred peacocks in
captivity, and had marked with rings the chicks of one brood in the
order of their hatching out of the eggs. Later, he continued to note
their life day to day, and one of bis observations was that the peahen
always goes about with all its family along with it, and that, when-
ever an occasion arose for the peacocks to spread their tails and
dance about, the order of precedence of fanning out the wings was
invariably in the order of their emergence from the eggs.'
The ancient Tamil poets, who had lived close to Nature, had noted
this interesting phenomenon ages ago, and had effectively used it in
poetry.

We would be failing in our duty if we did not add that the Namakkal
Kavingar, in his youth, used to pose these verses to Tamil scholars and
crow over their discomfiture, but once he met his match in a very old
man in a remote township who pricked our poet-laureate's bubble with
a bland statement of this life-habit of the peacock. (P)]
l n ii 64-67.

BHARATA 285-

saying, ' O my love, I won't refrain from telling thee what is
for thine own good,' she pressed her assault on the heart of her
mistress in the following words :

' If th' eldest of thy race alone can sit

Upon the throne as thou declarest, I ask

O princess mine, how can the sea-hued Ram

Be crowned while the King of kings is yet alive ?

If he the younger did consent to wear

The crown, canst say that tradition stops thy son

Alone from claiming what is but his right ?

And think of this : e'en those whose heart is filled.

With righteous thoughts and ruth do alter when

Unrivalled power and wealth do come to them.

So, though thy foes may never injure thee

And thine by open force, they will attempt,

I'm sure, to break thy heart with mean affronts..

If her son rules as king, Kausalya's heart

Would be inflated, her ambitious mind

Would never e'en with owning the earth entire

Be satisfied. What will be left for thee

But what she gives to thee of her own grace ?

When thou wilt be in gruesome poverty

Immersed, if people come to thee for help,

Wouldst thou beg of her the wherewithal to do

Thy daily charities ? Or wouldst thou bend down

Thine eyes in shame ? Or wouldst thou eat thy heart'

In grief ? Or wouldst thou close thy door against

Their face ? Thou art with madness seized, my love :

For, tell me, if thy father or his kin

Should come t' Ayodh to shelter seek with thee

From cruel foes, desirest thou they should

Be balked of all their hopes, and see instead

With hungering eyes thy co-wife's opulence ?

And think : the fear of thy lord alone

Prevents king Janaka from falling on

Thy father's realms ; if Ram ascends the throne

Of Oudh, would the father of his wife, the king.

Of Mithila withhold his greedy hands

From Kekaya ? And ev'n if he forbears,

Are there not foes on foes conspiring 'gainst

Thy father ? If they fall on him, think'st thou:

.286 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

That Ram would give him help ? And helpless, how

Can he against his numerous enemies hold ?

Alas, thy kindred will be ruined, and thou

Thyself wilt sink in a sea of misery ?

What more ? Thou hast by thy neglect brought ruin

Upon thy son, for, be thou sure, if Ram

Is crowned, it will be he alone and his

Beloved Lakshmana that will enjoy

The sovereign power : think'st thou that others will have

A share ? ' 1

When Manthara finished, she had conquered. For Kaikeyi
altered at once, and looking sweetly on her said, ' O great is thy
love for me and my son ; now advise me, dear, as to how I can
obtain the crown for Bharata.'

Manthara now reminded hei- that Dasharatha had in grateful
recognition of her services as charioteer in olden times, promised
to grant her any two requests,- —whatever they might be — that
she might at any time make to him, and that she should now
demand the banishment of Rama and the coronation of Bharata
as her two boons. Kaikeyi embraced her heartily for this timely
advice and said,

' Thou hast now given the sea-girt earth entire
To my son Bharata : 'tis thou that art
Henceforth the mother of the King to be,
Not I ! Well hast thou said : My Bharat shall
Be crowned today and Ram forthwith exiled
To the forests : if my lord would not consent
To this, I'll take my life at his very feet ! ' 2

So she removed her ornaments and flowers, removed the
tilaka 3 on her forehead, and laid herself on the ground awaiting
the coming of Dasharatha. When he saw her in that condition,
he swore in the name of Rama himself that he would do her
pleasure if she would only mention it. She now reminded him
of the old promise made before the gods and asked that he should
grant her the two requests that she would presently ask of him.
Ignorant of her guile, he said, ' Name them immediately so that
I may grant them at once and take the weight off my mind.'
But when she named her heartless requests, he fell like an

1 II ii 67-76. * II ii 83, 84.

3 Vermilion mark, a sign' of married state.

BHARATA 287

elephant bitten by a snake. He sobbed and moaned ; his lips
were parched up ; he swooned. But her heart remained as
before — she did not relent. At length, he came to, and asked
her ' Art thou turned mad or art thou tutored by designing
persons ? Speak ! ' But she coolly answered, ' Neither am I
mad, nor am I tutored by evil persons ; if thou grant my two
requests I shall accept them ; if thou refuse, I shall take my life
here at thy feet to thy eternal dishonour.' These words tortured
him to the quick and even made him curse Dharma and Truth.
After thinking of a. hundred things — even putting her to the
sword — he, at length, fell at her feet and appealed to her better
nature. He said,

' Thy son will not accept the throne, and even if he
should accept, my subjects would oppose the idea. Do not,
therefore, Kaikeyi, run after disgrace, but earn eternal glory
by withdrawing your requests. Neither gods nor man will
approve of this. With whose good-will, then, canst thou
rule the earth ? Rama is not greedy— he himself consented
to the coronation only in response to my insistent request —
and he will certainly apportion a part of my vast territory
to thy son.' 1

Seeing that she showed no signs of withdrawing her demand,
he continued :

' Even if thou demand my eyes, I would yield them to

thee ; should thou ask for my life, even now it is thine. And,

O woman, O fair one of Kekaya's generous race, if thou

desire, take thou the crown, but insist not on thy other

prayer. My word once given, I will never break it ; but

even a demon would relent if anybody begs of it as- 1 beg

of thee ! So torture me not by a refusal, O Kaikeyi ! ' 2

But she did not yield. ' Thou thyself has promised ', she

said, ' to grant me my requests, and I insist on them. If, now,

thou hesitate, who else is there in the world to stand for truth ? '

Dasharatha pleaded more pitifully. He said :

' Let thy son reign, and thou thyself may'st rule

The earth with him. I grant thee this, and I

Shall not go back upon my word. I pray

But this, insist not that my son who is

Mine eye, my life, the beloved of all the world,

Should leave this land. My heart-strings break to see

i II iii 26, 27. 2 n iii 28, 29.

288 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

That Truth itself doth tear me by the roots.
If he whose hands are like the lotus fair,
Should go from me, O noble one, my life
Will ebb away. I pray thee save my life ! ' 1

But even these piteous words did not move her. Her heart
was made of wood. Neither did she care for honour. She
therefore heartlessly replied :

' When thou dost seek to go back on thy word,
O warrior-king, canst call it righteousness ?
Is it not braving sin ? ' 2

Dasharatha now lost all hopes of touching her heart, and
rolled on the ground like a rock struck by the thunderbolt. He
could not see a shore to the sea of grief in which he was getting
drowned, and bewailed his fate and cursed Kaikeyi's hardness
of heart. These words only made her more cruel, and she
threatened him that if he would not grant her requests
immediately she would die by her own hand at his feet. ' Once
upon a time,' she concluded, ' a king cut his very body to pieces
in order to honour his pledged word. Of what use are thy regrets
now, after having promised once to grant my desire ? '

When she stabbed him thus, without the slightest compunc-
tion, with her tongue, he gave up every hope, and crying out,

' I grant thee even this request ; let Ram
To the jungles be exiled, I shall to heaven
Depart, and swim ye — Bharata and thou —
Dishonour's perennial stream for ev'r and ev'r.' 3

he fell into a swoon. So Kaikeyi had her heart's desire fulfilled
and went to sleep the sleep of the just, unmindful of the suffering
and the torture of her husband.

When morning dawned, the princes and people, ignorant of
what had happened the previous night, assembled in the
coronation hall with expectant heart to witness the coronation
of their beloved prince. Not seeing the King, Vashistha sent
Sumantra to Kaikeyi's palace to ask the King to come to the
hall. But Kaikeyi, on her part, ordered Sumantra to bring Rama

1 II iii 32, 33. 2 II iii 34. 3 n iii 44.

'BHftRATA 218

to her. Sumahtra went with a joyous heart and brought Rama
from his home to the palace of Kaikeyi. Says the poet :

Kaikeyi thought that Dash'rath would not speak

The cruel words himself, and so, when Ram

Entered her audience hall, 'fore him who looked

On her as mother she came alone, e'en as

The spirit of Death ! His heart did leap for joy

At sight of her as the calf when it sees

The mothef-cow. He fell prostrate at her feet

And stood in silence respectful But she

Hardened her iron-heart, more hard than heart

Of Death himself, and said, ' there is a thing

I have to tell thee, son, and if thou ask

Whether thy father sanctioned it, I do

Assure thee, I've the sanction of the king

To tell it thee.' To which Ram thus replied,

' If father deigns to give me a command,

And thou communicat'st the same to me,

I look on myself as the happiest son

On earth — is there a happier son than me ?

Could all my holy endeavours give to me

A better blessing than to hear and

Obey such parents as you are. And thou

Thyself art father as well as mother to me.

I 'wait his dear commands : speak them to me.' 1

It was to such a son and such a man that Kaikeyi spoke
those cruel words which we have translated elsewhere. 2

So Rama went away with Lakshmana and Sita to the forests
while Dasharatha died with the name of Rama upon his lips,
Vashistha sent messengers to Kekaya to bring Bharata, but he
instructed them not to inform Bharata of the death of Dasharatha
or of the exile of Shri Rama. The messengers reached Kekaya
in due course, and when they gave Bharata the note which- said
that he must immediately start for Ayodhya,

He was m ecstasies, his hair did stand

On end, for yearned his loving heart to see

His brother and elasp his feet in loving worship. 3

i
l II iSi 103-106 * See page 9. S n ix<i.

19

800 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

• i He,, therefore, started immediately with his brother and
retinue and hurried on to Ayodhya. As he entered the limits
of his own country, however, he was shocked at the strange
sight that greeted his eyes. No plough was seen prying on the
fields. No garlands were seen on the necks of the men. The
fields were not watered. Lakshmi herself seemed to have left
the earth. There was no smile on the faces of the passers-by. No
music was heard in the streets. The theatres and dancing-halls
were deserted. Women's hair was unadorned with flowers. The
whole country looked like a body from which the soul had fled
away.

Bhaxata's heart was pained beyond description. He thought
some great evil must have happened at home, and sighed, and
hurried on with redoubled pace. As he entered the city, the
sights were still more heart-rending. He saw not the flags flying
that used to look as if shading the whole city from the heat of
the sun. He heard not the sound of the drum which used to
sound every day as if inviting the needy to come and receive the
bounty of the emperor. He saw not the Brahmanas leaving the
palaces with presents of cows and horses and elephants and gold.
No musicians played on their Vina. No chariots or palanquins
plied on the streets. No horses or elephants carried men and
women, and the streets looked deserted even as a river dried up.

He entered the palace of his father but saw him nowhere.
While he was still looking for him (and none would speak to
him, as all suspected him to be in conspiracy with his mother)
messengers came to him from his mother desiring his presence
before her. He went to her and prostrated at her feet, when
she, selfish woman that she was, asked whether her father and
mother and sisters were well. He said that they were all well
and in the same breath asked her where his father was. When
she replied that he had died, he fell down like a sot tree struck
by the thunderbolt. He slowly recovered and lamented for his
lather's death in pathetic words. The poet indicates his attitude
towards Rama in the following words that he puts in his mouth
in the midst of his lamentation :

' Didst grieve that Rama's hand was bare, and didst

Thou leave this earth desiring thy sceptre,

Which had never left thy hands, should now adorn

The hand of the blessed one. But, sooth, if thou

Hadst loved the son that thy austerities

Did bless thee with, wouldst thou have left him thus ?

BHARA1A. - 291

Nor alas, art thou given to see with thine eyes
The Coronation of thy Ram ! ' 1

Shatrughna consoled Bharata, and when he had recovered
from the first paroxysm of grief, he said,

' As Ram alone is father, mother, and lord
To me, unless I bow my head at his feet
My heart cannot recover from this shock.' 2

It is Valmiki that has built up this situation with great
artistic skill and Kamban adopts his arrangements of this scene
without much alteration. But the student of Valmiki will see
that, as an artist of equally rich imagination, Kamban does not
translate Valmiki even here but carries on the conversation in
his own way, while with his greater dramatic skill he avoids the
slowness of Valmiki and makes the scene unroll itself with greater
rapidity. We shall see how Kamban handles the situation.

When Kaikeyi heard the words of Bharata that we have
given above, she coolly replied and without any comment, that
Rama had gone away to the wilderness with his brother and
Sita. At these words Bharata felt as if he had swallowed living
fire, and asked between many a sob and sigh :

' Can fate bring forth a greater ill ? And what more
ill news are there for me to hear ? Is it as punishment for
any ill deed done by him that Rama has been sent to the
forests ? Or is it the wrath of the gods or Fate that has
sent him in exile ? If Rama had done an ill deed, men
would have looked on it as they would have on any deed
done by their mother herself — who then could have punished
him ? Oh, tell me, is it after father's death that he left
or before ? ' 3

After some more filigree work, Kamban makes Kaikeyi at
last come out with the truth. She said :

' I made thy father grant me two of my wishes, by one
of which I sent away Rama to the wilds, and by the other
I got the throne for thee. Thy father could not bear this
and therefore it is he died.'

As soon as he had heard these words, his hands that were
t joined in reverence flew to close his ears against any further

1 II ix 55, 56. 2 H ix 58. .3 II ix 60-62.

292 KAMBA RAMAVANAM — A STUDY

blasphemy. His brows met together in a terrific ' frown.' His;
eyes became blood-red and his cheeks trembled ; his body was.
like a mass of fire ; he bit his lips and struck the ground to the
terror of the very thunderbolt. As he strode the hall — unable
to stand still — the earth with Meru Hill tottered even like a boat
tossed by storms in the open sea. The Devas and the Asuras.
trembled at his passion, and how many died not with sheer
fright ! The mammoths holding up the earth quaked with fear-
and the God of Death shut his eyes. Continues the poet :

The lion-like Bharata boiling with wrath

Hesitated not to strike because she was

His mother : he feared the anger of Ram, and so .

It is, he left Kaikey unharmed. But he

His wrath did not conceal and thus burst forth :

' I hear thee say that through thy plot my father

Is dead and my brother gone to the wilderness :

And if I have not plucked thy sinful tongue

By the roots till now, doth it not mean that I

Have in my greed begun to rule the earth ?

Thou livest yet ; and still my spell-bound hand

Leapeth not forth to finish thee '. Did not

I fear that Ram my master would resent

The deed, shall even the name of mother stay

My arm from slaying thee ? ' 1

Bharata's filial affection, tenderness, sweetness, joy in life,.
all have now gone to the winds. After this revelation of
Kaikeyi he cannot look at the world except in terms of her
double guilt. And he cannot forget that he is the son of Kaikeyi
and that it is for his sake that she executed her cruel plot. He
begins to be obsessed with the idea that none would believe that
he had no hand in his mother's conspiracy, and the idea oppresses
his heart every minute with an increasing intensity. So self-
reproach and self-condemnation become his normal state of mind.
And Kamban paints this state of mind in all its aspects with the
same victorious ease with which he paints other feelings. The
following are extracts from the continuation of Bharata's address
to Kaikeyi :

' We have a king who gives up his life to keep his word ;
we have a hero who gives up the crown in obedience "to

I Q lx 70, 71, 74.

BHARATA 293

cruel words ; and, if there is a Bharata to wear the crown
in his place, will not the cycle of the righteous be complete ?

' Can there be a greater renown to me than to make
posterity point out to me as having destroyed the family
tradition, helped by the plot of his mother and brought
dishonour upon the race ?

' Thy heart is not heavy though thou hast killed thy
lord ! Ah, devil in human shape, how thy life persists !
Thou will not even now end thyself ! Thou gavest me the
milk of thy breasts when I was a child, and now thou hast
brought on me eternal disgrace. What more are the gifts
that thou art going to bestow on me, mother ?

' With thy tongue hast thou slain a king who would
never utter an untruth, and acquired dishonour that will
never end, and thou desirest to enjoy sovereignty and power
for ever. Fie on thee that even when thou sawest the very
■cows and calves follow him to the forest, thou didst not find
it in thy heart to put an end to thy life !

' Ah ! Ram believes that I am privy to my mother's
conspiracy, for, otherwise, knowing that father would die for
not seeing him, would he not have returned at least to save
his life ? Has he not left for the forest wilds verily in the
belief that I would not hesitate to sit on the throne ?

' And yet I live ! Will not the world point out to me
as the wretch who consents to eat sweet white rice in plates
while my elder brother is eating leaves in cups, themselves
made of those very leaves ?

' The good king died the very instant he heard the news
that Ram had left for the forest, while I kill not the woman
who is cruel as very poison, nor will I die. Am I not indeed,
rich in dishonour ? And yet I weep as if I have a loving
heart!' 1

And then, after telling his mother that there was nothing
for her now but to take her life and wipe out the dishonour that
she had brought on herself, Bharata went to Kausalya, and
.clasping her feet wept for long.

' Where is my father, he cried, and where my brother ?
Came I to Ayodhya only to see this misery ? Show me a.balm

1 II ix 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82.

KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

to my bleeding heart, O mother ! The raoe whose glory was
brighter than the sun has now become blackened by the
birth of Bharata.' 1

When Kausalya saw his rending grief, her natural anger
disappeared and she felt that he was perfectly innocent and that
he would not assume the crown. And she said :

' Ah ! child, perhaps thou knewest not the plot
That Kekay's princess planned.' 2

Here we should remark that, by stopping short with these
words, Kamban makes Kausalya more dignified in character than
Valmiki does with the taunting speech he puts into her mouth.
At the same time, by making Bharata eat his own heart and
protest his innocence by many a terrible oath the moment he heard
even these words, Kamban makes his Bharata also seem more
sensitive than the same hero in Valmiki.

Tortured by the words, though there was no more than the-
merest shadow of suspicion in them, Bharata took a terrible
oath which is given in twenty stanzas, but from which we shall
give only a few sentences. He said :

' If I had known the evil planned by that evil one, may I
fall into the hell reserved for men that show not mercy, for
those who endeavour to destroy charities, for those who
corrupt the wife of another man, and for those who destroy
life in wanton cruelty !

May I suffer the torments reserved for those who do harm
to the holy ones who have renounced everything and do tapas,
for those who flee from before their enemies in war, and for
those who rob the poor !

May I be roasted in hell even as he who fills his maw
while his mother suffers from hunger in dire indigence, as the
follower who flees from his master when he is attacked by
foes, as he who betrays to his foes the man who has taken
refuge with him .'

May I suffer the punishments inflicted in hell on the false
witness, on him who is afraid of war, on him who eats away
trust property, on him who draws all the milk without leaving
enough for the calf, on the man who is ungrateful to his
benefactor, on the man who Would not defend women who are-

1 II ix 90, 93. * II ix 96. <

BHABATA> 395

assaulted in Ms presence, and on him who act* When his
neighbour is hungry !

May I writhe in hell as he who runs away from the
battle-field fearing for his life, and as the king who robs the
charitable foundations of his realms !

If I had desired the crown that Rama was to have worn,
may I throw away my skill with the bow and the sword,
and may I lose my valour, and for the sake of preserving
the worthless body, may I live, a beggar in the place given
to me by my enemies !

May I place my sword at the feet of my enemies and
surrender my honour to them to be mocked at by women !
May I lose the independence of my country and live a chained
prisoner in the sight of my enemies ! ' 1

When Bharata was taking the oath,

Kausalya felt as if she saw her Ram

Himself returned from his exile cruel. Her heart

Did fill with joy and new-returned love. 2

She embraced him heartily and then sobbed with grief for the
suspicions that she herself had entertained against him, though
only for a very short time. And then she said to him — unable to
contain her admiration of his nobility —

'O prince of princes, O my Bharata !

Of all the kings that have adorned thy House

From times beyond our memory, whom can

I name along with thee for purity

Of heart ? ' 3

And the more she thought of his crystal purity and of the
unjust suspicion that had come on him, the more deeply she
grieved and the more freely flowed her tears. While both were
mingling their tears thus, the family priest Vashistha came and
after condolences asked him to look to the performance of the
obsequies of his father. So the enbalmed body of Dasharatha was
taken to the burning ground and placed on the funeral pyre. But
when after the mantras were pronounced, Bharata rose to light
the fire, Vashistha interposed and said : •

1 n ix 98-117. P n lx 118. 3 II he W u i

286 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

(' ii :.' Alas, my Bharata, thou raay'st not light
The funeral fire nor join in the rites : .
For Dasharath has repudiated thee
Also in the anguish of his heart, before
His death.* *

These words went like a cruel poisoned dart into the already
tortured heart of Bharata, and he fell down like a cobra struck by
the thunderbolt and thus lamented his fate :

' Of all the princes of my race who can
Compare with me ? I am unfit to perform
My father's funeral rites ; is it to seat
Myself upon the vacant throne alone
That I am born ? . . . . Alas, I am become

The solitary sapless, fleshless nut

Amidst the fruitful bunch luxurious

Growing on the palm tree called the Solar-race.

Ah, how my mother has emblazed my name

I' the book of fame ! ' 2

r ,

v r The funeral rites were performed by Shatrughna, Bharata
only looking on with many a sigh and with a tortured heart.
After everything was over Vashistha called the General Council
of Princes and the People, and these called on Bharata to assume
the crown. But,

When he heard the Rishi's words, he trembled
E'en more than men to whom the poison cup
Is offered ; tears flowed down his cheeks ; his tongue
Was parched ; his eyes began to roll ; his heart
Melted ev'n a? a woman's heart. And then
Checking the feelings of his heart he spoke
Thus to the assembled elders : ' when 'tis not
Against the Ancient Dharm for righteous men
T' invite me to assume the crown, when lives
My elder brother who peerless stands in all
The Worlds, who can my mother charge with guilt?
Has the Age of the Kali dawned, Q men of rede,

1 H ix 132. 2 n ix 138. 138.

B H A R A T A 297

That ye approve my mother's cruel plot ?
From Brahma downwards, on the ancient earth
Can ye point out to me a prince who wore
The crown when th' elder brother was yet alive ?
Ev'n if it should be Dharm, I cannot bear
The burden of this crown ! Bring him therefore
From exile artd crown him as king of Oudh.
If he refuse I'll go and live with him
The hermit's life austere of holy calm.
If ye invite me 'gain to wear the crown
I am resolved to take my life ; ye have
My mind.' 1

These words of Bharata created a thrill of admiration in the
hearts of the councillors. They said :

' Even Ram agreed to wear the crown while lived

The emperor, but thou, O grand-souled hero,

Deny'st thyself this vast entrancing earth

And sovereign power : where is thy peer among

The princes of the world ? Need'sl thou a throne

T' emblaze thy name upon the hearts of men ?

Or need'st ostentatious charities

Or sacrifices grand to earn a name

'Mong men ? E'en when the fourteen worlds "dissolve

In air, thy fame can never die ! ' 2

So ended the council, and at the desire of Bharata all Ayodhya
started to the forest to meet Rama and persuade him to come back
and take the crown. The army marched in 'ront as guard and
the whole population walked or rode behind. After marching a
few days, Bharata and the army reached the banks of the Ganga.
Guha, who was the king of the forest folk thereabouts, saw the
army from a distance and imagined that Bharata was come to
rapture and kill Rama, his friend. So, with his chest and arm
•swelling with joy at the expectation of battle, he called out his
men and told them his thoughts in these words :

' Arrived in force here is the prince who prevented the
coronation of the friend of my heart, the dark-coloured Rama,
and usurped the throne for himself. But thinks he that my

i II x 13-1& 2 II x 19, 20. • •

298 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

arrows cannot fly like fire- vomiting rocks ? And if he
escapes alive from before me, would not the world regard me
as a worthless cur ?

' Shall they cross today the deep waters of the Ganga,
and are we bowmen afraid of the army because it is
strengthened by elephant divisions ? And shall we treat it
as an empty breath — the declaration of lasting friendship made
by Rama with us ? And will not the world mock at me saying
that the wretched hunter did not at least give his life for the
sake of his friend ?

' He recks not that Rama is his elder brother. Nor does
he fear that there is a younger by his side, fierce and strong
as a tiger. If he minds them not, how is it he despises even
me ? Is it not after passing me that he can attack Rama ?
Or is it that the arrows of hunters cannot pierce the hearts
of Kshatriyas ?

'Will kings never have any sense of sin or dishonour
or disgrace ? Will they be callous to the feelings of love and
hate ? Be that as it may, is it not after slaying me that
they can fall upon the friend of my heart ?

'Is it not after crossing the Ganga that they can display
the pride of their elephant and horse divisions ? And ye
fierce hunters, have ye not the power to destroy the beasts ?
And at the worst, is it not better to die before our Lord
Shri Ram ?

' Will ye not destroy the bannered host in front, and have
it said that ye hunters restored sovereign power to the justest
of princes ? My Lord gave away to them a kingdom, and
behold these cruel brothers grudge even the jungle land to
him ? ' i

Frowning at Bharata in these and similar words, Guha stood
on the southern bank of the river making his dispositions for
the fight. Bharata, Shatrughna and the charioteer Sumantra
walked to the northern bank of the river, and as he recognised
Guha, Sumantra pointed him out to Bharata as the dear friend of
Rama.

When Bharata heard that he was Rama's friend,.
His holy heart was filled with joy, and saying,.
'If he is a friend beloved of Ram, I will

' II xl 14-17, 19, 22.

BHARATA 299'

Not watt far him t' advance but myself go
And Meet him over there,' With quicker steps
He walked towards the water's edge. 1

Guha could not distinguish the face and attire of Bharata.

He saw his form with tree-bark clothed and soiled
With neglected dust : he saw his smile-less face
E'en as the moon with all her glory shed :
He saw his anguished look that made e'en stones
With pity melt : and he astounded stood !
The banded bow dropped from his hand and sobbing
He thus expressed his awe-filled mind : 'Yon Prince
Resembles full my master Ram, while he
That's by him looks like Lakshman fair ; besides,
He wears the hermits' weeds ; and there appears
No end to the anguish of his heart : he joins
His hands in worship and looks reverent towards
The south. Can ev'r a brother of Rama swerve
From righteous ways ? ' 2

Guha told his chiefs that Bharata did not appear to have come ■
with hostile intent and that he Would cross over and ascertain
the truth for himself. At the same time, however, asking them
to guard the bank carefully, he went over in a boat to the other
bank. On landing, he fell at the feet of Bharata who did him a
similar honour and embraced him even more tenderly than if he
had been his father. After all these salutations were over, Guha
asked him what was the purport of his leaving Ayodhya and
coming southward. 3 Bharata replied :

' My father who had ruled the worlds without
A single flaw has set at nought for once

i II xi 27. 2 II xi 29, 30.

3 The student of Valmiki will see how much more delicate is Kamban's
Guha, when compared to Valmiki's Guha, who tells Bharata to his face,
' But this thy host so wide disposed
Wakes in my heart one doubt and dread
Lest threatening Rama good and great,
III thoughts thy journey stimulate.'
It would be worthwhile to compare this whole episode of Guha as
treated by Kamban at every step with Valmiki's treatment of the same.
Valmiki has worked wonders in this episode but even the most partial'
admirer of Valmiki will have to admit that the touches that Kamban
has added to it make it more entrancing, more grand. Unfortunately -
space forbids us to pursue the comparison here any further.

800 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The traditions of our ancient lines I come
To call our Kama home and set them right.' A

Bharata's words drew sobs from the manly heart of Guha.
Again he fell prostrate on the ground and clasping the lotus-like
feet of Bharata, he addressed him these never-to-be-forgotten
• words :

' Thou hast renounced as sinful, Sire, the throne
Thy mother did demand and thy father gave,
Although thyself art free from blame. And thou
Art come to seek thy brother with anguished heart.
When I behold this self-conquest, I ask
Can even a thousand Ramas equal thee ?
How can a hunter ignorant like me
Thy praises fitly sing ? E'en as the sun
Outshining does devour all other lights,
Thou hast transcended and eclipsed the fame
Of all the sovereigns of thy ancient line ! ' 2

Bharata accepted the hospitality lovingly offered by Guha,
and then asked him to show the place where Rama had slept while
he remained with him. While Guha pointed to him the bed of
grass on the stony floor as the bed whereupon Rama passed his
night, Bharata could not bear the sight and fell down on the
ground shaking all over with intensity of his grief, and soaking
Jthe very earth with his tears. And then he gave vent to his
excruciating feelings, apostrophising Rama thus :

' Ev'n when I know that thou didst suffer, brother,

Exile on my account and even when

I hear it said thou atest berries wild

And roots as if they were ambrosia,

And sleptest on this bed, I yield not up

My breath ! O brother shall not I e'en accept

The crown ? ' 3

And again impelled by brotherly affection, Bharata asked
Guha to show where Lakshmana passed the night, to which the
loving forester replied :

1 n xi 33. 2 ii X i 35, 36 8 II xi 40.

BHARAfA 30V

' When slept the dark-hued handsome Ram and she
Upon this bed, thy Lakshman with his bow
■In hand dnd with many a sigh and tear did stand
On guard outside the whole night through, without
A wink of sleep.' *

Bharata's self -torturing heart found in this news fresh matter
for self-reproach and self-condemnation. He exclaimed :

Of all the brothers born with Ram, I've been
For him the curse of endless miseries,
While Lakshmana stands to remedy them as they
Approach : can mankind sound the depths of love ?
Ah, grand's the service I have done to Ram ! ' 2

Bha'rata now requested Guha to take the 'vast host across the
Ganga. After all others had passed over, Bharata and the dowager
empresses of Ayodhya got into a boat along with Guha. As they
were crossing the river, Guha asked to be introduced to the queens.
The stanzas in which Guha asks and Bharata replies are full of
the pathos of passionate self-reproach ; and we shall attempt to.
translate them for the reader.

As Guha did salute Kausalya great

And asked of Bharata, 'Wilt tell me, prince,

Who is this holy dame ? ' Good Bharata

Replied, ' O brother, know her as the spouse

Of him whose court was thronged with vassal kings,

And as the noble queen who lost through my

Unfortunate birth, the happiness that was

To have been hers as mother of the Lord

Who in the ages gone begot the god

From whom doth spring this triple universe ! '

Guha now turned to Sumitra and asked

The prince to tell him who she was. ' She is,'

The holy one replied, ' the second wife

Of him who died and left a deathless name

For truth, and mother of him who never parts

From Ram and proves to all the world that Ram

Has got a brother yet.' And last towards her

The hunter looked, who though her lord had died

1 13 XI 42. S n xi 43.

:502 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A S.TUDY

And though her j»n wjth anguish wore away

His heart, and Rama wandered in the wildq,

Cared not for them but went on measuring away

With her cruel greed-rilled heart, the worlds that Vishnu

Did measure with his feet. And then he asked

' Who may this lady be ? ' The prince replied

' She is the mother of all these ills and nurse

Of lasting shame ; she wears my heart away

With her callousness ; for 'midst this endless host

That looks a body reft of life, is not

Her face the only one that is not touched

With sorrow's hue ? Her heartlessness doth cleave

My heart in twain. If canst not know her straightway

By her look, then know it is her sinful womb

That held me many a weary month before

My birth.' 1

At length the whole party landed and pursued their way
towards where Rama was staying in the forest. It is the plan of
the poet to show off the pure gold of Bharata's character by melting
it again and again in the fire of unjust suspicion and calumny. So
here also Kamban exposes Bharata to the unjust charges of
Lakshmana. The reader will not have forgotten the cruel words
that Lakshmana hurled against Bharata when he saw him-
advancing at the head of the immense multitude towards where
they were. 2 But Ram knew the real nature of Bharata and calmed
Lakshmana with the words 3 which are a partial compensation for
the various attacks aimed at Bharata by unthinking people.

As they were thus discussing, Bharata himself approached,
his hands joined in the attitude of worship, his body drooping
down, his eyes flowing with tears, his whole person a very picture
of anguish of heart.

Rama pointed him out to Lakshmana and said with a delicate
irony :

' O my Child of the twanging bow, behold the panoply

of war in which the angry Bharata advances to attack us.'

But Lakshmana did not require Rama's words in order to
Tealise the injustice of his suspicions. For, as Bharata approached,

His face grew pale ; his tongue that even now
' Reviled his brother stuck to his palate dumb ;

* II xi 65, 68-70. % See page 76. 3 See page ff.

BHARATA 308

His wrath was fled ; his eyes did inundate

The ground with tears ; his bow dropped from his hand :

And he astonished stood. *

And Bharata came as the messenger sent by the Earth for her
Lord Shri Rama, whose separation she could not bear any more,
and saying,

' Thou hast forgotten Dharma and forsaken Truth
Thou hast broken all our traditions.' 2

he fell at the feet of Rama as if he met his own father come back
to life.

Rama embraced him with a fervent love and eyed again and
again with grief the hermit's weeds in which Bharata appeared,
and thought on a hundred things as possible reasons for the same.
At length he asked him :

" Thou art sunk in grief, my child ; is our hero father

well ? ' Bharata broke to him the unhappy news of his

father's death,
and Rama lamented long and deeply for him along with Bharata
and Vashistha and his mothers. At length, counselled by
"Vashistha, Rama offered the funeral oblations to his father, and
entertained all that had come with Bharata.

The next day Rama assembled the chiefs and Rishis that had

come from Ayodhya and at the assembly spoke to Bharata thus :

' Our great father is dead and by his commands the empire

belongs to thee. Why then dost not thou wear the crown,

but appear in these hermit's weeds ? ' s

Bharata at once rose up with a visible shudder in his limbs,
.and joining his hands in reverence looked full in the face of Rama
.and replied as follows :

' Who is there for righteousness, O brother mine,
But thou thyself ? Wilt break the traditions old
Of our house ? For whom is penance fit but me
Who am the son of her, who with her boons
Rebellious killed the king, and did decree
An exile's life to thee ? Me miserable !
Born from the sinful womb of her who broke

J n xii 51. a II xii 53. 3 n xii 96.

304 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The hearts of all, I think not yet to seek

My death, nor would I live the anchorite's life :

How am I going now to wash my sins ? . . . k .

When thou dost leave the ancient throne that's thine

Of right and lead the life of eremites,

Shall I forget myself and swerve from right

And rule the earth as one who Dharm destroys ?

Our father dead for very excess of love,

And thou come over to the desert wilds,

Defenceless lies the state : am I a foe

To watch my chance and steel the unguarded crown T

So right, my brother, the wrong by father done

And th' evil brought by her the mother

Of wickedness, and do return to Oudh

And wear th' imperial crown.' 1

Rama, however, would not admit Bharata's arguments. He-
said that his father and mother had ordered him to leave the
country, and that he would not make his father a liar in this world
by returning to Ayodhya. ' The duty of the son is to increase the
glory of his parents and not to make their names a by-word of
disgrace. Thy father,' Rama concluded, ' left thee the kingdom
by his express command, and by right of birth too it belongs to
thee. Take thou therefore the reins of power in thy hands and
rule the earth.' ' If the kingdom,' replied Bharata, ' in which
thou wert born the eldest son to the king — thou who hast no peer
in all the worlds — does really belong to me, then, my brother, I
give it away to thee. When the whole kingdom is hungering for
thy return, wilt thou pass thy time in selfish tapas ? Come thou
therefore, O brother, and wipe off its sorrow by assuming the
crown ! '

Rama would not change his fixed mind. He said,
' If in thy love thou dost bestow thy crown
On me, can it belong to me ? The years
That I agreed to live in the wilderness
Obedient to my father's will, are they
Over today ? Is there a higher virtue
Brother, than truth ? Is there a blacker sin
Than swerving from the same ? Let me therefore
Reside, O brother, for the period undertook,

* II rtit d7-9ff, 101, 103.

BHARATA 30®

An exile in the forest lands ; and all

These years rule thou Ayodhya by my command !

When father bid me wear the crown, my child,

I feared to disobey arid did submit

My will to his. I bid thee now to rule

The land, and as I did to father yield,

So do thou yield to me and leave thy sorrow.' l

Now Vashistha intervened and as preceptor called upon Rama
with greater authority, to return to the land and rule Ayodhya.
' But how can I go back,' asked Rama, ' upon the word once given ?
Is it right for thee to call upon me to assume the crown, after I
had promised to my father and mother to do their bidding ? '

Vashistha could not oppose him with reason and so became
silent. And Bharata, finding it impossible to persuade Rama to
leave the forest, said in despair :

' If thou wilt not go back on thy resolve,
Let those assume the crown who want to rule :
I'll follow thee and live the anchorite's life ! ' 2

The invisible gods, who had been closely following the debate,
now thought that if Bharata's determination should induce Rama
to return to Ayodhya, Ravana and the Rakshasas would remain
unpunished, and so they caused these words to be heard in the
assembly :

' It is thy duty Bharata, to rule the empire during all the

fourteen years that Rama has undertaken to pass in exile

in accordance with the will of his father.' 3

When these incorporeal words were heard, Rama said to
Bharata :

' Behold the Devas have spoken and thou ought not to

disobey their words. So at my request and with my authority

rule thou the empire, brother.' 4

Bharata had to yield. But he insisted on one stern condition.
' If thou wilt not come back,' he said, ' exactly at the end of
fourteen years and accept the sceptre, I shall light a big fire and
burn myself in it.' Rama saw the firmness of his heart, and
melting away at his unselfish devotion to himself agreed to his
condition.

1 II xii 114-117. 2 II xii 129.

3 n xii 131. * II xii 132.

20

306 JCAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Bharata with many a sob requested Rama to give him his
Padufcas-s-the wooden shoes that he wore — as he would rule the
land in the name of these sacred shoes only as the symbol of
Rama's personal authority ; and Rama gave them — those shoes
that give temporal as well as spiritual salvation to those that
worship them in faith and love. And placing them upon his head
and shedding tears profusely at the thought of separation from
Rama, Bharata at length took his leave with all his host and
returned home. But he would not enter Ayodhya, for, was not
Rama an exile therefrom ? He therefore stopped at Nandigram,
placed the Padukas on the throne, and conducted the affairs of
the state as their vice-regent, himself living the life of an
anchorite !

And how he did pass the fourteen years of Rama's exile !

Not a day passed without his doing worship to the Padukas
of his brother. He lived with his senses absolutely restrained,
a very picture of tenderness and love. Tears would gush forth
from his eyes at the very thought of his brother. Although he
lived in the midst of plenty, he would eat nothing but roots
and wild berries, the produce of the wild country. He would be
constantly looking towards the south, the direction from which
Rama should return, repeating to himself with tears and sobs, ' he
would not belie his word, he will come, he will come.'

At length the day dawned on which Rama was due to arrive
in Ayodhya and still there were no signs of his arriving. The
anguish of Bharata's heart and his tears increased a hundredfold
and he said to himself :

' He wouldn't forget the day agreed with me ?
Nor be unmindful of his mother's love
Or anguish mine, and overstay his time.
I fear some evil has befallen him ! ' 1

Soon he recovered his poise, saying :

' But who can stand before my hero brother ?
Nor gods, nor man, nor beings of the world
Beyond, nor e'en the Three Supreme could win
If him they faced in war ! ' 2

3 VI xxxvii 214. is VI xxxvii 215.

BHARATA" $07

But other doubts soon upset him and he resolved to die in
the fire as he had declared to his brother at the time of parting
from him in the iorest. He said :

i

' But may it be

He thinks I might desire the crown, and stays

Away in the wilderness so that I might

Einjoy the throne in peace ? But now the time

Is past that I should think and hesitate :

I can my torture bear no more, I'll die

And end my anguish with my life ! ' J

He, therefore, had a big rolling fire lighted on the fields and
walked towards it But, in the meantime, the whole city got to
know of the matter, and everybody rushed to the field of fire,
preceded by Kausalya, the mother of Rama, who hurried towards
him weeping and sobbing. When he saw her, Bharata was taken
aback and he saluted her falling at her feet. She took him up
and embraced him and chid him and nobly lauded him in th'»
fnllowing words :

' Tis destiny, my son, that diove thy brother

And father to their several fates ; but what

Is it that thou'rt about, O child ? It is

A thoughtless deed ; for if thou end thy life,

Our chiefs and people and thy mothers all

Will feed the fire and end themselves. Will Dharm

Itself remain alive ? The very world

Will from its orbit swerve and come to an end !

Thou knowest not thy greatness, Bharata !

We have not seen a higher righteousness

With these our eyes than thy own holy life.

Can e'er thy glory fade e'en when the worlds

Dissolve ? Ten million million Ramas ev'n

Can never approach the love immaculate

That burns within thy soul ! If thou shouldst die

That art but Dharma's other self, can earth

And heaven and all that breathes remain alive ?

If this day tarries Ram, tomorrow he

Is sure to come. Think not he'd break the word

He himself gave to thee. Tomorrow if

», VI jc*xvii 216. 1

308 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' We see him not, be sure he has ceased to live !
But grieving for the death of one, my child,
Wilt thou destroy great Surya's race itself
Up to its very roots ? And thou art Dharm
Itself in flesh and blood ! ' *

So spoke the grand-souled Kausalya forgetting even her grief
for the delay of Rama in the sight of the immaculate Bharata.
She could contemplate the death of Rama without swooning — so
much had the sacrifice of Bharata endeared him to her heart.
How then could she look on and allow him to fall into the fire-
in a mistaken sense of sin ?

But Bharata would not listen to her. He said,

' Say not, O mother, that thy son has ceased

T' obey thy word. I will no more preserve

My life and risk th' unduteous violation

Of my father's words and all traditions old

Of our race. I'll stand by the oath I made, and keep

My word. I'll also give my life for truth.

And go to heaven. As Rama is the son

And heir, the duty's his alone to save

The state. "Tis wrong for others to wear the crown.

Besides, obedience to the father's words

And mother's, and the trampling down of tenderness

And love do appertain to Ram alone.

They are impossible for me, my mother !

And I shall die and prove my innocence.' 2

So saying, he walked round the fire in worship as a preliminary
to falling into it. All the people sobbed aloud. But just at that
moment Hanuman who had been sent to Bharata by the considerate
Rama appeared shouting,

' My Lord is come, the noble hero's come !

Can he survive if thou shouldst take thy life ? ' 3

and with his mighty paws extinguished the fire.

And then saying that Rama was being entertained by
Bharadwaja, and that that was the reason of the delay of Rama

1 VI xxxvii 229-234. 3 VI xxxvii 236-238. 3 VI xxxvii ^tO)

B H A R A T A 809

in coming over to where he was, Hanuman showed to Bharata the
Signet ring of Rama which he brought with him as evidence of
the genuineness of his message. Bharata's joy at its sight was
not one whit less than that of Sita when she saw it in Lanka.
He kissed it, embraced it, and pressed it into his eyes. His
emaciated body grew to itself again at the touch of the beloved
jewel. He laughed and wept, saluted and embraced Hanuman
again and again, fell at his feet, and leaped with excess of joy.

' Dance, dance away with joy,' he said to those
Around ; ' run, fly to where our Rama is !
Let's sing a song of joy ! O sinners, why
Fall ye not at the feet of Hanuman ? ' '

And then,

The tongues that had been crying for grief, began
To shout for joy ; all eyes began to dry,
And heads that ploughed the ground were lifted up,
And all did clasp in worship Hanuman's feet. 2

Bharata did all honours to Hanuman, gave orders to make all
arrangements for a fitting reception to the hero of heroes, and
when everything was complete, started with an immense multitude
for the ashram of Bharadwaja. On the way Hanuman told him all
that had happened after Rama went away South, in the midst of
which account he gave him the welcome news that Dasharatha had
come down on earth at the time of Sita's ordeal and withdrawn
the curse against himself and his mother.

Bharata grieved that it was not given to him to help Rama
like Lakshmana in the destruction of Ravana. But all the grief
and sorrow melted away the moment he saw Rama coming in the
aerial chariot towards Ayodhya. He then felt as if he saw his
father himself returned to life. He fell at Rama's feet and Rama
took him up, and, unable to utter a word in the intensity of his
grief and joy, embraced him till their very souls touched. Tears
flowed unceasingly from Rama's eyes at the sight of the twisted
knot of hair on the head of Bharata which had never been untied
all these fourteen years. These tears and the love of Rama's
heart, which was like that of the cow for its calf, were enough
compensation to the heart of Bharata for the untold mental

i VI xxxvii 251. " VI xxxvii 247

310 KAMBA RAM AY AN AM — A STUDY

anguish that he had been suffering from the 'moment that he had
heard of Rama's exile. And Lakshriiana, who had misunderstood
him in the early days of the exile, 'clasped his feet in loving
worship.. The tortured heart of Bharata had at length found its
balsam, and fluttering with joy he took his brother and the Vanara
host to Ayodhya and crowned Rama to the delight of himself
and that of the whole world. And never did he feel so much joy
as. when at the time of the coronation he held the white umbrella,
the symbol of victory and unstinting liberality, over the head of
his brother.

KAMBAN'S S1TA

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF

V. V. s. aiyar''

All Rights Reserved

Publishers' Note

V. V. S. Aiyar had intended to crown his work with the
•character-study of Sita and had fittingly reserved it to the last.
Cruel fate, however, stretched its talons and tragically snatched
him away from this world before he could sing Sita's virtues.
Though very reluctant to make any additions to Aiyar's work, we
felt a certain infelicity in letting the work appear without
Sita, and hence, a character-sketch of Sita has been added to this
book.

It is written by a- member of the Delhi Tamil Sangam. Were
we to apologise for including it in this book, we shall never cease
doing so at every line of the sketch — we are so fully conscious, as
is the author, of its unworthiness. But we owe to the readers,
especially the foreign readers, a duty to give them a complete
work. We sincerely hope that lovers of Aiyar will accept this
chapter in the spirit in which it is offered. To be in keeping with
the foregoing chapters, Tamil verses have been translated into
blank verse. " Coleridge hit the nail on the head," says Aiyar,
when he said, " the translation of poetry into poetry is difficult " ;
how difficult it is, the author of this sketch has realised only too
well in the course of writing it. " Treat your Friends ", says
Thoreau, " for what you know them to be. Regard no surfaces.
Consider not tohat they did but what they intended.'" We pray
our friends to do the same and overlook the shortcomings in
this attempt.

In some places, Aiyar's translations have been repeated ; in
all such cases, references to the pages where they first appear have
been given.

We are greatly indebted to the Rev. John Joseph Crease.
Principal of the St. Columbas High School, New Delhi, for his
invaluable help in correcting this essay, particularly the verses.
An utter stranger to us, he responded immediately to our request
and devoted many hours of his valuable time to correct this essay.
We alone know what it was like when it was submitted to him.
If, after all his loving labours, it is still imperfect — as indeed it
is — it is not his fault, but the fault of the poor material we offered
him. We thank him most sincerely for his very kind labours.

Our thanks are also due to Miss J. Dixon of the Office of the
High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in India for various
•corrections which she kindly suggested to be made in this essay.

— Publishers.

sita

Atop the terrace of the Virgin Bower,

Upon the balcony o'erlooking swans

At play with mates (in lotus-teeming pool),

They saw a dazzling form — and stood entranced —

Effulgence sheer of gold, the fragrance sweet

Of blossoms, taste delicious nectar gives,

The pleasure perfect poesy yields. 1

Thus the poet ushers Sita into the stage of the Ramayana,
Rama and Lakshmana, walking down the streets of Mithila, gazing
at the various sights to right and left of them and above them,
stop enthralled by the sight of Sita on the terrace. Vishvamitra
had not told them the real reason of his taking them to Janaka's
capital, and so, they were not prepared for this vision. 2

" The artful Rishi ", says Aiyar, " took Rama and Lakshmana
through the very street where Sita's bower was situated." Says
the poet :

So stood that maiden of rare loveliness
And eye caught eye and each the other ate ;
As quiet they stood, minds into one were fused ;
The hero looked at her and Sita looked at him. 3

1 I x 23 Aiyar, well-versed in the genius of the English language, has
with unerring appropriateness translated the first two lines as follows :

" The while she stood beside the dovecot fair,
In her virgin bower (See page 57)

We have, however, closely adhered to the original. It has been suggested
to us that the swans were not on the balcony, but the balcony overlooked
the swans at play down below. But it is a convention, some may say, in
Tamil poetry (cf. Nala-Damayantht) for swans to be by the side of a-,
maid in love. If, therefore, the alternative sense is preferred, the word
' o'erlooking ' may be changed to ' amidst the '. The words in ' lotus-
teeming pool ' are not in the original, but they do not affect the sense
in either case.

2 For the poet's description of Sita or rather his attempt to describe
the indescribable, see page 7.

3 I x 35. This rendering is by the Rev. H. A. Popley and appears in
his work ' The Sacred Kural ' published by the Association Press, Y.M.C.A.,
5 Russell Street, Calcutta. Commenting on verse 10 of Chapter 110 of
the Kural, Rev. Popley writes "Kambar's Ramayana in Tamil has a
delightful illustration of this " ; and gives the stanza we have quoted
above.

Students of the Kural will remember Aiyar's translation of the maxim

-312 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

-And when she turned her eyes on him,

The pair of pointed lances called her glance

Sank deep in shoulders broad of handsome Ram :

The lotus eyes of him with sounding anklets

In turn empierced the bosom of the maid —

Bewitching like enchantress fair of yore. 1

Enchained by lassos called her drinking looks,

And heart to heart each one adducing 'main,

He of the banded bow and she with sword-like eyes,

In turn entered each other's heart.

That she could not the handsome one embrace,

The bangled maiden like a statue stood :

Her heart and will and beauty trailing him,

The youth with sage dissolved from sight. 2

Kamban's Sita was of an age to fall in love at first sight, and,
'in his Ramayana, she suffers through forty-two verses the pangs
of love. Not a word has passed between the two, and as Aiyar
takes care to point out, 3 the first words which Rama speaks to her
■were when he asked her to stay in Ayodhya while ho goes alone
to the forests for fourteen years. Rama, in turn, suffers no whit
less in the guest-house at Mithila, thinking of Sita whose name
even is yet unknown to him. One glance at Sita, the yet unknown,
was enough to set aflame the heart of Rama, and mere words
about her were enough to enslave Ravana. When Shurpanakha
had finished the description of Sita's person, says the poet :

All his anger, and valour, and sense of shame now left
his heart. Struck by the arrows of Manmatha, he forgot
Khara, he forgot the disgrace that had befallen him, he forgot
the limits of the blessings received by him, but he forgot not
the fair of whom his sister spoke. 4

Even Vishvamitra, the Raja-Rishi, is so much impressed by
her beauty that he says to himself :

which reads, "When eyes speak their consent to eyes,, the words of the
mouth are quite superfluous ". Students of Kamba Ramayana and the
Kural will also remember that Kamban has woven delightfully into his
verses at various places numerous other maxims from the Kural.

1 I x 36. Enchantress — Mohini, a female form of spell-binding beauty,
which Vishnu took aeons ago to divert the attention of the Asuras while
all of the immortality-conferring amrit churned from, the Ocean of Milk
was distributed only to the Devas.

2 I x 37, .38. 3 See page 56. . *. Aiyaf— See page' 239.

SIT A ' 31$.

' Let be that single bow ; would not our Ram
' Of mighty arms, like hill of emerald
In hue, e'en break the seven hills besides,
If it was for this lotus-dwelling maid
With smiting eyes like tender mango green
Slit in two.' l

Such is the beauty of Sita.

Sita's love was no passing fancy, though it was born in a
moment. The Swayamvara was to be held the next day, and
whoever was able to'bend the bow of Shiva was, by a proclamation
long since made far and wide, to be given the hand of Sita. She
made a terrible resolve which, later, Rama is to relate to Hanuman.
He says, as the reader will recollect,

' Tell her I call to mind her great resolve,
When I the bow of Shiva broke in two,
To end herself if I should other prove
Than him she saw with holy Kaushika.' 2

" Children are to be seen and not heard " was once a popular
adage. Even till very recently, and now too in many Hindu
homes, the young wife is neither to be seen nor heard. In all her
life in her husband's home before she left with Rama for the
forests, and in the livelong years of exile in the forests, we hear
Sita speak — if we recollect right — only twice, once when, under
great stress of emotion, she says,

' Right holy's thy purpose to obey

Thy mother's commands, but, lord, thy word
To me to stay at home when thou dost leave
An exile for the wilds unknown, that word
Has pierced my heart.' 3

and, once again, when she asks Rama pettishly to catch the golden
deer himself for her. Otherwise Sita's liquid eyes alone are the
quiver-full arrows and eloquent messengers of her love. They
were :

i I xx 36. We have translated here the simile of a tender green mango
to the eyes — exotic as it may seem to foreign readers — in order to
acquaint the non-Tamils with a very picturesque simile peculiar to Tamil"
poetry.

a Aiyar— See page 57. 3 Aiyar — See page 11.

31i KAMBA HAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Far grander than the lovely fawn's — her eyes —

The lance with garland decked, 1 and smiting sword :

The Kay'l 2 her roving eyes envied ! 3

' The killing lance and Death itself, all these,

We would surpass, surpass,' they seemed to say :

The quality of her of dancing eyes

Who can e'er tell, if hill and rampart strong,

Hard stone, and grass saw her and melted sheer ?

E'en so stood she, the Fruit of Womanhood ! 4

It is with these eyes that she steals a glance at Rama on the
wedding eve, when she was presented before Dasharatha. and

Her doubts she shed beholding Truth behind
Report of bow uplifted and bow snapped ;
And with the corner of her eyes, the while
She feigned to trim the bangles on her wrist,
She stole a glance and cognised Him without,
Besides within her heart. 5

For all this speechlessness, Sita's love for Rama was deep
and vast. Rama was her very life and soul. " Our finest
relations ", says Thoreau, " are not simply kept silent about, but
buried under a positive depth of silence never to be revealed."
" Silence," he says elsewhere, " is the ambrosial night in the
intercourse of Friends, in which their sincerity is recruited and
takes deeper root ". What greater friends are there than lovers ?
The love of the Hindu wife grows in such silence. " Even
speech ", says Thoreau, " at first, necessarily has nothing with it ;
but it follows after silence, as the buds in the graft do not put
forth into leaves till long after the graft has taken." Sita stands
as the ideal to all Hindu India for that speechless wifely love of
immeasurable depth.

Till sorrow touched her in the shape of Ravana, Sita remains
an unsophisticated woman — we had nearly said child — a very
sheltered and petted woman. Dasharatha is immensely proud of
the privilege of getting her for a daughter-in-law. " Though I

i In token of victory.

2 Kayal — carp (cyprinus fimbrialus) ; a kind of fish, to whose eyes of
incomparably beauty, the eyes of damsels are frequently compared in
Tamil poetry?

3 I x 26. ■» I x 82 5 T xx 37,

SIT A 315

have all the worlds seven ever to reign," he exclaims, " it is today
that Thiru J has come to me."

Her mothers-in-law cherished her no less. When she
prostrated at their feet after the wedding and sought their
blessings, they embraced her and exclaimed :

' Who else in womankind more meet than her,
Who else is there for him of lovely eyes ? ' 2

And they showered on her limitless gifts of gold and ornaments,
costly clothes and lands, and a host of handmaidens. Her life
was spent very happily in the cloistered seclusion of the palace,
surrounded by the most devoted attention which was ever shown
to any loved woman or wife.

She waited on the coronation day to see her lord come to her
in his new-crowned glory. The reader will recollect the rude
shock which she received when she saw him in hermit's garb, and
the ruder one when she heard Rama bid her stay in Ayodhya while
he wended his way to the wild forests. When she protested in
the words we heard a little while ago, Rama said :

' Thy tender feet

Are not made to tread the stony wilds that burn
Like the molten wax.' ' But can the stony wilds ' ;
Said she, ' burn more than separation from
My Ram ? ' 3

So saying, before Rama could frame any reply, she went back into
her apartments, put on coarse robes and, without a word more,
stood by his side ready to accompany him to the forests. In this
act of putting on the coarse cloth of fibre is revealed Sita's
unsophistication. It was more symbolic of her resolve to follow
Rama to the wilds than an evidence of her realisation of what the
forest life would be. She was so innocently ignorant of the entire
outside world that she did not know where the civilised country
ended and where the wild forests began. Rama instructs Hanuman,
as the reader will remember,

' And last,

Remind her how, when we had barely passed

i Thiru has two meanings — Prosperity, and Lakshmi, the goddess of
wealth. Here the word is used in both senses.

2 I xxi 97. J Aiyar — See. page 11.

316 KAMBA RAMAfANAM — A STUDY

The gates of 'Oudh, she stopped and asked, " where is
The forest boundless in expanse ? Are we
Arrived in it ? ' 1

In the forests, the Rishis at every halting place did their
best to ensure the comfort of Sita and her lord ; and when the
dark-hued handsome Ram and she slept upon their bed, Lakshmana

With his bow

In hand, and with many a sigh and tear did stand
On guard outside the whole night through, without
A wink of sleep. 2

And how Lakshmana serves his brother and Sita in the forests I
His one study is to look after every little comfort of Rama and
Sita and guard them against all enemies, known and unknown.
It is he that builds the leaf cottages wherever they move, which
evoke these words from Rama :

' And Lakshmana's hands are skilled to build for us
A tasteful cottage home. Ah ! those whom fate
Has helpless cast upon the world, what's
That they'll not learn to do ! ' 3

Whatever miseries or hardships appear, Lakshmana stands at hand
to remedy them as they approach. Rama too was well alive to
Sita's tender soul and endeavoured to shield her from all
knowledge of anything like hardship or the cruelty of the forests.
He made the journey through the wilds a veritable picnic.
Walking down the banks of the Ganges in the first stage of their
journey southward, Rama beguiles the tedium of the journey by
pointing out to her the swans and their sport, the swarms of bees,
the male elephant and its female coming down to the river to
quench their thirst, and many other sylvan sights, and shields'
from her all that may frighten her timid unsophisticated heart.
We shall not attempt the impossible, much as we would love to-
give the reader a glimpse of the interplay of amorous glances
between Rama and Sita at the sight of nature's settings which
serve but as a foil to the love each bore the other. 4 The mincing

l Aiyar — See page 57. 2 Aiyar — See page 398.

3 Aiyar — See page 49. * See page 13.

gait of the swan makes Rama turn his- eyes, ta the small fair feet
of Sita which, ta take a phrase from the Povunardttupadai,
resemble ' tongues of panting dogs and suit her smooth-haired
ankles, well '. Sita sees the mighty male elephant and a tender
smile buds on her face as she looks up at the massive shoulders
of Rama. Thus, with love-play of glances, Rama protects Sita
at every step from the hard realities of the world.

We shall quote one more instance and close this phase of
Sita's character, Sumantra, / the charioteer, who brought them
down to the verge of the forest, was taking his leave and asked
for messages from Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita to the court. Rama
gave a long and statesmanlike message to his father ; and
Lakshmana, the impetuous, said : ' :

• Have I a message too for him, as if

He were my king, 1 '

and refused to give a message to his father. Both were fully
conscious of the import of the occasion and each in his own way
was venting the surging emotions in his heart, but Sita was
blissfully innocent and when she was asked for her message, she
said,

' To King and aunts respects mine render first,
And tell my loving sisters three to tend
, My golden starling and my parrot green. ' 2

Nothing shows more clearly than this message how little had the
banishment made any impress on her mind. She is still the
playful young queen concerned only for her pets.

Just as Rama in the hands of Kamban has been sublimated
into a God, Sita too takes her place with him as of right. Says
the poet :

' What need for any words from us when they
Who parted from their bed on ocean dark
Unite again ? ' 3

Sita was the incarnation of Lakshmi herseli

i Aiyar— See page 75. 2 II v 40. 3 1 X 3&i- • I

21

"318 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

For all that, Kamban makes her most human as much in her
concern for her pets as in her petulance or in her imperious reproof
of Lakshmana.

Like any young wife and many an older matron, Sita could be
petulant when her lightest wish was not fulfilled, as we see when
she, with tremulous lips, insists on Rama catching the golden deer
for her. 1

When Lakshmana is unwilling to leave her alone and go to
the aid of Rama who, Sita believes, had come to harm, she
turns on him with rage and contempt and spits out these words :

*You heard my prince of faultless character

Has fallen by the guile of Rakshas vile ;

And still you tarry ! Are you a brother true ? ' 2

Lakshmana's logical arguments only infuriate her the more, and
she brands him with scorching words thus :

' And some there are their very life lay down
On but a day's acquaintance, but you heard
The dying cry of him your elder one ;
You startled not ! You stand ! What else can I
But end my life in fire ? ' 3

The frail woman's strength is her tears indeed !

Two women are designed to be, in the Ramayana, the agents
of the destruction of Ravana — Sita and Shurpanakha.
Shurpanakha failed in her attempt to seduce Rama, and as she
watched him turn back into his cottage accompanied by Sita, who
was still clinging to him, she left slowly saying to herself,

' Deep verily is his love for her.'

Out of this thought was born the plot which fulfils the destruction
of Ravana and his host, and consummates the promise which
Vishnu gave to the Devas in heaven. In the words of the poet :

She had the might to lay low root and branch
The King of sapphire-hued vile Rakshas race :
She was the deadly cancer born with the quick
Which bides its time — insep'rable ! 4

i See page 60. 2 III viii 4.

* I» viii 13. 4 See III v 8.

SIT A $19

Yibhiehana, in his lament over the death of Bavana, sees in
:the faU of Ravana a deep-laid plot by Shurpanakha, fulfilled by
meditated vengeance. He says :

" Nursing the grievance that you killed her unkiliable
husband, she conspired evil, she of the buck-teeth indenting
her lip : the evil wretch has verily her vengeance wreaked ! ' *
" My fault ? " she said, in answer to Ravana's query why men
should mutilate her, " my fault ? It related to a woman whose
waist is like the lightning, whose tender arms are like the bamboo
stem and whose colour is that of pure gold." 2 And straightway,
Ravana lost his heart to her of whom in retrospect Vibhishana
says, again in his lament :

' Unless devoured, poisons ne'er devour
Life ; but this great poison Janaki,
So called, with eyes just looked at you, and lo !
It wiped out life ! ' 3

Thus Shurpanakha introduced Ravana to her ' who was to him
poison mortal ' and which he instantly ' thirsted to taste, as if it
was, the drink immortal '. And we all know the story of how he
came in the disguise of a sanyasi to Janasthan to possess her.

Sita, the unsophisticated, is slow to suspect the false sanyasi
when he says :

'In sooth I find the Rakshasa

A friend invaluable to men like me.' 4

She thought within her heart, ' no holy man is he, who thus
associates with evil ones,' but she did not know,

Poor innocent, that the wily Rakshasas
Could at their will assume whatever shape
Or form they pleased : and so she didn't suspect
A worser guile. 6

Sita and Rama had been brought up to respect and adore
Rishis, but they cherished righteousness more than everything

l VI ocxxvi 225. 2 Aiyar — See page 235.

3 VI xxxvi 220. « See page 246. 5 See page 246.

$20 KAMBA RAM A VAN AM — A STUDY

else in the world. ' The righteous care not whether ft is father,
mother, or child' but speak up for the right boldly and
unequivocally. The reader will recollect that when Vashistha too,
who accompanied Bharata to bring back Rama to Ayodhya, joined
his words, halting as they were, to the request of Bharata, Rama
saluted him With joined palms and said :

'That grave commandment they ere laid on me,
With head bowed low I promised to obey :
The same you bid me break. So tell me now,
O worthy one, where lies my duty here ? ' 1

Sita who had stood by when these never-to-be forgotten words
were spoken, which silenced Vashistha into shame, Sita, who had
heard Rama solemnly promise to the Rishis the utter destruction
of all the Rakshasas, and had seen and heard of his might with
the bow, was stung into fury when she heard Ravana the sanyasi
say,

' When the Rakshasas do rule

The worlds without a peer, what can we do

Of holy endeavour unless we walk

Their way, and earn their friendship and their love ' 2

Her fears fled, her timidity shrank back, only her righteous
indignation blazed forth. 3

' The while the Prince of Dharma here performs
Austerities rare,' said she, ' dead will be
The Rakshasas of sinful walk of life
And all their kin : thereon the world will rid
Of menace be ! *

Ravana interrupted and said :

' If thou dost say the men will overthrow
The Rakshasas with root and branch, forsooth,
The timid hare would kill the mammoth large,
And horn-ed deer would gore the mighty lion
Of cruel claws ! ' 5

1 II xii 128. 2 Aiyar— See page 246. i

3 See pages 244 to 246 for the earlier portion of this interview.

4 HI viii 56. s in viii 57.

»i SIT A 321

, Sita retorted with angry tear,s stinging her eyes :

4 It seems you have not heard the battle dire,
, "Where perished yon Viradha called Red-Head,

And Vict'ry-laden Khar and all his host ! ' l

She continued, prophetess-like :

' Will you not see tomorrow e'en before
Your eyes the Rakshasas of Lanka isle
And all their kin succumb to might of Ram,
And Devas pure exalted once again ?
Can Sin o'er mighty virtue e'er prevail ? ' 2

This infuriated Ravana who shouted in bravado :

' Dost thou want the Meru Hill to be uprooted, or the
vault of heaven to be broken, or the ocean to be stirred to its
depths, or the fire in its bosom to be extinguished, or even
the earth to be lifted on high ? Which of these are impossible
to Ravana, whose words are few, but deeds are mighty and
many, O innocent one ? ' 3

Sita countered in her simplicity

' Cluster of whirling arms, do they lend strength ?
The clanging anklet hero, — who confined
The King of Lanka, Ravan you speak of —
His forest of arms galore, a thousand all,
Was't not a lad with arms no more than two
Who felled them all with but his axe ? ' 4

And with this spell she unlocked the doors of evil, and lo, the
colossus grew before her eyes and struck her speechless with terror.
Ravana stood revealed before her in his true form, 5 and with his
ten tongues roared :

' Look on my prowess by the Devas served ;

Me to the earthy worms you dare compare !

You live, as woman you are, else to eat

You crushed had I e'en thought : but with the thought

My life 1 had perished too ! ' 6

1 HI viii 58. 2 III viii 58. 3 Aiyar— See page 258.

* HI viil 63. 5 See page 249. « HI viii 67.

322 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Saying so, he tried to soothe her fears and later voiced Ms -foul
desire.

Ravana's open declaration of love is given by- Kamban in less
than a score of words, and for all the wisdom-destroying passion
of Ravana, the words are highly dignified and are not the lustful
ravings of a roving libertine. These, as Aiyar had pointed out, *
Kamban contained in Ravana's unspoken thoughts on seeing Sita.
Ravana here says with great restraint,

' Be not alarmed, my darling Swan ! ' he said,
' While I on my unbending serried heads
Do bear on each a crown, and goddesses
Bedecked with jewels serve at your proud feet,
Do thou deign share with me the monarchy
Of fourteen worlds.' 2

Sita's lotus hands flew to close her oars in horror, while she-
flung at him these words :

' To me, the chaste of Kakutstha the great —
Who bears the shapely cruel bow of note —
E'en like the craven cur that coveteth
The pure oblation those of righteous life
Offer the flames, what said you, Rakshasa
Vile?

' Doth one lose birth and priceless honour old
For fear of losing precious life that fades
E'en as the dew on tiny blade of grass ?
Long ere the cruel darts like thunder strike,
If you desire the safety of your life,
And would hide, fly, fly away ! ' 3

He was not awed, but said, ' Your husband cannot harm me
any, and his darts will fall like arrows of flowers against my
rock-like chest ' : and entreated again thus :

' O Goddess thou to Her on lotus bloom !

To my body racked by the ill called love of thee,

Give life ; and take the place exalted far —

Not e'en to Deva damsels giv'n to reach ! '

So saying, he fell prostrate at her feet —

t
1 See page 243. « III viii 68. 3 ni v iil 69, 70.

sita 323

E'en he of arms far stronger than the hill' ' i i, «'
, . Which bears aloft the world. x ,

Sita screamed with outraged terror and called in panic on
departed Lakshmana for help. Instantly Ravana scooped up her
hut with her in it and rose sheer in his chariot into the sky towards
Lanka. Thus Sita woke from her trusting simplicity to the cruel
world. We have seen how up to the last moment terror only lent
her greater courage and firmness to stand unshaken on the codes
of life, worthy to be cherished more than life itself. 2

Ravana carried her off to Lanka and hoped to break her spirit
with confinement. Racked by despair mounting with the tedious
months, unwashed, unkempt, weeping all day long and the livelong
night, eyes swollen with piercing the far northern horizon for
Rama who came not yet, terrorised and cajoled in turn by fearful
guards, emaciated to the bone by long self-denial of sustenance,
Sita, hoped Ravana, would be more malleable. And he comes to
her in all his pomp and glory many times to persuade her to take
him ; spurned again and again he returns like a cur to her feet.
He came once when Hanuman was a hidden witness, and to
Hanuman's ineffable joy, Sita lacked not a whit her righteous
indignation or adamantine loyalty to her chastity. 3

Ravana came in state surrounded by a guard of amazons, and
Indra and other gods watched unwinking with bated breath and
fearfully wondered :

' What now, what evil plot thinks he,
And who will it now end ? '

Hanuman came nearer, the better to watch, repeating in silence
the mystic name of Ram. Agonised, with his heart aflutter, he
saw her shrinking and trembling, her very life in torment, and
him mad with lust, and pronounced a benediction on Janaki :

' Blessed be Janaki,
Blessed be Raghava,
Blessed the Vedas four,
Blessed the Brahmanas,
Blessed be Dharma true \ ' 4

i III viii 72.

2 Cf. Kural XTV-1. 'Right conduct to true greatness leads;

It should be held more dear than life Itself.'

— Rev. Popley's translation.

3 Another incident which Aiyar had reserved for his chapter on Sita —
See page 215.

* V iv 23. ■ '

324 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The reader will recollect that Aiyar had pointed out that
Ravana had paid other visits before, trying to wear down Sita's
will, but he had been spurned time and again. 1 His assurance
has, therefore, wilted, and he,

Who though he met his match in Majiadev, 2
Had not e'er his assurance lost, with lust
And shrinking shame 3 at war within his mind,
Halting, halting, humbly spoke thus. 4
' The days are passing one by one away,
And this is all the kindness thou hast shown
To me!' 5

he entreated, and bitterly exclaimed,

' Mean'st thou t' accept me when I'm dead —

Aye, murdered by thy cruelty ? ' 6

' O scorn it not but do accept

Me as thy slave, who rule the triple worlds
Without a rival or peer ! ' He ended,
And raising his hands above his serried heads,
He fell prostrating at her feet. 7

■ These poisonous words, grown unbearable by repetition,
opened the flood-gates of Sita's wrath.

The words, like smoking s.kewers, long ere they
Entered, her ears were scorched ; her heart stood still ;
Hot blood inflamed her eyes : she cared not for
What may befall her life, but stinging words
' ' ' Not fit for womanhood, thus spoke :

' Improper are these noxious words of yours
To woman treading path of wedded life •

1 See page 17.

2 Shiva humbled him when he tried to carry away the KaUash Hill
with Shiva and Parvathi enthroned thereon.

3 * Nan ' the original term in Tamil stands for the spontaneous
shrinking of the soul from wrong-doing — a sensitiveness to shame.

* V iv 2§.

3 -Aiyar — See page 37. Students of Shakespeare will recall the follow-
ing lines from Macbeth :

; "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day." ,

6 Aiyar — See page 247. 1 Aiyar— See page 248, ^

s i t a 325

:Oh list to me and learn, you scum of the earth !
Seen you e'er women stony-hearted but
With chastity ?

' To pierce the Meru or to crack the vault of heaven,
Or to lay waste the fourteen worlds entire,
Not any but the Aryan's dart there is :
Witting, O witless fool, would you yet say
' Unseemly words and your ten heads lay low ? 1

' Because you were afraid that day, you sought
His absence, so you sent a crafty deer,
And by your skill in Maya came disguised :
If live you would, this moment set me free.

' When him, the poison to your cursed race,
You face, your eyes his gaze would stand indeed !
Your heads twice five and shoulders abundant
Will be but target for Ram's easy sport.
You are a fighter bold indeed ! Did not
. ' Jatayus fell you down to earth that day ?

' He who lived on the hill you took — the same
Who with his cruel feet did crush your pride —
His Meru bow with which he sped the dart
Which wiped away the fortresses three, you wot ?
Seems you heard not Ihe boom that noted day,
When it was snapped, as of but little might,
By prowess of the arm of Ram my mate !

4 You boast of hill uplifted ; you declare,

' The mammoths guarding points twice four, I crushed '

You dared not come the while Ram's brother stood ,

At hand ; yet bold you are to prostrate flat

At feet of woman too !

- . - ' O you of baleful eyes inspiring fear

In heaven and earth, I pray forsake forthwith
Your evil ways. The lotus-dwelling Lord,
Or Vishnu, Brahm, did you mistake my Ram
. For one of these ? You utter simpleton !

1 Sec also page 17,

326 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

' O think not lightly these are bat mere men ;
If mighty Kartavir of thousand arms
Was by a man laid low, do ponder well
On might of Ram !

' If you despise them for they are but two,
The world's Destroyer on the Day of Doom,
Is he but one or more ? When war is come,
How true are these my words you shall perceive !
Alas you will for certain lose your all
And perish dire !

' The Rishis did relate your prowess great,
And fame of Rakshas might ; if natheless they
Defaced your sister dear, and brothers' arms
And feet did lop, would you not think on it ?

' The news of him who severed one and all
The mighty limbs of him of thousand arms —
E'en he who held your twenty while he smote
Your face till blood your twice five mouths bespat.
And more, immured you too — have you not heard ?
O you outcaste to righteous path !

' To spells the biting serpent will lend ear,

But you, O Reveller, there is not one

To counsel what is meet and what is not,

And give rebuke. 1 But those there are who but

Reflect your thoughts, and you subvert. And so,

Couldst this result in aught else but your end ? ' 2

Havana's mounting anger surged forth and would tear and eat
her up but love opposed, and he- departed and yet departed not.
Love won, and he said some conciliatory words 3 and went his way
* bearing her image away in his heart '.

Sita's unwavering firmness in the face of the greatest dangers
and unimaginable hardships has been, and will continue to be, a
beacon light through the centuries for millions of Hindu women
caught in the sea of a wife's life, where the oglers are the rocks,

1 Cf. Kural XLV 8. ' Behold the prince who reposeth not on the
support of men who can rebuke him : he will perish even when he hath
no foes.' — Aiyar's translation.

2 V iv 38-42, 45, 46, 49-51, 57-59. 3 See page 18.

sita 327

the libertines the sharks, the abductors are the stomal, the silver-
tongued family friend the sunken coral reef, and the village
zamindar is Ravana himself.

Much as Sita, in her fury roused, captures our imagination,
her despondency and her rejoicing do no less pluck at our heart-
strings, and we weep with her, we sigh with her, and our body
and soul swell with joy at her joy.

The poignancy of Sita's grief in her solitude and the
none-the-less pathetic rejoicing on seeing Rama's ring have been
painted by the master-craftsmen of the epic with an intensity
that has deeply moved not only scholars, but, in the
re-telling through countless generations, has lost nothing and yet
sways multitudes through story- telling, the stage and cinema, and
even the erude village festival theatre with rough yokels for actors
and a property tree for a background.

Of Sita in tears, the poet says,

The noble Birth, the Chastity,
The Patience of extremest kind,
Benevolence and Feminine Grace,
If all these had a form and lived
Amidst surging sea of water.
It is Seetha shedding tears ;
A God with human heart is she. l

In twenty heart-ringing stanzas, Kamban portrays her state
and her despair-laden thoughts even while Hanuman was entering
the Ashokavana where she was kept captive. 2

Surrounded by the thronging Rakshasis
Of hefty loins, like mountain med'cine herb
Sheer foreigner to moisture, even so,
Shrivelled was she of bloom ; and even like
Her slender waist, her body all was worn.

Forsaken had her eyes all sleep or droop
Of lids in weariness, or even wink :
Of body lustreless like a lamp in th' sun,
So like a doe 'midst fang-ed tigers wild,
She seemed.

i A Garland of Tamil Poetry published by the Karanthai Tamil
Sangam, Tanjavur.

2 See page 213 et seq. tor the description of Sita as Hanuman saw her.

328 KAMBA BAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Fall,' sob, burn the body O'er ;

Start, yearn, grieve, think on Ram

And worship mute ; droop, quake, sigh j

With racking woe weep — naught else but these

She knew to do.

The heavy cloud, collyrium so black,

Aught else deep dark, 1 espying would shed tears

Onrushing to the sea.

' I'd fain give up this life, but seldom can

One's fate surmounted be,' she feared and thought,

For sake of Surya's race and blot thereto,

He would come, come he would, the Veda's Lord : *

Thus hoping e'er she quartered all around

The compass points with piercing eyes.

She knew not any other than

The single garment rarer far than smoke :

Her body stranger to swan-sporting pool,

Just like a figurine — which Manmatha

Did mould from ocean nectar— grimed with smoke,

E'en so her body was ! 2

She would, puzzled, muse :

Perhaps Lakshman met him not or haply he knows not
there's one Lanka amidst the surfing sea.

or

Though the King of Vultures dead be,
Are there none besides, my state to reveal ?

or

Hearing the thoughtless words me sinful uttered to
Lakshmana, did he forsake me, for, I was wanting in wisdom ?

1 Rama was dark-hued. 2 V iii 3t5, 7, 9; .1U

sita 329-

or >

Deeming Rakshasas would have spared me not this long
while, but would have feasted on me, did he even so conclude 9
' Now, is there aught I can do '.

or

Perchance his brothers and mothers, have they come
Again, and called him back to lovely Oudh ?
But he would never return, the while the days
To Kaikey vowed unfulfilled yet remain.
Alas, has any ill befallen him ? 2

She would recall the image of Rama scene by scene through
the years past, and suffer tortures bitter-sweet.

She'd swoon remembeimg her dauntless lion
As he stood with beaming face resplendent far,
The while the daughter stern of Kekay said,
' This foeless country wide your brother's is.' 3

Again,

She'd meditate on that fair face of his,

Which both when bidden by his father dear

To rise to throne imperial of Oudh

As well as when his mother ordered him

To leave his all and live a forest life,

Just like the lotus bloom in picture drawn

Was e'er the same !

She would pine away,

Recollecting those shoulders bunching taut,
To break in twain, long ere one could suspect,
The Meru bow the fire-eyed God, — e'en he
With Ganga-laden crest — did wield of old.

Again, she would be agitated thinking on him — as peerless frierid- 1 -
when he said

1 Aiyar— See page 70. 2 V iii 12-17.

J V Mi 19. * V iii 20. Aiyar— See page 401

• '330 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

To him who plied the Ganges deep, Guha —
A lowly forester as e'en he was —
' Lakshman my brother here is brother thine ;
And thou my comrade ; and this maiden here,
Is brother's wife to thee.' l

Her form would thrill again at thought of when
He gently freed his hand from hers — which ere
Her sire had with her's clasped, — and lifted up 2
Her tender foot in Vedic rite of yore. 3

She would grieve, recalling to mind :

The pain of Rama when he saw his brother
Wear not the crown upon his head, but wear
The dusty twisted knot of hair. 4

She would sob inconsolably thinking of him as he was
when

Bereft of heritage, ere to the wild
Forests he left, on greedy Brahmana
A herd of heifers he bestowed and saw
His boundless avarice, and how a smile
Flitted across his face ! 5

And she lifted her hands over her head in obeisance, as to her
mind came :

The single dart he sped on Indra's son 6
And pierced its eye and lo, the raven world
Entire fell sightless by that single feat ! 7

Ravana intruded on her in this state to plead his case again 3
and we saw how she was roused to white-hot fury and piled insult
upon insult on him till he slunk away like a whipped cur. She

i V iii 23.

2 A symbolic ritual in the Hindu marriage ceremony when the bride-
groom lifts the foot of the bride and, placing it on a curry-stone, directs
her to look at the Morning Star (Venus), the personification of Arundhati —
the wife of Rishi Vashistha ' and the ideal of Chastity.

3 V iii 24. * V iii 25. Aiyar— See page 49.

5 V iii 26.

6 The storv will be found later on, in Sita's own words, in the message
she gives to Hanuman to carry to Rama.

7 V iii 28. 8 See pages 247 and 324.

S I T A 331

fell to soliloquising again, and deep despair swamped her heart ;
and she sank under it even to the point of determining to take her
life. 1 Hanuman revealed himself by pronouncing aloud the
life-saving name of Ram, and, after establishing himself in her
confidence by speech and message, he presented to her Rama's
signet ring. 2

Sita's relief and belief have been mounting, step by step, from
the moment of hearing Rama's name, through suspicion, relief,
trust, confidence and joy ; but the sight of the ring was as a
talisman to her and threw her into a delirium of ecstasy. " What
.shall I compare it to ", says the poet : " was she

Like e'en more dead unearn-ed mukti 3 gained,
Or the fallen from Jnan 4 to Reality returned,
Or the barren woman who a child begot —
To what shall I compare her state ? "

She took the ring and now to her bosom pressed ;

Now set upon her head : and now on eyes

In kiss impressed : her shoulders filled with joy.

She wilted, cooled, burned ; her breath did cease :

And revived anon.

She'd bury her nose in it : now hug it close

To her bosom ; wiping off the clouding tears

From her joyous eyes, would gaze so long at it ;

Would think to utter words but words would fail :

With mounting frenzy she put it in her mouth ! 5

Such was Sita's capacity for joy.

We shall see that Sita, pining as she was to rejoin her lover,
and had, but a little while ago, been quartering all the points of
the compass with her eyes for Rama's coming, and had, a moment
since, resolved to end her life in despair, is still the supreme
woman, ever mindful of what is befitting her chastity. Hanuman
had just shown her his vishvwrupa 6 to prove to her how he crossed
the sea. Impelled by perhaps a suspicion of a desire to exhibit
his prowess, and certainly, no less, by a genuine eagerness to end
quickly Sita's misery, and serve Rama, he offers to carry her back
on his shoulders to Rama,

i See page 216 et seq. 2 See page 216 et seq.

3 Release from the cycle of births and deaths.

■* Consciousness of God. s V v 64-67. 6 Colossal form.

332 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

■ When he said those sweet words, ' it is not impossible foe him **
thought Sita, and replied thus to Mm, who stood even like a
yeanling calf before its mother.

' 'Tis not impossible and well befits

Your prowess ; truly what you contemplate

You would achieve ! But 'tis not proper far,

Methinks, in my artless femininity

Of scanty sense.' x

She perceives the extreme love and devotion that prompted
the offer, but recognises more clearly the utter impropriety of
accepting it ; and with a delicacy, which only the truly great can
be capable of, she refuses gently, piling reason upon diverse
reason, which make Hanuman acknowledge the rightrtess of her
words, without feeling foolish or sorry that he spoke. She begins,
as we saw above, by belittling her sensibilities. She says, next,,
that she would be an encumbrance.

' When o'er the ocean deep, the cruel foes
Surround and let fly angry darts at you,
Nor poison fell to them, nor sure defence
To me will you be ; but encumbered sore,
Falter, O you without a peer ! ' 2

A slur to Rama's name, she knew, would hurt Hanuman to
the heart and, therefore, she says next,

' There's one thing further more : the Aryan's 3 bow

Of mighty victories will tarnished be.

In sooth, could there be worser gratitude ?

Did you too think to trick me off e'en as

The curs 4 that ran away with the amrit 5 pure ? ' 6

Hanuman had, just a little while ago, told her of the mighty
army mobilised on the mainland. She recollects this and, drawing
the next argument from the former one, says with vehemence :

' Unless in th' war to come, my liege, the Ram —
His bowmanship displaying to the worlds —

1 V vi 12. 2 v vi 13. 3 Rama.

* Maricna and Ravana. s sita. « V vi 14

S I T A 333

Does feed to crows the eyes of him that dared
To look on me, shall I yet live ?
Until those bowmen — whose exulting strings
In triumph twang — their archery do crown,
And mangal-strings of shameless Rakshasis
Are severed with their noses likewise too,
Would e'er my rescued honour honoured be ? ' l

What of my reputation, she asks, and says :

' Till golden Lanka's heaped a mountain high
With th' bones of th' hateful enemies, my birth
And conduct, stainless chastity, all these.
Oh, how shall I reveal to strangers all ? ' 2

The arguments gather force without offence, and she could
now speak of her own prowess :

' What to speak of these afflictive creatures vile
O'er here ? Let be the boundless worlds entire,
I could with curses burn. As slight 'twould be
To prowess great of Ram with th' bow, the thought
I banned.' 3

The clinching and the only argument could be said now :

' One more there is to say, oh list, true one '.
For bar the body of my Knight, e'en you
With senses five contained, or any male,
So named, could this form touch ? ' 4

' So, go .

For, 'tis not meet. Now, to return in haste
To the lord of the Ved is duty thine,' she said ;
And the faultless one replied ' Aye ! Aye ! ' 5

In all the ten thousand and odd poems of the Kamba
Ramayana, barely three or four chapters — padalams — are solely
devoted to Sita, but, on this small canvas, the poet has painted

l V vi 15, 16. 2 v vi 17. ! V vi 18.

* V vi 18 5 v vi 26. 27.

22

334 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

her with such intensity and etched detail that, even years after we
had laid aside the book, it is she who comes first to mind when
thinking on the Ramayana> and it is the verses from her lips
which well up to our lips from the springs of our heart. Swinging
from the depths of despair to rapturous heights of joy, only to
sound the bottom of despondenc/ again, she keeps us prisoner with
her in the lonely isle. Hanuman, after acknowledging that she
was right, asked her for a message to Rama. Her reply is full
of misgivings and, in spite of her, a certain bitterness rings in her
sweet words.

' But one more moon shall I endure e'en here —
This is my message true, O righteous one ! —
More, I shall not my hfe sustain. And this,
I swear by him my King ! Take this to heart !

' Tho' I might not be fitting mate to him
Of garland rolling chest, tho' his heart be void
Of ruth, tell him it is his duty plain
To save his valour's fame.

' In but one moon austerity mine expires ;
If he does not come here within that time,
Let him on banks of Ganga's tidal flood
With lotus hands of his my obsequies
Perform !

" Remind him of the solemn vow he made
That day he took my hand in wedlock rite :
' Not e'en in thought will I in this my life
A second woman touch ' ; he swore to me :
Drum these words in his ear."

' Do make it clear to him that I but crave

With salutation low this single boon :

E'en if I stay and end my life down here,

Let it be granted me to be reborn

And gain the blessing rare which ends all sin —

To touch his form divine.

' The while he rules enthroned, or rides in state
The haltered elephant with bells of choice,
Or his resplendent aspects manifold
On avenues to see I am not blest.

sita 335

Of what avail is it to speak of them ?
Let me on my past Karma dwell.

' To the world sore languishing for him so long,
At his mother's grief, and at distress which Bharat
Endures, he'll speed. To me in agony
Down here, how would he come ? ' J

Hanuman, the skilful ambassador and devotee of Rama,
consoles her in a long spirited speech. " What would good men
and the learned say," he exclaims " if we returned without rescuing

you from the captivity of thr unrepentant foes You

will see here rise a huge mountain, reaching to the sky — rare even
for Vali to cross — of the thalis 2 discarded by the Rakshasis. And
he concluded with a dire oath,

' Within that day you have now said to me
If he does not deliver you from durance vile,

dame of fragrant locks;, let infamy
Unutterable and sin envelope him.
Thence Ravana is he o'er there and he
Here now is truly Ram.' 3

Joy again suffused Sita's face, and she now gave out certain
secrets to tell Rama as irrefutable evidence of Hanuman having
truly seen her. In doing so, with characteristic feminine skill,
she conveys to him a hint not to blurt out to Rama everything
she had said before.

' Now speed thee hence ; may you avoid all harm :

1 have no more to add ; all that I need,

I've said. To my liege repeat, as wise you are,
What is but propitious.' *

'Whisper to him how

Once on the mountain side where elephants
Do range, a raven came and clawed me sore
With cruel toes, and lo, in fiery rage

1 V vi 29, 30, 32, 34-37

2 The symbol in gold of the married state, and which is snapped off
with a wrench and discarded on being widowed.

3 V vi 74. 4 v vi 76. ,

336 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

He took a blade of grass that lay at hand,
And one relentless dart he sped.

" Recount how Sayantha, the lustful crow —
Devender's son — to Shiv and all the gods
Besides in terror flew, and each in turn
Asylum barred ; and all with one accord
Cried : ' Fall, fall at his lotus feet
And refuge gain ! ' "

" Say how when he, affrighted far, to earth
Flew down entreating loud ' O Lord, your feet,
Your feet's retreat I seek,' and prostrate fell,
The Bounteous Lord well pleased did bid the dart
Depart content with but one baleful eye.
Forthwith the raging dart divine was spent.

" ' Because you cried, ' asylum 'sylum grant,'

The Lord said, ' straightway on your heinous crime

Forbearance I bestow.' And he decreed,

' Hence let the raven race, whose form you bear

In front of me, have but one eye-ball each.'

And so it came to pass. E'en this relate."

' Add how as Sayantha left freed of fear,
The Devas flowers rained, and Lakshmana
Uncomprehending puzzled stood : e'en thus
This victory so sweet relate.' l

Though Sita felt great consolation when Hanuman said that
the thaUs of the Rakshasa women would pile up into a huge
mountain, and though she herself said ' where shall my honour be
if Ram did not cut off the noses of these shameless women, nay,
make them all bereft of the mangal string', she was truly pity
personified indeed. We saw how when Sumantra asked her for
a message to the court, 2 her one thought was for her pets, and
she said :

' And tell my loving sisters three to tend
My golden starling and my parrot green.'

Again, when she was assailed by doubts and fears, now torturing
herself with the thought that Rama had perhaps forsaken her for

J V vl 77, 78, 79, 81, 82. 2 See page 317.

sit a 337

the thoughtless harsh words she spoke to Lakshmana, and now
with the fear that he may have concluded that the Rakshasas
would not have spared her so long and might have eaten her
up, an inconsequential concern for Rama intrudes itself between
her fears, and she grieves wondering :

' Now who serves him the tender salad leaves,

And when he guests receives how would he tend ? ' l

We see it again, her thoughtfulness for others, in her request
to Rama while they were flying back to Ayodhya at the end of
the fourteen years' exile. She looked in her aerial car and missed
something. They were just then passing over a town, and when
Rama, who was pointing out to her along the route the sites of
many a poignant memory, said, ' this is Kishkinda,' she spoke up :

' If this be Kishkind, lord, oh list to me !
Encircled by this mighty martial force —
Which e'en the Devas dread — but circled not
By retinue of countless damsels fair,
If I shall reach Ayodhya all alone,
My womanhood would greatly clouded be :
'Tis duty thine to take into this car
The Vanar damsels too ! ' 2

Who but Sita can picture better the anxiety-ridden hearts of
wives parted from husbands, and sweethearts from lovers, and it
is solicitude which prompts her request, but she would, like all
givers, make the receiver a giver seem.

This natural pity becomes divine in the case of the Rakshasa
women. After Ravana had been killed, Rama sent Hanuman to
tell Sita the news. When he had re-breathed life into her wasted
frame, Hanuman looks around and sees the Rakshasis who had
guarded her in her captivity and had terrorised and cajoled her
in turn to yield to Ravana. He turned to Sita and prayed
" Permit me to annihilate all these Rakshasis but Trisadai 3 , and
burn them in their own sins." The terrified Rakshasis rushed to
Sita, and clasping her feet would not forsake them.

i V iii 15.

2 VI xxxvii 176.

3 Daughter of Vibhishana and the only friend to Sita hi her captivity.

338 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

'Fear not, fear not,' assured the Mother Ruth,
And turning on the Maruthi, she asked
'What harm have these e'er done, but spoke to me-
E'en as he bid them speak ? '

' It is by Karma done by me of old
This tribulation came, O you far more
Loving than mother mine ? In sooth, these are
Not more inhuman than the hunchback maid :
Mind not what's past, O thou wise one ! '

' Grant me this prayei ,' thus entreated she ;
' Desist from torturing the minds of these
Affrighted fools — the home where evil dwells.'
Thus pleaded she whose face made e'en the moon's
Break out in spots with envy green ! 1

Thus she craved a boon for her enemies, even she who-
conferred the boon of immortality on Hanuman. But it is Sita.
the ideal wife, who has guided down the centuries countless Hindu
wives, and earned for them too a share of her undying fame and
glory. Sita has never a thought for herself, but it is always
Rama's honour which is her concern night and day. For this,
she would even lay down her life. Rama sent Vibhishana to fetch
her from the Ashdkavana. When Vibhishana gave her the message
and asked her to get ready, clothed and adorned as befitted the
queen of his Saviour, Sita insisted on going to the presence of
Rama as she was, unwashed, unkempt, ' a figurine begrimed with
smoke '. But Vibhishana said, ' These are the commands of Rama,*
and she said no more. The celestial maidens, Rambai and others,
took great pleasure in getting her ready for her reunion with her
lord, and right royally fitted her out in the most costly garments
and ornaments. Vibhishana seated her in a vimana and brought
her to Rama. Her heart swelling with joy as she neared him, she
shed her sorrow thinking,

' My mate in chain of births, and mate of mine
Nevertheless when irksome birth shall cease,
I have adored. It matters not if hence
My mind I lose or even here fall dead.' 2

-1 -VI xxxvii 34, 36. 2 VI xxxvii' 59.

sita 339

To her, Rama said these words, at which the Rishis and Devas,
and countless women too, albeit called Rakshasis, and all the
monkey host — all who stood around-^shuddered, and a horrified
tumult arose. Rama said :

' You loved the fleshly form, and honour stained ;

And yet died not : but risked your conduct pure

And stayed content one year in capital

Of Rakshasas of evil walk of life.

With what design have you returned unabashed ?

Is it that" I would cherish you ?

' 'Twas not to rescue you I filled the sea,

And felled down root and branch the Rakshasas

With all their arms of might like thunderbolts,

And overthrew the lonely foe as well.

It was for naught but to redeem my name

That I to Lanka came ?

' Did you e'en eat the flesh of living kind
As sweeter far than amrit pure ? And took
Your fill of heady wine and lived content ?
Do tell me, loveless one, could there be more
Agreeable fare for us as well ?

' The lustre of your virtues all has gone :

In noble lineage you were not born,

But like the spineless worm, born from the earth, 1

You have but played your part too well !

' Womanhood and its glory, Noble Birth,
And the adamantine will called Chastity,
Enlightenment, Propriety, Truth itself,
By your birth have vanished like the noted fame
Of the king without beneficence.

' The senses five would they contain, and in
Their conduct celibate, with matted hair.
Austerities endure. And should some ill
Befall them meantime, would e'en with their lives
Atone — the women of propriety fine.' 2

i Sita was turned up by the plough in a furrow by King Janaka
and was brought up by him. . , ■

2 VI xxxvil 62-67. . i '

840 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Sita was stunned by these words.

And grieving like a wound by probe explored,
Blood and tears suffused her downcast eyes ;
With senses dazed she heaved a sigh.

And she recoiled e'en like the lovely deer,
By raging thirst consumed in desert wild,
(And watched by teeming vultures from above)
Which sees a water-hole, but quicker still,
Sees a barrier insuperable ! 1

She composed herself presently, and with great restraint
addressed these words to Rama :

" The son of Vayu 2 came and seeing me

Did truly say, ' My Lord, he would here come.'

Did not the lofty one tell you, my Lord,

My languished state ? In sooth, a messenger

He failed to be ! "

' Austerities mine, and chastity so pure,

And all that I endured so long down here

Have madness been, and, yea, in vain. For, them,

O Noble one, you have not realised !

' I may be the chastest to the world entire,
And of heart unfaltering, beyond e'en Brahm
To shake. Ah, foolish me ! If you, who are
The focus of the world deny, would God
Acknowledge me ?

' Though He the lotus-borne 3 and the Lord on the bull 4
And the Lord of Righteousness with conch in hand, 5
Were they to gaze as in the ball of glass
On palm outstretched, could they a woman's heart
E'er gauge ?

' If thus with them, for whom do I retail
Down here austerities mine void of flaws ?

I VI xxx vii 70, 71. 2 Hanuman.

3 Brahma. * Shiva. s Vishnu.

S I T A 341

Far better death than aught else ; fitting too
It is, O Ved ! — The same is your command ;
The same my fate as well ! ' x '

Sita had had forebodings of the probability of some catastrophe
like this. The reader will no doubt recall to mind her misgiving
-which she expresses in these words :

' But sooth, will he admit again

One who has lived so long in this sinful land ? ' 2

and adds in self-reproach :

' Where is the chaste

In story or in life who has loved her life
When forced away from home by lustful men ?
Is not my honour great, and modesty,
Who cling e'en now to life ? ' 3

Thus she castigates herself, and she further poses to herself
the question, ' how shall I vindicate my chastity ? '

" Ah, wretched me !

When Rama shall have destroyed his 4 race for e'er
And freed me from my prison, how shall I prove
My virtue uncorrupt, if he should say,
' Away, thou art not worthy of my love ? ' " 5

' So death alone is Dharma's way for me,' 6 she had concluded
long before in Ashokavana.

So, now she asked Lakshmana, — who whatever misery comes,
' stands ready to remedy it as it approaches ' — to light a huge fire,
and apostrophising it thus :

' If by thought or word I'm stained, let fury yours
Burn me, O Lord of the flames ! ' 7

she saluted her lord and leapt into the fire.

1 VI xxxvii 73-77.

243 Aiyar — See page 215 et seq.

* Havana's. s Aiyar — See pages 215 et seq.

« Aiyar— See page 216. 1 VI xxxvii 84.

342 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

The Lord of Fire rose from the flames bearing her unhurt
in his hands and led her up to Rama's side. Rama accepted her,
and the world breathed. 1

" Even the Gods Three, could they grasp a woman's mind ? "
said Sita addressing Rama ; we could alter her words and say
with absolute truth, " Even the Gods Three, could they Sita's
virtue comprehend ? " Sita asked Rama, " Did not Maruthi tell
you, my lord, my state ? " He did indeed ! But could even Rama
fully comprehend ?

' What pity,' thinks Hanuman, on first discovering Sita in the
Ashokavana,

' What pity 'tis not given to Ram to see
With his own eyes this holy one, as she
Does lead her life austere in Lanka's grove.' 2

We shall, in our lame and halting words, try to give the
reader a faint idea of the exulting report of Hanuman to Rama
on his return from Lanka, and conclude our sketch of the Divine
Sita's character-study. 3 From Dadhimuka's account of the riotous*
behaviour of the Vanaras, Sugriva guessed that Hanuman had
returned from Lanka, and Rama stood longingly watching his
coming.

" Came Han'man : and coming, worshipped not
His Majesty's twin feet but turned to her *
Devoid of bloom ; with hands held o'er his head
In reverence, he fell down fiat on earth,
And long intoned her name !

1 " There is a blot in Rama's love " writes Aiyar (see page 61) , " but
of that we shall speak when we come to Sita ", he promised. We cannot
know of which particular incident he was thinking ; it may have been of
this Ordeal of Sita. We are but a worm and not Aiyar, and it is not
for worms to gaze on the sun, with blots or without.

2 Aiyar — See page 214.

3 "Hanuman's account of his work to Rama," writes Aiyar (sea
page 226)," occupies a very high rank in literature for the grandeur of its
sentiments, but we shall reserve it for the chapter on Sita as it deals
chiefly with her." But he reserved it too long to our lasting regret, and
it is with humility and dragging hesitation that we have ventured to
translate but a fragment of this passage. We dare not attempt more, for,
we shall but display our utter incompetence the more we venture further.

* The direction in which Sita was in far off Lanka.

sit a 343

I saw,' he sang in ecstasy, ' I saw
With my own eyes the Gem of Chastity
In sea-girt Lanka in the south. Cast off
Your fears, my Lord, and grief of old !

' On privilege as noble wife to you,

On truth as worthy daughter to your sire,

On proper conduct fitting her descent

From Jan'ka, King of Mithila, in sooth,

She has a crown bestowed — the Goddess mine !

' To gold, gold is the match ; to her, she 'lone ;

She matches you to you alone ; and me,

She grants as well, there's none but me to match !

' O bowman brave with mighty shoulders broad !
In roaring sea- laved Lanka on the hill
Not maiden rare of virtues great I saw,
But Noble Birth and Patience Boundless self
And her called Chastity, I saw all three
Step a dance in ecstasy !

' In her eyes you dwell, and in her thoughts as well ;
Or her lips you play, and in the very depths
Of her heart besides ; and in unhealing wound
Which Manmath's dart of blossoms has bored deep.
Then how could it be said that she has e'er
Parted from you ?

' In Lanka 'midst the ocean deep,
Beneath sky-reaching forest dark
Unknown to either morn or noon,
In a bower under lofty trees,
In the grassy hut your brother built,
Dwells she — the stern austerity
Of Austerity herself ! ' *

1 V xv 55, 58-60, 62-64.

APPENDICES
INDEX

ETC.

APPENDIX I
GARUDA'S FLIGHT 1

(Please see foot-note 2 on page 93)

The while this happened down below the Devas stood
Aghast, alarmed, and thrown into confusion sore,
Afraid to think how far 't would go and how would end ;
E'en then the Lord of Eagles, Garuda, at hand,
With quaking heart intent on sure deliverance,
Slowly he emerged from that encircling darkness.

Espying Ram of dauntless heart dismayed by the snake —
His grace withdrawn from stubborn King of Lanka isle,
And more, the world entire besides — the Garuda
Ne'er awed before, his heart now lost and grieved ;
And he sped on tempestuous wings which shook the Mer
And lit the world around. The mammoths guarding close
The compass points did cower with unwinking eyes
Now closed in shrinking fear.

i Students of Latin will recall to mind the famous line from Virgil's
JEncid (Bk. VIII, 596) which runs as follows: —

Quadrupedante putrem sonitu quotit ungula campum.

Most of Virgil's .SSneid is in hexameter verse — a hexameter being a
foot of one long vowel and two shorts, or a stressed syllable followed by
two unstressed ones — corresponding to dactyl in English poetry. Here is
the above line divided according to the metre.

Quad-ru-pe/dan-te pu/trem son-i/tu qua-tit/un-gu-la/cam-pum

The last foot is of two long syllables. The line gives the sound effect
of the horses' hooves as they gallop along. The literal translation of this
line is :

"The hoof beats the mouldering plain with a trampling noise."

Take another example, written entirely in anapaests :

The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold

The horses of the Assyrians can be heard galloping in these lines,
and that is why Byron used anapaests.

Kamban's stanzas translated here have to be read in the original to
enjoy the sandham (metrical foot) which he has used to make the lines
reproduce in their cadence the flight of a majestic bird. Each line ends
with an upward lift, producing the extraordinary impression of the
soaring of a bird in flight. We have used in this translation the iambic
hexameter, i.e., an unstressed and stressed syllable to a foot and six feet
to the line. Being the flight of a bird and not the gallop of a horse, the
iambic foot has been considered quite suitable to indicate the tempo.

We make no apology for this poor effort, for we. do not pretend to
have any skill in the art of composing verses.

346 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

His eyes that scan thro' million leagues beyond,

A stream of tears they shed the while he saw below

The holy form of Ram o'ercome by trials sore :

And spurred thereat, the while he winged thro' space,

The sea so cool now waves on waves it threw on high,

The worlds their darkness shed, the wings the Vedas sang,.

The spheres their work forsook, the serpent slack became.

His crown, it rolled the darkness up and sunshine spread ;.
To farthest limits of the points eight sped its rays
Of brilliance like the moonlight bright and pierced
The bounds as well. Such was the glory of his crown
Whose sheen was thrice as great as fiery orb of him
That rises o'er the ancient mountain called the Mer.

A mountain too he seemed in the sky by lightning laced —
With gold and gems galore and scented blossoms sweet
Ahugging and releasing 'gain his mighty chest.
He seemed as well a radiant sun from south astir
And northward bound.

With golden visor shining on his forehead broad,
And garlands sweet with flowers culled from forest wild*
In rhythm rolling on his chest, he soared above
And saw the form divine and worshipped from afar,
Assuaging grief of separation long ago.

With both his palms like lotus bud aloft his head,
His radiance illuming clouds above, he dwelt
Again and 'gain on grievous lot of his for years
When he had missed the worship at those lotus feet
And privilege proud of perching up above his flag
The while the seven worlds in worship stood around :
And with intent to reach the earth he hurried on.
Came he and worshipped Him with heart and soul again
And 'gain. 1

1 Book VI, Padalam xix, Verses 243-299.

APPENDIX if
VALMIKI'S VALI

(See Chapter XI — page 187)

Extracts from Griffith's translation of the
Valmiki Ramayana.

Canto IV
LAKSHMANAS REPLY

Cheered by the words that Rama spoke,
Joy in the Vanar's breast awoke,
And, as his friendly mood he knew,
His thoughts to King Sugriva flew :
4 Again,' he mused, ' my high-souled lord
Shall rule, to kingly state restored ;
Since one so mighty comes to save,
And freely gives the help we crave.'

Then joyous Hanuman, the best
Of all the Vanar kind, addressed
These words to Rama, trained of yore
In all the arts of speakers' lore :
* Why do your feet this forest tread
By silvan life inhabited,
This awful maze of tree and thorn
Which Pampa's flowering groves adorn ?

He spoke : obedient to the eye
Of Rama Lakshman made reply,
The name and fortune to unfold
Of Raghu's son the lofty-souled :

Here Rama stands, his heir by birth,
Whose name is glorious in the earth
Sure refuge he of all oppressed,
' Most faithful to his sire's behest.
He, Dasaratha's eldest born

23

348 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Whom gifts above the rest adorn,

Lord of each high imperial sign,

The glory of his kingly line,

Reft of his right, expelled from home,

Came forth with me the woods to roam.

And Sita too, his faithful dame,

Forth with her virtuous husband came,

Like the sweet light when day is done

-Still cleaving to her lord the sun.

And me his sweet perfections drew

To follow as his servant true,

Named Lakshman, brother of my lord

Of grateful heart with knowledge stored.

Most meet is he all bliss to share,

Who makes the good of all his care.

While, power and lordship cast away,

In the wild wood he chose to stay,

A giant came, — his name unknown, —

And stole the princess left alone.

Then Diti's son who, cursed of yore,

The semblance of a Rakshas wore,

To king Sugriva bade us turn

The robber's name and home to learn,

For he, the Vanar chief, would know

The dwelling of our secret foe.

Such words of hope ^pake Diti's son,

And sought the heaven his deeds had won.

Thou hast my tale. From first to last

Thine ears have heard whate'er has past.

Rama the mighty lord and I

For refuge to Sugriva fly.

The prince whose arm bright glory gained,

O'er the earth as monarch reigned,

And richest gifts to others gave,

Is come Sugriva's help to crave ;

Son of a king the surest friend

Of virtue, him who loved to lend

His succour to the suffering weak,

Is come Sugriva's aid to seek.

Yes, Raghu's son whose matchless hand

Protected all this sea-girt land,

The virtuous prince, my holy guide,

For refuge seeks Sugriva's side.

APPENDICES 349

His favour sent on great and small

Should ever save and prosper all.

He now to win Sugriva's grace

Has sought his woodland dwelling-place.

Son of a king of glorious fame :

Who knows not Dasaratha's name ?

From whom all princes of the earth

Received each honour due to worth :

Heir of that best of earthly kings,

Rama the -prince whose glory rings

Through realms below and earth and skies,

For refuge to Sugriva flie;s.

Nor should the Vanar king refuse

The boon for which the suppliant sues,

But with his forest legions speed

To save him in his utmost need.'

Sumitra's son, his eyes bedewed
With piteous tears, thus sighed and sued.
Then, trained in all the arts that guide
The speaker, Hanuman replied :

' Yea, lords like you of wisest thought.
Whom happy fate has hither brought,
Who vanquish ire and rule each sense,
Must of our lord have audience.
Reft of his kingdom, sad, forlorn,
Once Bali's hate now Bali's scorn,
Defeated, severed from his spouse,
Wandering under forest boughs,
Child of the Sun, our lord and king
Sugriva will his succours bring,
And all our Vanar hosts combined
Will trace the dame you long to find.'

Canto V

THE LEAGUE

From Rishyamuka's rugged side
To Malaya's hill the Vanar hied,
And to his royal chieftain there
Announced the coming of the pair :

350 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Thus spake the Vanar prince, and, stirred
With friendly thoughts, Sugriva heard.
The light of joy his face o'erspread,
And thus to Raghu's son he said :
* O Prince, in rules of duty trained,
Caring for all with love unfeigned,
Hanuman's tongue has truly shown
The virtues that are thine alone.

If thou my true ally wouldst be,
Accept the pledge I offer thee.
This hand in sign of friendship take,
And bind the bond we ne'er will break.'

Thus each to other pledged and bound
In solemn league new transport found,

Then King Sugriva

To Raghu's noblest scion cried :
' O Rama, racked with woe and fear,
Spurned by my foes, I wander here.
Reft of my spouse, forlorn I dwell
Here in my forest citadel.

He spoke, and Raghu's son ....
Thus answered with a gentle smile :
Bali, thy foe, who stole away
Thy wife, this vengeful hand shall slay.

Canto VIII

RAMA'S PROMISE

Sugriva's heart with rapture swelled,
And thus, by eager love impelled,
He spoke in gracious tone, that, oft
Checked by his joy, was low and soft
* I, by my brother's might oppressed,
By ceaseless woe and fear distressed,
Mourning my consort far away,
On Rishvamuka's mountain strav.

APPENDICES SSI

For sobs and sighs he scarce could speak,
And his sad voice came low and weak,
As, while his eyes with tears o'erflowed,
The burden of his soul he showed.

' By Bali's conquering might oppressed,
Of power and kingship dispossessed,
Loaded with taunts of scorn and hate
I left my realm and royal state.
He tore away my consort : she
Was dearer than my life to me.

Canto X

SUGRIVA'S STORY

Thus Bali spoke in words severe ;
And then unmoved by ruth or fear,
Left me a single robe and sent
His brother forth in banishment.
He cast me out with scathe and scorn,
And from my side my wife was torn.
Now in great fear and ill at ease
I roam this land with woods and seas,
Or dwell on Rishyamuka's hill,
And sorrow for my consort still.

Canto XII
THE PALM TREES

They sought Kishkindha's gate and stood
Concealed by trees in densest wood.
Sugriva, to the fight addressed,
More closely drew his cinctured vest,
And raised a wild sky-piercing shout
To call the foeman Bali out.

Forth came impetuous Bali, stirred
To fury by the shout he heard.

$j$3 KAMBA RAMAYANAM- — A SIUDT

So the great sun, ere night has ceased,
Springs up impatient to the east.
Then fierce and wild the conflict raged
As hand to hand the foes engaged,
As though in battle mid the stars
Fought Mercury and fiery Mars.
To highest pitch of frenzy -wrought
With fists like thunderbolts they fought,
While near them Rama took his stand,
And viewed the battle, bow in hand.
Alike they stood in form and might,
Like heavenly Asvins paired in fight,
Nor might the son of Raghu know-
Where fought the friend and where the foe ;
So, while his bow was ready bent,
No life-destroying shaft he sent.
Crushed down by Bali's mightier stroke
Sugriva's force now sank and broke,
Who, hoping naught from Rama's aid,
To Rishyamuka fled dismayed.
Weary, and faint, and wounded sore,
His body bruised and dyed with gore,
From Bali's blows, in rage and dread,
Afar to sheltering woods he fled.
Nor Bali farther dared pursue,
The curbing curse too well he knew.
' Fled from thy death ! ' the victor cried,
And home the mighty warrior hied.
Hanuman, Lakshman, Raghu's son
Beheld the conquered Vanar run,
And followed to the sheltering shade
Where yet Sugriva stood dismayed.
Near and more near the chieftains came,
Then, for intolerable shame,
Not daring yet to lift his eyes,
Sugriva spoke with burning sighs :
" Thy matchless strength I first beheld,
And dared my foe, by thee impelled.
Why hast thou tried me with deceit
And urged me to a sure defeat ?
Thou shouldst have said, ' I will not slay
Thy foeman in the coming fray.'
For had I then thy purpose known

APPENDICES - '

I had not waged the fight alone.'

The Vanar sovereign, lofty-souled,
In plaintive voice his sorrows told,
Then Rama spake : ' Sugriva, list,
All anger from thy heart dismissed,
And I will tell the cause that stayed
Mine arrow, and withheld the aid
In dress, adornment, port, and height,
In splendour, battle-shout, and might,
No shade of difference could I see
Between thy foe, O king, and thee
So like was each, I stood at gaze,
My senses lost in wildering maze,
Nor loosened from my straining bow
A deadly arrow at the foe,
Lest in my doubt the shaft should send
To sudden death our surest friend.
O, if this hand in heedless guilt
And rash resolve thy blood had spilt,
Through every land, O Vanar King,
My wild and foolish act would ring.
Sore weight of sin on him must lie
By whom a friend is made to die ,
And Lakshman, I, and Sita, best
Of dames, on thy protection rest.
On, warrior ! for the fight prepare ;
Nor fear again thy foe to dare.
Within one hour thine eye shall view
My arrow strike thy f oeman through ;
Shall see the stricken Bali lie
Low on the earth, and gasp and die.
But come, a badge about thee bind,
O monarch of the Vanar king,
That in the battle shock mine eyes
The friend and foe may recognize.
Come, Lakshman, let that creeper deck
With brightest bloom Sugnva's neck,
And be a happy token, twined
Around the chief of lofty mmd.'

Upon the mountain slope there grew
A spreading creeper fair to view,
And Lakshman plucked the bloom and round
Sugriva's neck a garland wound.

354 KAMBA RAMA Y AN AM — A STUDY

Graced with the flowerjr wreath he wore,
The Vanar chief the semblance bore
Of a dark cloud at close of day
Engarlanded with cranes at play.
In glorious light the Vanar glowed
As by his comrade's side he strode,
And still on Rama's words intent,
His steps to great Kishkindha bent.

Canto XIII

THE RETURN TO KISHKINDHA

Thus with Sugriva, from the side
Of Rishyamuka, Rama hied,
And stood before Kishkindha's gate
Where Bali kept his regal state.
The hero in his warrior hold

Canto XIV
THE CHALLENGE

They stood where trees of densest green
Wove round their forms a veiling screen.
O'er all the garden's pleasant shade
The eyes of King Sugriva strayed,
And, as on grass and trees he gazed,
The fires of wrath within him blazed.
Then like a mighty cloud on high,
When roars the tempest through the sky,
Girt by his friends he thundered out
His dread sky-rending battle-shout.

Canto XV
TARA

That shout, which shook the land with fear,

In thunder smote on Bali's ear,

Where in the chamber barred and closed

APPENDICES 355

"The sovereign with his dame reposed.
Each amorous thought was rudely stilled,
And pride and rage his bosom filled.
His angry eyes flashed darkly red,
And all his native brightness fled,
As when, by swift eclipse assailed,
The glory of the sun has failed.
While in his fury uncontrolled
He ground his teeth, his eyeballs rolled,
He seemed a lake wherein no gem
>Of blossom decks the lotus stem.
He heard, and with indignant pride
Forth from the bower the Vanar hied,
And the earth trembled at the beat
And fury of his hastening feet.
But Tara to her consort flew,
Her loving arms around him threw,
And trembling and bewildered, gave
Wise counsel that might heal and save :
O dear my lord, this rage control
That like a torrent floods thy soul,
And cast these idle thoughts away
Like faded wreaths of yesterday.
O tarry till the morning light,
Then, if thou wilt, go forth and fight.
Think not I doubt thy valour, no ;
Or deem thee weaker than thy foe,
Yet for a while would have thee stay
Nor see thee tempt the fight to-day.
Now list, my loving lord, and learn
The reason why I bid thee turn.
Thy foeman came in wrath and pride,
And thee to deadly fight defied.
Thou wentst out : he fought, and fled
Sore wounded and discomfited.
But yet, untaught by late defeat,
He comes his conquering foe to meet,
And calls thee forth with cry and shout :
Hence spring, my lord, this fear and doubt.
A heart so bold that will not yield,
But yearns to tempt the desperate field,
Such loud defiance, fiercely pressed,

KAMBA RAMAYANAM' — A STUDY

On no uncertain hope can rest.

So lately by thine arm o'erthrown,

He comes not back, I wean, alone.

Some mightier comrade guards his side,.

And spurs him to this burst of pride.

For nature made the Vanar wise :

On arms of might his hope relies ;

And never will Sugriva seek

A friend whose power to save is weak.

Now listen while my lips unfold

The wondrous tale my Angad told.

Our child the distant forest sought,

And, learnt from spies, the tidings broughl

Two sons of Dasaratha, sprung

From old Ikshvaku, brave and young,

Renowned in arms, in war untamed —

Rama and Lakshman are they named —

Have with thy foe Sugriva made

A league of love and friendly aid.

Now Rama, famed for exploit high,

Is bound thy brother's firm ally.

Like fires of doom that ruin all

He makes each foe before him fall.

He is the suppliant's sure defence,

The tree that shelters innocence.

The poor and wretched seek his feet :

In him the noblest glories meet.

With skill and knowledge vast and deep

His sire's commands he loved to keep ;

With princely gifts and graces stored

As metals deck the mountains' Lord.

Thou canst not, O my hero, stand

Before the might of Rama's hand ;

For none may match his power, or dare

With him in deeds of war compare.

Hear, I entreat, the words I say,

Nor lightly turn my rede away.

O let fraternal discord cease,

And link you in the bonds of peace.

Let consecrating rites ordain

Sugriva partner of thy reign.

Let war and thoughts of conflict end,

APPENDICES 357"

And be thou his and Rama's friend.
Each soft approach of love begin,
And to thy soul thy brother win ;
For whether here or there he be,
Thy brother still, dear lord, is he.
Though far and wide these eyes I strain
A friend like him I seek in vain.
Let gentle words his heart incline,
And gifts and honours make him thine,
Till, foes no more, in love allied,
You stand as brothers side by side.
Thou in high rank wast wont to hold
Sugriva, formed in massive mould ;
Then come, thy brother's love regain,
For other aids are weak and vain.
If thou would please my soul, and still
Preserve me from all fear and ill,
I pray thee by thy love be wise
And do the thing which I advise.
Assuage thy brute wrath, and shun
The mightier arms of Raghu's son ;
For Indra's peer in might is he,
A foe too strong, my lord, for thee.'

Canto XVI

THE FALL OF BALI

Thus Tara with the starry eyes
Her counsel gave with burning sighs,
But Bali, by her prayers unmoved,
Spurned her advice, and thus reproved :
' How may this insult, scathe, and scorn
By me, dear love, be tamely borne ?
My brother, yea my foe, comes nigh
And dares me forth with shout and cry.
Learn, trembler ! that the valiant, they
Who yield no step in battle fray,
Will die a thousand deaths but ne'er
An unavenged dishonour bear.
Nor, O my love, be thou dismayed
Thou Rama lend Sugriva aid ;
For one so pure and duteous, one

368 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Who loves the right, all sin will shun.
Release me from thy soft embrace,
And with thy dames thy steps retrace :
Enough already, O mine own,
Of love and sweet devotion shown.
Drive all thy fear and doubt away ;
I seek Sugriva in the fray
His boisterous rage and pride to still,
And tame the foe I would not kill.
My fury, armed with brandished trees,
Shall strike Sugriva to his knees :
Nor shall the humbled foe withstand
The blows of my avenging hand,
When, nerved by rage and pride, I beat
The traitor down beneath my feet.
Thou love, hast lent thine own sweet aid,
And all thy tender care displayed ;
Now by my life, by these who yearn
To serve thee well, I pray thee turn.
But for a while, dear dame, I go,
To come triumphant o'er the foe.'

Thus Bali spake in gentlest tone :
Soft arms about his neck were thrown ;
Then round her lord the lady went
With sad steps slow and reverent.
She stood in solemn guise to bless
With prayers for safety and success :
Then with her train her chamber sought
By grief and racking fear distraught.

With serpent's pantings fierce and fast
King Bali, from the city passed.
His glance, as each quick breath he drew,
Around to find the foe he threw,
And saw where fierce Sugriva showed
His form with golden hues that glowed,
And, as a fire resplendent, stayed
To meet his foe in arms arrayed.
When Bali, long-armed chieftain, found
Sugriva stationed on the ground,
Impelled by warlike rage he braced
His warrior garb about his waist,
And with his mighty arm raised high

APPENDICES 35&

Rushed at Sugriva with a cry.
But when Sugriva, fierce and bold,
Saw Bali with his chain of gold,
His arm he heaved, his hand he closed,
And face to face his foe opposed.
To him whose eyes with fury shone,
In charge impetuous rushing on,
Skilled in each warlike art and plan,
Bali with hasty words began :
' My ponderous hand, to fight addressed,
With fingers clenched and firm compressed,
Shall on thy death-doomed brow descend
And, crashing down, thy life shall end.'
He spoke ; and, wild with rage and pride,
The fierce Sugriva thus replied :
' Thus let my arm begin the strife
And from thy body crush the life.'
Then Bali, wounded and enraged,
With furious blows the battle waged.
Sugriva seemed, with blood-streams dyed,.
A hill with fountains in his side.
But with his native force unspent
A Sal tree from the earth he rent r
And like the bolt of Indra smote
On Bali's head and chest and throat.
Bruised by the blows he could not shield,.
Half vanquished Bali sank and reeled,
As sinks a vessel with her freight
Borne down by overwhelming weight.
Swift as Suparna's swiftest flight
In awful strength they rushed to fight :
So might the sun and moon on high
Encountering battle in the sky.
Fierce and more fierce, as fought the foes,
The furious rage of combat rose.
They warred with feet and arms and knees,.
With nails and stones and boughs and trees,.
And blows descending fast as rain
Dyed each dark form with crimson stain,
While like two thunder-clouds they met '

With battle-cry and shout and threat.
Then Rama saw Sugriva quail,

-360 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

Marked his worn strength grow weak and fail.

Saw how he turned' his wistful eye

To every quarter of the sky.

His friend's defeat he could not brook,

Bent on his shaft an eager look,

Then burned to slay the conquering foe,

And laid his arrow on the bow.

As to an orb the bow he drew*

Forth from the string the arrow flew

Like Fate's tremendous discus hurled

By Yama forth to end the world.

So loud the din that every bird

The bow-string's clang with terror heard,

And wildly fled the affrighted deer

As though the day of doom were near.

So deadly as the serpent's fang,

Forth from the string the arrow sprang.

Like the red lightning's flash and flame

It flew unerring to its aim,

And, hissing murder through the air,

Pierced Bali's breast, and quivered there.

Struck by the shaft that flew so well

The mighty Vanar reeled and fell,

As earthward Indra's flag they pull

When Asvini's fair moon is full.

Canto XVII

BALI'S SPEECH

Like some proud tree before the blast
Brave Bali to the ground was cast,
Where prostrate in the dust he rolled
Clad in the sheen of glistening gold,
As when uptorn the standard lies
Of the great God who rules the skies.

As fell the hero, crushed in fight,

There beamed afar a triple light

From limbs, from chain, from shaft that drank

His life-blood as the warrior sank.

The never-failing shaft, impelled

APPENDICES 361

By the great bow which Rama held,
Brought bliss supreme, and lit the way
To Brahma's worlds which ne'er decay.
Rama and Lakshman nearer drew
The mighty fallen foe to view,

The wounded Bali, when he saw
Jlama and Lakshman nearer draw,
Keen words to Raghu's son, impressed
With justice's holy stamp addressed :
' What fame, from one thou hast not slain
In front of battle, canst thou gain,
Whose secret hand has laid me low
When madly fighting with my foe ?
From every tongue thy glory rings,
A scion of a line of kings,
True to thy vows, of noblest race,
With every gentle gift and grace :
Whose tender heart for woe can feel,
And joy in every creature's weal :
Whose breast with high ambition swells,
Knows duty's claim and ne'er rebels.
They praise thy valour, patience, ruth,
Thy firmness, self-restraint, and truth :
Thy hand prepared for sin's control,
All virtues of a princely soul.
I thought of all these gifts of thine,
And glories of an ancient line,
I set my Tara's tears at naught,
I met Sugriva and we fought.

Rama, till this fatal morn

1 held that thou wouldst surely scorn
To strike me as I fought my foe
And thought not of a stranger's blow.
But now thine evil heart is shown,

A yawning well with grass o'ergrown.

Thou wearest virtue's badge, but guile

And meanest sin thy soul defile.

I took thee not for treacherous fire,

A sinner clad in saint's attire ;

Nor deemed thou idly wouldst profess

The show and garb of righteousness.

362 KAM6A RAMAYANAM — A STUDY

In fenced town, in open land,
Ne'er hast thou suffered at this hand.
Nor canst of proud contempt complain :
Then wherefore is the guiltless slain ?
My harmless life in woods I lead,
On forest fruits and roots I feed.
My foeraan in the field I sought,
And ne'er with thee, O Rama, fought.
Upon thy limbs, O King, I see
The raiment of a devotee ;
And how can one like thee, who springs
From a proud line of ancient kings,
Beneath fair virtue's mask, disgrace
His lineage by a deed so base ?
From Raghu is thy long descent,
For duteous deeds pre-eminent :
Why, sinner clad in saintly dress,
Roamest thou through the wilderness ?
Truth, valour, justice free from spot,
The hand that gives and grudges not,
The might that strikes the sinner down,
These bring a prince his best renown.
Here in the woods, O King, we live
On roots and fruit which branches give.
Thus nature framed our harmless race :
Thou art a man supreme in place.
Silver and gold and land provoke
The fierce attack, the robber's stroke.
Canst thou desire this wild retreat,
The berries and the fruit we eat ?
'Tis not for mighty kings to tread
The flowery path, by pleasure led.
Theirs be the arm that crushes sin,
Theirs the soft grace to woo and win :
The steadfast will that guides the state,
Wise favour to the good and great ;
And for all time are kings renowned
Who blend these arts and ne'er confound.
But thou art weak and swift to ire,
Unstable, slave of each desire.
Thou tramplest duty in the dust,
And in thy bow is all thy trust.

APPENDICES - MS

Thou carest naught for noble gain,
And treatest virtue with disdain,
While every sense its captive draws
To follow pleasure's changing laws.
I -wronged thee not in word or deed,
But h. thy deadly dart I bleed.
What wilt thou, mid the virtuous, say
To purge thy lasting stain away ?
All these, O King, must sink to hell,
The regicide, the infidel,
He who in blood and slaughter joys,
A Brahman or a cow destroys,
Untimely weds in law's despite
Scorning an elder brother's right,
Who dares his Teacher's bed ascend.
The miser, spy, and treacherous friend.
These impious wretches, one and all,
Must to the hell of sinners fall.
My skin the holy may not wear,
Useless to thee my bones and hair ;
Nor may my Slaughtered body be
The food of devotees like thee.
These five-toed things a man may slay
And feed upon the fallen prey ;
The mailed rhinoceros may die,
And, with the hare, his food supply
Iguanas he may kill and eat,
With porcupine and tortoise meat.
But all the wise account it sin
To touch my bones and hair and skin.
My flesh they may not eat ; and I
A useless prey, O Rama, die.
In vain my Tara reasoned well,
On dull deaf ears her counsel fell.
I scorned her words though sooth and sweet,
And hither rushed my fate to meet.
Ah for the land thou rulest ! She
Finds no protection, lord, from thee,
Neglected like some noble dame
By a vile husband dead to shame.
Mean-hearted coward, false and vile,
Whose cruel soul delights in' guile>
24

814 KAMBA RAM AY, AN, AM: — A STUD'S

Could Dasaratha, noblest king,

Beget so mean and base a thing ?

Alas ! an elephant, in form

Of Rama, in a maddening storm

Of passion casting to the ground

The girth of law that clipped him round,

Too wildly passionate to feel

The prick of duty's guiding steel,

Has charged me unawares, and dead

I fall beneath his murderous tread.

How, stained with this my base defeat,

How wilt thou dare, where good men meet,

To speak, when every tongue will blame

With keen reproach this deed of shame ?

Such hero strength and valour, shown

Upon the innocent alone,

Thou hast not proved in manly strife

On him who robbed thee of thy wife.

Hadst thou but fought in open field

And met me boldly unconcealed,

This day had been thy fate to fall,

Slain by this hand, to Yama's hall.

In vain I strove, and struck by thee

Fell by a hand I could not see.

Thus bites a snake, for sins of yore, ,

A sleeping roan who wakes no more.

Sugriva's. foeman thou hast killed,

And thus his heart's desire fulfilled :

But Rama, hadst thou sought me first,

And told the hope thy soul has nursed,

That very day had I restored

The Maithil lady to her lord ;

And, binding Ravan with a chain,

Had laid him at thy feet unslain.

Yea, were she sunk in deepest hell,

Or whelmed beneath the ocean's swell,

I would have followed on her track

And brought the rescued lady back,

As Hayagriva once set free

.From hell the white Asvatari.

That when my spirit wings its flight

Sugriva reign, is just and right. ,

APPENDICES <8fi5

.But most unjust, O King, that, I,
Slain by thy treacherous hand, should lie.
Be still, my heart : this earthly state
Is darkly ruled by sovereign Fate.
The realm is lost and won : defy
Thy questioners with apt reply.'

Canto XVIII

RAMA'S REPLY

He ceased : and Rama's heart was stirred

At every keen reproach he heard.

There Bali lay, a dim dark sun,

His course of light and glory run :

Or like the bed of Ocean dried

Of his broad floods from side to side,

Or helpless, as the dying fire,

Hushed his last words of righteous ire.

Then Rama, with his spirit moved,

The Vanar king in turn reproved :

' Why dost thou, Bali, thus revile,

And castest not a glance the while

On claims of duty, love, and gain,

And customs o'er the world that reign ?

Why dost thou blame me, rash and blind,

Fickle as all thy Vanar kind,

Slighting each rule of ancient days

Which all the good and prudent praise ?

This land, each hill and woody chase,

Belongs to old Ikshvaku's race :

With bird and beast and man, the whole

Is ours to cherish and control.

Now Bharat, prompt at duty's call,

Wise, just, and true, is lord of all.

Each claim of law, love, gain, he knows.

And wrath and favour duly shows.

A king from truth who never bends,

And grace with vigour wisely blends ;

With valour worthy of his race,

He knows the claims of time and place.

Now we and other kings of might, ' '

By his ensamplc taught arighft, >

366 KAMBA RAMAYANAM — A SIUDt

The lands of every region tread

That justice may increase and spread.

While royal Bharat, wise and just,

Rules the broad earth, his glorious trust,

Who shall attempt, while he is lord,

A deed by Justice held abhorred ?

We now, as Bharat has decreed,

Let justice guide our every deed,

And toil each sinner to repress

Who scorns the way of righteousness.

Thou from that path hast turned aside,

And virtue's holy law defied,

Left the fair path which kings should tread,.

And followed pleasure's voice instead.

The man who cleaves to duty's law

Regards these three with filial awe —

The sire, the elder brother, third

Him from whose lips his lore he heard.

Thus too, for duty's sake, the wise

Regard with fond paternal eyes

The well-loved younger brother, one

Their lore has ripened, and a son.

Fine are the laws which guide the good

Abstruse, and hardly understood ;

Only the soul, enthroned within

The breast of each, knows right from sin»

But thou art wild and weak of soul,

And spurnest, like thy race, control ;

The true and right thou canst not find,

The blind consulting with the blind.

Incline thine ear and I will teach

The cause that prompts my present speech.

This tempest of thy soul assuage,

Nor blame me in thine idle rage.

On this great sin thy thoughts bestow,

The sin for which I lay thee low.

Thou, Bali, in thy brother's life

Hast robbed him of his wedded wife,

And keepest, scorning ancient right,

His Ruma for thine own delight.

Thy son's own wife should scarcely be

More sacred in thine eyes than she.

APPENDICES 36&

•Ail duty thou hast scorned, and hence
Comes punishment for dire* offence.
For those who blindly do amiss
There is, I ween, no way but this :
To check the rash who dare to stray
From customs which the good obey.
I may not, sprung of Kshatriya line,
Forgive this heinous sin of thine :
The laws for those who sin like thee
The penalty of death decree.
Now Bhar'at rules with sovereign sway,
And we his royal word obey.
There was no hope of pardon, none,
For the vile deed that thou hast done.
That wisest monarch dooms to die
The •wretch whose crimes the law defy ;
And we, chastising those who err,
His righteous doom administer.
My soul accounts Sugriva dear
E'en as my brother Lakshman here.
He brings me blessing, and I swore
His wife and kingdom to restore :
A bond in solemn honour bound
When Vanar chieftains stood around.
And can a king like me forsake
His friend, and plighted promise break ?
Reflect, O Vanar, on the cause,
The sanction of eternal laws.
And, justly smitten down, confess
Thou diest for thy wickedness.
By honour was I bound to lend
Assistance to a faithful friend ;
And thou hast met a righteous fate
Thy former sins to expiate.
And thus wilt thou some merit win
And make atonement for thy sin.
For hear me, Vanar King, rehearse
What Manu spake in ancient verse —
This holy law, which all accept
Who honour duty, have I kept :
' Pure grow the sinners kings chastise,
And like the virtuous, gain the skies ;

3$£ KA.MBA RAMAYAKAM^-A. STUDY.

By pain or full atonement freed,

They reap the fruit of righteous deed,

While kings who punish not incur

The penalties of those who err.'

Mandhata, once a noble king,

Light of the line from which I spring,

Punished with death a devotee

When he had stooped to sin like thee ;.

And many a king in ancient time

Has punished frantic sinners' crime,

And, when their impious blood was spilt,

Has washed away the stain of guilt.

Cease, Bali, cease : no more complain :

Reproaches and laments are vain,

For thou art justly punished : we

Obey our king and are not free.

Once more, O Bali, lend thine ear.

Another weightiest plea to hear,

For this, when heard and pondered well,

Will all complaint and rage dispel.

My soul will ne'er this deed repent,

Nor was my shaft in anger sent.

We taken the silvan tribes beset

With snare and trap and gin and net,

And many a heedless deer we smite

From thickest shade, concealed from sight.

Wild for the slaughter of the game,

At stately stags our shafts we aim.

We strike them bounding scared away,

We strike them as they stand at bay,

When careless in the shade they lie,

Or scan the plain with watchful eye.

They turn away their heads : we aim,

And none the eager hunter blame.

Each royal saint, well trained in law

Of duty loves his bow to draw

And strike the quarry, e'en as thou

Hast fallen by mine arrow now,

Fighting with him or unaware —

A Vanar thou — I little care.

But, yet, O best of Vanars, knovr

That kingi who rule the earth bestow

APPENDICES '4W

Fruit of pure life and virtuous deed,
And lofty duty's hard-won meed.
Harm not thy lord the king : abstain
From act and word that cause him pain.
For kings are children of the skies
Who walk this earth in men's disguise.
But thou, in duty's claims untaught,
Thy breast with blinding passion fraught,
Assailest me who still have clung
To duty, with thy bitter tongue.'

He ceased : and Bali sore distressed
The sovereign claims of law confessed,
And freed, o'erwhelmed with woe and shame,
The lord of Raghu's race from blame.
Then, reverent palm to palm applied,
To Rama thus the Vanar cried :
' True, best of men, is every word
That from thy lips these ears have heard.
It ill beseems a wretch like me
To bandy empty words with thee.
Forgive the angry taunts that broke
From my wild bosom as I spoke,
And lay not to my charge, O King,
My mad reproaches' idle sting.
Thou, in the truth by trial trained,
Best knowledge of the right hast gained ;
And layest, just and pure within,
The haeetest penalty on sin,
Through every bond of law I burst,
The boldest sinner and the worst.
O let thy right-instructing speech
Console my heart and wisely teach.'

Like some sad elephant who stands
Fast sinking in the treacherous sands,
Thus Bali raised despairing eyes ;
Then spake again with sobs and sighs :

' Not for myself, O king, I grieve,
For Tara or the friends I leave,
As for sweet Angad, my dear son,
My noble, only little one.
For, nursed in luxury and bliss
His father he- will mourn J and miss/ '

3W KAMBA R A»* A YANAM — A STUDY

And like a stream whose fount is dry

Will waste away and sink and die, — '

My own dear child, my only boy,

His mother Tara's hope and joy.

Spare him, O son of Raghu, spare

The child entrusted to thy care.

My Angad and Sugriva treat

E'en as thy heart considers meet,

For thou, O chief of men, art strong

To guard the right and punish wrong.

O, if thou -wilt thine ear incline

To hear these dying words of mine,

He and Sugriva will to thee

As Bharat and as Lakshman be.

Let not my Tara left forlorn,

Weep for Sugriva's wrathful scorn ;

Nor let him, for her lord's offence,

Condemn her faithful innocence.

And well and wisely may he reign

If thy dear grace his power sustain :

If, following thee his friend and guide,

He turn not from thy hest aside :

Thus may he reign with glory, nay

Thus to the skies will win his way.

Though stayed by Tara's fond recall,

By thy dear, hand I longed to fall.

Against my brother rushed and fought,

And gained the death I long have sought.'

Canto XIX

TARA'S GRIEF

But Tara in the Vanar's hall
Heard tidings of her husband's fall ;
Heard that a shaft from Rama's bow
Had laid the royal Bali low.
Her darling Angad by her side,
Distracted from her home she hied.

i She hastened forth, her bosom rent

l With anguish, weeping as she went,
) And striking, mastered by her woes,

APPENDICES 3*?1'

Her head and breast with frantic blows.

She hurried to the field and found

Her .husband prostrate on the ground,

Who quelled the hostile Vanar's might,

Whose back was never turned in flight :

Whose arm a massy rock could throw

As Indra hurls his bolts below :

Fierce as the rushing tempest, loud

As thunder from a labouring cloud :

Whene'er he roared his voice of fear

Struck terror on the boldest ear :

Now slain, as, hungry for the prey,

A tiger might a lion slay :

Or when, his serpent foe to seek,

Suparna with his furious beak

Tears up a sacred hillock, long

The reverence of a village throng,

Its altar with their offerings spread,

And the gay flag that waved o'erhead.

She looked and saw the victor stand

Resting upon his bow his hand ;

And fierce Sugriva she descried,

And Lakshman by his brother's side.

She passed them by, nor stayed to view,

Swift to her husband's side she flew ;

Then as she looked, her strength gave way,

And in the dust she fell and lay.

Then, as if startled ere the close

Of slumber, from the earth she rose.

Upon her dying husband, round

Whose soul the coils of Death were wound,

Her eyes in agony she bent

And called him with a shrill lament.

Sugriva, when he heard her cries,

And saw the queen with weeping eyes,

And youthful Angad standing there,

His load of grief could hardly bear.

Canto XX
TARA'S LAMENT
Again she bent her to the ground,
'Her arms about her husband wound,

372" KAMBA RAM.A YANAM-r-A STUDY

Sobbed on his breast, and sick and faint
With anguish poured her wild complaint :

Again the hapless Tara wept
As to her husband's side she crept,
And wild with sorrow and dismay
Sat on the ground where Bali lay.

Canto XXII

BALI DEAD

There breathing still with slow faint sighs

Lay Bali on the ground : his eyes,

Damp with the tears of death, he raised,

On conquering Sugriva gazed,

And then in clearest speech expressed

The tender feelings of his breast :

' Not to my charge, Sugriva, lay

Thine injuries avenged to-day ;

But rather blame resistless Fate

That urged me on infuriate.

Fate ne'er agreed our lives to bless

With simultaneous happiness :

To dwell like brothers side by side

In tender love was still denied.

The Vanars' realm is thine to-day :

Begin, O King, thy rightful sway ;

For I must go at Yama's call

To sojourn in his gloomy hall ;

Must part and leave this very hour

My life, my realm, my kingly power,.

And go instead of these to gain

Bright glory free from spot and stain.

Now at thy hands one boon I seek

With the last words my lips shall speak,

And, though it be no easy thing,

Perform the task I give thee, King.

This son of mine, no foolish boy,

Worthy of bliss and nursed in joy, —

See, prostrate on the ground he lies,

The hot tears welling from his eyes — >

The child I love so well, more sweet

APPENDICES 373.

Than life itself, for woe unmeet, —

To him be kindly favour shown :

O guard and keep him as thine own.

Retain him ever by thy side,

His father, helper, friend, and guide.

From fear and woe his young life save,

And give him all his father gave.

Then Tara's son in time shall be

Brave, resolute and famed like thee,

And march before thee to the fight

Where stricken fiends shall own his might.

While yet a tender stripling, fame

Shall bruit abroad his warrior name,

And brightly shall his glory shine

For exploits worthy of his line.

Child of Sushen, my Tara well

Obscurest lore can read and tell ;

And, trained in wondrous art, divines

Each mystery of boding signs.

Her solemn warning ne'er despise,

Do boldly what her lips advise ;

For things to come her eye can see,

And with her words events agree.

And for the son of Raghu's sake

The toil and danger undertake :

For breach of faith were grievous wrong,

Nor wouldst thou be unpunished long.

Now, brother, take this chain of gold,

Gift of celestial hands of old.

Or when I die its charm will flee.

And all its might be lost with me.'

The loving speech Sugriva heard,
And all his heart with woe was stirred.
Remorse and gentle pity stole
Each thought of triumph from his soul :
Thus fades the light when Rahu mars
The glory of the Lord of Stars.
All angry thoughts were stayed and stilled,
And kindly love his bosom filled.
His brother's word the chief obeyed
And took the chain as Bali prayed.
On little Angad standing nigh

:374' KAMBA RAMAYANAMA-A STUDY

The dying hero fixed his eye,

And, ready from this world to part,

Spoke the fond utterance of his heart :

' Let time and place thy thoughts employ :
In woe be strong, be meek in joy.
Accept both pain and pleasure, still
Obedient to Sugriva's will.
Thou hast, my darling, from the first
With tender care been softly nursed ;
But harder days, if thou wouldst 'win
Sugriva's love, must now begin.
To those who hate him ne'er incline,
Nor count his foe a friend of thine.
In all thy thoughts his welfare seek,
Obedient, lowly, faithful, meek.
Let no rash suit his bosom pain,
Nor yet from due requests abstain.
Kach is a grievous fault, between
The two is found the happy mean.'

Then Bali ceased : his eyeballs rolled
In stress of anguish uncontrolled.
His massive teeth were bared to view,
And from the frame the spirit flew.

INDEX

An Index is furnished below of those stanzas in the
Kamba Ramayanam translated by Aiyar, in order
of Kanddm and Padalam according to the annotated
edition of Sri V. M. Gopalakrishnamachariar, which
it is hoped may be found useful. A similar index for
the chapter on Sita follows. The reference given here
is to the page on which the first stanza in the set
begins. The foot-note reference might be found in
many cases on a subsequent page.

— Publishers.

Padalam Stanza Page Padalam Stavza Page , Padalam Stanza

I UdeU &T65311— ID

82 .62

X tfjfi&ti *TL$

1 6

xi (§ia)(if<3>i) $ar£i,i

26-28

xii *irjifs

33

xxii 1111*1 tu>

38

62

5S

64

II ^GlXJtT^i^UJJT

vut

.99
401
721

45, 47

48-52

54-62

64-67

69-76

1 j}mm aprnfiCtiu 38, 70 ««-J» A*®*

51
48

280
281
282
283
285

77. 78
83, 84

iii a»*G*u?t -jiji)

26-29, 32,33
33, 34, 44
103-106
107, 108, 110

iv jtii $w(<ij

116

117, 121, T22

125
126
134

137, 139, 140
149, 157. J59
224. 226-228

V ffl)>9D milfjjl
73-76

52

ix uaraPui«»i-

7

55. 56
58, 60-62
70. 71

Page

35 | 72 .. 69,

286 292'
73, 74. 76-79,

81, 82, 90, 93 293

287 96. 98-103,

288 105-7, 113,

289 115, 117 .. 294
9 118, 120 .. 295

132, 136, 138 . . 296

71 X ^JpiOjiii

12-20 . . 296
72

73 XI ($«

48 14-17, 19, 22 . . 297

7? 27 .. 298

74 29. 30, 33 . . 299
11 35, 36, 40 .. 300

42, 43, 65, 68,
69, 70, , ,.. . 301

51 xii j6($ojif T^iKS

30, 34, 36,
4 n , 38-40, 42,

43 ..76

44, 45 '• . . 52

51, 53, 96 ., 302

289 97. 98, • T "

290 101-103 .. 303

291 114-117 .. 304

292 129, 131, 132 . . 305

jirtSn «rtit_uu<L<P'ar«rar.

376 KAMBA RAMAYANAM

— A

STUDY

Padalam Stanza Page

Padalam^ Stanza Page Padalam Stanza

Pao*

III Qltesflu

v aincfi aiuD**

201, 202, 205
219, 220

209
210

aiTSRSTL-li

14-20

171

221-223

211

iii •SMJkfiiu

21-27
31-33

172
173

225-227,
229-233

212

17, 19, 21

66*

34, 35

174

36-38, 40-43,

,„ iii sitl*

v gjiiuanras

31, 32, 34-37,
45-56

58

45-48
57

64, 65
67-69, 71, 72 . .

175
176
177
178

17
20

25

70

48

. 49

70

60

74. 76-84,

23

. 51

vii i»rnf*ijf aia)$

86-90
92-102

179
181

33, 65, 67-73 .
75, 76

. 213
. 214

24-29, 36, 45,
46. 49-51 . .

233

104, 105,
107-115

182

IV $ja!$M

58, 60, 61

234

116

183

24, 26-29,

67, 68-71, 73,

117, 119-130 .

184

31-37

. 247

77

235

132-134, 136,

40, 41, 50, 51,

79-81

236

137, 146-149

186

58

. 15

82-87

239

151

. 187

65, 66, 68, 69,

149

240

71-73

. 16

199

249

viii &il£l)i>fi»>

232-234

77

4

. 63

V f_'JI,i«Tll1}

237, 238

60

11-13, 15, 17

X JblfL-OiLL

19, 20

. 215

"viii ffi_irii| ajiiir

Jfjiji

60, 62, 63,

21-25

. 216

20-22, 26-34 .

. 243

67-72

. 78

27, 28, 32, 34

217

35-40

. 244

35, 37

. 213

49-55

. 245

xiii *iiu:i£!

59-63

. . 219

62

. 256

13-15

. 198

71, 72

. . 19

64

. 249

.

77,

. . 61

158

. 61

xiv itftsibjfi?

97

. . 219

201, 203-206 .

. 63

i 9, 10, 12, 14,

99-104, 109,
110, 112

. . 220

ix .9|ClUT(^JB

| 15, 19
1 21-25

. 200
. 201

113-117

.. 221

63, 67, 68, 71

54

V *ffijSffftFr6N5T

l_ii

Vi £,aUMljS)t)
83

49

IV *9ll<$IB£

IT

ii est C£®

a,n6wn_ii

41, 72, 73

. 204

xii ijt*

ii ibuhud

83-86

. 205

4

.. 103

95

. 208

5

.. 102

12-15, 20, 36,

141

.. 83

9-11

.. 101

37, 40

. 196

207

15

.. 103

49

. 197

142

. 207

18

.. 102

112

. 170

199, 200

. 208

25-27

.. 222

INDEX

377

Podolam Stanza 'Page Padalant Stanzct Page Padalam Stanza Page

56, 57, 59 .. 223
61, 62, 64, 65 224
70, 74, 75, *79,

80 .. 199

113, 116 . . 125

8, 9 . . 225

10 ..-226

82, 83 . . 61

VI 0|££ anwi_ii>
ii Stjraitjjrir m^^j

12-14 .. 249

53 .137

58, 59 . . 102
60, 61 . . 103
66, 67, 70,

72-75 ..126
90, 91, 95, 96,
99, 101, 102,
106, 108, 109 127
113, 116, 117 .. 123

iii Sijssufiiusjr oho}

24-33 . . 155

35, 37 . . 156

40, 42, 44-46 . . 157

47-56 . . 158

59, 62, 64, 69,

70, 72, 74-78 159
80, 86, 93 . . 161
118-130 . . 162
132, 133, 136,

139, 142, 143 164 I
144, 145, 146 . . 165

12 .. 133

Xill WU&frM &T$I

9, 13
16-18, 43

.. 257
.. 250

xiv ip0,j) Cut]

xv

IV

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<SHSDL&4£C
3, 4, 6-9
20

108, 109
125-127, 129
146

129
130

67
130

52

91, 92 r 95, 96,

101
133, 139
155, 161,

163-166
167, 169
174, 175,

181-183, 185
203, 204
221, 232
249

0)«D£

259
261

262
263

26i
26.5
266

267

XVI ItTHJ'T JOTS

77-83, 86 . . 251

xvii ^sTiuir ai«D,s

. 78. 79 . . 80

180, 188-191 . . 81

197-199 .. 82

. 269-272 .. 83

XV111 jbll* lllf
7, 8
21, 28
73-75
76, 77, 79
95, 105, 106
120, 167
180, 188-190
201

209-212
222-225
233, 237-241
243-249

17, 23, 25,
29, 30

79, 83-89

90-94

96-98

130-135,
137-142,
144-150,

27,

20
138
13>)
140

152,

101
84
86
87
88
89
90
91

133
49
92

See
Appendix I

153

141

155-160,

164-166

143

167

. 144

191, 192

. 143

193, 194, 200

146

201

. 147

203

78

228, 234-236

79

262, 263

. 227

281-285

. 147

286, 328-331

148

341, 342

. 149

354, 360

151

xix ua>L> js&caii
amp

13

94

xxi iSljitfjijflf

39-43 . . 94

61, 62 . . 95

63, 66, 67 . . 96
206-210, 212,

214, 217, 218 98

XXlii UJi.b.^I U&C

3-5 . . 227

20 .228

111-114 .. 229

xxv mriur Iss^r.

13, 14, 16-18 104
31, 34, 35,

38-41 .. 105

45-50, 51-53 . . 106
58. 60 .107

60, 65-71 . . 108

78-79 . . 50

378 K A M B A

RAMA YANAM —

A STUDY

Padalam Stanza

Page

Padalam Stanza Page

Padalam ■ Stanza

Page

xxvi £@,uiu%OiLiirs

xxviii iahrirsusKHsSr

xxxvi §t)immm

70-78

.. lie

Gffi*

am-k

80-85

.. in

7, 10, 11 . . 253

35, 50

. 271

91

.. 112

16, 17, 19, 22,

*80, 90, 92, 97

273

98, 99

.. 113

26-32 . . 254

105, 106, 115 .

. 27*

146

. . 114

35-39 .. 255

135, 136, 152

27'i.

155-160

. . 115

47 . . 23

175, 178

276

164-170

. 116

49, 53 . . 24

182

. 173

177, 178

. 117

xxxi GotQafrft

198, 199
201

277
278

xxvii &!>#![$£&

28-32 . . 135

216

65

SUSS) ,4

46 . . 229

239

243

2-6

. 118

48, 49 .. 136

7-12

. 119

xxxvii ifd

13, 15

. 120

xxxiv {ajTOioNiiir

129-131

65

16

. 121

GjbGjgi

214, 215

30G

30, 31, 33

. 122

20, 23 . . 268

216, 229-234 . .

30T

46, 51

. 123

26 .. 269

236-238, 240 . .

308

56

. 124

247, 251

309

64

. 54

xxxv Opitssr G^Ggjgi

65

. 55

2 .269

xxxix aT',i)L-G*,f(5^ i s

71

. 134

17 . .270

20

230.

INDEX TO SITA

Padalam Stanza

Page

Padalam Stanza Page

Padalam Stanza

Page

I UIT6W ftlTSRSW-LO

III ^,!T6S5plLI

vi

ajOTTitsnfl

aiTSRSTL-lL

12-16

.. 332

x iB#&0* aurilll

f

• «

17-19, 26, 27

23

311

Vlll *LITIl|tt|IUiT JE£J»

29, 30, 32

. . 333

26, 32

314

4, 13 . . ills

34-37

. . 334

35, 36

311

56, 57 . . 320

74, 76-79, 81

37 %

314

58, 59, 63, 67 321

82

.. 335

38

317

68-70, 72 . . 322

• • •

XV

$(5011*. Q$fT(!t$

XX G«T9DU3tTSJr

V

*IBSlr SlT655rL_LO

55, 58-60,

36."

. 313

iii

4TL.H

3-5, 7, 9, 11 .. 327

62-64

. . 342

xxi &if.ttm

97

315

12-14 .. 329
15 329, 337
16, 17, 19, 20 329

VI il|;5j5 arr6Ksri_ii
xxxvi %iraiswriar

II 3\G\unp$

turr

23, 24, 26, 28 330

aj«9j$

^airsssri—ti

iv

jfi.i^&W

220, 225

. 319

23 -. 323

xxxvii iElJ

25, 38-42, 45,

V «B<E90UlirL(5

46, 49-51,

34, 36, 59

. 333

40

317

57-59 .. 324

62-67

70, 71, 73-77

. 339
. 340

xii j£l(ijaiif 3jL(5

V

a_(3*4iril(5

84

. 341

128

319

64-67 .. 331

176

. 337

25

This book will be available at —

1. THE DELHI TAMIL SANGAM,
Orders and payments to be sent to

A. V. VENKATASUBBAN,

Asst. Director,

Civil Aviation Department,

Talkatora Road,

NEW DELHI.

2. THE CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY,

Connaught Circus,
NEW DELHI.

3. Messrs. BHAWNANI & SONS,

Book Sellers & News Agents,
Connaught Place,
NEW DELHI.

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PUBLISHING WORKS SOCIETY LTD.,
1/140, Broadway,
MADRAS.

5. Messrs. HIGGINBOTHAMS & CO.,
Mount Road,
MADRAS
and their bookstalls on the S.I. Rly. system,

6. Messrs. NEWMAN & CO.,

3, Old Court House Street,
CALCUTTA.

7. Dr. V. V. S. KRISHNAMURTHY, l.m.p.,

Mannachanallur P.O.,
Trichinopoly District,
S. INDIA.

(Lines are

counted excluding the heading

on each page.)

Page

Line

For

Read

4

25

Rachine

Racine

22

1

lost

lose

34

31

said to the

said to be the

77

25
27

delete the

words
" struck down

by Rama's

dart "

Add " struck

down by Rama's

dart " after

deer

85

28

Rakshasa's

Rakshasa

42

Seeking

Seeing

91

Foot-note

2

see page 111

see page 80

92

30

his

this

116

18

bear

bare

152

Foot-note
line 5

1,

ambassador's

ambassadors

212

Foot-note

2

36 miles
3 furlongs

one yojana=

36 miles 3

furlongs

216

22

now

not

343

20

Or

On