By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam-Ayodhya Kandam 3 (Padalam 9)
9. Chitrakoota Padalam
Chapter on Chithrakuta mountains.
(There is a great description of the Chitrakoota mountains is given by Rama to Sita .Lakshmana builds a hut for them with a separate enclosure for Sita. They start living in it. In Valmiki Ramayana the description is very small and Lakshmana builds a hermitage . No mention for a separate enclosure for Sita is made in the book. For satisfying Vastu devathas Rama sacrifices a black deer . After entering the hermitage a sacrifice to Vaiswedevas also is done.
2046. That Rama who is recognized by the great devas as well as ourselves,Who looks at us both equally , Who is faultless , who has a merciful eyes.And who is the pure one who has one thousand eyes explained and showed to,The daughter of Janaka who is like a young peacock, the nature,Of That Chithrakuta mountains where sandal wood trees grow densely .
2047. ”Oh lady , who has eyes which are similar to sword and spear made in to one,And who is like peacock , on the mountain side where cardamom and Thamala plants grow,Entwining each other, there are the rich black clouds as well as elephants which both are,Of long nature and are found sleeping after they have drunk lot of water,And it is difficult to differentiate between both of them, and you may please see this.”
2048. “Oh lady , with red lines in your eye which are like the swords ,And one who has koel like voice, please see the jumping mountain goat ,Which jumps from the top of the big mountain and please see that,Like the very clear Vedas , due to getting mixed with shine of emerald ,They look more like the green horses.”
2049. ”Oh lady who is like the youthful peacock and who wears pearl necklaces ,Over her breasts , the huge pythons which have kept in their huge belly , huge elephants,In rut , have taken out their soft skins and hung there over all bamboos,Which keep on shaking from there itself and they like the white cloth banners,Hung I n the mansions of Ayodhya surrounded by gardens , please see them.”
2050. “Oh nectar given by the ocean of milk and not of salt ,In the mountain valleys of coral gems and in other places,The musk deer waving its white tail are speedily running about ,And they appear like white streams falling from coral mountains ,please see them.”
2051. The elephant with great matchless flow of rut , attacked by the angry lion,Dies and falls down , the gems which come out of the blood flow of that elephant,Are shining like the gems fallen down and coated with kumkum ,From their cut necklaces , when the ladies have love tiff with their lovers .Please see them.
2052. When in the very big mountain , moon came on the top peak of that mountain,With the luster of the very big gems which shine like a lamp with extended wick,The great white stream which falls from that mountain and is like the Ganges,Falling on the pretty matted hair of Lord Shiva who travels on a young bull may be seen by you.
2053. When the elephant touches the water of the stream, they are sprayed ,With gems by that stream and those elephants from whom water of rut ,Flows like torrential rain , near the round vengai flowers ,They look like they have golden gem studded ornament on their head and this may be seen by you.
2054. Oh lady , just like the saying that a single thread is carrying two compressed pots of gems,Having a very thin bent waist and huge pretty young breasts and a look like a flower branch,The luxuriously growing sandalwood garden due to its growing up till the sky,Is preventing the moon from entering in to it and crossing it. Be pleased to see that.
2055. One playful male elephant which had tusks like the crescent of the moon . Due to its having great love to its lady elephant in the advanced stage of pregnancy,Is taking the scented honey collected by bees which get their sweet voice from leaves,From the mountain caves and offering it and asking the she elephant drink it, You may see that also.”
2056. ”Even if Lord Vishnu who protects enters in to illusion and hides himself ,From the great Yogis who have controlled their senses and do not feel joy, He would not hide himself and like that though the horse faced Kinnaras,Hide themselves , they would be visible as a reflection on marble stones.”
2057. Oh lady who is prettier than dancing peacock and whose voice ,Is sweeter than that of Koel, look at those singing kinnara couple,Who make the angry gypsy ladies who have love tiff with their husbands,And who avoid making love to them , to look at them with great love .
2058. Oh lamp like lady who has eyebrows like the bent bow of heroes,When the bamboos dash on climbing plants , the honey comes out of the wax,And this makes the holes dug by the gypsy men who hear Kolli pan,Completely filled up with sweet honey and you may also see it.
2059. Oh lady who is the soul of one’s body like the feminine quality which never leaves you,When a female monkey due to great love after taking bath with the male monkey,Sprays water on it , then that male monkey climbs on a huge mountain,And sprays back the water from a very big cloud on it, You may please see it.
2060. Oh lady who is like a lamp lit on the wick made by great cotton and filled with ,The ghee of the nectar of the devas , You may see huge rocks of ruby gems ,Which have the hot luster which breaks the darkness , which are stable,In one place and which are in the form of a circle that never changes.
2061. ”oh goddess like lady who showed the nature of virtue to Arundathi ,Due to large number of blue bees sitting and getting up on flower filled branches of Vengai tree ,They dip down and then rise up and shower golden flowers ,And they look like those who bend and salute and rise up.”
2062”. Oh soft new leaf who has bow like lustrous forehead ,And shining ornaments The gypsy maids who guard the field o THinai,On the top of the big mountain and who have eyes like the murderous spears,The red Kuruvindha gems which they throw on the birdsComing to eat thinai, are falling down like stars in the sky. Please see that”
2063. ”The huge budle of smoke that is going up in the sky due to ,The burning of thick Akil logs cut by the axe by the valorous peopleWho hold the very strong bow mixes with the smoke from sacrificial altar,Of the great Brahmins and are moving in the sky like black mountain peaks.Please se them.”
2064”. Oh lady who is like peacock whose waist seems to break ,Due to the heavy burden of her huge hair , scented by civet cream,Just opened flowers , perfumes , smoke of akil and musk,See the sparkling gems in the dried forest streams which are like stars.”
2065. Due to the Vidhyadhara maidens having love tiff with her husbands,The step marks of their small feet applied with the faultless red cotton juice ,Are vanishing in the ruby stones on the mountain surrounded by clouds,But are very clearly visible on the long green emerald stones.Please see it.
2066. ”Oh help of my life whose belly button is similar to the whorl made of gold,The scented flowers of Karpaga tree removed from their black sand like hairBy the heavenly maidens who took bath after removing their make up ,Is going down along with best gems through the forest rivers. Please see.”
2067. ”Please see a monkey which took away the drum kept for guarding ,By the mountain people who were wearing heroic anklets and playing it,Also see a young gypsy girl who caught hold of the moon and feeling,That it is wrong for this moon to have blemish and is trying to wipe it away.”
2068. In the enclosure created by the densely growing Kurukathi climbers,One lady who had parted from her husband was sleeping , and her burnt dark,Bed made of freshly produced leaves was trying to tell us , the sorrow,A lady has in parting with her darling lover for many days. Please see it.
2069. Oh lady who wears soft ornaments and whose very thought gives me,Happiness similar to taking nectar , In the swings tied on the side of,Honey dripping Vengai trees as well as Konga trees , Where the gypsies swingSinging the rural song loving, hearing which the Akana animals come rushing, please see it.
2070. ”Oh sweet one who has red lips similar to Indragopa bees and the flowers of Murukku tree,The drops of water of the stream which is coming lashing its waves , due to heavenly ,Maidens playing in it gets mixed with scented products , sandal paste , Kumkum ,And also scented things given by Karpaga tree , and gives out perfume . Please see it.
2071. Oh creeper with pretty breasts, Making one tell that they are small tins made of red gold, Over which pictures that have been drawn by red paint and are being supported by a branch,The shining sun has reached the top of the pretty golden mountain ,And please see that is looks like the mountain is having a golden crown.
2072. ”Oh best among ladies, on the stone in the mountain looks as if,The small red beads are spread all over because the bamboo groves,Are showering these lustrous gems on them and they are lying everywhere,And you may see that they look like stars spread on the reddish sky.”
2073. Oh parrot like lady who talks more sweetly than the flute with small holes ,And the cool sweet sound raised by Yaazh over which strings are tied ,The closely planted murukka tree which is fully covered with open red flowers ,Makes it appear as if the red fire is burning all over the forest , please see.
2074. Oh peacock like lady who has hands which appear as if bangles are put in,Kandhal(gloriosa flower),please see that huge elephant calves,Take water from the stream in their long leather bag with holes ,And pour in to the water pots of great sages whose age cannot be measured.
2075. Oh peacock like lady whose eyes are like cut tender mangoes ,Please see the merciful male monkey, hanging out its long bent tail , so that,The sages who have shriveled eyes and heart which is sorrowing ,Can find their way in the mountain paths , so that they can hold it and walk.
2076” . Oh lady who has broad hips which are no comparison to the hood of snake ,And the seat of the chariot , The peacocks having thin feathers on their head,Suitable to the pretty chest with the sacred thread of the Brahmins, fan andBend their long feathers so that the fire in the yagna fire place burning properly, please see .
2077. Oh lady having waving long hair ,who is the ornament to other peacock like ladiesPlease see , the monkeys who by their nature makes thema fruits fall , searching for and sorting,Cotton as well as silk , making them in to threads and giving them to the Brahmins Who do good to the world so that they can wear it as sacred thread.
2078. “Oh lady whose form is an ideal model for all other ladies, see that,The male monkeys with love bring big mangoes, jack fruit and big fruits of Banana AS well as the roots dug out by the black boars and giving it to the saints.
2079. ”oh lady see that the birds which are similar to your pretty hands carrying ,Rice awns, Thinai awns , millet awns , beans and the soft rice produced by the,Bamboos that bend to the sages who have driven away lies entering,Inside every hermitage with great mercy and love.”
2080. The cruel pythons which are capable of lifting and then swallowing .The elephants which trumpet like thunder , like those who have understood,The meaning of great books , keeping its strength under control ,Are seen helping the saints with matted hair climb the mountain,By lying like stair steps on their mountain path. Please see that.
2081. In the mountain where water springs flow , to give salvation to those, Who have done great penance and are the good people showering tears out of love,Like an over turned water pot, The golden planes is covering the skies,By going here and there and you may please see them.
2082. Rama the son of Dasaratha who did great penance of truth in the palace ,Showed the well ornamented Sita all these about the Chitrakoota mountain,And when the great sages of that great mountain came to receive him,Saluted them and became guest to those sages of them who have got over past and present Karma,
2083. Lord Vishnu who is the mountain of sun rise wearing a thulasi garland,For the sake of the destruction of the Rakshasas who were dark like night,Had sent the powerful wheel for destruction to kill Kalanemi,And the Sun god similar to that reached the mountain of setting surrounded by gardens.
2084. As soon as the weapon called wheel went and hit the asura called Kalanemi ,The entire sky became reddish possibly due to the blood that sprang from his body,And the moon who came out was similar to the teeth of that Asura which came out.
2085. After the sun set the lotus flowers which were showing their faces,To the pretty ladies , got closed and in the sky like water storages ,The lily flowers which were like stars opened up.
2086.The male and female monkeys looked at the trees,The male and female elephants looked at the way to their homes,The faultless birds looked at the path to their nests,Rama who was interested in knowledge did the evening rituals.
2087. When the evening neared, many scented flowers closed,And some faultless scented flowers opened and for Rama,Lakshmana as well as Sita who was like nectar , the hands,And their lotus like eyes like the evening lotus flowers closed.
2088. Rama who had come to do penance after the parting of the evening,Like the sea reaching its on place , along the Sita without waist ,Reached the hermitage that was constructed by ,His brother who had a bow that will spit arrows.
2089-2092. After arranging the piece of bamboos in a long row,And establishing straight logs without bends on them,And after tying properly the side reams which does not bend down,And closing over that rows which did not have any bend ,And covering the roof with leaves of teak wood tree,And spreading the tall nanal grass all over those leaves,And later constructing walls on all sides on the bamboos,And later applying mud over it , and later applying water over it,And he also made a separate room for the lady of Mithila ,And for that room he made the walls soft and proper by painting kumkum over ut,And he also brought gem like stones and pearls and inlaid them on that wall,And he also decorated that house using peacock feathers,And he also cut them by a sharp sword and hung them all over ,And he built a compound wall using young bamboo ,And he also strew prettily with freshly brought flowers from near the river.
2093. In that hermitage built by his younger brother , that Rama who stays,In the heart of Lord Brahma , people like us and in all beings we can think of,In a similar manner and as the great God spirit which never leaves,Along with Sita, the golden incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi entered.
2094. In that hermitage which can be compared to the mind without illusion,Great Vedas , the pure ocean of milk and Vaikunta , Rama who has ,An affection that is difficult to get , became very happy and greatly satisfied.
2095. The flower like tender feet of the daughter of the king of Mithila,Came walking through very cruel forest and the hands of my faultless brother,Constructed this hermitage for me proving that ,To those for whom there is no assistance , there is nothing that they will not get.
2096. After thinking like this , looking at his younger brother ,Rama asked , “Oh brother who has two mountain like shoulders,Where did you learn how to construct a hermitage ?”,And from his eyes which resembled lotus flower, he kept on shedding tears.
2097. Due to the order of the king who gave me the wealth of kingship,Though I followed to observe the spreading dharma from birth to birth,And attained the true fame which shines like the Sun, What is the use?.For I have caused you sorrow for a long time, “Said Rama with sorrow.
2098. AS soon as these words which touched his mind came from Rama,That younger one with a sorrowful heart told, “Oh my father,Please examine what I am going to say.The root cause ,For your sorrow came because you were born earlier, is it not?”
2099. ”Let it be like that for nothing can be done about it,For going away from Dharma is impossible for people like us.”And Rama further thinking that and seeing the great sorrow in the mind,Of Lakshmana who had become joyous he decided it wss difficult to console him.
2100, . So Rama again looked at Lakshmana said, “For all types ,Of wealth there is a limit and what is the destruction ,Because of this penance in the forest and this penance ,Would lead us to limitless joy in the other world “ he said.
2101. Rama who had a very strong bow consoled his brother like this,And kept on doing penance which made even the devas salute him,And now we will start telling about what happened ,
To the emissaries who were sent by Vasishta of great penance.
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About Kavichakravarthy Kamban
Historians place him in the 9th century CE, But surely Kamban belongs to the third great wave of Tamizh literature that started with the Sangam period (dated before the Common Era), followed by the widespread impact of Bhakti literature of the Alwars (vaishnavite saints) & Nayanamars (shaivaite saints). Kamban Authored Ramanaya in Tamil…Known as Kamba Ramayanam..
Kambar has been the milestone for the Tamil scholars that none had reached. He was also known as “Kamba Naatazhvar” at his time. Many Tamil authors from the modern world have written the books on the poet Kamban.
FAQs
Kambar or Kavichakravarthy Kamban (1180–1250) was a medieval Tamil poet and the author of the Ramavataram, popularly known as Kambaramayanam, the Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.
Valmiki Ramayana and Kamba Ramayanam are two versions of Ramayana written in the Sanskrit and Tamil languages respectively. … Kamba Ramayanam is originally called as Ramavataram. Although Valmiki Ramayana is the original version of the story of Rama, Kamba Ramayana is believed to be based on the work by Valmiki.
The Kamba Ramayanam, is a Tamil epic that was written by the Tamil poet Kambar during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki’s Ramayana (which is in Sanskrit), the story describes the life of King Rama of Ayodhya.
The book is divided into six chapters, called Kandam in Tamil. The Kandams are further divided into 123 sections called Padalam (படலம்) in Tamil. These 123 sections contain approximately 12,000 verses of the epic.