By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam – Bala Kandam 6 (Padalam 20)
20.Ulaviyar Padalam Chapter on the procession in the streets.
(No reference to these incidents are made in Valmiki Ramayana. The poet wants us to see the personality of Rama, through the eyes of lasses of Mithila. Dasaratha and Rama reach the hall where they are going to see Sita.)
1063. The ladies whose hair was being made wet by the honey of flowers,Like the species of deer came and like the peacocks came,Like the stars shining on the sky and ,like shining stars coming to surround cameWith bees making great sound to drink honey from their hairs,And with their anklets and other ornaments making sound,And filled up all vacant areas of the street.
1064. Those ladies who were like great ornament to that city,Were not bothered about the hair which was falling down all round them,Were not bothered about their waist best falling down , were not bothered,To catch their thin garments sliding and falling down from their shoulders,And they neared and crowded round Rama though their this waists were bending,And shouting , “give way, give way” and they surrounded him like honey bees.
1065. They who were like clear water flowing downwards,Who had big eyes similar to the big black flowers flowering in the stream,With their tiny anklets making sound and with their waists giving pain,Were like those running to catch their mind , which was,Dragging them all towards Rama.
1066. Telling with each other,” With our eyes we are only seeing love here .We have realized the greatness of being feminine today,”They rushed like deer jumping towards clear drinkable water Which has been produced after a long time by rain, The rain having failed for a long time and made the land dry.
1067. For seeing those holy feet that gave Ahalya a body which was red in colour andThose big shoulders which broke the bow to get Sita with scented black hair ,Ladies came and crowded in those royal avenues and were like ,Those bees that crowd round a pot of nectar , making sound.
1068. Rama was like the one who jumped along with horse drawn chariot ,In to the eyes of those ladies who were staring at him ,With fully opened eyes, and made a new meaning ,To the word “Kannan(eye like darling) , by this act.
1069. ”His chariot will be going with great speed and passing our eyes,”Like this when those ladies were telling with great dejection,And they further Said , “Sita who would be seeing to it that Rama who had measured The world with one step and sky with another, never goes out of her eye and Is indeed great.”
1070. One girl just entering the age of a lady , was prepared to leave ,Their heritage , the cloth which never left their body , Conch made bangles,All good acts , their stainless beauty , mind, intelligence , luster ,Diamond studded ornaments , her innocence , her shyness ,Her control over mind except possibly only her soul.
1071. With kendai fish like eyes which were above the ornament of ears ,Raining tears like the rain fall of the cloud was shed by one lady,Who had youthful breasts , where even a thread cannot go in between,Who was with wounds caused by the arrows of the love by the god of love his sugarcane bow ,And stood tired with all her body parts thinning down like her streak of lightning like waist.
1072. ,Did all the sword like eyes of those girls who had applied red plant extract ,On their fingers , become black because of the body colour of Rama?Or Did Rama who had the black body colour resembling the cloud .Got his colour from all the black eyes of ladies never leaving it? We do not know.
1073. One lady with lustrous forehead and the colour of new leaf of mango tree ,Seeing the expertise in war of the god of love who sends arrows of bunches of flowers at them,Asked “Who is that matchless archer who is not botheredAbout the greatness of the rule of Dasaratha,And not realizing the expertise in archery of Rama And shooting arrows at ornamented ladies?”
1074. One foremost lady who can be compared to Goddess Lakshmi ,Allowed all her ornaments to slip away from her body due to thinning of body,And was standing incapable of carrying herself and was standing,Holding only her cloths like a picture drawn by those who knew about pleasure,Like the taste of passion which cannot adequately be described by words.
1075. One peacock like lady with eyes like sharp spear as well as the God of death,With her bow like eye brows , sweat filled forehead , with green colour of parting,Spreading all over her body and with a greatly dejected mind was standing ,Not seeing Rama and sadly said ,”Does the merciful Rama go alone?”
1076. One lady who had black hair like Kajal , red mouth and lustrous forehead,Was becoming greatly sad thinking of Rama and said , “Oh frind , one cheat,Has entered in to my mind through my eyes and I have closed,My eyelids tightly so that he cannot go out and so show me ,The way to my cot so that I can enjoy him fully.”
1077. One lady who was looking like a doll , without bothering about,Arrows struck by the God of love on her divine body and without,Realizing that the cloth as well as waist belt has come loose ,Was seeing all those seeing the body of Rama with love,With her very angry and fire spitting eyes.
1078. One lady with a spear like eyes which was black as well as white,And with red lines being seen outside which appears like ,The lie of her mind was going to escape outside ,which normally,Was playful , exuberant and was trying to measure length of her hair,Came with a pleased mind to see Rama and after seeing went back home hot.
1079. One lady with broad eyes with a great desire to see the beauty of Rama ,Seeing that the heavy black hair , Thick breasts tied with cloth,The hips and other parts tied by golden belt of the ladies in her front ,Was hiding his form, Went on seeing Rama through the clearing between their thin waists.
1080. There was nothing in any place in those streets except ,The ornaments falling down due to the heat their body created ,Due to the shooting of arrows on their mind by the well prepared God of love ,The melting sandal paste flowing due to the sweat on their breasts ,The waist belt , pearl garlands and conch bangles , fallen,Due to their becoming thin due to love and ,The flower garlands which had fallen down from their black hairs.
1081. All those who saw Rama’s shoulders saw only his shoulders,Those saw his lotus like feet wearing heroic anklets , saw only his feet,And those who saw his large and long hands saw only that ,And thus which of those ladies with sword like eyes saw his full form,And they like those who see themselves and not those Gods ,Deciding fate, saw only a part of him and not the whole.
1082. One lady with a thin waist and very long hair,Without getting sad , completely filled her mind with Rama,And who can be greater than the great one who ,Has filled her mind with the form of that God,Who at one time kept the entire universe in his belly.
1083. One lady who had waving heavy hair who was wearing selected ornaments,Came to see Rama like a pretty flowery creeper with her waist belt and anklets making sound ,And seeing her fall down due excess of pass ion on seeing Rama,All her friends were forced to assist her back to her home.
1084. At that time one lady with selected ornaments and bud like breasts ,Told, “Oh Lord who has such a hard heart who did not take mercy on me,Oh blessed one, who broke Shiva’s bow for the sake of the innocent lady Sita,Since I am also a girl , break the sugarcane bow of God of love and save me.”
1085. One lady with a black eye in which Kajal has been applied ,And had a lustrous forehead told “This Rama who has done great penance ,Should stop from going in that chariot as he is standing before my eyes,Is it illusion or is it only a dream?”
1086. One lady who did not have any other emissary except her mind,To send to Rama , became very famished and tired because of love and told,“What type of penance did Sita who had eyes with red lines ,Who has ear globes made of gold and well ornamented ears do?”
1087. A lady who did not have any shortcomings , became nervous,Cried and breathed hot and becoming tired saluted her dear friend,And told, “Would it be possible for the God of love to draw a picture of Rama ?”
1088. One lady who had a very pretty mouth and a lustrous forehead,Said, “If we properly think about it ,it is not possible for a man to be this pretty,And so I am telling you that he is not a man but only Lord Vishnu (Krishna?) ,All of you are going to realize this later .”
1089. One lady with a lustrous forehead noticing that,Her golden anklet and bangle got loose and fell down,And feeling greatly depressed in the mind, said,“This faultless one has come here because,Of the great penance that Janaka has done earlier.”
1090. One lady with wet eyes and wearing green gem embedded ,Ornaments over her hip , became so sad that the beauty ,That was residing in her for a long time moved away from her,Thought, “Would he come in my dream alone instead ,Of being crowded by great sages and kings as of now?”
1091. One lady who was like a peacock joyous in seeing,Black clouds and who was also like a golden creeper ,Wanted to hide the love that she felt in her heart,And when God of love came to know about it ,He brought out the love in her heart on her face.
1092. One lady who had a face like moon with two eyes,Went and reached the bed of flowers ,Like a snake which heard the noise of thunder,With sweat covering her pretty closely placed breasts,Lost her ability to think and went on passing deep breaths.
1093. Many ladies who had red mouth like led lily flowers ,Which drip nectar , became jittery with the soul and unstable Like Sita who had a hip that was crying and had no reason,To be joyous . How are they going to live?
1094. Another lady with body covered with sweat and with a depressed soul,Asked, “The pure Rama has not looked at Any lady who was weeping and was very sad With his red eyes,. Does this mean ,That he is one without any trace of love?”
1095. There was no limit to the lasses in that town,And there is no adequate measure to beauty of Rama,And what can the God of love with a golden bow do?Since all his arrows were exhausted he took out his sword.
1096. We do know about the war between God of love,And the young ladies of the city with long scented hair,But do not know about the war between the young god of love ,And divine ladies in spite of the arrows of God of love,Had they now also pierced the heart of the ladies of heaven.
1097. ”This Rama without desiring anything from all those,Who are in love with him . Is it proper ?Looks he does not know what is mercy,Tell me whether he is one of those realized ones.It looks like he is one who murders girls, “ one said.
1098. One lady who had sandal paste applied on her breasts to get it cooled,Who has a thin waist like a hand drum , with both sides thick,Due to the love on Rama could not recognize her hands or bodyWas lying down exhausted with all people saying .“Would she survive?” and “”she would survive.”
1099. One lady who talks like a sugar syrup ,Like one swinging in a swing tied between betelnut trees ,Went behind the chariot of Rama with her feet becoming red, And would then come back due to shyness. Why is she doing it?”
1100. One lady who had crossed the limits of passion and lost her brain,Seeing another lady who had come there , asked,“On your way did you happen to see my mind which followed Rama?”When the desire exceeds the limit how can there be shyness.
1101. There was one lady who was like Goddess Lakshmi who said ,”The clan of this Rama are those who have given their soul to thoseWho approached them to save and when it is so , how is it this Rama is, Not willing to give us ,the sweet soul that is very dear to us, “asked she.
1102. One lady who had a good forehead and who was broken down by fear ,Said, “When we enquire about why this Rama broke the bow of Shiva,Which was kept in our armory , it appears to me that is not due to his love,Towards the peacock like lass whose head is filled with the scent,Of Akil Smoke and who was capable of speaking a pure toungue,But due to the fact that he wanted to show us what he has learned.”
1103. One lady with disheveled hair , who had lost her pearl necklace,Cloths and other ornaments and was about to fall down tired,Asked, “Who are as strong as the god of love who is trying to kill me,Without any fear in front of Rama who is holding a fearsome bow.”
1104. ,When ladies of different age groups attained this state of mind,Rama along with group of kings who were all well armed,Reached the hall Where the faultless sage Vasishta ,And Viswamithra who had seen the other shore of knowledge of Vedas were sitting.
1105. , That Lord of Goddess Lakshmi came like the moving streaks of lightning , Came wearing swinging necklaces of chosen gems on his chest there,He saluted by falling on the ground similar to monsoon clouds falling down on earth,The holy and divine feet of the two great sages Vasishta and Viswamithra.
1106. When Rama who was born in Ayodhya to protect Dharma from being destroyed,Saluted those sages , they blessed him and asked him to sit on a seat,He sat on a seat decorated by matchless floral designs ,And shined along with his brothers who followed him like shadow,
1107. Like the white coloured moon coming lighting all over the sky ,Followed by all the stars ,Dasaratha the chief of a great army ,Reached that hall studded with gems which were really great.
1108. After having saluted those sages with great penance ,With the best of flowers containing honey being showered on him,With Brahmins reciting poems of blessing , he took his seat,Making Indra ashamed feeling that he is not lucky like him.
1109-1111. Ganga kings , Kongu kings , Kalinga kings , Kulinga kings,The kings of Sinhala , the chera kings , The pandya kings ,The king of Anga , King of KUlindha , king of Avanthi,The king of Bengal , The Chozha king , Maratta king ,The kings of Magadha , King of Matshya desa, the king of mlechas ,The heroic Ilada king , the king of Vidharbha ,The king of china , The king of Thengana The king of Chenchakas , The king of Somaka ,The king of Jonakas , The king of turkey , the king of Guru desa,The well armed Yadava kingf, The king of Konkanas who have seven groups,The king of Chedhi country, The king of Thelugus , the kings of Karnataka ,And all all other shining kings of earth covered by the sky came to that hall.
1112. Those ladies who tell words sweeter than the sweet sugarcane,Stood by the side of the king Dasaratha and fanned him with cowries,And those were similar to the luster of the pretty new leaves,Of The very tall tree of the rising fame of that king.
1113. The sweet sound of ladies who had honeyed hair decorated by flowers,Over which bees , Minjiru and Karumbu (type of bees ) go round and round,Wished Dasaratha “Long live” with the back ground of music from flute ,And their lisping tome sounded like the music played by Yaazh.
1114. The matchless white royal umbrella of the king having elephants with fierce eyes,Was like the presence of full moon who had come to that place with great mercy ,To witness the great marriage of Sita who belonged to his clan and become joyous.
1115. Due to the standing of the army of Dasaratha which was standing ,Without leaving any space like huge long sea all over the city and surroundings,The country of Janaka who had an elephant army which achieved victory only ,Was looking more like a city which was full of people .
1116. That Janaka who was the father of Sita who had lustrous forehead ,Due the love that was pouring in him spent all his wealth ,For celebrating this marriage , the water of love ,That flowed from his heart was equal to Rama as well as ,Those of the people who were having a low status.
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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.