By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam-Sundara Kandam 3 (Padalam 5)
5.Sundara Kandam(contd)
5. Choodamani padalam Chapter on head brooch.
(Hanuman tells Sita , that he would carry her on his back to the place of Rama. She tells him that it is not proper due to several reasons . Hanuman agrees with her reply. Later she tells that she can keep her soul only for one more month and requested Hanuman to tell Rama to come by that time. Hanuman consoles her and asks for incidents of identity. She tell about the attack on her by the son of Indra and how once Rama suggested her to keep the name of Kaikeyi to her pet bird. She later gives Hanuman her hair brooch which Hanuman keeps safely .With great sorrow Hanuman takes leave from Sita. In Valmiki Ramayana Sita tells about the incident when day her Thilaka got erased , how Rama put a Thilaka using laterite stone and not about the incident of choosing name to her pet bird.)
5345. Hanuman thinking that Sita who was like Goddess Lakshmi may commit suicide,And felt that it is not easy to tell her that” I am here who would protect you so , do not be scared”.Thought that it would be better to carry the soul like wife of Lord Rama ,Who is the root cause of all the world and move her from there.
5346. He told her , “Please hear my words , do not brush it away ,If that Ravana were to kill you, it would be no point in winning over him,And so what is the point and collecting ideas as to what we could do, I would take you and show to Rama and salute both your feet,And this happens to be the proper time to do it.”
5347. ”Oh Sita who is greatly pretty and who is like a golden climbing plant,If you sit on my shoulders covered with soft hair peacefully,Leaving your sorrow and get a sweet sleep , then I can carry you ,And take you to the hill where Lord Rama lives,Within a second , without making any delay on my way.”
5348. ”Oh lady with curly hair , if some Rakshasas come to know,That I am taking you away and if some Rakshasas chase me in the middle,I would cool my anger by shattering those asuras and make them fall down,And I who have got the boon of deathlessness , after seeing your sorry state,Would not go back to Rama with empty hands, without solving it.”
5349. ”Oh mother, even if you order me to take you along with Lanka ,I would uproot it and carry it on one of my strong hands ,Destroy all those who try to stop me and place it before Rama,Who holds the cruel bow and then salute his feet ,Where he wears the heroic anklets and this is not difficult for me.”
5350. ,”Oh Lady who is similar to Arundathi, if I go near Lord Rama and tell, That , “Your nectar like consort is living with great sorrow in a prison,By some people who are great cheaters, without getting her freedom “,What is the point in my doing service to him.
5351. ”I who have got protection to my life , with the shoulders ,Which did not have relations with wounds of war ,Would reach Rama and I would describe about the strength of the enemies,And tell him that I did not have the ability to see the lady and return back,Or shall I tell a lie that I did not have the luck to bring her back.”
5352. ”If you order me , to destroy within the time of batting of the eye and melt this city of Lanka,Which is surrounded by walls and which is guarded, and then after destroying,The very different type of Ravana , also destroy all the Rakshasa army ,And go speedily away from this city of Lanka , I would do it now itself.”
5353. , “Oh lady Sita who has a forehead like moon That Rama who is valorous ,After getting you would lose all the sorrows in his mind , with a clear mind ,If he reaches this city of Lanka with you and completely destroy the clan of RakshasaThen all the great sorrow of this world would go away .This is a great deed.”
5354. ”Oh lady who is like a young creeper speaking very pretty words ,Now there is nothing more that needs to be told ,.Please shower your grace ,On this slave and make me get this luck according to my fate and afterwards ,Reach Rama and put out your sorrow ,Please get up on my shoulders quickly ,”And telling like this he saluted her divine feet which brings good luck.
5355. Looking at Hanuman who told words that would lead to good results,Which were very appropriate similar to a calf standing before its mother ,She told , “What you have told is impossible for you to do,”And afterwards told pure and soft words addressing Hanuman.
5356. ’This is not impossible for you to do and is suitable for your strength,You have thought about it properly and you would also do it, but ,Though I am feminine having great ignorance and with lesser wisdom ,I am able to conclude that it is not a proper thing to do as I can understand.”
5357. ”Oh Hanuman when you are carrying me , if asuras encircle you ,In the middle of the sea and attack you with cruel arrows ,From all directions , you would totter fighting with them,Who are like poison and also take care of me ,Making you confused as well as one affected by solitude.”
5358. ”Apart from this there is also another reason . By your act,The victorious bow of Rama would get stained,What is the benefit in that? Like the dogs which cheat and steal ,And eat that food , do you also want to cheat and take me ,From those Rakshasas who took me away by cheating.”
5359. “In the battle field where my Lord is fighting with the bow,When that Rakshasa with sword like eyes looked at my body In an inappropriate manner , Would I not want his body ,To be eaten by crows with the Devas witnessing it all rather than retain my life .”
5360. “When the archery of Rama and Lakshmana who hold the bow as well as victory ,.Matures and they cut the noses of Rakshasis when they still have Mangalya Suthra,Would the shyness that I posses also become great.”
5361. ”If this city of Lanka built on the golden mountain which is populated byThe Rakshasas who do not follow Dharma does not become ,A big mountain of bones , how would I be able to tell the world ,About my great lineage , character as well as chastity.”
5362. ”Would the sorrow of becoming a bone mountain stop with Lanka,Populated by people who are like animals? I could burn all the worlds,Which go against Dharma by my words but I did not attempt to do it,As I thought that it would be a stain to the strength of bow of Rama.”
5363. ”Oh personification of truth , there is one more thing that needs to be told,Please hear that for me it is not proper to touch any other body except that of RamaWho has growing Valour , because your body which has destroyed ,The cravings of five senses, would akso be called as ‘male’ by this world.”
5364. ,”if that Ravana with debased culture had touched me , would,The soul of Ravana remain in his body for such a long time ?I would have destroyed him with in a period of batting the eye,For due to his great power he uprooted the hermitage ,Where I was living and brought it here.”
5365. ,”That Ravana has a curse given by the primeval Lord Brahma, born out of flower,That if he touches the body of a lady whose mind is not attracted by him,All his divine heads would break in to pieces and this protected my soul.”
5366. ” The maiden daughter of Vibheeshana who has masculinity ,And who wears a shining crown, showed great mercy on me,And had told me earlier about the existence of this curse .”
5367. ”Due to this curse being there , I did not go backwards ,In the observance of Dharma , always thinking about ,The valour of my Lord Rama and also to prove ,My purity to this world, I stayed alive up to this time ,Had that curse been not true , I would have died long back.”
5368. ”Oh sir , with your eyes which see the truth , please see, the land Along with the long hermitage built by the younger brother,Which was uprooted and brought here by Ravana , In a stable condition and kept here.”
5369. ”With the firm aim of protecting my soul which is depressed ,I would come to this lake which is like Rama holding the bow ,Which is full of water and flowers at the day time without fail.”
5370. ”Oh sir because of that , your thought of carrying me back ,Is not desirable and what you have to do is to ,Go back to Rama who is the lord of Vedas”said Sita ,And that Hanuman who did not have any fault replied like this.
5371. Hanuman whose sorrow in heart with doubt was removed,Thought that the character got through penance of the consort of Rama, Who was the lord of the world was indeed very great ,And becoming very happy started praising her .
5372. “Oh mother , the world made dark by Ravana would see light,And even if I delay a little further it would be filled with anxiety,And so please tell me what I have to convey to Rama “Saying this Hanuman fell at her feet and saluted her.
5373. ”Oh Hanuman who is just, I would wait for the coming of my lord,For only one more month and if he does not come , I do not have the ability ,To hold on to my soul. The command of that king depends on your behavior ,And so who are very wise please keep these in your mind.”
5374. ”Even though I am not a suitable wife to Rama Whose chest is decorated by garlandsAnd due to that even if I am not in the heart of Rama ,Though he does not have mercy on me, please request him,To desire his own natural conduct of protecting the valour.”
5375. ”Please tell this one word to Lakshmana who is praised by all,And who is victorious , “as per the commend of Lord Rama ,You have the duty to protect me and so please free me ,From this cruel prison where I have been imprisoned.”
5376. ”Since within one month , my great penance is getting over ,By that time if Lord Rama does not arrive here ,Request him to do my obsequies by his red hand ,In the shores of river ganges. Please tell him this.”
5377. ”Oh sir, Please tell the Lord of Dharma that , Sita who is going to die in Lanka ,Salutes with raised hands her three great mother in laws, and please tell him .Not to forget this though he does not seem to have any mercy on me.”
5378. ”Please tell in the divine ears of Rama that when he reached Mithila,,And married me , he had promised , “In this birth I would not even think ,Of another lady by my mind , “ which was a boon he gave to me.”
5379. ”In this Lanka, after I stay with sorrow and happen to lose,My sweet soul and when I am born again in this world .I should not do the evil act to hug the divine body of Rama and cause him evil,Please tell him that I am requesting this boon with saluting hands.”
5380. ” I am one who is not fated to see him occupy the throne,And see his moving bell of rule nor see him going in a procession,On an elephant with great decorations . So what is the point,In talking about it .I would become sorry thinking about my old fate .”
5381. ”Lord Rama would only go to Ayodhya , for removing the depression,Of his people who think about only himself , for removing sorrow of his mothers ,For removing the burden of ruling the country being suffered by Bharata ,And would not think of me who is unsuitable and come to Lanka.”
5382. ”Please inform my salutations to my father , mother and relatives,Please request the Lord of monkeys Sugreeva to follow Rama ,Who has very pretty shoulders to the endlessly pretty Ayodhya, And crown Rama as the king of Ayodhya ,”
5383. When Lady Sita was thus painfully upset , Hanuman looking at her ,Told , “Oh lady, you have not still left sorrowing “ and then told her ,Sweet and apt words which were logical and reasonable so that her minds became clear.
5384. ”You would die here itself , It is true? Would after your death ,Lord Rama who suffers due to your parting continue to live?He can crown himself only after leaving the forest and reaching Ayodhya,Is it not ?Are all these things that are going to happen?”
5385. ”That Ravana who has kept you, who is the form of chastity,In a prison , it seems would live with his sweet soul and Rama ,Who holds the matchless bow, slipping away from his duty ,It seems would return from the forest. What event compares to these?”
5386. ,”Oh good lady , Without killing those Rakshasas who troubled you,Would we go back to Ayodhya carrying our soul and like us ,Should not our Lord Rama who holds the bow,Like all of us , also go to the city of Ayodhya.”
5387. Rama had removed our sorrow , when we were all in the river of sorrow,And has given us wealth which can never get reduced and if,We do not free you and give you back to Rama,Who can be better than us , who are inactive and indolent?”
5388. “To Rama who took an oath before the sages that ,“I would not return to my country Kosala unless I make devils eat the liver,Of those Rakshasas , who ate the very good people who are sages,”Is destroying the Rakshasas and getting you free from prison an impossible act.”
5389. ”Suppose we return back without saying that we have released ,You from prison where you were kept by the very weak Asuras ,,Would this be accepted by citizens of the country , people of good nature ,And by all those who have read books which are good?”
5390. ”Suppose we decide that Our Lady Sita who is chaste ,Who does not lie and who cannot be approached ,Died before the cheating Asuras touched her ,And wore a garland of fame, and go back ,Would not our valour be blamed ?”
5391. ”If you who happen to die due to the great sorrow of parting ,I am destroyed and would our bad fame go away ,Even if using cruel arrows we burn all the matchless seven worlds ?”
5392. ”Oh Lady who is like a goddess , earlier when Rama who is expert in war,Came to know about nature of Rakshasas , he wanted to destroy all the three worlds ,But once he comes to know about you , would he assume the posture of peace?”
5393. “The anger of Rama which does not flare up without any cause,Would not stop with taking away the souls of those murderous Asuras,And not only that would not the earth and heaven also get destroyed?Would there be any other thing near by which would not get destroyed?”
5394. ”Oh mother , on the day that he hears the news about you ,Would not the arrows of Rama who holds the wheel ,Eat away the seven pot like oceans of this world ,Along with the seven oceans of heaven , like the fire at deluge .”
5395. ”Lord Rama destroyed the enemies of Devas,Stifled the sinful acts of the world , encouraged,Those who are suitable , at all times did good deeds,Have you not heard these praises of Rama sung by the world.”
5396. ” Is it not better for you to live with sorrow ,In this prison for a few more days and ,See the good times later, especially when due to your being ,In prison great and good Dharma lives further.”
5397. ”Whenever the ghosts bathe in the flowing blood ,Of the Rakshasas who are like thorns .,The devas who see this from hiding would become happy ,And would you not make this scene of pride to occur?”
5398. ”Please see the rivers of blood from wounds of Rakshasas,Who are torn by the lustrous arrows which come,Like the thunder at the end of final deluge ,Fill up the seven oceans and hear the constant sound from them.”
5399. ” You would see the mountain of Mangala Suthras , which cannot ,Be even crossed by Vali ,which are cut and thrown away by Rakshasis ,With tear drenched eyes after beating their paunches ,Which were similar to the belly of pregnant women.”
5400. “You would see that the ghosts which are as long as the sky ,Huge crowd of birds with cruel wings which are innumerable ,Take bath in the blood coming out of the wounds of Rakshasas,And then again taking bath in the flowing river of Rakshasi tears.”
5401. ”You would see the monkeys which do masculine jobs , dance ,In the stages where Deva maidens danced accompanied byThe drums played by hands and the stringed instruments played by hands.”
5402. The Huge collection of mountain like corpses which would be floating,In the river of blood from that wounds of criminal Rakshasas who did silly work,Would reach the huge sea with its shores and block it. You would be seeing that.”
5403. “You would see the golden city of Lanka melting in the fire of bad fate ,Created by the coal of the Rakshasas who are engaged in cruel acts ,Due to matchless fire of Sita being in the middle of that fire ,Which is kindled by the great wind of arrows sent by hand of Rama.”
5404. ” Oh Lady Sita ,crows would jump and sit on the fallen heads of Ravana ,In the war waged by his enemies , and due to good fate would peck his eyes ,Which had seen your faultless divine body by their very sharp beaks ,Take it away and eat them, You would also see this.”
5405. ”Making, the blue elephants of directions which were shamed,And were defeated by Ravana, happy , the arrows from the bow of Rama Would cut all his heads and put them under their feet . You will see it.”
5406. When the arrows are showered like rain , the blue sky Once got sweat and the pretty flags of Lanka which are kept,In several places close by waved and produced air to cool it,But in that Lanka you would see the ghosts raisingMaking huge sounds and dance there with great glee.”
5407. “The stream of blood from the body of blue coloured Rakshasas,Raised the level of the ocean where they had reached ,And returned back by the river and similar to that ,You would see the God of death who does not stop killing,Even at the destruction of the world at deluge, vomiting,The Rakshasas due to eating them in excess.”
5408. “ You would see the crowd of monkeys which move about in a row ,Bathe in the same pond which is situated in the scented Karpaga garden,In which the Rakshasas used to take bath along ,With ladies who were similar to the ladies in heaven.”
5409. ’What would result in telling many such examples?,The divine arrows of Rama would destroy all the asuras ,In this world and go also outside and would attack the three worlds,And you would see the destruction of Rakshasas living there also.”
5410. ”Oh mother you need not live for one month sorrowing ,In this city of Lanka because as soon as I see Rama with great speed ,Would he look for a good time to start for here? Would he even ,Wait for one more second to start for here?”
5411. “Only in the words “there is soul “ the soul is existing ,In that big forest by touching your soul like servant(Lord Rama),There are no flowers that have not burnt , no leaves are there which are not burnt ,There are no gardens that have not been burnt and split , there are no creepers.”
5412. “Only if he recovers then only we can say that his mind is tired,Even if the cloud makes great sound and make the thunder fall on him,And even if a five headed snake comes near and attacks him ,Making his body and shoulders faded , would the Lord ever feel it?”
5413. ,” Like the curd churned by the churner , coming inside ,And going outside , in between desire and worries ,With tottering soul and with madness which makes his five senses fall Due to parting with you , how much pain is There in him ? Can that be measured?”
5414. “ “The truth of my words can only be realized , If you say ,That in the present state of Rama, he would wait for some time.Please bid me farewell and give me, some thingFor identification , please give me permission to go ,And then I would prove all I said,Like the gooseberry kept on the palm of my hands ,And then you will realize that a lie cannot last.”
5415. , “Oh divine mother , even before the pure Rama and The king of monkeys Sugreeva hear about you and become happy ,One huge crowd of monkeys would make a hill out of the ocean,Cross the ocean , lay siege of Lanka and would shout in joy.Please hear that by your ears and live with joy.”
5416. ”Oh lady , when the army whose strength is beyond estimation,Arrives here at a latter date and reach this city , you will see in its middle ,Lord Rama riding on my shoulders looking like ,Lord Vishnu who with great luster travels on Garuda.”
5417. ”Lord Lakshmana would be riding on the shoulders of Angadha , And look like the hot sun rising out of the rising mountain and ,The monkey army would come and stay here and so please get out ,Of the sorrow as well as doubt and you would also get out of this solitude.”
5418. ”Oh Sita who decorates her hair with kurava flowers,If Rama does not free you from this prison within the time limit,Indicated by you , then that Rama would become Ravana ,And get bad name and sin attached to him, and Ravana would become Rama.”
5419 . Like this hearing these faultless words of Hanuman , Lady Sita ,Got great clarity and got joy as well as love in her heart,And decided that it would be proper to send Hanuman to Rama, And with wisdom in her mind , started telling the following .
5420. That Lady Sita who talks sweet words looked at Hanuman and told ,“”Oh sir, Oh great one , go with speed, win over every evil,,I would not tell you anything now, but I would be saying to you ,Some earlier identifying incidents which would be clearly understood by the Lord.”
5421. ”Tell him slowly about the incident when one day , below ,The chithrakoota mountains which touch the sky , how a crow,Wounded me with its nail and how Rama getting angry ,Took a grass by the side of the stone and sent it as Brahmastra.”
5422. ”Oh Hanuman who follows the life of truth , when once ,I asked him , “ Oh king, Whose name shall I keep to my tender soul like pet bird,”He said with love , “Oh Sita , Give her the name of my faultless mother ,Who is the daughter of the King of Kekaya”.Please tell him these true words.”
5423. After saying this she thought ,”There is no other great incident ,Which is sweet and which you can tell him.” She decided ,To hand over her hair brooch which she had kept tied in her pretty apparel,And which by its own luster in this world and heaven had won over the Sun.
5424. She took it in her flower like hands , thought of Rama and became anxious,And seeing that Hanuman was astonished thinking “What is placed in her hand?”And that brooch chased away the darkness which was sleeping in all the seven worlds.
5425. The Rakshasas with cruel eyes doubted due to that light ,”whether the Sun which ,Travels behind the clouds has come to the city of Lanka ?”and thought“Now he would not be scared” and due to that light the lotus flower ,Which had become low along with Chakravaka birds by closing opened up,And the Surya Kantha stones spread their great luster.
5426. She showed Hanuman the lustrous hair brooch which was like the Sun God,Which is on the top of the rainy cloud which resembled her hair and which had the red colour ,Resembling the shining body of the tender Sita and which was shining like the divine feet of Rama.
5427. That lady Sita who had real fame looked at Hanuman and told him ,“You gave me back my sweet soul due to your liking to me and this brooch,Is like my eyeballs and was kept safely tied in my apparel .Please take this,As the big identity” and then she gave the hair brooch to Hanuman.
5428. Hanuman saluted her , took the brooch and tied to his cloth,So that it will not go missing again saluted her crying , went round her,Three times and saluted her feet and Sita who saw that,Greeted and praised him and he went to the other side.
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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.