By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam-Yudha Kandam 12 (Padalam 28)
Yudha Kandam (contd)
28. Ravanan Soka Padalam
Chapter on Ravana ’s sorrow
9186. The emissaries from the battle field for informing the news to father ,Of Indrajit , after crossing the ocean of sorrow , after crossing the flow of blood,Which was covering the entire battle field , ran in to the entrance ,Which was like a belly of a huge mountain.
9187. Those messengers with the Rakshasis crying like the black female Andril bird ,Crowding everywhere were wailing ‘Today the city of Lanka has been destroyed “,Reached the father of Indrajit who held the shining trident.
9188. They whose teeth , mouth , mind and legs were shivering ,Out of the fear for their life , who were greatly upset ,Due fear surrounding them informed Ravana , “your son is not there today.”
9189. When the emissaries told like this , the devas with great penance ,Ladies with narrow waist who were given to art of dancing ,Sobbed and wailed , “this world will end today” and ran away and hid themselves .
9190. That Ravana with lustrous burning fire and smoke coming out of his eyes,Took his sword from its sheath and started throwing it aimed at the neck,Of those emissaries who brought the bad news and fell with all his twenty hands getting tired.
9191. The fire of great hatred that was born in the mouth of Ravana ,Which grew up in his breath, shown out from his eyes as flames ,Made the people of the world say “This fire which covers the world was born today.”
9192., Making Adisesha with his hood and the earth which was being carried by him,Getting transferred to right and left and makng it suffer , Ravana got down from his seat,Lay down on the earth , with a suffering body like the suffering sea which produced poison.
9193. Due to the outburst of cruel anger which was like ,As well as the sorrow due to love for the son appearing alternatively ,The twenty eyes of Ravana which were like fire ,Shed tears of sorrow like water poured out of a pot.
9194. The row of teeth of Ravana gnashed at each other making mountains break,And producing sound like cloud during thunder , he beat with his palm ,Making it appear that a huge mountain has burst and the ocean has overflowed.
9195. Ravana who had attained cruel sorrow like a spear introduced in a burn would,Would say “Oh darling son” and then “Oh great son” , “Oh my father “ “oh my soul”.And would say , “I who ought to die before you , alas, am still alive.”
9196. He would say further “Has not enmity ended for that Indra?”,“Did the Devas who suffered due to us , shout with joy?”“Did Lord Shiva who wears Karanthai flowers and Lord Vishnu,Who hides himself in ocean of milk , forever got rid of their enemies?”
9197. “Earlier that Lord Shiva who applies sacred ash on himself and ,Lord Vishnu who holds the divine wheel , were hiding in ,The mountain and the ocean and did not come before you,And now with no sorrow they will roam on the bull and Garuda respectively .”
9198. ”Till now the great crowd of Devas and the aeroplane they travelled,Were hiding themselves in all sort of places and never went back to their homes,Did they again come out and join . taking the help of the victory of these men.”
9199. He would say “As per the words of these cruel emissaries ,Being killed by a sorrowing man , my darling son has entered death,”Then he would again and again call “Oh son, Oh son” ,And seeing him not responding would start sorrowing.
9200. Due to great sorrow Ravana would get up , then sit on the floor ,Would breath with effort , would cry pitiably , prattle some things by his mouth,Would become famished , would develop sweat , would walk and then fall,Would blink , would close his eyes, would rub the earth by his body , would roll , again get up.
9201. His one head would call “oh sir”, another would say “would I continue to rule?”, And yet another head would say “ would the useless me , who paved the way,For your death , continue to live in this world?”
9202. Ravana ‘s one head would say , “Would you not hug me by using ,Your steel like shoulders decorated by sandal paste? And another would say,“Oh great one who holds the bow, would a male be eaten by a soul of female deer.”
9203. ”Another head would say “Did you not show your victorious roar to these men ,Done after you showed your shield and prevented all the weapons sent by, The blue necked one and the God who holds the wheel.”
9204. ”Have you really died? I have lost you who was a help to me”“Is the news of your death a deceit ?”Would you not come before me?”With heart telling these and paining , he lay down,For a long time alone and was babbling several things.
9205. ”Would I be forced to see your freshly opened garland of Vagai flowers ,Which was marked and given to you by matchless sages of great penance ,When I saw you winning Devendra with his crown , being pecked by crows in the battle field?”
9206. Another of his heads told , “Oh valorous one , would the wives of Devas ,Endowed with fish like eyes , shiver on hearing the twang sound of your bow,Leave out their habit of feeling their Mangalya , whenever they hear your name?”
9207. Another head asked ”Oh son, who has matchless prowess, I thought that the God of death , Does not posses, sufficient strength to come before you and take away your life and so,You would not be dead and I do not know now to which world have you gone ?
9208. Ravana who was calling Indrajit and wailing like this stood up,And entered the battle field which was red like the golden colour red sky at deluge ,Which can be easily reached as soon as one wants , to search for the body of his son.
9209. Devas and other servants went along with RavanaWondering within themselves what would happen,To the state of all the three worlds due to anger of Ravana?
9210. The ghosts and birds like hawks which were eating the corpses,In the battle field saw Ravana and some of them started crying,And some saluted him out of love , some slept and some others ,Removed the corpses of elephants so that a way can be made and hid themselves.
9211. Ravana who was searching for the body of his son went on rolling ,The bodies of crores of crore horses , the bodies of strong victorious Asuras,The corpses of elephants with masks and chariots ,And searched for the body of his son for an entire day.
9212. ,With tears flowing from all his twenty eyes on his ten heads ,That Ravana who had a heart burning like fire in which ghee has been poured,Saw the hand holding the bow of Indrajit by his own eyes.
9213. Seeing the hand of Indrajit with shoulder armlet , quiver ,Armlets and arrows and which was shining like a snake with cruel eyes ,Ravana took it with his red hands and kept it on his head.
9214. Ravana who was breathing long, like the breath on day of death,Hugged that hand on his mountain like chest , put it like a garland,Over his neck , decorated his head with it ,patted his eyes with it ,And he would smell it with his nose and would melt away.
9215. Ravana who found the hand of Indrajit , then saw his body,Which was like a black sea .,. With his eyes shedding tears,Like waves of a stream which were capable of ,Covering the oceans with high sound making tides ,Crying he fell on the body of his son.
9216. He put the chest of Indrajit hurt by rain of arrows,On his own chest made wet by rain of his tears and then hug it ,He would babble with his mouth .No one in this world,Had attained as much sorrow as that Ravana did.
9217. He would take out the arrows from chest of Indrajit ,He would cut them several times ,he would faint ,Then he would smell the chest of Indrajit ,Hug it and get angry thinking that ,He would chew all the seven worlds and the Sun that day.
9218. That Ravana who stood without equaling the Devas , Sages ,As well as all great ones started felling that “along with the trinity,It would be better to destroy this world also.” With intense anger.
9219. Ravana not able to find the head of Indrajit , became greatly upset,And being informed that it was taken away by that man ,Became one who was struggling with greatly wounded heart ,Sobbed and sobbed and opened his mouth and started babbling.
9220. ”Was it easy for me to uproot the elephants standing in the stable directions,And also the mountain of the God with eye on his forehead ?When those who ,Took away the soul and head of my faultless son are alive ,It looks like , I who am a base person is carrying my own soul.
9221. I burnt the ancient city of Alakapuri owned by Khubera and I also,Put in fire that Amaravathi which is the home of Indra and made ,All the worlds which was common to all as my property, butHaving seen the body of my son who wears honey dripping ,Flower garlands frequented by bees being eaten by foxes ,The food of dog which eats its own vomit is better than mine.
9222. ”All those who were dressed for war and went along with my son ,Died and did not return back but those two men along ,With the monkey which is with them have not died,,And in the battle field none of them have died,Is there any more of that valorous life of Ravana?”
9223. ”When your wives who are more pretty than Goddess Lakshmi ,Who were the daughters of Gandharwas , Sidhas , Deva and Asuras ,Whose voice is sweeter than the songs with Raga “Sindhu” come ,And ask me , “Please show us our husbands “ and fall at my sides ,What shall I mumble? Or Should I also mumble along with them?”
9224”. I who stood with great anger and after attaining full victory ,Made all his wealth as mine and was capable to attain anything that I want,And due to a lady called Sita who were suitable ornaments , lost that status ,And with great sorrow reached a stage to do death rites to you ,Instead of you performing the same to me . Is there ,Any person in this world who is inferior to me?”
9225. After he told several such things , after calling his son very loudly .Becoming pitiable and sorrowing , due to love carrying the body of his son,He entered the city of Lanka making all Rakshasis crying and falling down.The loud wail from those who saw it , filled all the ten directions.
9226. Among the number of ladies unable to bear that great sorrow ,Some picked out their eyes , some cut their neck , some split their chests ,And were taking out their liver , some were uprooting their toungue ,Which used to sing music and some taking away their life , and they were all innumerable.
9227. Ravana carrying the body of his son without the head wearing the crown,Who had huge shoulders and had conquered all their directions ,Entered the city and those who saw it , with their eyesFilled with ocean like water, shed tears of love and that went and joined the black sea.
9228. His wives who were Rakshasis and other ladies who were loving Indrajit,More than their soul surrounded him , folded their tender hands above their heads ,And fell on the ground like well made up dolls and rolled ,And that Ravana from whose eyes blood like tears were coming out ,Quickly entered the palace which was meant for the queens.
9229. Mandodhari the daughter of Maya with her opened hair tresses ,Touching her legs , went on beating her breasts which like young coconuts ,Being beaten by lotus flower , making people surprised to know that,She also had a narrow waist apart from her hips to lift the rare ornaments ,She was wearing and came there with a greatly upset mind.
9230. Mandodhari was keeping her hands on her head , walking as if ,She was walking on fire on the floor with trembling feet,Due to the sorrow filled heart caused by the great love for her son ,Fell on her son like a peacock which was killed by a murderous hunter,By sharp arrows falling dead on the mountain.
9231. She was not showing any sign of life , nor showing any sense reactions,And with no movement in her body , leading to doubt that she has lost her life,And then she sobbed but did not talk anything , she did not sweat ,And after lying like that for a long time slowly she got back her senses ,And started wailing softly with an open mouth.
9232. ”In your youth when you were daily growing like the crescent of the moon,Due to my great penance I was lucky enough to see you defeat Indra with your bow,What penance did I do to see you as corpse without head? Alas.Should I who do not have proper sensations , continue to live this unstable life?”
9233. ”Oh Son, Oh handsome one , Oh my darling who was like , difficult ,To get nectar , you were strong like the God of death , who had won over,Lord Vishnu holding the divine wheel and Lord Shiva with an axe ,Oh one among all the three worlds , Oh best one , Without seeing ,Your lotus like face , would I continue to live?”
9234. ” ,In the age when anklets with bells used to make great sound,In the young age when you were crawling and playing ,You caught two lions and brought it to the mansions courtyard ,And you made them angry by making them fight with each other,And you ran away and escaped from them ,and would ,I who has bad fate ever be able to see that play again.”
9235. , “In the very young age when you called “”Oh uncle moon , please come”,And fearing your order that white moon came to this world ,And you told him, “do not be scared “ , carried him by both your hands,And thinking that the stain on the moon was a rabbit and you were trying to,Take it out .I want to see that play again , Oh son who is like an big elephant . Would you not get up”
9236. The deva maidens , Rakshasis , Vidhyadhara maidens who were ,Having a face like the moon without stain and who were your wives ,Must have made lot of passionate plays with their great love to you,And possibly being tired are you sleeping on that flower bed?”
9237. “Would my son who has fought and won over the divine trinity ,AS well as the three worlds , die being killed by a mere man?And this is like saying That a dust went and kicked ,The great Meru mountain and broke it. How strange?”
9238. ”All those Rakshasas who were like an ocean of soldiers ,Were burnt like fire kept on the cotton bag and all of them,Died but never returned alive. Would the king of Lanka ,After taking the poison , made using the nectar like Sita ,Also die tomorrow ? I am scared, I am scared.”
9239. When Mandodhari wailed like this hearing that , Ravana ,The king of Rakshasas , got angry thinking that “All the sorrow ,Which came to us has come because of Sita who has a hip like Gold.And I would kill that cheater who has a very hard stone,Like heart with my sword” and he started running towards her.
9240. Seeing him running towards the place where Sita is there ,Fearing that he is trying to decorate his head with a great bad name ,Mahodhara with great courage fell at his feet and saluted him,And said, “Oh king , Your fame has been destroyed “ and then started telling him.
9241. “ You have won all wars and have attained very great fame and,As long as water exists, fire exists , the very long earth exists,AS long as the sky exists , and as long as the name of wind,Is heard in this world, you are going to gain a bad name by this act.”
9242. “If your sword that has cut the heads of Kalakeyas whose strength,Is beyond power of estimation , which has cut the tusks of the white tusks,Of the elephants of direction is used against ladies who have creeper like,Waists and red mouth , that sword would due to shame ,Lose its power and not try to kill them.”
9243. “If without hesitation you kill a lady of a great family ,Who is doing penance , Lord Shiva who wears ganges, Lord Vishnu,And Lord Brahma would say , “This one is suitable only ,To be a Rakshasa and would clap their red hands ,And laugh at you as the one who is low.”
9244. ”Oh Lord born in the clan of Pulasthya and has undertaken ,Blessed penances, Killing a lady is not the nature of the earth,Nor is it a practice in heaven nor is it justice , nor is it practiced, And it is also not permitted by those elders who follow Dharma.And it is not a sign of prowess also , would you get upset ,After earning this bad name which would never go away?”
9245. “If you cut and kill her today and later win over Rama and return back ,To this ancient city , would you at that time feel mentally disturbed for her,Whom you are going to kill today.”Oh king are you hesitating to kill one who killed your son?”
9246. AS soon as Mahodara told t like this Ravana put down the sharp sword on the floor,And after getting away from what he intended to do and said,“I would not come back here without the head of my son taken by his enemiesAS a token of their victory over him and also the heads of those enemies,Please preserve his body in a difficult to approach flat tub of oil “
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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.