Episode 02 - Preface.

Preface for Bala Khandam - Chapter 1 - Episode 2

The thought occurred to me that, for a change, we should switch to something that is less weighty and more readily associated with pure aesthetic sense like the joy one  gets when keenly appreciating a work of art, a piece of poetry or just a streak of  magical Nature. Thought-provoking. profound, if somewhat dense, discussions, like Ethics and Vedantha, though productive of knowledge, could be a put off when there is  need to get the mind to switch from the pressures of day-to-day grind. 

In the grip of that thread of thoughts and searching for an appropriate excuse to get  back amongst you, I came across a few verses in the Kamba Ramayana, rekindling my schooldays’ love for this epic and the  excuse started taking shape. 

Kamban (1180 CE to 1250 CE) was born in Therazhundur (in Nagapattinam district, Thamizh Nadu) during the period of a rennaisance of both Thamizh literarily and Hinduism - Saivite and Vaishnavite faiths alike - spiritually and religiously. That his period was post Sri Ramanuja is evident from his referring to this preceptor of Visishtadvaita in his Sadagopar Andhaadi - a tribute to the tallest of the 12 Azhwars – Sri Nammazhwar. 

Kamban had a masterly command of both Thamizh and Sanskrit. Knowledge of the latter is evident from his impeccable understanding of Sage Valmiki’s Ramayana which he faithfully followed. (Kamban is found to override the usual penchant of Thamizh poets to adhere to Thamizh words in their works and avert the use of words from Sanskrit and other languages; we find him borrowing Sanskrit terms and use them without any qualm, of course Thamizising them to fit in in his rendering.)

While Sage Valmiki composed his poem Ramayana in one single meter - Anushtup Chandah. Kamban, on the other hand is found use most in the inventory of poetic forms in Thamizh (Tholkaappiyam, the oldest Thamizh grammar lexicon enumerates these). There is a Thamizh saying about this repertoire of Kamban in this epic: வரமிகு கம்பன் சொன்ன வண்ணமுந் தொண்ணூற்றாறே - ‘There are as many as 96 different Thamizh poem forms in Kamba Ramayanam.’

The imagination applied by the poet in choosing the type of poem for different contexts in his narrative is truly amazing. For instance, in the chapter on the Rama-Ravana war (Yuddha Khanda), we find the verses reverberating the tumult and excitement of the battle:

முட்டின முட்டு அற, முரண் உறு திசை நிலை

எட்டினும் எட்ட அரு நிலையன எவை? அவன்

விட்டன விட்டன விடு கணை படுதொறும்

பட்டன பட்டன, படர் பணை குவிவன.

(The rained arrows of Lakshmana) sped in different directions destroying everything in their path; which battle elephant could withstand this assault? As Lakshaman released sorties of his deadly darts, and as these targeted countless battle elephants, all of them fell dead. The battle ground found hills of tusks of the fallen elephants.)

Kamban named his epic as “Ramavatharam” (இராமவதாரம்) - Rama - the Incarnation. But in colloque it has got to be known popularly as Kamba Ramayanam.  

Kamban’s epic contains 10,569 stanzas of four lines each - about 43000 lines that is. Being about thrice the length of the Iliad, (15,693 lines) 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 - almost the same size.^ The Mahahharata goes up to 100,000 shlokas. 

Kamban apparently had three challenges when he set out to write this Great Epic: 

One,  

Kamban had to do justice to his own poetic standing and still be seen in the shade of Sage Valmiki as the original author whose work he had substantially to follow.  Let us look at two minor episodes where Kamban diverges from Valmiki, that could go almost unnoticed:

1. In Bala Khandam, as Sage Viswamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana to his hermitage for protecting his yagnya ritual, he instructs them two mantras - Bala, Athi Bala - that would insure the two princes against hunger, fatigue, thirst and sleep, when required. Sage Valmiki presents this as a normal mode of instruction: the young men are asked to do acamana (ablation with water) and purify themselves before receiving the mantras: gR^ihaaNa vatsa salilam maa bhuut kaalasya paryayaH || maMtra graamam gR^ihaaNa tvam balaam atibalaam tathaa - ‘Oh! Loved ones! Take water (do acamanam): receive and internalise these mantras - Bala and Athi Bhala; do not let time slip by.’

Let us see what Kamban does with this episode: 

நோக்கினன் அவர் முகம்,  நோக்க நோக்கு உடை

கோக் குமரரும் அடி   குறுக, நான்முகன்

ஆக்கிய விஞ்சைகள் இரண்டும்  அவ்வழி

ஊக்கினன்; அவை அவர் உள்ளத்து உள்ளினார்

The sage looked at the two princes as if beckoning; the two young ones, reading that look, came and stood att the sage’s feet. Then the sage instructed those two mantras (made by Brahma), through those eyes of Rama and Lakhsmana; and the two young men received the instructions and internalised them in their minds. 

Kamban says that the sage instructed Rama and Lakshmana the two mantras - Bala and Athi Bala - not with words, but just through their eyes - i.e. “Nayana Deekshai.” NOT ONE WORD SPOKEN!! 

1. In AraNya Khanda, as Rama, Lakshmana and Sita arrive at the hermitage of Sage Sarabhanga, Indra was with the sage, visiting him in order to persuade him to leave this life and accompany him to the heavenly abode. (The Sage declines, saying that he would wait for his deliverance at the hands of Rama.) As he finds Rama arriving, Indra leaves in a hurry, not wishing to be seen by Rama and the inescapable sequel of him paying obeisance and respects to Sri Maha Vishnu incarnate, wanting to avert the ‘Avatara Sankalpa’ being publicized prematurely there:

iha upayaati asau raamo yaavan maam na abhibhaaShate |

niShThaam nayata taavat tu tato maa draShTum arhati || 

jitavantam kR^itaartham hi tadaa aham aciraad imam |

karma hi anena kartavyam mahat anyaiH suduShkaram

"Here comes Rama...before he sees and talks to me, you please engage him; only after completing the objective of his incarnation,  I would feel it appropriate to see him... Let him be a victorious and accomplished one, then I shall see him.. That will be very soon...for, that will happen very soon... A great deed is to be performed by him - a deed that is highly impossible for anyone else.”

Kamban thinks otherwise: he has Indra meet Rama, pay obeisance to him and offer a grand perorational adoration of Him: 

கண் தாம் அவை ஆயிரமும் கதுவக்

கண் தாமரை போல் கரு ஞாயிறு எனக்

கண்டான் இமையோர் இறை காசினியின்

கண் தான் அரும் நான்மறையின் கனியை.

 Indra looked at Rama in spell-bound adoration, all his thousand eyes devouring his handsomeness, the effulgent dark complexion resembling a dark-tinted sun, eyes matching lotuses, the ripened fruit of all the four vedhas treading this earth. (This metaphor that the poet uses - கரு ஞாயிறு - dark sun - for Rama, is sensational!

 Indra pays obeisance to Rama and adores him:

 தோய்ந்தும் பொருள் அனைத்தும் தோயாது நின்ற

    சுடரே! தொடக்கு அறுத்தோர் சுற்றமே! பற்றி,

நீந்த அரிய நெடுங் கருணைக்கு எல்லாம்

    நிலயமே! வேதநெறி முறையின் நேடி

ஆய்ந்த உணர்வின் உணர்வே! பகையால்

    அலைப்புண்டு அடியேம் அடிபோற்ற, அந்நாள்

ஈந்த வரம் உதவ எய்தினையே! எந்தாய்!

    இரு நிலத்தவோ நின் இணை அடித் தாமரை? தாம்.

‘Oh! The Effulgent One! The One that is immanent in every object of this creation, yet not being touched by them! One who is the kin of those who have vanquished attachment! One who is the unfathomable infinite ocean of compassion! One who is the ultimately reached ‘tatvas’ from the vedhas! When I was tormented by adversaries and sought refuge at your feet, you arrived and saved me, Oh! Father! How could those lotus feet of Yours be treading this earth?’

While in the first illustration Kamban constructed his departure from the Aadhi Kaavya on the basis of the novelty of the concept of ‘nayana deeksha’ which he must have thought fitted well with the incarnate ones being the receivers of the mantras, in the second one relating to Indra’s confrontation with Rama in the Sarabhanga Asram, Kamban must have considered Sage Valmiki’s logic - that Indra shall not be placed face to face with Rama lest the incarnation tumbles into public view - and decided to override it with his own logic that the locale was Dandakaranya forest and the audience was a group of highly evolved sages; the sages, in their elevated consciousness, already knew the incarnation and its purpose, that this was not a secret that he must guard from this audience;  and Indra meeting Rama and paying obeisance to him would provide Indra with another opportunity to articulate his everlasting gratitude to his Lord and Supreme Being. 

Two: 

Kamban had to project in his rendering of this epic set in North Indian culture and social values  of that  period, the Thamizh cultural ethos and social values he was a staunch votary of, (Valmiki’s work is said to be set in Treta Yuga, as Ramayana happened; Kamban’s work is dated possibly in 1200 CE as Kamban’s life is documented as from 1180 CE to 1250 CE) without perceptively blurring or subverting the original setting. Let us look at two of these grand departures by Kamban:

1. In the Sita Kalyanam event, Sage Valmiki goes by the conservative, conventional mode of Hindu royal weddings of that (Treta Yuga) period: Janaka, keeping his promise/vow that the one who lifts and strings the Siva Dhanus shall gain Janaki’s hand, proposes his daughter as Rama’s bride, to Sage Viswamitra who was leading Rama and Lakshmana into Mithila. 

mama satyaa pratij~naa saa viirya shulkaa iti kaushika |

siitaa praaNaiH bahumataa deyaa raamaaya me sutaa 

“My vow that my dear daughter Sita shall be the ‘veerya shulkam’ - ‘prize for warriorship’ has come to fruition, oh! Kaushika! I shall be pleased to give that daughter of mine, dearer than my life to me, to Rama as his prize(bahumataa)/bride.” Messengers are sent to Ayodhya and the wedding preparations move on from there. Sage Valmiki narrates the conventional wedding preparations - both ritual and social -  in their minutest order. Sita appears on the scene at the conclusion of all this:

tataH siitaam samaaniiya sarva aabharaNa bhuShitaam |

samaksham agneH saMsthaapya raaghava abhimukhe tadaa || 

abraviit janako raajaa kausalya aanaMda vardhanam

This is the first look she has of Rama. There is no narrative at all about what went on in the minds of the bride and the groom. It is all about the royal regalia, rituals, pride of ancestry. And then the solemnisation - ‘iyam siitaa mama sutaa saha dharma carii tava || pratiicCha ca enaam bhadram te paaNim gR^ihNiiShva paaNinaa’ Here is Sita, my daughter, who shall share in all your dharmas. Take her hand. Let safe betide you (both.). The wedding concludes.

Kamban, on the other hand, goes by the classical Thamizh culture: a man and a woman get into a wedlock commitment after they meet each other and have together decided on that life-long commitment. A decision that they did not leave for anyone else - parents or others. The poet therefore gets the two to meet quite a while before the Shiva Dahnus breaking event: he gets them to see each other as Sage Viswamitra walks into the city of Mithila with Rama and Lakshmana in tow. Sita happens to be on her palace’s terrace. The two have their eyes locked into and get engulfed in instant love. From here onwards, Kamban weaves a magnificent small epic within this epic, as it were; some of the poetic expressions here have gained immortality - e.g. 

எண் அரும் நலத்தினாள்  இனையள் நின்றுழி,

கண்ணொடு கண் இணை கவ்வி, ஒன்றை ஒன்று

உண்ணவும், நிலை பெறாது உணர்வும் ஒன்றிட,

அண்ணலும் நோக்கினான்! அவளும் நோக்கினாள்.

As Sita, well-endowed beyond comprehension, stood there (on the terrace of her palace and as Rama walked past her), the eyes of the two locked into and one set tried to devour the other; both were emotionally struck into a momentary immobility; as Rama looked at Sita, at that very moment, Sita also looked at him.

வரி சிலை அண்ணலும்  வாள் கண் நங்கையும் இருவரும் மாறிப் புக்கு இதயம் எய்தினார்.

The mighty bow-wielding Rama and Sita with sword-like plunging eyes, both of them let their hearts exchange places. 

The poet excels himself in narrating the intensive pain of the separated lovers - that of Sita expressed with an unmatched poetic exuberance; she rants and raves; her fever is so severe that her maids had to change her bed made of fresh blossoms and tender shoots of leaves as they wilt and wither in a matter of minutes - the poet gives us an account of the times the bed-spread of tender shoots and blossoms had to be changed as they get incinerated by Sita’s fever - காய் எரிக் கரியக் கரியக் கொணர்ந்து ஆயிரத்தின் இரட்டி அடுக்கினர் (The bed-spread had to be changed two thousand times as Sita’s fever incinerated the spread of tender shoots and cool blossoms! 

The poet uses soe more memorable metaphors as Sita rants about Rama and the pain he was causing her: here are just a few: கண்வழி நுழையும் ஓர் கள்வனே கொலாம்! (He is a thief who entered me through my eyes - to plunder my heart.) முந்தி என் உயிரை அம் முறுவல் உண்டதே (Even without giving me a reprieve, what devoured my very life, was that (all-conquering) SMILE.);  but Rama’s suffering, in  solitude as he could not be seen to be afflicted thus, was no less hurting. While presenting Rama’s part of the pain endured by the two lovelorn, Kamban flags Rama’s imbedded consciousness of Dharma even in the midst of his angst - What if this one that has stolen my heart happens to be a married woman? Then his inner self responds: ‘you would not have, with your ingrained attributes,  let your mind go after a female unless she is an eligible unmarried virgin’:

ஆகும் நல் வழி அல் வழி என் மனம்

ஆகுமோ அதற்கு ஆகிய காரணம்

பாகு போல் மொழிப் பைந் தொடி கன்னியே

ஆகும் வேறு இதற்கு ஐயுறவு இல்லையே.

“Would my mind, founded on my own values of dharma, at all go after a sinful thought – even a thought – pursuing a married woman? The fact my mind did go after this one, insures that she ought to be (an eligible) virgin. What other corroboration is needed for this?”

As the bow is broken and Janaka’s vow is coming up for execution, the two are unaware that they are the ones destined to be thrown into wedlock by that pledge and both go through heightened pain of possible failure of their love, anxiety that the pledge could place their love in peril - till they arrive at the wedding hall for the ultimate wedding ceremony. Rama, the man, could douse his anxiety by seeing his loved one is indeed the prize he had won. But Sita, being a woman, had to live with her anguish a bit longer; unable to bear the urge to get out of it, she steals a look at the man who is presented as the groom, the one who had broken the Shiva Dhanus: she chooses what comes for Indian females naturally - arranging and rearranging their bangles is a very lovely mannerism that most of them indulge in. Sita chooses that - கை வளை திருத்துவ கண்ணில் கண்டாள் - in that trice while arranging her wrist bangles, she stole a look at Rama and regained her life. (She had resolved, as she arrived at the wedding hall, that if the man who would be designated to take her hand was not the one she had lost her heart to in that fleeting moment on her terrace, she would end her life.)

 Kamban outdoes - by miles - Kalidasa and Jayadeva in the poetic capture of the pain of love - separated love. 

1. Sage Valmiki’s narration of Ravana abducting Sita befits the Rakshasa character of Ravana - crude, violent, insensitive and in utter disregard for the honour and dignity of the female - Sita:

vaamena siitaam padmaakShiim muurdhajeShu kareNa saH |uurvoH tu dakShiNena eva parijagraaha paaNinaa 

Ravana grabbed the lotus-eyed Seetha, lifting her up with his left hand holding her plait of hair at her nape, and with his right hand at her thighs. 

Kamban would not have Ravana touch Sita with even his fingernails. 

ஆண்டு ஆ இடை தீயவன் ஆய் இழையைத்

தீண்டான் அயன் மேல் உரை சிந்தைசெயாத்

தூண் தான் எனல் ஆம் உயர் தோள் வலியால்

கீண்டான் நிலம்; யோசனை கீழொடு மேல்.

Mindful of Brahma’s curse (that he would be destroyed if he so much as

touched a women against her will), Ravana would not touch Sita. With his

pillar-like powerful shoulders, he dug the entire hermitage out  - one yojana deep (9 miles approximately).

The poet remembers to recall this when Hanuman sees Sita in the Asoka Vanam

In Lanka; Hanuman tells Rama that he saw Sita perched on the same ground on which

Rama’s hermitage in Dandakavanam stood – as one of the fact-checks to douse

possible doubts in Rama’s mind if Sita would be entertained by Ravana in palatial comfort: உம்பி  புல்லினால் தொடுத்த தூய சாலையின் இருந்தாள்; ஐய! Hanuman relating to Rama how he found Sita in Lanka: “I found her seated in the very grass-woven ground (excavated from the) sanctified hermitage that your brother Lakshmana had made with his hands for the two of you.”

Three:  

Sage Valmiki looks at Rama as an Ikshvaku prince with peerless handsomeness and valour. Though the Aadhi Kaavya narrates the episode of Sri Vishnu’s incarnation, the poet does not seem to be overly influenced by the divinity of Rama. The Aadhi Kaavya rarely sings about Rama as an incarnate. 

But, Kamban does, right through his rendering of the epic. 

By the time the Kamba Ramayana was composed, there had occurred in the South a tumultuous regeneration of the Hindu faith; a regeneration that bested overwhelming assaults from Buddhism and Jainism. This regeneration was largely helped by the advent of the Saivite Nayanmars and Vaishnavite Azhwars. Rama had come to be placed on a divine pedestal - along with Krishna and Muruga (the last one a special Thamizh God personality). And, there was freedom of affiliation to faiths - unhindered even by family traditions. It was possible to see two blood brothers being staunch votaries of different faiths. And, for Kamban, Sri Maha Vishnu was the sole Lord and Master. In fashioning this intense Vaishnavite faith, Kamban took to inspiration from the tallest of the Vaishnava Saints of Thamizh country - Sri Nammazhwar. No wonder, then, that Kamban’s rendering of the epic telling the story of the incarnation of his own Lord and Supreme Being must have reflected that faith right through. And how!!

We find Kamban equating Rama with the Supreme Being all through his rendering. Of very special mention would be the three instances: the first one when he has Indra pay a grand adorational homage to Rama as the Supreme Being; the second one when he has Virata, the evil one vanquished by Rama and delivered from his curse and as he rises heavenwards, pour his heart out and pay a grand devotional tribute to the one at whose hands he gained that deliverance. In both these contexts, what Kamban presents through the characters chosen by him stand out very tall for - not just the poetic beauty but the capsulating of the quintessential spiritual tenets ‘tatvas’ a la Nammazhwar. 

(In this commentary, the intimate resemblance to Nammazhwar’s matchless paasurams like ‘Tiruvaaimozhi’ in the poetic narrative of Kamban in every instance the poet has even half an opportunity to induct his faith and adoration.)

The third and most significant instance is set in Lanka. The scene is the Royal Council convened by Ravana to deliberate on the approaching peril to Lanka, as the spies bring news of Rama constructing the Sethu and crossing over into Lanka with his vanara hordes. (Ravana, though enjoying unassailable and unquestioned power and authority in his reign, was led by conventional dharma of reigns: communicate with the elders, ministers, advisers, counselors and the the people at large in matters of grave importance to the reign.) Predictably, the sycophants and those of his kin like Indrajit who shared his arrogance and blind trust in the invincibility of the Rakshasa race, were all excited about the oncoming war and they goaded Ravana into taking on Rama and his forces. Only two in the Council stood up for sanity and reason: one was Ravana’s elderly uncle Maalyavan. The other was Vibheeshana Ravana’s youngest brother. Both pointed out that the forces that could dam the ocean and cross into Lanka could not be scoffed at lightly; they were quick to remind Ravana of the devastation caused by Hanuman, single handedly to the grand city of Lanka - just a pathetic vanara messenger. Both of them advised Ravana to give up Sita and make peace with Rama. This only enraged Ravana further. And in this episode, Kamban has Vibheeshana narrate to Ravana the legend of Hiranya Kasipu of yore; the demon who was slain by Sri Maha Vishnu incarnating as a nara-hari - half-human half-lion - in His  very specially adored avatar of Nrsimha. . This narrative - இரண்ய வதைப் படலம் - is another small epic within this epic; comprising 176 verses, 700+ lines of riveting poetry -  this space is used by Kamban to document, with an intensity only he could command, his veneration of Sri Maha Vishnu as the Supreme Being. 

 It is not as if Ravana was wholly ignorant of this  story; even if he was, he could have been put wise to it in a couple of verses by  Vibhishana. Why did Kamban choose such an extensive-exhaustive-detour in the midst  of a gripping build up before the war? There was no letup in the cascAading events or  their acceleration at this point in the epic. Why did Kamban do this? Was this detour not  detracting the flow of the main epic? 

These questions are pithy topics for “patti mandrams” even today in the Thamizh  academic/literary circles. In one such debate, Prof. Gnanasambandam quotes a  learned Thamizh scholar claiming that this interjection was avoidable, and the epic  stands well without any of its luster diminished without this - a disjointed, though delectable, island of story-telling; another equally reputed  scholar reportedly countered: “You take all of the rest of Kamba Ramayana; and give  me “HiraNya Vadhai Padalam”; I will take it any day.” 

Besides these standout divergences from the Aadhi Kaavya, Kamban is found to retain in his work an originality, weaving in the epic his own stamp as an outstanding Thamizh poet and build in his personal spiritual vision and values and yet retain, with immaculate care, the overarching authenticity of the original epic.  Like in the episode of Rama killing Vaali, he vanara king. Kamban follows Valmiki through most of this episode. But at the end, Kamban’s impulsive longing for showing appropriate chivalry in Rama (the episode bristles with questions on warrior ethics), makes him portray Rama as one who is haunted by the thought that his slaying someone who was not his enemy was not all that right. Kamban has Rama capitulate to that haunting feeling and seek forbearance from Angada the crown prince as Vaali was dying, but still having life enough to see Rama make that ethical gesture. (Handing over one’s personal sword to another is deemed to connote making up with that person, making peace, restoring a friendship.)

தன் அடி தாழ்தலோடும் தாமரைத் தடங்கணானும்,

பொன் உடை வாளை நீட்டி, ‘நீ இது பொறுத்தி ‘என்றான்;

என்னலும், உலகம் ஏழும் ஏத்தின; இறந்து, வாலி,

அந் நிலை துறந்து, வானுக்கு  அப்புறத்து உலகன் ஆனான்

 “As Angada paid obeisance at his feet, the lotus eyed Rama presented to Angada his golden belt-sword; and pleaded: “Please bear this”. As he said thus, all the seven worlds lauded (this chivalrous gesture on the part of Rama). And Vaali, approaching his end (and after witnessing this grand gesture on the part of Rama), rose into the ultimate divine destination, one beyond all heavens.”

Kamban, as his inspirator Valmiki before him,  did not travel to any of the geographical locations the epic takes us to and he  had only the Valmiki text to guide and instruct him; he was obviously aided additionally by his remarkable poetic projection of mind and the perceived divinity in his poetic opulence. The geography that unfolds in the course of flow of Kamban’s epic is intriguing. Authentic mostly, in some places he challenges credulity as well: e.g. when he narrates the search for Sita by the vanara forces. 

In the Yuddha Khanda, we find Kamban displaying his vast understanding of the art of warfare while presenting the Rama-Ravana war. He presents for us a ‘pincer movement’ made by the vanara forces in encircling Lanka - we know from recent history that the Italian General Rommel devised and deployed this military strategy so successfully in the Africa theatre of world war II. And, inducting the proverbial chivalrous warriorship that ancient Thamizh literature is replete with, he has Rama let Ravana go back alive, advising him to go back to Lanka and come next day with reinforcements - even as the adversary stood in front of him, defeated and disarmed: “;இன்றுபோய் போர்க்கு நாளை வா” -  immortalised words.

The late Sri V.V.S. Iyer,  a prodigious  commentator, a prolific writer and revolutionary,  (who has  written crisp and enjoyable commentaries in English on several Thamizh works, important  among them being THIRUKKURAL and KAMBA RAMAYANAM) opines thus on the differing styles of  structure and story-telling in western epics like Iliad and ParAadise Lost and eastern  epics like the Ramayana: 

A comparison of Kamba Ramayana with the great poetic works of the west is inescapable. In doing that, we need to take note of the dictates of poem / epic norms that governed / influenced the authors of those works. These dictates essentially flow from Aristotle in his celebrated work ‘Poetics’. This work postulates a principle called ‘media res’ - “in the middle of things” - begin from the middle. The suggestion is that unless the epic opens with a gripping or tumultuous scene of catastrophe  or event, it would be difficult to pin the reader to the work as it flows further. Homer’s famous Iliad is found to follow this prescription faithfully. 

Almost no Indian epic follows this prescription. They begin at the beginning and the story unfolds, chronologically. 

Sri Iyer argues that the greatness of the western epics is not entirely because of the format prescribed by Aristotle; that the author’s own genius and the inherent story value are what makes them great. Similarly, just because the Indian style of poetic epics did not follow Aristotle’s prescription, it does not mean that they are any less attractive or meritorious - in comparison with the western epics or by themselves. Here again, the genius of the poet is what makes these epics what they are - matchless, globally. 

As a counter-point for Aristotle’s commendation and buttressing his own view, Sri Iyer cites the case of Milton’s  “ParAadise Lost” where despite the Aristotle rule being followed or because of it the  epic fails to grip reAading interest in the later parts,especially chapter11. 

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 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. 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.

A western appreciation of Kamban tends to rate him more as a dramatist than as a (poetic) narrator. Dr. David Shulman, Professor of Sanskrit and Head of the Indology Department, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, a keen and long-time student of Indian literature, asserts:

“It was not written as a Kavya, but a dramatic text, suitable for enactment. Seventy to eighty percent of the text contains dramatic dialogues between various characters. Rama does not talk much. Everybody else talks. In the smaller dialogue sequences there are speech marker signs such as the terms “inran” , “kotiyan” at the end of lines, rhyming and  “nityaksharaprasam” which give a clear idea of its dramatic tone. Kamban was a magician of sound and used alliteration constantly. Another quality of the text is that it is written in simple, easy language understood by the common people. With his simple and poetic language he weaves a text of ten thousand verses which are hypnotic and mesmerizing.”

Kamban pays a debt to his benefactor – that stands immortally: Though from Chola country and affiliated to the Chola Court, Kamban seems to have suffered some hurt or humiliation there; he sought and secured the patronage of a small but very large-hearted chieftain in Tiruvennainallur – in today’s Villupuram District – one Sadayappan; Kamban calls him Sadayappa Vallal. ‘Vallal’ ‘வள்ளல்’ in Thamizh means a great philanthropist. Mindful of the critical part this patronage had in his career as a well-known and immensely successful poet, Kamban incorporates this man’s name in his Ramayana epic. Legend has it that Kamban originally wanted this mention to occur every 100^th verse of his 11000 verses long epic but the Chola court counsellors (poets included) thought that was an over-kill and suggest3ed once in every 1000^th verse. Kamban capitulated, but scoring a point – “It heartens me to see that this great man is regarded by the world as not just one in a hundred, but one in a thousand.” The crowning demonstration of this loyalty on the part of Kamban is found scripted in the epic – at the coronation of Sri Rama in Ayodhya after the successful end of the war. Here is the verse:

அரியணை அனுமன் தாங்க, அங்கதன் உடைவாள் ஏந்த,

பரதன் வெண்குடை கவிக்க, இருவரும் கவரி வீச

விரைசெறி குழலி ஓங்க வெண்ணெயூர்ச் சடையன் தங்கள்

மரபுளோர் கொடுக்க வாங்கி  வசிட்டனே புனைந்தான் மௌலி.

This commentary’s guiding principles: Sticking to the objective of this initiative, we have steered clear, except when it is inescapable for the commentary to be faithful to the epic,  of discussions of  ethics, religiosity or social values, qualities that are packed into the epic. We have largely  considered and discussed the extra-ordinary, spell-binding poesy and its nuances. We had to pick and choose just some verses amongst the nearly 11000 of the whole, for this commentary - this was the most challenging part in this initiative. 

Acknowledgments for references: This commentary draws generously  from both western and Indian literary sources for comparing references and underscoring the poetic and literary values that are being presented from the epic. Readers would find, besides Shakespeare, Homer and Milton, copious references drawn from ancient Thamizh literary corpus, especially ones of the Sangham period - Pura Nanooru, Thirukkural, Paripaadal, etc. But, as Kamban wears his Vaishnavite faith very visibly on his sleeves in his rendering, we have drawn copiously from that very divine corpus of Thamizh devotional poetry - Naalaayiram: Nammazhwar’s Tiruvaaimozhi claiming pride of place, as Kamban was a staunch devotee of that great saint. 

This journey took all of five years - 253 weeks. And the Group with which this commentary was shared in that period contributed very, very richly to those weekly posts. I own a very big debt of gratitude to all those who made those contributions. We  could be drawing on this huge corpus of feedback while responding to comments or queries that could come up while this work is browsed in this website.