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Re: kamba rAmAyanam

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Hari Krishnan • October 24, 2002 


Yes.  There are ten verses that mention the name of Sadayappa Vallal.  That is the least that a poet can do to one who provided the wherewithal for him to enable him to write a bhaara kavyam like the Ramayana.   More over, it is learnt that Sadayappa Vallal was the one who financed his education.  The erudition of Kamban is an acknowledged and established fact. The number of puranas from which he quotes incidents, so very casually, without effort, is really amazing. 'Kalviyil periyan Kamban' is the proverb.  When someone goes overboard to support this kind of a genius and when that someone is a staunch devotee himself, what could be wrong in mentioning his name in ten places, when the total size of Kamba Ramayana exceeds 12,500 verses!  Would not the Lord himself be pleased with listening to the praise of one of his devotees!  

In my view, this cannot be treated as 'nara-stuti'.  For a person of the erudition, taste and flair of Kamban, it is not fair to think that he did not know the difference between a genuine praise and nara stuti.  Kindly recall the fact that the Kamba Ramayana was approved by great Vaishnavite and Saivite scholars in its 'arangetram'.  Arangetram was the acid test for any poet in those days.  He would be grilled and tested to the juices.  He would not be left just like that if something objectionable is found.  

When Kamban was reciting the verses from Iraniyan vadhaip padalam on Narasimam, it is said a roar of approval was heard from the sannadhi of Narasimam.  

I quote just two verses out of ten that mention the name of Sadayappa Vallal.  The first one occurs in the Sethu bandhana padalam.

manjinil thikaztharum malaiyai mAkkurangku
enjRak kadithu eduththu eRiyavE naLan
vinjaiyil thAngkinAn sadaiyan veNNaiyil
thanjam enRArkaLaith thAngkum thanmaipOl.

The monkeys plucked the massive mountains on whose peaks clouds rested quickly and threw them at Nalan.  Nalan caught them (thaanginan is a pun on catching and supporting) like Sadayan supports those who seek refuge in him.  (This 'thanjam' cannot be equated with sarana gathi.  I a a little wary of the possible arguments. :-) )

The second one of course, is the pattabishekam verse.

ariyaNai anuman thAngka angkathan udaivAL Entha
parathan veNkudai kavikka iruvarum kavari paRRa
viraiseRi kamalaththAL sEr veNNeyUrs sadaiyan thangkaL
marapuLOr kodukka vAngki vasittanE punainthAn mauli.

The throne was held by Hanuman.  Angadha held Rama's sword.  (Imagine!  The sword is given in the hands of a person whose father was killed by Rama.  Please see the kind of trust and love that prevailed there.  This sword of Rama passed into the hands of Angada, at the very scene of Vali vadham.)  Bharatan bore the white-canopy and the other two brothers held the fan.  The ancestor of Vennayur Sadayan - whose land is graced by Mahalakshmi - took the crown and handed it to Vasistha crowned Rama.

What can be wrong in this verse!  What Kamban mentions is nothing more than 'so and so' brought it to Vasistha.  

I don't think that Kamba Ramayana is negelected for these ten verses.  Can an entire epic of 12,500 verses, singing the praise of Sri Rama be rejected outright simply because it mentions the name of a devotee, and a supporter of a very good cause? But for Sadayappa Vallal, Kamban could not have written the epic at all.  And we are witnesses to the shameless display of names on every tubelight in our temples, every pillar and every step that leads to the temple!  If a donor of a tubelight can proclaim that it was donated by him, should a poet not honour his benefactor, but for whom he could not have completed his magnum opus? And should we reject that epic downright just for that reason?  Or going by that same logic, should we not go to such temples where names of donars are inscribed on every other stone, tubelight et al!  I wonder.


Sincerely,
Hari Krishnan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mani Varadarajan" 
To: 
Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 1:46 AM
Subject: Re: kamba rAmAyanam


| This is very interesting. Could Hari Krishnan or someone else
| who is well versed in Kamban confirm if such verses do exist,
| and whether they rise to the level of nara-stuti? If so, why
| would not Periyalvar also be disqualified for his citation of
| 'abhimAna-tungan-selvan' who is reputed to have been his 
| benefactor?
| 
| adiyen
| Mani



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