|
Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 The versions of Kamban and Valmiki differ at this point to a large extent. Valmiki bases the drama on the
pitru-vakya paripalana or the maintenance of the word of one’s father. For Kamban, it is not so. He portrays Dasaratha out-and-out caught in his own web of his Truthfulness and he maintains throughout the epic that the exile was undertaken by Rama at the instance of Kaikeyi, which was aided by Dasaratha. It was not the order of Dasaratha that Rama was carrying out. It was that of Kaikeyi.
This is what Lakshmana tells Jatayu in the presence of Rama. ‘Why have you come to the jungle, instead of ruling the kingdom? Were you deprived of your kingdom by demons? Ogres? Or the celestials? I will fight with them and secure your kingdom back to you,’ says Jatayu, an old friend of Dasaratha, in whom Rama and Lakshmana saw their father himself.
‘thaadhai kooralum thambiyai nOkkinaan seethai kELvan.’ When (the) father(like) Jatayu asked them thus, Rama (husband of Sita) turned to Lakshmana (‘Answer him Lakshmana!’ was what was implied.)
‘avanum than chitravai maadharaal vandha seigai ………uNarththinaan.’ Lakshmana told him that it was due to the word of their stepmother Kaikeyi and detailed all the incidents.
Hanuman, who is once again narrated of the events by Lakshmana, gets back to Sugriva and tells him thus.
‘uLai vayap puraviyaan udhava,’ Helped by him of the maned-horse (Dasaratha)
‘utru oru solaal’ by the word of
‘aLavu il karpu udai chitravai paNiththu aruLalaal,’ stepmother of immeasurable virtue, Rama relinquished the throne in favour of his younger brother.
‘maatravaL Eva matru avaL than maindhanukku aatra arum uvagayaal aLiththa iyan,’ says Vali to Tara. He who happily gave his throne to his younger brother at the instance of his stepmother.
That is what Sita tells Ravana-sanyasi. When Ravana assumes the form of a sage and approaches her when she is alone and asks her about her husband, she so proudly says, ‘dhayaradhan thol kulath thanayan’ he is born in the house of Dasaratha.
‘uyar kulaththu annai sol uchchi Endhinaan.’ He has come to the forest at the behest of his mother of a noble family.
 What I have quoted above are very few places and are the words of important characters in the epic, uttered at very important junctures. It is how each and every character looks at what Sri Rama has undertaken, as far as Kamba Ramayana is concerned. Rama was serving the word of his mother. No doubt it was the word of his father, which Kamban’s Rama does not fail to acknowledge. ‘I have to serve this term so that our father does not become a liar and suffer in hell because of falsehood,’ he tells in different instances. But it was the word of Dasaratha and not the desire of Dasaratha that he was carrying out. Seen from proper perspective, it was the desire of Kaikeyi aided by the word of Dasaratha. This is what Kamban maintains. His drama is built around this theme and therefore he circumvents several incidents. The meeting of Dasaratha and Rama, for instance, is not to be seen in Kamba Ramayana.
We will see the version according to Valmiki for a while before returning to Kamban.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
Previous
Articles
|
