Kamba Ramayanam
A modern artist's impression of Kambar | |
| Born | Tiruvaluntur, Thanjavur district, India |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Poet |
| Period | c. 1180 – 1250 |
| Notable works | Kambaramayanam |
Kambar (Kamban in casual address) (c. 1180, Tiruvaluntur, Thanjavur district, India – 1250)[1][full citation needed] was a medieval TamilHindu poet and the author of the Ramavataram, popularly known as Kambaramayanam, the Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.[2][full citation needed][unreliable source?] Kambar also authored other literary works in Tamil, such as Thirukkai Vazakkam, Erezhupathu, Silaiezhupathu, Kangai Puranam, Sadagopar Anthathi and Saraswati Anthathi.[2][full citation needed]Belajar baca tk.
“Kambanum Iyarkaiyum’ (Kamban and Nature) would be the theme of the one-day conference and delegates would present papers on 32 different aspects of nature, the poet had dealt with in ‘Kamba.
Life[edit]
Kambar was brought up in the household of a wealthy farmer named Sadaiyepa Vallal in Vennai Nellur in Tamil Nadu.[3][full citation needed] The Chola king—having heard of this talented bard—summoned him to his court and honoured him with the title Kavi Chakravarty (The Emperor of Poets).[2][full citation needed]
Kamban flourished in Therazhundur, a village in the culturally rich Nagapattinam District in the modern state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Kamban was a great scholar of both Sanskrit and Tamil - two of India's oldest and richest languages in terms of literary works. In a scholarly biography, Kavichakravarty Kamban, Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar wrote in detail about this 12th-century poet.[citation needed]
Literary works[edit]
- Kamba Ramayanam (also called Ramavataram) - Retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana in Tamil. Work covers 11,000 stanzas.
- Saraswati Anthati - Literary work of style Andhadhi in praise of Hindu Goddess Saraswati
- Sadagopar Anthathi - Literary work of style Andhadhi in praise of Vaishnava Saint Nammalvar
- Silaiezhupathu - Work in praise of 11th century Pallava king Karunakara Tondaiman
- Erezhupathu
- Kangai Puranam
Kamba Ramayanam[edit]
The original version of Ramayana was written by Valmiki. Autocom 2017. It is an epic of 24,000 verses which depicts the journey of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya who belonged to Raghuvamsa (Solar dynasty). In Hinduism, Rama is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of the Trimurti (the Hindu holy trinity which includes Brahma and Shiva).
The Ramavataram or Kamba Ramayanam of Kamban is an epic of about 11,000 stanzas, as opposed to Valmiki's 24000 couplets.[4][full citation needed][5][unreliable source?] The Rama-avataram or Rama-kathai as it was originally called was accepted into the holy precincts in the presence of Vaishnava Acharya Naathamuni.[6][full citation needed] However, Kambar is generally dated after the vaishnavite philosopher, Ramanuja, as the poet refers to the latter in his work, the Sadagopar Andhadhi.[7]
Kamba Ramayana is not a verbal translation of the Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, but a retelling of the story of Lord Rama.[6][full citation needed]
Legend has it that the entire episode was written in one night by Lord Ganesh.[citation needed] Ganesha is said[citation needed] to have written the poems that Kambar dictated to him during the night, as Kambar procrastinated the work till the day before the deadline set by the King.
There is also a legend that Ottakuthar—an eminent Tamil poet and a contemporary of Kambar[8][9]—also composed Ramayanam. Tradition has it that Ottakoothar was ahead of Kambar as the former had already finished five cantos, but when the king asked for an update, Kambar—a master of words—lied that he was already working on the Setu Bandhalam, upon which Ottakoothar was dejected and threw away all his work. Feeling guilty, Kambar recovered the last two chapters of Ottakoothar's composition and added these into his own.[10][full citation needed]
Kamba Ramayana was first delivered in Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam at the court hall (Kambar Arangetra Mandapam) near Thaayar sannithi.[citation needed]
Legend says that when contemporaries objected to Hiranyavadaipadalam ('Story of Hiranyakasipu', which occurs as Vibhishana telling Ravana while warning against his false sense of invincibility), Kamban read it in front of the Narasimha Swami temple in Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. The Swami applauded by laughing out aloud from his Sanctum Sanctora (Mettu Narasimhar Sannidhi), and this was taken as proof of approval.[citation needed]
Kambar's praise[edit]
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Kamba Ramayanam
Many Tamil poets, statesmen, kings, and common people have praised Kambar for his Kambaramayanam, which has more than 10,000 songs and 45,000 lines, forming one of the greatest of Tamil epics.
A common word of praise attributed to Kambar is that even the mill in his house would sing ('Kambar veettuk kattuththariyum kavipadum'; 'கம்பர் வீட்டுக் கட்டுத்தறியும் கவி பாடும்'). He is considered special in singing poems under 'Viruthapa'.
'Kamba Sutram' (கம்ப சூத்திரம்) is a phrase used by Tamil people in their day-to-day activity. It was originally 'Kamba Chithiram', denoting Kamban's art. However, over a period of time, it came to be rendered as 'Kamba Sutram'. The phrase is used just like 'rocket science', which clearly denotes that skills of Kambar in writing poem with viruthapa is as difficult as 'rocket science'.
Notes[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kambar (poet). |
- ^'Kamban.' Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 23 December 2011. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kampan
- ^ abcThe Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia By Edward Balfour
- ^India's Communities by Kumar Suresh Singh, Anthropological Survey of India – Ethnology – 1992 – 4146 pages
- ^Legend of Ram By Sanujit Ghose
- ^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 212.
- ^ abRays and Ways of Indian Culture By D. P. Dubey
- ^Robert Caldwell. A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Or South-Indian Family of Languages. Trübner, 1875. p. 136.
- ^Biographical vistas: sketches of some eminent Indians, page 52
- ^The Tamils and their culture, page 82
- ^Tamil Literature, page 220
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| Hindu scriptures and texts |
|---|
Divisions |
Rig vedic Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic |
| Related Hindu texts |
Brahma puranas Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas |
Ramavataram, popularly referred to as Kamba Ramayanam, is a Tamilepic 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. However, Ramavatharam is different from the Sanskrit original in many aspects - both in spiritual concepts and in the specifics of the storyline.[1] This historic work is considered by both Tamil scholars and the general public as one of the greatest literary works in Tamil literature.[2]
Kambar wrote this epic with the patronage of Thiruvennai Nallur Sadayappa Vallal, a Pannai kula chieftain.[3] In gratitude to his patron, Kamban references his name once in every 1,000 verses.
Structure[edit]
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.[4]
- Bala Kandam (Chapter: Childhood)
- Ayodhya Kandam (Chapter: Ayodhya)
- Aranya Kandam (Chapter: Forest)
- Kishkindha Kandam (Chapter: Kishkindha)
- Sundara Kandam (Chapter: Beautiful )
- Yuddha Kandam (Chapter: War)
Compilation[edit]
As with many historic compilations, it was very difficult to discard the interpolations and addendum which have been added over a period of time to the original. This task was taken up a committee of scholars headed by T P Meenakshi Sundaram called the Kamban Kazhagam (Kamban Academy). The compilation published by this committee in 1976 is what is used as the standard today.
Literary significance[edit]
Kamban's use of Virutham (Sanskrit: vṛttam) and Santham (Sanskrit: chandas) in various verses is effective in bringing out the emotion and mood for storytelling. He achieves the Virutham and Santham by effective choice of words.
Religious significance[edit]
This epic is read by many Hindus during prayers. In some households, the entire epic is read once during the Tamil calendar's month of Aadi. It is also read in Hindu Temples and other religious associations. On many occasions, Kambar talks about surrendering to Rama, who is a manifestation of Vishnu himself.
The chapter Sundara Kandam is considered very auspicious and is the most popular. The chapter talks about the hardships faced by the main characters in the epic, their practice of restraint, and their hopes for a better tomorrow.
References[edit]
- ^P S Sundaram (3 May 2002). Kamba Ramayana. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 18–. ISBN978-93-5118-100-2.
- ^'Focus on Kamban, poet extraordinaire'. The Hindu. 23 May 2010. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^Alexander's Lesson and Other Stories. Sura Books. 2006. pp. 44–. ISBN978-81-7478-807-8.
- ^Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. p. 162. ISBN978-81-250-1453-9.