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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 ‘He is Guha who owns a number of boats. He has won the love of Rama.
‘kal naaNum thiNmayaan.’ His strength would put even a stone to shame.
‘karai kaaNaak kaadhalaan.’ His love (for Rama) knows no limits.
‘aRkku aaNi kaNdanaya azhagu amaindha mEniyan.’ His dark complexion - resembling the very core of darkness - makes him more handsome.
‘mal naaNum thiru nedum thOL mazhai naaNum maNi nirathaai!’ O Bharata, whose shoulders would put even a wrestler to shame and who is as dark complexioned as a pregnant cloud!
‘niR kaaNum uLLaththaan neRi edhir nindraaan.’ He has come here and standing over there with a desire to meet you.
Kamban speaks through Sumantra. He captures our attention by describing the same attributes of both Guha and Bharata. Strong shoulders and dark complexion. He draws our minds to the commonness of the physical features of both and points to the love and devotion throbbing in both these hearts.
‘He is the good friend of Rama.’ That is sufficient for Bharata. There is another prospect that holds a promise. This fellow Guha knows the deep jungles very well and that would enable him (Bharata) to reach his brother soon. But more than that, Bharata‘s respect for Guha grows instantaneously as he comes to know of the relationship between Guha and his brother. He forgets the fact that he is from the royal family of Ayodhya and the person on the other bank is a mere chieftain. We have discussed his love and respect for his brother when we studied his character. If this hunter enjoys the love of his brother, then he deserves to be respected, thought he.
‘mann munnE thazeek koNda manakku iniya thuNaivanEl,’ If he has already won the love and affection of my king (Rama)
‘en munnE avaR kaaNbEn yaanE sendru ena ezhundhaan’ I will go and see him myself before he comes to see me here. So saying Bharata got up.
It is befitting to honour a friend of Rama. I will go there myself before he can come here. He should be respected because he is one of those who delight the heart of my lord, Rama. And when Bharata stood up, Guha saw him from the other side of the river. He had not seen him before. This would be their first meeting. When Guha saw him from a distance, it was as if the whole river of Ganga ran over him, extinguishing the fire that was revolting in his heart. All his rage was quenched in a moment. He was frozen by what he saw and stood there with a dropped jaw, unable to believe what he saw before him. He carefully studied what he saw.
 varkalayin udayaanai’ He (saw Bharata who) was clad in tree-bark.
‘maasadainda meyyaanai’ His body was dirty and not washed.
‘nar kalai il madhi enna nagai izhanda mugaththaanai’ His countenance was without a smile like the lustreless moon.
‘kal kaniyak kanigindra thuyaraanaik kaNNutraan’ on perceiving whose anguished looks even stones would melt. And, the banded bow slipped off from his hands
(‘vil kaiyin nindru idai veeza.’) He trembled and sobbed
(‘vimmtru nindru ozindhaan’).
Here lies the difference. Even sage Bharadwaja did not desist from passing a sarcastic remark at Bharata. Here, the illiterate Bharata tries to gain an insight into Bharata’s heart through the outwardly signs.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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