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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 Continuing their search for Sita, the two warriors come across Kabandha, a Gandharva who by a curse had attained the form of an ogre of a peculiar kind of form. All he has is a massive trunk, resembling a fort with two arms that stretch several miles long. He neither has a head nor legs. There is a single eye on his chest and his mouth is on his belly. We have seen a detailed description of this ogre from the mouth of Valmiki when we started our discussions on
Vali. (Who can be the perfect ally? I, Who
can be the perfect ally? II)
The form is so massive and the arms are so long that it resembles a large citadel. Caught in his hold, Rama gets the impression that they have at last reached the fort in which Sita had been imprisoned. ‘I think we have reached the fortress of the city in which Sita is concealed. Look carefully and tell me,’ he tells Lakshmana.
‘sUr puga ariyadhu Or arakar thol madhil Ur pugu vaayilO idhu?’ ‘Is this the gateway of a fortress of the asuras, impenetrable even by the celestials?’
Though Lakshmana initially had the same impression, his sharp intellect and eye for logic is active once again.
‘av vazhi iLayavan amarndhu nOkkiyE,’ Lakshmana took a careful look (at Kabandha and deduced. ‘If this was a fortress, then we should be able to see a number of soldiers. Besides, there would be rows and rows of defence mechanism like massive catapults and lance-launchers.
‘vevviyadhu oru bUdham vil valaai!’ This is a giant, O skilful archer!
‘vavviya thank kayin vaLaiththu vaaip peyum.’ It is grabbing whatever comes within its reach and devours it down its enormous mouth.
‘seyvadhu en ivaN?’ What are we to do?
Lakshmana is not perplexed when he is asking ‘What are we to do?’ He simply wants his orders now. As we have seen in numberless instances earlier, he waits for orders excepting in the case of emergencies. But that question sounds rather differently to Rama who loses his balance once again.
 ‘thOgayum pirindhanaL’
he laments. I have lost Sita now. ‘endhai thunjinan.’ Jatayu died in his valiant attempt to protect her.
‘vEga vem pazhi sumandhu uzhalal vENdEn.’ I cannot live with a blot on my name that I could not protect either my wife or (my father) Jatayu.
‘aagalin, yaan idhanukku aamidam.’ It therefore is appropriate that that I fall a prey to this (ogre).
‘Egudhi INdu nindur iLavalE!’ You go from this place and return to
Ayodhya.
Let me die at its hands. It is the most befitting thing for me. If I don’t, there soon will be a time when we have to return to Ayodhya and very soon after that I will have to meet Janaka. How will I be able to tell him,
‘il iyalbudaya nIr aLiththa in solaaL, valli,’ The sweet-spoken damsel that you gave to me in marriage
‘av arrakkar manai uLaaL ena?’ is in the house of asuras?
‘malai enach chumandha thUNiyan, villinan!’ With these massive bows and quiver!
How am I to face Janaka, armed with this matchless bow and a quiver from which the supply of arrows never stops, and tell him ‘Your daughter whom you entrusted to me, you gave unto me in marriage is now living in the palace of demons!’ Shame on me. Let me die in the hands of this ogre, Lakshmana, eaten by it. That solves all my problems.
‘Egudhi INdu nindur iLavalE!’ You go back to Ayodhya and be safe!
More follows...
Published on 28th March 2002
Hari Krishnan
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