Description
Composed in the 12th-century by Kampan, regarded by many as Tamil's
finest poet, the Kamparamayanam is perhaps the most splendid retelling of
Valmiki's Ramayana. This first regional retelling of the great Sanskrit epic is
set firmly in Tamil country and draws from Puranic lore and Tamil literary
masterpieces. The approximately 12,000 verses that make up the six books
of the Kamparamayanam fully and unabashedly embrace Rama's identity as a
human avatar.
The first kandam, or book, of Kampan's Ramayana is Balakandam, about the
boyhood of Rama, who under the tutelage of Vishwamitra learns the lay of the
land he will one day rule, as well as his true nature. This son of Dasharatha,
along with his brother Lakshmana, reverses ancient curses of sages and gods,
amasses powerful weapons, and protects the sacrificial rituals of the rishis
from vicious rakshasas. In Mithila, he falls in love with Sita, the daughter of
King Janaka. The chapters that follow describe-in a manner unique to early
Tamil literature-the joyful procession of Dasharatha's retinue to Rama and
Sita's wedding, and contain some of the most beautiful verses composed in
any South Asian language. The book concludes with Rama's first true test of
manhood and a sign of the times that lie ahead: a conflict with the mighty
Parashu Rama, an avatar, like Rama himself, of Vishnu.
Translated from the Tamil with great skill by Blake Wentworth, Youth brings
the lyricism, the exquisite imagery and the wonderful sensuousness of
Kampan's masterpiece to modern-day English-language readers.
