from Kumara Sambava Poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar

by Kali Das in Sanskrit during 5th Century AD

Parvathi the Goddess, is daughter
Of the Himalaya Mountain, destined
To marry God Shiva as was pre-told.
The demigods betook themselves to Brahma,
And briefed to him their woes on Taraka,
The destructive demon troubling the world.
‘We seek a leader to end life's woe and sin
That he may guide the heavenly host.'1

Brahma promised that a son shall be born
To Shiva and Parvati to put him down.
Indra waited upon Kama -Love God.
‘Love-God armed with flowwers devinely sweet,
In lowly homage bowed before his feet, -
Around his neck, where his bow were hung
And blooming Spring, his constant flower, bore
The Mango twig, his weapon famed of yore'2

In eager gaze the Sovereign of the Skies
Looked full on Kama with his thousand eyes —
‘Lay, Indra, lay thy threatening bolt aside,
My gentle darts shall tame the haughtiest pride,
And all that war with Heaven and thee shall know
The magic influence of thy Kama's bow;
Strong is the Trident-bearing God, yet he.
The mighty Siva, e'en, must yield to me.'3

‘What can their strength who draw the bow avail
Against my matchless power when I assail? '
Thus, spoke Kama, who was in his command.
Indra expressed what was the task at hand.
Gods are oppressed with woe; mighty Siva
May beget a chief who would lead our hosts
To victory. Love (Kama)alone can reach him now.
And lure his spirit from the hermit vow.4

Indra bade Kama to seek Parvati's help.
She alone with all her charm can lure him.
Gods are thy suppliants, Kama, and on thee
Depends the triple World's security;
Kama then left with his Rati and Spring
To the snow-capped hill where Siva dwells.
Spring showed its power; the snow disappeared.
The trees blossomed; bees, deer, and birds woke up.5

Siva was unmoved and meditated.
But Uma came with all her maiden throng.
And Kama's fainting heart again was strong;
She was a slender tree laden with flowers;
From time to time her gentle hand replaced
The flowery girdle slipping from her waist:
It seemed that Love could find no place fairer.
So hung his newest, dearest bowstring there. 6

Now Uma came, fair Maid, his destined bride,
With timid steps approaching Siva's side;
In contemplation will he brood no more,
While Uma stooped so low, that from her hair
Dropped the bright flower that starred the midnight there;
"Sweet Maid, " cried Siva, "surely thou shalt be
Blessed with a husband who loves none but thee!
Her fear was banished, and her hope was high. 7

Love seized the moment, and prepared to aim;
Close by the daughter of the Mountain-King,
He looked on Siva, and he eyed his string.
While with her radiant hand fair Uma gave,
Three-Eyed God was fain to take the offering
Love placed the unerring dart while Hermit's
Breast struck with passion, with his eyes melting
On the Maiden's lip like a ripe red fruit. 8

But still, with downcast eyes, she sought the ground,
He looked, and saw the bold archer stand.
His bow bent ready in his skilful hand.
Drawn towards the eye — his shoulder well depressed,
And the left foot thrown forward as a rest
Then was the Hermit- God to madness lashed.
Then from his eye red flames of fury flashed
That scorched the gentle King of Love to ashes. 9

But Rati saw not for she swooned away
Her opening eyes were fixed with anxious thought
On every spot where he might be, in vain,
Were gladdened nowhere by the sight she sought,
The lover she should never see again.
She rose and cried aloud and at the last she found
Him whom the wrathful god could not forgive,
Her Love, a trace of ashes on the ground. 10

Thou never didst a thing to cause me anguish;
I never did a thing to work thee harm;
Why should I thus in vain affliction languish?
Why not return to bless thy grieving Charm (Rati) ?
Think not that on the journey thou hast taken
So newly, I should fail to find thy track;
Ah, but the world! The world is quite forsaken,
For life is love; no life, when thee they lack. 11

Well I remember, Love, thy suppliant motion,
Thy trembling, quick embrace, the moments blest
By fervent, self-surrendering devotion
And memories like these deny me rest.
Thy service by the cruel gods demanded,
Meant service to thy wife left incomplete,
My bare feet with coquettish streaking banded-
Return to end the adorning of my feet. 12

Heart-smitten by the accents of her grief
Like poisoned darts, soothing her fond alarm,
Incarnate Spring appeared, to bring relief
As friendship can, to sore-lamenting Charm.
And at the sight of him, she wept the more,
And often clutched her throat, and beat her breast;
For lamentation finds an open door
In the presence of the friends we love the best13

But Love is gone, far gone beyond returning,
A candle snuffed by wandering breezes vain;
And see! I am his wick, with Love once burning,
Now blackened by the smoke of nameless pain.
In slaying Love, fate wrought but half a slaughter,
For I am left. And yet the clinging vine
Must fall, when falls the sturdy tree that taught her
Round him in loving tenderness to twine. 14

Now let me lie where death-fire flames and flashes,
As glad as on a bed of budding flowers.
And fan the flame to which I am committed
With southern winds; I would no longer stay;
And sprinkle some few drops of water, given
In friendship, on his ashes and on me;
That Love and I may quench our thirst in heaven
As once on earth, in heavenly unity. 15

As Charm prepared to end her mortal pain
In fire, she heard a voice from heaven cry,
That showed her mercy, as the early rain
Shows mercy to the fish, when lakes go dry:
"O wife of Love! Thy lover is not lost
For evermore. This voice shall tell thee why
He perished like the moth, when he had crossed
The dreadful god, in fire from Shiva's eye.16

When darts of Love set Brahma in a flame,
To shame his daughter with impure desire,
He checked the horrid sin without a name,
And cursed the god of love to die by fire.
He shall unite Love's body with the soul,
A marriage-present to his mountain bride.'
As clouds hold fire and water in control,
Gods are the fount of wrath, and grace beside.17

Invisibly and thus mysteriously
The thoughts of Charm were turned away from death;
And Spring, believing where he might not see,
Comforted her with words of sweetest breath.
The wife of Love awaited thus the day,
Though racked by grief, when fate should show its power,
As the waning moon laments her darkened ray
And waits impatient for the twilight hour.18

Beauty is fruitless if not bound by love.
Parvati led a life of self-denial,
Hoping by it to secure Shiv's love.
Love is dead; she sees no way to win him
except by ascetic religious acts.
A brahmin youth appeared before her
And dissuaded her from love for Shiva
With dreadful legends current about him.19

She frowned and defended herself as well
As her object of love, who was Shiva.
‘Shiva', she said, ' is far beyond the thought
Of such as you: then speak no more to me.
Dull crawlers hate the splendid wonders wrought
By lofty souls untouched by rivalry.
The world's sole refuge neither hopes nor fears
Nor seeks the objects of a small desire.'20

‘My eager heart all made of passion true
For him alone. Love sees no blemishes.'
In response to this eloquent account,
The youth threw off his disguise and turned
Shiva, declaring his love to Uma,
Who discontinued her asceticism.
His seven sages helped to fix Shiva's
Wedding with Uma in a three-day time.21

As when the flowers were budding on a vine,
Or white swans rested upon a river's shore,
Or when at night the stars in heaven shined,
Her lovely beauty grew with gems she wore.
When wide-eyed glances gave her back the same
Bright beauty- and the mirror never lies-
She waited with impatience till he came:
For women dress to please their lovers' eyes. 22

Shiva and his retinue then entered
The palace in the Himalaya mountain,
Where the wedding was celebrated with pomp.
And Shiva restored the body of Love.
After the marriage the happy pair wandered
For a time among the Himalayan peaks.
Shiva then retired for meditation.
They lived happily there for many years.23

God of Fire appeared before God Shiva
And told him about demigods' anguish
In not begetting a son, on whom rests
The welfare of the gods and of Heaven.
Shiva deposited his seed in Fire,
Which deposited the seed in the Ganges,
Where the six Pleiades found it and lay it
In the reeds to be born as Kumara.24

Shiva and Parvati brought Kumara up
And bade him to command the army of gods
And slay Taraka and fulfil his birth
Kumara marshalled and approached Taraka,
Who responded, beset by bad omen.
The battle was fought with all might by both.
Undaunted Taraka fought to his end.
Taraka was slain with a lance by Kumara.25



(Kumara Sambava by Kali Das in Sanskrit during 5th Century AD, translation of Sir William Jones and Ralph T H Griffith M A are based on. The Kama is one of the four goals of life
beside dharma (righteous duty) , artha (wealth)and moksha (liberation) .)