२ कम्पण-बाल्यम्

Slökäs 1 to 13: Queen Devāyi conceives. Her longings during pregnancy are described.

Shlokas 14 to 42: The birth of Kampaņa, the hero of the poem. The birth of the other two sons of Bukka, Kampaņa and Sangama, is also mentioned.

अथास्य वंशप्रतिरोहबीजं
महीभुजो गर्भमधत्त देवी ।
जगत्त्रयोद्भूतिनिदानभूतं
तेजो विधातुः प्रथमेव सृष्टिः ॥

In time the King sired upon the Queen
the seed which would perpetuate the dynasty –
just as the creator sires upon primaeval matter
the energy which brings into being the three worlds. 1

1. The queen conceived by the king and bore in her womb, the seed of royal race, as the cosmic waters held in them the tējas virile of Brahma with which the three worlds were created.

मुखेन तन्वी शरपाण्डरेण
विमुक्तरत्नाभरणा विरेजे ।
विलूनराजीववना दिनान्ते
छायाशशाङ्केन शरन्नदीव ॥

Slender,
no more oppressed by ornaments,
her round face reed-pale,
the Queen resembled a river run to a trickle in Śarad,
no longer blanketed in day-blossoming lotus blooms,
harbouring the orbed moon
as night draws near. 2

2. The queen put aside her jewels. Her face was somewhat pale like the sara reed and her form unusually slender. She shone like a river in autumn with lotuses gone and with the globe of the moon reflected on its watery surface.

3. She who was the beloved consort of the lord of this earth, indulged in tasting particles of it as if to teach the responsibility of earth-sway to the infant in her womb.

अनन्यसामान्यभुजापदान-
मुत्पत्स्यमानं तनयं नृपस्य ।
अनारतं वीररसानुबन्धं
न्यवेदयद्दौहृदमेव देव्याः ॥

The pregnant queen’s cravings
ever veered towards the heroic,
suggesting that the royal heir she would soon bear
would author deeds assayed by no other. 3

4. The very nature of her longings in her pregnancy which always took a daring turn suggested that her would-be son would be wedded to heroic accomplishments.

5. Without caring for the Tungabhadra which flowed nearby and which was easily fordable, she desir ed to sport in the Tāmraparņi in company with her army of elephants that would raise waves in its waters (while they submerged with their huge bodies).

अपारयन्ती चरितैणशाबं
क्रीडाचलोपान्तमपि प्रयातुम् ।
आखेटरागादधिरोढुमैच्छ-
न्माद्यन्मृगेन्द्रान् मलयाद्रिकूटान् ॥

So spent was her strength
she couldn’t even reach
the foot of the ornamental hill
where fawns scampered,
yet in her thirst for a kill
she dreamed of climbing the mighty Malaya mountain
to hunt maddened lions. 4

6. Though she was physically unable to walk as far as the pleasure-hill where the deer were quietly grazing, she, in her mental flights, was on the tops of the Malāya mountain inhabited by (ferocious) lions.

7. She heard of Viṣnu’s miraculous exploits underneath the earth and wanted to imitate Him …. (slöka imperfect).

पृथ्वी रथः सारथिरब्जसूतिः
शेषेण सज्यं धनुरद्रिराजः ।
शरश्च शौरिः किल हन्त लक्ष्यं
त्रयं पुरामित्यहसत् पुरारिम् ॥

‘The earth for a chariot;
Brahmā himself the charioteer.
The king of snakes serving as bowstring,
and Mount Meru his bow.
And, so they say,
no less than Śauri¹ as his shaft.
To fight whom?
A mere triad of cities!’
Thus did she scorn Śiva,
conqueror of the three cities.² 5

8. She laughed at Śiva’s valour in reducing Tripura aided by all such paraphernalia as the Earth for the chariot, Brahma for the charioteer, Sesa for the bowstring, the mountain for the bow and Hari for the arrow.

9. As time advanced, the limbs of her body began to put on flesh; he face regained its sweet and lazy eye-looks; her beily began to show its folds distinctly; and this change in his beloved filled the king withi delight.

सौभाग्यगन्धद्विपदानलेखा
रराज तस्या नवरोमराजिः ।
तेजोनिधिं गर्भतले निषण्णं
कालोरगी रक्षितुमागतेव ॥

A fresh line of fine hair flashed below her navel –
glistening like a streak of ichor from
the mighty elephant of her waxing fortune –
as though it were a cobra
come to guard the luminous treasure
buried deep within her womb.³ 6

10. The auspicious line of hair that was on her abdomen looked like a black serpent on guard in order to protect the infant within.

11. Her breasts, with black nipples, surpassed in their attractiveness the çakravāka couple with a bit of blue utpala flower in their beaks.

12. The lord of earth regarded her being in an interesting condition, as if she were a rain-cloud full of water within, a pearl oyster with pearl inside and night time foreshadowing the rise of the moon.

13. The king who was as prosperous as Indra and who was ever bent on the amelioration of his subjects, celebrated the ceremony of pumsavana as ordered by his preceptor, at the appointed time, on a scale befitting his royal rank.

अथ प्रशस्ते दिवसे समस्तै-
र्मौहूर्तिकैः साधितपुण्यलग्ने ।
असूत सूनुं नरनाथपत्नी
देवी महासेनमिवेन्दुमौलेः ॥

Then on the happy day –
declared by astrologers near and far
to be blessed with an auspicious star –
the earthly lord’s lady
bore a son who would lead a mighty army;
just as Pārvatī,
consort to the moon-crested Śiva,
bore Kumāra, leader of heaven’s army. 7

14. Then on an auspicious day, at the hour pronounced most auspicious by astrologers, the queen presented her lord with a boy, as Goddess Pārvati bore to Śiva the child Subrahmanya.

महौजसस्तस्य निजैर्यशोभि-
रुद्वेलदुग्धोदधिपूरगौरैः ।
प्रक्षालितानीव तदा बभूवु-
र्धृतप्रसादानि दिशां मुखानि ॥

At that moment,
the faces of the directions grew clear
as if washed clean by the gleaming child’s glory,
white as the flood of the milky sea spilling its shores. 8

15. The quarters then shone with spotless lustre as if they had been newly washed by royal fame which was fit to be likened to the whiteness of milk that filled the milky ocean.

16. Cool breeze scented with the flower-dusts from heavenly trees began to blow gently as if afraid of the new-born infant who was soon to attain the mastery of his earth.

आगामिनीमध्वरहव्यसिद्धिं
निश्चित्य देशेष्वपि दक्षिणेषु ।
प्रदक्षिणीभूतशिखाकलापो
ननर्त हर्षादिव हव्यवाहः ॥

Realising that sacrificial oblations
would soon be offered in the South too,
the fire danced a jig of joy,
weaving his mass of flames into worshipful arcs –
or so it seemed. 9

17. The god of fire seemed to dance with joy, describing auspicious circles with his bright ends; and this betokened that fruitful sacrifices would soon be performed all over the southern countries in abundance.

18. The kalpa vřksās by showering down flowers through clouds looked as if courting in advance the friendship of the royal child who was soon to excel them in the glory of giving.

19. The wild elephants, with ichor flowing down their cheeks, trumpeted in joy, as if in contemplation of the destruction that awaited their enemies; the lions, at the hands of the royal baby who would soon grow up to be a daring hunter.

20. The horses also neighed with joy, tearing the ground with their large hoofs, perhaps thinking, that they would soon be mounted upon by the child and a great glory awaited them in that role.

21. Tumultuous rejoicings among the people of the city arose, with trumpets blowing and çāraṇas shouting auspicious words.

सुखायमानां सुतजन्मवार्तां
सहर्षमावेदयते जनाय ।
अवाञ्छदात्मानमपि प्रदातुं
कुतूहली कुन्तलभूमिपालः ॥

In his euphoria,
the Kuntala king
was ready to give his very self
to the exultant servants
bringing the sweet news
of his son’s birth. 10

22. The monarch of Kuntala wished to give away even himself bodily to those that bore the glad tidings of his son’s birth,

विशृङ्खलास्तस्य गिरा निरीयुः
कारागृहेभ्यो विमतावरोधाः ।
तुलुष्कबन्दीनिवहाय तूर्ण-
मागामिने दातुमिवावाकाशम् ॥

Upon the Emperor’s orders,
the womenfolk of the vanquished
were unshackled and released from their prison cells,
as if to make room
for the trillion Tuluṣka wives and daughters,
soon to arrive. 11

23. By his royal word of command the prisons were thrown open and prisoners were unchained and liberated as if to make room for future incumbents, viz., the turuskas.

स्नातस्ततो धौतदुकूलधारी
वितीर्य भूरि द्रविणं द्विजेभ्यः ।
महीपतिः पुत्रमुखं दिदृक्षुः
प्राविक्षदन्तःपुरमात्तहर्षः ॥

Then the King,
after bathing and dressing in sparkling new silks,
bestowed lavish gifts upon Brahmins.
Longing to look upon his new-born son,
he came to his queens’ quarters
aquiver with joy. 12

24. Duly bathed and clad in white silk, the king: after doling out immense riches as gifts to Brāmins, entered the lying-in room with a glad heart to see the face of his son.

अवैक्षत क्षामशरीरयष्टेः
कुमारमुत्सङ्गगतं स देव्याः ।
शरत्कृशाया इव शैवलिन्या-
स्तरङ्गलग्नं कलहंसशाबम् ॥

He beheld his son
rocking in the lap of the Queen,
her thin frame grown frail,
like a young haṃsa
bobbing upon the billow of a river
slimmed by Śarad. 13

25. He saw the child lying on the lap of his slim featured queen like a swan youngling on the wavy-bed of the autumnal river.

26. 26 to 30. Rays of light, whitish as camphor dust, played on the child’s form which subdued the lustre of the lamps burning in the lying-in-chamber. With his two reddish hands closed, the child looked as if already practising the art of holding within his grasp the god dess of prosperity of his enemies. His two gracefully shaped feet bore auspicious marks indicative of conch, disc, umbrella, lotus, banner, and fish. His tiny fingers, reddish and soft as tender foliage, were also beautiful to look at. He bore the hairy sign of Śrīvatsa on his breast which suggested that he was an avatāra of Viṣnu, and, that unbroken prosperity would mark his life. His forehead was adorned with a circle of hair between the eye-brows. His eyes were large like the petals of blooming lotus. His nose was lofty; and a sweet smile played on his red lips. Altogether, the child’s face was surpassingly beautiful.

मुहुर्मुहुः पल्लवपाटलेन
मुष्टीकृतेन द्वितयेन पाण्योः ।
अरातिलक्ष्मीकचसञ्चयाना-
माकर्षशिक्षामिव शीलयन्तम् ॥

As the child formed fists again and again
with hands pale pink like fresh shoots,
it seemed he was practising
how to wrest from his rivals
the tutelary goddess of each,
dragging them by their tightly tied braids. 14

27. See previous shloka 26.

28. See previous shloka 26.

29. See previous shloka 26.

30. See previous shloka 26.

अव्याजसौन्दर्यगुणाभिरामं
कुमारमालोकयतश्चिराय ।
नृपस्य निष्पन्ददृशो मुहूर्त-
मानन्दबाष्पोऽभवदन्तरायः ॥

A tear of joy for a moment obscured
the Lord’s long and unblinking gaze
as he stared at the child he had sired,
enthralled by his unadorned beauty. 15

31. Tears of joy, for a while, acted as a check on the steadfast look of his eyes that feasted on the cherubic form of the child.

आश्लिष्यतस्तस्य दृशा तनूज-
मन्तः प्रहर्षेण विजृम्भितेन ।
प्रायः प्रणुन्नैर्बहिरङ्गकेभ्यः
प्रादुर्बभूवे पुलकप्ररोहैः ॥

As the King drank in his son with his eyes,
the happiness within him swelled to bursting
and appeared to push out the very hair
on each part of his body
so that he prickled with goosebumps. 16

32. The king embraced the child with his eyes; and the excessive emotion in his mind burst out as manifest by horripulation.

33. On an auspicious day, the jāta karman rites of the child were performed as directed by the priest, and the child grew in splendour like the god of fire that witnesses those rites.

आकम्पयिष्यत्ययमेकवीरः
संग्रामरङ्गे सकलानरातीन् ।
इत्येव निश्चित्य स दीर्घदर्शी
नाम्ना सुतं कम्पन इत्यकार्षीत् ॥

With great prescience
the King knew that the boy would become
a warrior matched by none,
terrorising every one of his enemies
in the hurly-burly of battle,
and thus named him Kampana,
The Terrifying. 17

34. The king who always looked ahead named his child Kampana, as he clearly foresaw in his mind that, in proper time, the latter would become a matchless (warrior, and was sure to make his enemies in the field of battle quake with fear.

35. Just as the sacrificer tends the fire with ghee offerings, and just as the cloud sustains the corn with rains, so too, the king had his child brought up by trustworthy nurses.

36. He was overjoyed to hear the lisping words and to look at the tottering gaits of his child, who had his lessons on talking and walking from his foster mother.

37. Like a swan that ever loves the touch of budding lotuses, the king was never satisfied with kis sing the fragrant mouth of his child with no teeth yet perceptible in it.

38. The pleasurable feeling which the king had while embracing his cherub boy, was not to be matched by the contact of camphor, pearl, sandal-paste or moon beams.

कलक्वणत्काञ्चनकिङ्किणीकं
गृहाङ्गणे जानुचरं कुमारम् ।
आलोकयन्तावमृताम्बुराशे-
र्मग्नाविवान्तः पितरावभूताम् ॥

Watching their son
crawling on all fours in the courtyard,
his baby golden bells babbling blithely,
his parents felt as if
they had dived into a deep ocean of amṛta. 19

39. The king and the queen felt themselves bathed in an ocean of nectar as they enjoyed looking at their child crawling on his knees on the floor of the palace, with the small bells in his ornaments tinkling.

40. Then, in course of time, the queen bore to the king two other sons called Kampana and Sangama who were like pārijāta and çintāmaại that sprang from the milky ocean.

41. The prince (viz, Kampana), along with his two brothers, began to grow, day by day ; and people were in ecstasies when they looked at him as at the (waxing) moon.

पशुपतिरिव नेत्रैः सोमसूर्याग्निरूपै-
र्नय इव निरपायैः प्राभवोत्साहमन्त्रैः ।
भव इव पुरुषार्थैर्धर्मकामार्थसंज्ञै-
स्त्रिभिरपि नरपालस्तैस्तनूजैरभासीत् ॥

As Śiva with his triad of eyes –
the moon, the sun and fire;
as sovereignty with its inseparable triple supports –
dominion, determination and counsel;
as this worldly life with its threefold goals
dharma, kāma and artha –
so the King shone with his three sons⁴. 20

42. The king, with his three children, shone like Śiva with his three eyes, the moon, the sun and the fire; or like statesmanship, with its three unfailing aspects, Power, Daring and Counsel; or like life with its three ends, Virtue, Wealth and Enjoyment.