Kabandha
Kabandha (कबन्ध, Kabandha, lit. "headless torso") is a Rakshasa (demon) who is killed and freed from a curse by the god Rama and his brother Lakshmana. Kabandha's legend appears in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as in later Ramayana adaptations.
Kabandha was a Gandharva (celestial musician) named Vishvavasu or Danu, who was cursed and made into an ugly, carnivorous demon by a sage named Sthulshira. In an encounter with Rama and Lakshmana, the brothers sever his arms and proceed to cremate his corpse. Upon his death, Kabandha resumes his Gandharva form and directs Rama to the Rishyamukha mountain, where the exiled monkey-chief Sugriva is hiding. Kabandha advises Rama to form an alliance with Sugriva, who would be of assistance in the search for Rama's wife Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana, the demon-king of Lanka. Following Kabandha's advice, Rama befriends Sugriva and rescues Sita with his help.
Literary sources
The most detailed account of Kabandha appears in the third book, Aranya Kanda, of the epic Ramayana, Sargas (cantos) 69-73.[1] However, Kabandha first appears in canto one of the first book Bala kanda of the Ramayana, in which the entire story is summarized.[2]
The account of Kabandha also appears in the Ramopakhyana – the retelling of Rama's story in the Aranya Parva – the third book of the Mahabharata,[3] and its appendix Harivamsa,[4][5] as well as in later adaptations of the Ramayana such as Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa (composed between 4th to 6th century CE),[6] Bhatti's 7th century work Bhattikavya, Bhavabhuti's 8th century play Mahaviracharita, Murari Mishra's 10th century drama Anargharaghava, Kamban's 12th century book Kamba Ramayana, Adhyatma Ramayana (chapter 9 of Aranya kanda, dated between late 14th to early 15th century)[7] from Brahmanda Purana and Tulsidas's 16th century work Ramacharitamanas.
References
- ↑ Valmiki, Swami Venkatesananda (1988). "Aranya Kanda 69 – 73". The concise Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki. SUNY Press. pp. 170–2. ISBN 0-88706-863-4.
- ↑ Goldman, Robert P. (1990). The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India: Balakanda. Princeton University Press. pp. 34–37, also p. 124. ISBN 978-0-691-01485-2.
- ↑ Peter M. Scharf (2003). "Mahabharata 3.263.25 – 3.263.42". Rāmopākhyāna: the story of Rāma in the Mahābhārata. Routledge. pp. 313–333. ISBN 0-7007-1391-3.
- ↑ Monier-Williams (2008) [1899]. "Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary". p. 251.
- ↑ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 361–2. ISBN 0-8426-0822-2.
- ↑ Monier-Williams (2008) [1899]. "Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary". p. 251.
- ↑ Chandan Lal Dhody (1995). "Redemption of Kabandha". The Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa: concise English version. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. pp. 99–101.