- Shambuga’s father was a loyal assistant in the heroes’
father’s household. His son will soon carry that tradition into
the next generation.
- Among other things Shambuga’s father was a drummer and
village crier whose job was to announce major events to everyone in
Ponnivala.
- People liked to gather around him to hear the latest news and
to receive important festival invitations.
- One day the heroes’ parents started out on a long
pilgrimage, hoping to reach Lord Shiva’s Council Chambers. At
that moment Shambuga’s mother and father stood before them and
requested that they bring back the boon of a son.
- When Tamarai succeeded in reaching the heavens she
remembered the request made to her. She conveyed this wish to Lord
Shiva and his wife Parvati.
- Shiva said he would take the life spirit of the famous
warrior, Asvathamma, and place it in a small pot for her to carry
back to give the childless couple.
- Magically, a lovely little pot appeared before Tamarai.
- Lord Shiva sent a light to the pot that carried with it his
spirit-gift.
- Six years later, after Tamarai’s own sons were born, the
family returned to Ponnivala. Soon the two boys set off to find
their new assistant and playmate.
- Tamarai had told them where his parents’ house was. The boys stood in front of it and called out to him.
- A boy just their age answered the door. He told them his
name was Shambuga!
- The two palace boys asked him to come out and play with them.
And so he came forward.
- Shambuga led Ponnar and Shankar to the family fields to meet
the many animals there.
- Soon Ponnar and Shankar were having fun petting two young
calves that belonged to their family.
- Shambuga had magical powers from the start. He jumped over a
high fence and asked the two boys to follow him.
- Then Shambuga chased the family’s two young colts. The
boys were amazed to see that he could run as fast as these horses
could!
- Next Shambuga stepped in front of the horses and made them stop
running.
- Then Shambuga ran over to a clump of rocks and pulled out two
vipers.
- He killed these snakes and skinned them. He needed
these for what he would do next. He had a plan.
- Shambuga tied up the skins using special knots and made horse
halters out of them!
- Then he told the boys to get on the horses and practice
riding. It was great fun!
- Ponnar and Shankar brought the horses to the front door of
the palace. Then they thanked Shambuga and asked him to take the
two magical beasts to the family stable. There they would be
protected. The horses would rest well each night.
- The Ponnivala fighters have just lost all their dogs to
Komban’s trickery. Afraid for their own lives they start to run
from him.
- But Komban is in hot pursuit. He knows the forest far better
than these frightened men, all sons of farmers. He plans to trap
them.
- Soon Komban has all the fighters cornered in a cul-de-sac.
They have nowhere to go!
- Komban tosses many poor men high in the air with his tusks.
- He keeps on terrorizing them until there is nothing left but
a big mess of injured men lying on the ground.
- However, King Komban does not win his battle with the farmers so easily! The heroes’ little sister has a tiny female dog, her pet. That little dog was born to defeat Komban. He doesn't know this and makes the mistake of trying to bully her!
- The little dog, named Ponnachi, chews off Komban’s ears.
Then she grabs a hold of his tail as he tries to run, biting him
using the poison in her teeth!
- Ponnachi has preplanned this and has asked the two heroes to
stand on a high cliff, ready with their great boar spear. She jumps
off Komban’s tail and calls to them at the last moment!
- The great beast rears and cries out with his final breath to
his forest princess: “Oh Viratangal The Brave! Help me!”
- The princess Viratangal hears Komban’s cry. She quickly
gathers her brothers to plan a revenge for this deadly attack on her
dear pet. Lord Vishnu is there to assure these hunters that they
have help.
- Meanwhile the elder hero assigns their First Minister the
task of skinning and cutting up Komban’s body. It will become a
great offering to the gods.
- But no sooner is the meat cut up and laid out on seven plates
than Lord Vishnu himself comes along, looking like a washerman. He
asks for the head of the great demon for his “pregnant wife.”
- Vishnu gets agreement and prepares to take his sacrificial
share - the head of the great beast - away.
- Lord Vishnu, still in disguise, drags the head away.
[<==Back to Part III]
- Komban’s first instinct is to attack and destroy the
farmers’ main livelihood. He goes to their finest sugarcane field
secretly, at night, and starts to root around in the damp earth.
- As the full moon begins to set , Komban starts to dance,
throwing all of the field’s fine sweet stalks into the air!
- On another night Komban goes to the farmers main irrigation
tank. Now he tears out the strong dam along one side that holds all
its water back.
- Ponnivala’s beautiful fields become little more than a
swampy mess. All the farmers’ hard work is destroyed.
- Lastly, Komban goes to the farmers’ lovely flower garden.
There he tears up all the delicate plants these men depend on for
their daily worship at the family temple.
- Then Komban spots the family gardener hiding in the branches
of the one remaining palm tree in this flower garden. His anger
intensifies.
- With one mighty blow Komban strikes the tree and breaks it in
two. The poor gardener goes flying through the air!
- When the gardener lands he is very frightened. He hardly
understands what has happened.
- Komban then orders the gardener to turn around so that he can
write on his back with one tusk. He wants to send a challenge to
the two farmer kings!
- The message is written in the farmers’ own language: Tamil.
His letter challenges the two kings to war. It is signed “King
Komban.”
- The farmers take up Komban’s challenge and organize a great
boar hunt. But because they fall sick after reaching their forest
tent... they send their First Minister on the initial mission. He
must find the great monster’s hideout!
- Shambuga takes all of the farmers’ fighting men with him.
He has no trouble finding the great boar, who is asleep as usual.
- The fighting men send half their dogs to do the advance work.
They order these dogs to attack the boar’s right side first.
- The dogs enter the cave and start pulling on the boar’s
thick hairs.
- But the boar is not asleep after all. It is pretending!
With one big roll the monster crushes all the dogs that have entered
his cave!
- After losing all the hunters’ dogs, Shambuga becomes very
depressed. He has been defeated and embarrassed by Komban in front
of all of Ponnivala’s loyal fighters!
[<==Back to Part II]
- Just minutes after the king and queen of Ponnivala set out on
a long, long pilgrimage, they encounter a female boar lying on their
path. This happens not very far from their palace gate.
- The queen is stressed and tired from all the journey’s
preparations. So she simply kicks this sleeping animal, asking it
to wake up and move.
- This kick angers the sow. She tells the queen she has been
insulted by this insensitive touch of her foot! But the king
quickly asks his wife to ignore the complaint and keep on walking.
- As the couple leave the scene that big black female boar
turns around and utters a terrible curse: “I shall pray and ask
the gods for a son. His great tusks will one day serve to spear the
two sons that, in time, shall be born to you!”
- And, indeed, the great goddess does grant the angry female
boar her wish. She will soon become pregnant with Komban!
- Can Komban’s tusks spear the two heroes that will later be
born to the queen? Let us see!
- Just about the time that the queen gives birth to twin sons,
Komban is born in a small forest hideaway the mother boar calls
home.
- Much later, the king and queen start a long walk back to
Ponnivala after years of exile. They now have three children. On
the way they come across that mother boar’s hide-out. Komban,
still just a baby, is at her side!
- Over the next ten years Komban grows into a huge beast! He
is much bigger than any human. He frequently sleeps in the forest,
in various hiding places.
- Furthermore a mysterious forest princess named Viratangal,
decides to befriend him. She feeds him a huge mound of rice each
day. No wonder he has grown so big!
- But Komban still doesn't like to be disturbed, even by the
princess. One day she finds her pet in the forest, asleep. He lets
out a huge gust of air and a big snort, scaring both her and her
maid.
- Finally Komban realizes the time for his trouble-making has
come. He first goes to the forest goddess, Kali, for her blessings.
And Komban meets the forest princess there.
- Komban pays respects to Kali, but he does it backwards,
circling the temple in the inauspicous direction: counterclockwise!
This means there will be trouble!
- The forest princess gives Komban her blessings, but also
tells him to go and bid goodbye to his mother before he sets off to
cause trouble!
- Komban goes to his old family home to find his mother. He
has become huge now, and his mother and siblings look like dwarfs
beside him!
- Komban’s mother bids a sad farewell to her son. She fears
for what might happen to him if those hunters from Ponnivala happen
to find his forest hideaway!
[<==Back to Part I]
