ಹಲುಬಿದಳ್ ಕಲ್ಮರಂ ಕರಗುವಂತೆ (Halubidal Kalmaram Karaguvante)
by ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀಶ (Lakshmeesha)
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This 16th-century poem from Lakshmeesha's epic Jaimini Bharata is a masterpiece of pathos. Its title means 'She wailed in such a way that even stones and dry trees melted.' Obeying Rama's order prompted by public gossip, Lakshmana abandons a pregnant Sita on the wild banks of the Ganges. Sita, who believed she was going to visit sages, is shattered by the news. Her grief is so pure and intense that even the hard stones and dry trees of the forest melt with compassion, and yet her noble character shines: she blames no one and sends words of respect back to Rama.
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Lakshmeesha's Halubidal Kalmaram Karaguvante captures the tragic climax of Sita's abandonment in Bhamini Shatpadi metre. Lakshmana drives the pregnant Sita to the forest by chariot; she believes they are going to visit holy sages, as she had wished. But at the remote banks of the Ganges he stops, falls at her feet and weeps.
The terrible news and Sita's lament
Through his tears Lakshmana reveals that Rama, yielding to a citizen's cruel gossip about her purity, has ordered her abandonment in the wilderness. Sita collapses, weeping. She questions how the king who defeated ten-headed Ravana to rescue her can now abandon his innocent, pregnant wife; she laments her destiny and worries how she will protect her unborn child with no shelter or family.
Sita's nobility and nature's grief
Despite her betrayal, Sita curses no one. She tells Lakshmana to return safely and serve Rama well, sending word that she will survive in the forest and prove her innocence through penance. Nature reacts to her sorrow: animals stop hunting, birds cease singing, and a heavy silence falls. Her weeping is so filled with pure, innocent pain that even the hard stones and dry trees of the forest melt with compassion, highlighting her tragic divinity.