Kambaramayanam – 31
தாது உகு சோலை தோறும், சண்பகக் காடு தோறும்,
போது அவிழ் பொய்கை தோறும், புது மணல் தடங்கள் தோறும்,
மாதவி வேலிப் பூக வனம் தோறும், வயல்கள் தோறும்,
ஓதிய உடம்பு தோறும், உயிர் என உலாயது, அன்றே.
Through pollen strewn groves and champak tree jungles,
fresh bloom ponds and lake beds with fresh sands,
creeper fenced areca gardens and fertile farmlands,
like a soul passing through various forms, flows the Sarayu.
This is Kamban describing River Sarayu that flows through Kosala country. The capital city of Ayodhya is situated on the banks of Sarayu. During its course it runs along groves, jungles, ponds, pools, fenced gardens and farm lands. Though the scenario along its banks changes, the river is the same. Kamban equates it to a soul passing through various physical forms as defined in scriptures. ‘The universal soul’ is the corner stone of all ‘Vedanta’ philosophies.
Old Tamil Poetry 