Poem of the Killing of MeghnadThe (Blac

Meghnad instantly seized the divine sword but he could not lift it. He pulled atthe bow It remained in Lakshman s hand. He angrily grasped the shield but his efforts were useless. . . . First published in Bengali in 1861 The Poem of the Killing of Meghnad (Meghnadbadh kabya) by Michael Madhusudan Dutt is an epic in blank verse that has Indrajit (Meghnad) Ravan s warrior son who is slain by Lakshman in the Ramayana as its protagonist. But the manner in which Meghnad is killed by Lakshman in a temple where he has come to carry out a puja to Agni and has no means of defending himself is a departure from the Kshatriya warrior-code. This is the most subversive and original feature of Madhusudan s epic and a daring way of turning Meghnad into a tragic hero. Something of an Indian equivalent to Milton s Paradise Lost this magnificent work is an expression of Madhusudan s mind of the Bengal Renaissance and even of the wider Indian modernity that has emerged from that era. Imbued with irrepressible enthusiasm youthful exuberance and rebellious flamboyance Madhusudan s voice was compellingly new and inventive. This lyrical and vigorous translation by William Radice is accompanied by an extensive introduction detailed footnotes and a comprehensive survey of Madhusudan s use of Indian and Western sources.