The Poem of the Killing of Meghnad

Meghnad instantly seized the divine sword–but he could not lift it. He pulled at the 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.