A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Kabandha has neither an ordinary head nor neck. Griffith places a single bright eye in his chest and a great mouth beneath it; bristling hair covers the huge body. His arms reach a league and collect passing animals, and they seize Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa as the brothers search for Sītā.
After they cut off his arms he explains his earlier beauty and pride. A sage fixed him in a terrifying assumed form, while Indra’s thunderbolt compressed his head and thighs into his trunk. His continued life required the unnatural mouth and long arms. Rāma’s attack and the requested funeral fire provide the route out of this condition, after which he can help direct their search.
His explanation differentiates the two transformations. The frightening form first frightened the forest sage Sthūlaśiras and became compulsory under that sage’s curse. The displacement of his head and thighs followed his later challenge to Indra, undertaken in pride after obtaining a long life from Brahmā. Indra could not simply kill someone protected by that promise and instead supplied the feeding apparatus which allowed the distorted body to survive. Kabandha also admits that his knowledge remains impaired while cursed: he cannot yet tell the brothers who abducted Sītā but promises useful counsel after the funeral rite.
Origins & earliest records
South Asian Rāmāyaṇa narrative tradition
Records & interpretation
Historical primary-text translation directly read by book and canto.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
The Rámáyan of Válmíki
Translation title page gives 1870–1874; Book III LXX–LXXII, pp. 310–314. English verse wording attributed to Griffith.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
The Rámáyan of Válmíki
Book III. III LXX–LXXII, pp. 310–314
Actual Griffith translation downloaded and passages read. Book/canto anchors checked in HTML; no illustration claim.
His explanation differentiates the two transformations. The frightening form first frightened the forest sage Sthūlaśiras and became compulsory under that sage’s curse. The displacement of his head and thighs followed his later challenge to Indra, undertaken in pride after obtaining a long life from Brahmā. Indra could not simply kill someone protected by that promise and instead supplied the feeding apparatus which allowed the distorted body to survive. Kabandha also admits that his knowledge remains impaired while cursed: he cannot yet tell the brothers who abducted Sītā but promises useful counsel after the funeral rite.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical primary-text translationGriffith Rāmāyaṇa — Book III LXX–LXXII, pp. 310–314Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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