Puranaanooru 1 – Portrait of a celestial hero

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கண்ணி கார் நறுங் கொன்றை; காமர்
வண்ண மார்பின் தாரும் கொன்றை:
ஊர்தி வால் வெள் ஏறே; சிறந்த
சீர் கெழு கொடியும் அவ் ஏறு என்ப:
கறை மிடறு அணியலும் அணிந்தன்று; அக் கறை
மறை நவில் அந்தணர் நுவலவும் படுமே:
பெண் உரு ஒரு திறன் ஆகின்று; அவ் உருத்
தன்னுள் அடக்கிக் கரக்கினும் கரக்கும்:
பிறை நுதல் வண்ணம் ஆகின்று; அப் பிறை
பதினெண் கணனும் ஏத்தவும் படுமே
எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் ஏமம் ஆகிய,
நீர் அறவு அறியாக் கரகத்து,
தாழ் சடைப் பொலிந்த, அருந் தவத்தோற்கே.

This song is all about the ‘inner and outer elements of a God’. The opening line ‘கண்ணி கார் நறுங் கொன்றை’ meaning ‘the head garland woven with fragrant golden shower flowers that bloom in the rainy season’ brings in a delightful element of nature inside a religious song. Then, there’s another element of nature, domesticated by humans, in ‘வால் வெள் ஏறே’ meaning ‘shining white bull’. A striking line appears in ‘பெண் உரு ஒரு திறன் ஆகின்று’ meaning ‘a feminine form characterises one side’, about which we will explore shortly. The phrase ‘எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் ஏமம் ஆகிய’ meaning ‘the one who is the protector of all life’ highlight the single most important function of a God entity. ‘நீர் அறவு அறியாக் கரகத்து’ meaning ‘a vessel that will never see its waters cease’ seems to have a deep significance. Ending with the words ‘அருந் தவத்தோற்கே’ meaning ‘the one who is hard at penance’, the verse welcomes us to explore more.

The practice of singing invocations was not there in Sangam times and is believed to have been a later day development. It is known that this poet has sung similar dedications in other Sangam Literary works such as ‘Natrinai’, ‘Kurunthogai’, etc. However, those were not part of the main 400 or so verses of these books. In Purananooru, this verse has been compiled as one of the 400. Let’s delve into the lines, which can be translated as follows: “In the head garland, glow the rainy season’s ‘kondrai’ blooms; On that chest in handsome hues, lies a garland, whose flowers are from the ‘kondrai’ too. His vehicle is the radiant white bull; His fine and famous flag holds that white bull too; The dark stain on his neck adds beauty to his beauty; It’s this very stain that’s sung and celebrated by priests who chant the scriptures; One part of him is made of the feminine form; That beautiful form is held within and absorbed within himself; The crescent moon makes his forehead alluring; This very moon is celebrated by eighteen groups of beings; He is the protector of all life, and he who holds a vessel in which the waters will recede never. With low-lying tresses, he is one known for his intense penances. In dedication to this lord!” 

Since Purananooru to an extent is a portrait and praise of kings, in line with his beliefs, the poet must have thought to add a song on the king of kings, God Shiva, as the very first poem in this collection. Some of the fascinating elements we gather from this song are about golden shower flowers being used as head and neck garlands on this entity. After that, we learn that the vehicle of this God is a bull, which in later day mythology came to be termed as a ‘Nandi’. Not just kings and countries, but even this God seems to have a flag of his own and it was a ‘bull’ depicted therein. I wish to draw your attention to the fact of how animals adorned the flags of both Chola and Pandya kings, the first having a symbol of the tiger, and the second, that of a fish. So, we can understand the connection to this God’s flag being that of a bull. Returning, after this mention of his flag, the spotlight falls on the stained neck of this God, which mythology says is due to his drinking of a dangerous poison so as to save the ‘Devas’ or ‘higher celestial beings’, and the poet mentions how this act is celebrated by priests of yore.

Next, the poem details an aspect that I find fascinating. It talks about how within this male God, one half was a female, but that aspect was not outwardly depicted but something held within. I understood these lines to mean that this very masculine God, embodied the feminine too, if not in outer form, but surely in essence. This reminds one of the ‘yin’ and ‘yang’ in other religious traditions – the perfect fusion of the male and the female elements of the universe. I see this not just as portrait of a God, but a call to all male leaders, who dominate today’s world of power, to be in touch with the feminine aspects of love and care that lies within them, if they wish to render the right rule to their citizens.

Returning, the verse talks about a crescent moon that adorns the forehead of this God – something celebrated by all beings. It ends with final three aspects of this God – that of his being the protector of all living creatures, and two, having a vessel that has never-ending water, and finally, the state of deep penance undertaken by this God. That pot of unending water could be the invocation of agriculturists, whose life depended on that elixir of life flowing without end. 

Various elements such as the depiction of bulls and the deep penance of this God makes an image flash before me – that of an Indus Valley seal, termed as ‘Pasupathi’ or ‘the God of cattle’, found in Mohenjodaro. Here, we see a person seated as if in meditation, with a bull’s horn headdress. Some scholars interpret this seal to be an early version of God Shiva. But that is like pressing the present into the mould of the past. We cannot say with conviction about what this seal meant, but there seems to have been an importance accorded to this person, who tames and protects the bulls. Perhaps, he was a valorous leader, who defended the region’s cattle from being pilfered by enemies. As years passed, perhaps this very human hero, a leader, turned a God in the eyes of future generations. With that, we come to the end of this song that has given us a lot to contemplate on perceptions of Gods and heroes!