Puranaanooru 14 – Hands of a king

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கடுங் கண்ண கொல் களிற்றால்
காப்பு உடைய எழு முருக்கி,
பொன் இயல் புனை தோட்டியால்
முன்பு துரந்து, சமம் தாங்கவும்;

பார் உடைத்த குண்டு அகழி
நீர் அழுவ நிவப்புக் குறித்து,
நிமிர் பரிய மா தாங்கவும்;

ஆவம் சேர்ந்த புறத்தை தேர் மிசைச்
சாப நோன் ஞாண் வடுக் கொள வழங்கவும்;

பரிசிலர்க்கு அருங் கலம் நல்கவும்; குரிசில்!
வலிய ஆகும், நின் தாள் தோய் தடக் கை.

புலவு நாற்றத்த பைந் தடி
பூ நாற்றத்த புகை கொளீஇ, ஊன் துவை
கறி சோறு உண்டு வருந்து தொழில் அல்லது,
பிறிது தொழில் அறியா ஆகலின், நன்றும்
மெல்லிய பெரும! தாமே நல்லவர்க்கு
ஆர் அணங்கு ஆகிய மார்பின், பொருநர்க்கு
இரு நிலத்து அன்ன நோன்மை,
செரு மிகு சேஎய்! நிற் பாடுநர் கையே.

The interesting context of this poem is better discussed after we have delved into its meaning. This is the second song by poet Kabilar in praise of this Chera king Kadunko. Kabilar’s words can be translated as follows:

“Making the harsh-eyed, killer elephant break the gates of the fort, you wield the intricately etched, golden elephant goad and propel the animal forward and pull it back to balance too;

Considering the depth of water in the moats and pits made by breaking earth, you hold on to the reins and handle the speed of the sturdy and fleet-footed horse;

Carrying a quiver on your back, you sit atop the chariot, and making your hand scarred by the taut string of the bow, you shower arrows;

You also render rare and precious artefacts to supplicants, O King! This is why strong they are, those huge hands of yours that reach to your legs.

Whereas, other than eating rice mixed with cooked meat, which is prepared by roasting flesh-smelling raw meat in flower-smelling smoke, they know no other worrying business. And, so they are soft indeed, O lord, the hands of those who sing the praises of your broad chest that fills good women with yearning and appears as the immovable, vast earth to your enemies, O mighty one in the battlefield!”

Time to explore the etched details in this ancient song! The poet starts by bringing before our eyes, a murderous elephant in the midst of breaking the gates of a fort. An elephant is an element in nature and it would not be indulging in this task if it were not for humans.  And here, the person, who is making the elephant do this, is none other than the king being sung about. Specifically, the poet makes the spotlight fall on the hands of this king, which holds a golden goad, and propels the elephant forward and then pulls it back to make the animal move as per the king’s intentions. Just pause for a moment and imagine the strength of those hands that holds in its grasp the power of that pachyderm!

Next, the poet moves on to another scene in the battlefield and now, the same king is seen riding a horse. Yet again, as the king makes the horse leap over moats and pits, the poet lets the focus fall on the hands of his that holds the reins with controlled intensity.

We have seen the king on an elephant’s back and a horse back as well. Now is our turn to see him on a chariot, this time carrying a quiver, and as he pulls his bow, he makes a deep scar in his hand. But minding not these frivolities, continues to shower arrows on his enemies. 

The fourth and final action of the king’s hands is to render huge and rare artefacts to those who come seeking to him. Detailing all these dynamic actions of the king’s hands, the poet declares, that’s why the king’s hands were strong and rough. 

Then, he goes on to talk about how the only job of certain other hands seemed to be to relish finely cooked meat and rice without a care, and that’s why those hands were soft. To explain who these hands belong to, the poet mentions how the broad chest of the king makes women desire him and his enemies fear him and concludes by saying those soft hands belong to those who sing in praise of these attributes of the king!

Now is the time to delve into the context of the song. From these words, it’s clear the poet wishes to present the contrast in the hands of the Chera king and those of poets like himself. So, it can be inferred that the king observing the poet’s hands must have remarked about its soft and smooth texture. This should have lit the spark in this prolific poet’s mind to a pen a song on hands. All that a king’s hands do and all that poet’s hands do is vividly sketched. Still, there is a self-deprecating quality in the poet’s rendition of what his hands can do. The truth of the matter though is that a king’s power is in his hands but a poet’s power is in his mind. Just as the king’s hands are made rugged and strong with all that he has seen in the battlefield, the poet’s brain too would be filled with creases of creativity that no one can see. In the end, we all are given the same features and abilities. What differentiates is the thing that is put to use. For whatever is put to use, like the king’s hands in a battlefield, or the poet’s creativity in penning verses, that gains strength, although it may lose its youthful smoothness or naivety in the crucible of life’s harsh experiences!