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In this episode, we perceive a portrait of a king’s fury, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 100, penned about the Velir King Athiyamaan Nedumaan Anji, by the poet Avvaiyaar. Set in the category of ‘Vaagai Thinai’ or ‘King’s victory’, the verse brings alive a momentous day in the life of this king.
கையது வேலே; காலன புனை கழல்;
மெய்யது வியரே; மிடற்றது பசும் புண்;
வட்கர் போகிய வளர் இளம் போந்தை
உச்சிக் கொண்ட ஊசி வெண் தோட்டு,
வெட்சி மா மலர், வேங்கையொடு விரைஇ,
சுரி இரும் பித்தை பொலியச் சூடி,
வரிவயம் பொருத வயக் களிறு போல,
இன்னும் மாறாது சினனே; அன்னோ!
உய்ந்தனர் அல்லர், இவன் உடற்றியோரே;
செறுவர் நோக்கிய கண், தன்
சிறுவனை நோக்கியும், சிவப்பு ஆனாவே.
A song filled with intricate details about King Athiyamaan. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“A spear in his hands; Warrior anklets on his feet; Sweat on his skin; Fresh wounds on the neck; As a tribute for vanquishing his enemies, he wears needle-like white shoots from the top of a young palm tree tied together with jungle flame and kino flowers, adorning the locks of his curly, dark hair. Akin to a strong elephant that has just battled with a tiger, his anger changes not. Alas! Those who roused his enmity are sure not to have survived, for the eyes that looked at those enemies, even after looking at his young son now, blaze red!”
Time to explore the nuances here. The poet starts painting with her words, bringing before our eyes, a tall spear in the king’s hands and then, warrior anklets on his feet. Next, she zooms on to the perspiration on his skin – an odd thing to talk about, isn’t it? Not so much, when you consider the context of this song, as we will see in a short while. This account of his sweaty skin, the poet follows up by pointing to wounds that are still fresh on his neck. From these distressing details, she moves to the garland of flowers the king wears around his curly hair. About the head garland, we hear the poet saying it’s a mark of the king’s victory over his enemies and it includes freshly plucked young shoots from the top of a palm tree along with ‘vetchi’ flowers, which go by many common names including ‘West Indian Jasmine’ and ‘Jungle flame’. There’s another flower too in this garland and that’s the ‘Vengai’ or ‘Indian Kino tree’ flowers.
After that pixel by pixel delivery of the king’s appearance, she moves on to his countenance and tells us how like the state of an elephant that has fought with a tiger, his anger show no signs of abating. The poet concludes with the thought that his enemies are to be pitied indeed, because even after he has left the battlefield, and is now looking at his newborn son, his eyes still continue to glow with the redness of his wrath! A moment to step back and understand the context herein. It seems to have been the custom of Tamil kings to arrive in their battle attire when they appear before their firstborn sons. Perhaps wanting to imprint an image of bravery, as they saw it, in the mind of the prince.
Let’s take another look at the king’s countenance with the knowledge we have gained from the present. In a stressful situation, science says adrenaline rushes through our bodies. What does it cause? Increased blood flow, leading to sweat and dilated pupils, making the eyes look red. I also read that it takes more than an hour for that adrenaline to subside. And, considering those fresh wounds, sweat and red eyes, it’s clear the king has just stepped out of the battlefield to be with his newborn.
Now, let’s turn to another interesting detail revealed because of this song. We saw in an earlier verse how this poet praises the youth and courage of this king’s son Pokuttu Ezhini. That prince must have been at least a sixteen or seventeen years old to make the hearts of girls flutter so and command armies entire. Can we conclude that the friendship between this poet and this king extended for so many years, more than decades, because of interval between these two events? She has seen the birth of that son and his growth into a strapping young man. It makes me wonder whether she was like an affectionate aunt to the boy. Curious how a song on unceasing fury becomes a piece of evidence for an unending friendship between this illustrious female poet from the Sangam era and a king who ruled the land!
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