Puranaanooru 136 – Suffering and salvation

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யாழ்ப் பத்தர்ப் புறம் கடுப்ப
இழை வலந்த பல் துன்னத்து
இடைப் புரை பற்றி, பிணி விடாஅ
ஈர்க் குழாத்தோடு இறை கூர்ந்த
பேஎன் பகை என ஒன்று என்கோ?

உண்ணாமையின் ஊன் வாடி,
தெண் நீரின் கண் மல்கி,
கசிவுற்ற என் பல் கிளையொடு
பசி அலைக்கும் பகை ஒன்று என்கோ?

அன்ன தன்மையும் அறிந்து ஈயார்,
‘நின்னது தா’ என, நிலை தளர,
மரம் பிறங்கிய நளிச் சிலம்பில்,
குரங்கு அன்ன புன் குறுங் கூளியர்
பரந்து அலைக்கும் பகை ஒன்று என்கோ?

‘ஆஅங்கு, எனைப் பகையும் அறியுநன் ஆய்’
எனக் கருதி, பெயர் ஏத்தி,
வாய் ஆர நின் இசை நம்பி,
சுடர் சுட்ட சுரத்து ஏறி,
இவண் வந்த பெரு நசையேம்;

‘எமக்கு ஈவோர் பிறர்க்கு ஈவோர்;
பிறர்க்கு ஈவோர் தமக்கு ஈப’ என,
அனைத்து உரைத்தனன் யான் ஆக,
நினக்கு ஒத்தது நீ நாடி,
நல்கினை விடுமதி, பரிசில்! அல்கலும்,
தண் புனல் வாயில் துறையூர் முன்துறை
நுண் பல மணலினும் ஏத்தி,
உண்குவம், பெரும! நீ நல்கிய வளனே.

It’s the same king being celebrated but by a different poet from the region of Thuraiyoor, a town in the delta of River Cauvery. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:

“Akin to the underside of a lute, with many threads hanging loose are my clothes. Hanging on to the stitches in between, without letting go, with plentiful little eggs, live lice herein. Am I to call these lice my enemy?

Without eating, letting their flesh fade, with clear tears welling in their eyes, are my worn-out kin. Am to call that tormenting hunger my enemy?

Not knowing this state of mine, they demand ‘give all that you have’ – Those bandits who hide, akin to monkeys, in the dense trees of cool mountain slopes! Am I to call these bandits, who bring suffering and ruin, as my enemy?

Saying ,’The only one who truly knows all our enemies is Aay’, praising your name, believing in the fame of yours, heard by word of mouth, climbing in the drylands burnt by heat, I arrived here, with much desire.

I say unto you, ‘Those who give unto us give unto others; Those who give unto others give unto themselves’. Whatever you think is right, render unto me. Every day, praising you much more than the fine sands in the cool river mouth of Thuraiyoor harbour, I shall relish the wealth you grant me!”

Let us delve into the words of the verse. The poet starts by zooming on to the little beings living in the stitches of his well-worn and patched-up clothes, the lice, to bring to fore, the impoverished state of his existence. He wonders if this should be called his enemy. He then moves on to the emaciated state of his kith and kin, without food, suffering with sunken eyes and wonders if hunger, the cause of all this, is his actual enemy? As if this were not enough, not even understanding how downtrodden they were, the robbers hiding on trees like monkeys demand anything and everything he has, the poet adds and wonders if these robbers were his true enemy. Then deciding the only one who would understand their state and the trauma caused by these many enemies was King Aay, hearing about his generosity, he has come there, the poet details. He then mentions some pithy lines about how giving unto the poor like him, is giving unto others, which in truth is giving unto oneself, for the positive benefits it showers upon the one who endows. The poet says that he has said what he wanted to, and it was up to the king to grant what was needed to slay these enemies of his life. And when the king does indeed shower that wealth, he would be praised more than the sands at the river mouths of their town, the poet concludes! On one side of this verse, is a portrait of immense suffering and in spite of such negative events, the poet has great faith in the generosity of the king to end that very suffering. Despair and trust echo aloud in equal measure in this verse!