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In this episode, we perceive the contrasting elements in a king’s personality, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 170, penned about the Velir King Pittankotran by the poet Uraiyoor Maruthuvan Thaamotharanaar. Set in the category of ‘Vaagai Thinai’ or ‘Victory’, the verse conveys a sharp message to the king’s enemies.
மரை பிரித்து உண்ட நெல்லி வேலி,
பரலுடை முன்றில், அம் குடிச் சீறூர்,
எல் அடிப்படுத்த கல்லாக் காட்சி
வில் உழுது உண்மார் நாப்பண், ஒல்லென,
இழி பிறப்பாளன் கருங் கை சிவப்ப,
வலி துரந்து சிலைக்கும் வன் கண் கடுந் துடி
புலி துஞ்சு நெடு வரைக் குடிஞையோடு இரட்டும்
மலை கெழு நாடன், கூர்வேல் பிட்டன்,
குறுகல் ஓம்புமின், தெவ்விர்! அவனே
சிறு கண் யானை வெண் கோடு பயந்த
ஒளி திகழ் முத்தம் விறலியர்க்கு ஈத்து,
நார் பிழிக் கொண்ட வெங் கள் தேறல்
பண் அமை நல் யாழ்ப் பாண் கடும்பு அருத்தி,
நசைவர்க்கு மென்மை அல்லது, பகைவர்க்கு
இரும்பு பயன் படுக்கும் கருங் கைக் கொல்லன்
விசைத்து எறி கூடமொடு பொரூஉம்
உலைக் கல் அன்ன, வல்லாளன்னே.
Further depth to the king’s character, we delve into, in this verse. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“In the beautiful small town fenced by gooseberry trees, the tree’s fruits are eaten by mountain goats and seeds these animals spit out look like pebbles in the front yard of homes. Here, hunting all day, they, who are not educated, earn their living with the bow as their plough. Amidst them, with a resounding sound, making his black arms redden, a denizen of the foothills forgetting his pain, beats on the hard skin of the ‘thudi’ drum in the tall mountains, where the tiger sleeps. The drumbeats fuse with owl hoots in the mountain country of the lord of sharp spears, Pittan!
Enemies, do not underestimate him! He can shower shining pearls born in the white tusks of small-eyed elephants to dancing maiden and provide well-filtered nectar of white toddy to bards, who compose tunes and play on fine lutes. To those who love him, he’s soft indeed. But to his enemies, he’s hard and strong like the anvil that the iron-wielding, dark-armed blacksmith beats his hard hammer upon!”
Time to explore the nuances here. The poet starts by describing a small town which is surrounded by gooseberry trees. Mountain goats living here seem to favour these gooseberry fruits and they eat the fruits and carefully spit out the seeds at the core, and these seeds look like pebbles in the entrance of homes in that village, the poet describes. From the place, he turns to the people there and talks about hunters, whom he describes as uneducated, implying that there was education and literacy for most others and this seems like an exception being mentioned. He establishes that they are not farmers by talking about how they have only their bow in the place of a plough to win their daily meal. Next, the poet turns to describe a person whom most scholars have been quick to interpret as ‘low-born’ because of the word ‘இழி பிறப்பாளன்’. However, I disagree with them and find myself accepting a different opinion of few other scholars. The word ‘Izhi’ in this phrase has been used repeatedly in Sangam Literature to denote the coming down of a waterfall from a mountain peak to the plains down. I choose to see these people as those who migrated from the mountains to the foothills!
Returning to the verse, the poet talks about this foothills person as beating on a drum with his dark arms, and that throbbing sound syncs with the hoots of an owl and resounds all across the mountain country belonging to King Pittan, the poet connects. Now, the poet advises the enemies not to make the mistake of thinking less of this king. Yes, he may seem so soft and gentle to those who shower their love on him like the dancing maiden and bards, whom he in turn delights by giving gifts of elephant pearls and choicest toddy, the poet mentions. He then concludes with a ‘however’ clause, talking about how the king would appear so hard and unrelenting as an anvil, which bears the brunt of a heavy hammer wielded by an iron-worker, to his enemies!
‘Soft as a patron and hard as an anvil’ seems to be the one-liner about this king! While we have seen this same contrast mentioned about many other kings, what’s new here is the simile about iron-working, and this tells us that Sangam folks were quite at ease with the iron industry of the ancient age. A fascinating song that gifts us with insights about the lives of a hunter, a drummer and an ironsmith, packaged seamlessly in the praise of a Sangam king!
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