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In this episode, we relish the rich imagery and intricate narration about people and places, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 200, penned to the Velir King Vichiko by the prolific poet Kabilar. Set in the category of ‘Paadaan Thinai’ or ‘Praise’, the verse puts forth a unique request to this king.
பனி வரை நிவந்த பாசிலைப் பலவின்
கனி கவர்ந்து உண்ட கரு விரல் கடுவன்
செம் முக மந்தியொடு சிறந்து, சேண் விளங்கி,
மழை மிசை அறியா மால் வரை அடுக்கத்து,
கழை மிசைத் துஞ்சும் கல்லக வெற்ப!
நிணம் தின்று செருக்கிய நெருப்புத் தலை நெடு வேல்,
களம் கொண்டு கனலும் கடுங்கண் யானை,
விளங்கு மணிக் கொடும் பூண், விச்சிக்கோவே!
இவரே, பூத் தலை அறாஅப் புனை கொடி முல்லை
நாத் தழும்பு இருப்பப் பாடாதுஆயினும்,
‘கறங்கு மணி நெடுந் தேர் கொள்க!’ எனக் கொடுத்த
பரந்து ஓங்கு சிறப்பின் பாரி மகளிர்;
யானே, பரிசிலன், மன்னும் அந்தணன்; நீயே,
வரிசையில் வணக்கும் வாள் மேம்படுநன்;
நினக்கு யான் கொடுப்பக் கொண்மதி சினப் போர்
அடங்கா மன்னரை அடக்கும்
மடங்கா விளையுள் நாடு கிழவோயே!
Another song that echoes aloud the praise of not just another king but truly the talent of this nature poet Kabilar. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“From a tall, green-leaved jackfruit tree on the cool mountain, a black-pawed male monkey steals a fruit and eats it along with its red-faced mate in the famous hill, whose peak even rain clouds reach not, on whose slopes, soaring stalks of bamboo sleep. Such is your mountain country, O lord!
Having fire-headed, proud and tall spears that has feasted on flesh, harsh-eyed elephants that roar in fury in the battlefield and curved ornaments glowing with gems, thou art, O Vichiko!
As for them, they are the daughters of Paari, whose fame spreads far and wide. The king, who, upon seeing a ‘mullai’ vine, which is unchangingly decked with flowers on its head, even though it cannot lift its tongue and sing his praises, said to it, ‘Take this tall chariot resounding with bells’ and rendered his grace.
As for me, I’m a supplicant and a scholar; As for you, you are one who wields your sword in the rightful manner. Please render me the gift of accepting this gift that I render unto you, O leader of a nation with an unceasing harvest, the lord who subdues unyielding kings in the raging battlefield!”
Time to look deeply into the lines of this verse. Making us wonder if we have entered the domain of a verse from the ‘Aham’ or ‘Inner life’ Sangam works such as Natrinai or Kurunthogai, the poet opens this Puranaanooru verse with his characteristic description of a cool mountain country, where tall jackfruit trees are in bloom. Taking us here, the poet points to the black paws of a male monkey, and there, we see a fruit from the jackfruit tree being cut open and relished by the monkey, not on its own, in the style of a bachelor life, but along with its red-faced mate, the poet clarifies. The poet further talks about how the heights of this peak cannot even be reached by rain clouds and also describes how all along the mountain slopes, bamboos seem to be resting. We have been taken on this scenic tour just to see the mountain country of King Vichiko, the poet reveals.
After this description of the king’s domain, the poet turns to talk about the wealth and valour of the king, mentioning how the king possesses an army of spears, whose edges are shaped like fire, and whose tips have tasted flesh in battles many. From the sight of these weapons, the poet turns to the sound of roaring elephants owned by this king, rushing in fury in the battlefield. Then, he describes how the king is clad in well-etched ornaments decked with precious gems, an indicator of the riches he controls.
Once the king has been celebrated thus, the poet then talks about his companions. They are two young girls and he informs the king that they are the offspring of that famous king, who upon seeing a wild jasmine vine, decided to give away his chariot to it, even though the vine had not the ability to sing the king’s praises like a poet. Such was the compassion and grace of that king known by the name ‘Paari’, the poet illustrates.
Then, the poet describes himself as someone who has come seeking a gift from this king. In addition to that quality, he denotes himself by the term ‘Anthanan’. In contemporary Tamil, this term is used to indicate people of certain community. In line with the thought of many present-day scholars, who have said that the Sangam term ‘Kuravar’ used to describe people of the mountain country does not denote the contemporary people with that same name, I believe that this term ‘Anthanan’ too is not a marker of any caste or community, but simply the fact that this poet was a scholar – a knowledgeable person, respected for his wisdom. From that elevated stance, the poet seeks the gift he wishes from this king, whom he further describes as one who always fights in the rightful way of the warrior, who has the power to subdue enemies many, and whose country is filled with fertility. That gift this poet seeks from this king is for the king to accept and marry the daughters of King Paari. And, this is the very thought, the poet conceals as a metaphor in the opening image of a black-pawed monkey delighting in eating that jackfruit along with its desirable mate.
While this request of a poet asking a king to marry another king’s daughters might sound bizarre to modern ears, the context of the situation was that King Paari was tragically killed and it was this poet Kabilar, a great friend of Paari, who took on the role of seeking the right match for the girls, in that sorrowful time of loss. Did the king Vichiko grant the poet’s request for this specific gift? A question we will have to hold on to, and hope for an answer in the successive verses. Whether or not the poet received the gift he requested, he has given us, his descendants, this fragrant gift – a bouquet of poetry, which transports us to another world, another time!
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