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In this episode, we perceive people’s astonishment in a series of events, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 217, penned about the Chozha king Koperunchozhan and the poet Pisiraanthaiyaar by the poet Poththiyaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Pothuviyal Thinai’ or ‘Common Themes’ and talks about the helplessness experienced after the demise of a king.
நினைக்கும் காலை மருட்கை உடைத்தே,
எனைப் பெருஞ் சிறப்பினோடு ஈங்கு இது துணிதல்;
அதனினும் மருட்கை உடைத்தே, பிறன் நாட்டுத்
தோற்றம் சான்ற சான்றோன் போற்றி,
இசை மரபு ஆக, நட்புக் கந்து ஆக,
இனையது ஓர் காலை ஈங்கு வருதல்;
‘வருவன்’ என்ற கோனது பெருமையும்,
அது பழுது இன்றி வந்தவன் அறிவும்,
வியத்தொறும் வியத்தொறும் வியப்பு இறந்தன்றே;
அதனால், தன் கோல் இயங்காத் தேயத்து உறையும்
சான்றோன் நெஞ்சுறப் பெற்ற தொன்று இசை
அன்னோனை இழந்த இவ் உலகம்
என் ஆவதுகொல்? அளியது தானே!
In an earlier song, we saw how the Poet Pisiraanthaiyaar had celebrated the friendship between the Chozha king Koperunchozhan and this Poet Poththiyaar. Now, it’s the turn of Poet Poththiyaar to be stunned by the friendship of this famous duo. In the two preceding songs, we saw how the king declared that the Poet Pisiraanthaiyaar would indeed come to his side as he prepared to part away. As expected by the king, the poet Pisiraanthaiyaar arrives there. Seeing this, the poet Poththiyaar says these words:
“Whenever it’s thought about, it makes one astonished; That is having the greatness of heart to dare to do this now and here; But there’s something that’s even more astonishing, and that is for him to praise a scholar, who resides in another country, with fame as the tradition and friendship as the pillar, and for that scholar to arrive here one morning. The greatness of the king who said ‘He would come’ and the wisdom of the one who came without falsifying those words is an awe-inspiring wonder of wonders. And so, what will become of this world which has lost such a person of fame, who reigns in the heart of a scholar, who happens to come from a land where the king’s sceptre does not reach and rule! The world is to be pitied indeed!”
Let’s delve into the words of this verse. The poet starts by talking about the awe-inspiring turn of events. First, he remarks on the decision of the king to give up his life by fasting unto death rather than fight his own sons and says this is a rare instance of courage and determination. But something else is even more astonishing, and that is, the nature of that king to celebrate a poet who lived in another’s king domain, and united only by friendship, for that poet to appear there then. The poet Poththiyaar considers it a miraculous thing for the king to have declared his friend would come and for that friend to appear there, failing not the king’s trust in him. After narrating these events, the poet turns to look at the state of this world that has lost such a great human being, a king who had inspired love and respect in the heart of a scholar, who lived in a land where his sceptre controlled not. How can this world ever recover from this loss, the poet wonders in an emotion of dejection.
If Poet Pisiranthaiyaar was from the Chozha country, one could say that he owed respect to his king and it’s no wonder he felt such love and affection for his king. But the fact that this poet came from another king’s domain and owed no allegiance to this Chozha king by custom, and yet developed that deep feeling of friendship echoes aloud the greatness of this Chozha king, implies the poet. It’s no easy friendship that has been groomed by power and communication but one that grew at great odds, separated by distance and domain, we understand. A verse that offers an observer’s view of the magnificence in that sequence of events, which sketches the depth of trust in a king and the fulfilment of that trust by his friend!
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