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In this episode, we listen to words of encouragement relayed to warriors before a battle, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 287, penned by the poet Saathanthaiyaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Karanthai Thinai’ or ‘Recapturing’ and conveys the dangers and the glory that awaits in a battlefield.
துடி எறியும் புலைய!
எறி கோல் கொள்ளும் இழிசின!
கால மாரியின் அம்பு தைப்பினும்,
வயல் கெண்டையின் வேல் பிறழினும்,
பொலம் புனை ஓடை அண்ணல் யானை
இலங்கு வாள் மருப்பின் நுதி மடுத்து ஊன்றினும்,
ஓடல் செல்லாப் பீடு உடையாளர்
நெடுநீர்ப் பொய்கைப் பிறழிய வாளை
நெல்லுடை நெடுநகர்க் கூட்டு முதல் புரளும்,
தண்ணடை பெறுதல் யாவது? படினே,
மாசில் மகளிர் மன்றல் நன்றும்
உயர்நிலை உலகத்து நுகர்ப, அதனால்
வம்ப வேந்தன் தானை
இம்பர் நின்றும் காண்டிரோ, வரவே.
An elaborate song that gives insight into the thought processes of kings and soldiers at the prospect of facing a war. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“O drummer, who strikes the ‘thudi’ drum, O drummer, who holds the drumming stick! Even if arrows shower upon them like rain clouds, even if spears leap like carp fish in fields, even if esteemed elephants wearing etched golden ornaments, pierce with their shining white tusks or trample with their feet, those who have the pride of never running away may obtain fertile farmlands, where scabbard fish leap from deep water ponds and twirl in the courtyard of grain-stocked mansions, but what is the use in that? For if they perish, they shall unite and delight with impeccable women in the higher world. And so, stand here and watch the approach of the enemy king’s army!”
Let’s explore the details here. The poet starts by addressing drummers who call soldiers to battle. Perhaps it’s these drummers who convey the king’s message to those assembled warriors. The poet describes probable events in the battle with colourful similes. He compares the shower of enemy arrows to rain that falls from monsoon clouds, and then talks about spears pouncing by placing them in parallel to carp fish that jump high above the fields. Next he moves on to elephants decorated with golden ornaments on their face, reminding one of elephants in Kerala during Dasara celebrations. The poet continues saying even if those elephants pierce with their sharp and shining tusks or step on with their huge feet, those warriors who have the esteem and pride to never flee from the battlefield will surely be honoured with rich farmlands, where fish would jump out of the ponds and twirl in the front yard of huge mansion stocked with mounds of paddy. This graphic image is to illustrate the fertility of those lands as if saying you needn’t even go fishing, for the fish would land on your doorstep on its own!
Returning to the verse, we see the poet continuing his words saying however alluring that gift of farmlands may be, that’s not what those soldiers yearn for. All they wish for is an honourable death, one that would ensure they marry heavenly maiden with flawless qualities and live in joy for ever, the poet adds, and concludes bidding everyone to watch the army of the enemy king approach and the battle that is to follow.
A verse that offers succinct details about the propaganda used to attract young men to fight for a leader’s cause. If a soldiers fights merely for the reward of property, he might want to save his life foremost but so as to ensure that these young men fight with no thought about worldly possessions, a life of pleasure and joy in the higher world is promised instead. This is precisely the ‘fiction’ created to make disparate people work together for a common cause, as detailed by Yuval Noah Harari in his book ‘Sapiens’. To preserve its life through survival and further the line through reproduction is the basic instinct of an animal and humans are no exception to this fundamental tenet. However, employing the tool of tales promising a greater life in the beyond, human beings are pressed to act against this impulse. It’s the same theory employed to this day when people in their prime are asked to fight and give their life for country, religion or belief. Learning to see through such propaganda in all spheres of life is one thing that would light the path to the higher evolution of humankind.
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