Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we perceive a process of careful selection, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 289, penned by the poet Kazhaathalaiyaar. Set in an unidentified category, the verse sketches the mindset of a leader before a battle.
ஈரச் செவ்வி உதவினஆயினும்,
பல் எருத்துள்ளும் நல் எருது நோக்கி,
வீறு வீறு ஆயும் உழவன் போல,
பீடு பெறு தொல் குடிப் பாடு பல தாங்கிய
மூதிலாளருள்ளும், காதலின்
தனக்கு முகந்து ஏந்திய பசும் பொன் மண்டை,
‘இவற்கு ஈக!’ என்னும்; அதுவும் அன்றிசினே;
கேட்டியோ வாழி பாண! பாசறை,
‘பூக் கோள் இன்று’ என்று அறையும்
மடி வாய்த் தண்ணுமை இழிசினன் குரலே?
A fascinating song that talks about allotment of roles. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“Even though the wet season is of great help, among the many bulls he has, the farmer analyses from different angles and chooses a fine bull to plough. Akin to that, among the many men from different ancient and proud warrior clans with many radiant traits, taking the golden bowl that was given to him, the leader would say with affection, ‘Give it to that person’. No surprise there! Listen, may you live long, O bard! In the encampment, proclaiming ‘wear your flowers now’ resounds the voice of the drummer on his curved-mouth ‘thannumai’!”
Let’s explore the nuances here. The poet starts talking about a farmer’s situation. It’s the time of rains and so things are going quite positively for this farmer. Still, he spends a lot time analysing the pros and cons to choose a particular bull to plough the land, from the many bulls he has. This is to say any bull would have done the work well since the mud was wet and the weather was on the side of the farmer. But he’s taking no chances. He studies each of his bulls and chooses the best one for the task before him. In the exact same manner, although all his warriors come from ancient and renowned clans and they have admirable traits, the leader would take his own special golden bowl of toddy and grant it to a specific person. After describing this act of the leader, the poet concludes by saying to the bard that there’s nothing surprising about this, for right at that moment, the war drum was echoing aloud the words, ‘Soldiers, wear your flowers!’.
Though it may sound rather funny to hear ‘flowers’ and ‘soldiers’ in the same breath, to these ancient Tamils, asking soldiers to wear flowers was a war cry. As we have seen in the different categories of Puranaanooru songs, be it ‘Karanthai’, ‘Vetchi’ or ‘Thumbai’, each of these words refer to a flower and possibly soldiers wore these flowers as their insignia during the battles. In a recent Puranaanooru verse, we saw how a mother was mentioning that her son was given the bowl above all others and this verse reveals the exact meaning of that act. It’s a way for the leader to show a soldier a special preference and thereby instilling in them the spirit to give their all to the battle that’s about to commence. The way the poet places a farmer’s analysis of his bulls and this leader’s preference among his warriors in parallel etches the importance of thoughtful choices, a lesson no less relevant to the managers of corporations and ministers of countries today!
Share your thoughts...