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In this episode, we take in furious intentions that unfold in the battlefield, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 300, penned by the poet Arisil Kizhaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Thumbai Thinai’ or ‘Battle of two kings’ and sketches the passion of a soldier in his search for an enemy.
‘தோல் தா; தோல் தா’ என்றி; தோலொடு
துறுகல் மறையினும் உய்குவை போலாய்;
நெருநல் எல்லை நீ எறிந்தோன் தம்பி,
அகல் பெய் குன்றியின் சுழலும் கண்ணன்,
பேர் ஊர் அட்ட கள்ளிற்கு
ஓர் இல் கோயில் தேருமால் நின்னே.
A verse throbbing with emotions from start to end. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“You are shouting, ‘Bring me my shield! Bring me my shield!’. Even if you hide behind a boulder with your shield, it’s unlikely you will survive. The younger brother of the man you killed at the end of the day yesterday, with eyes rolling like red ‘kundri’ seeds in a wide bowl, is hunting for you, with the same fervour of searching for a fine bowl of toddy brewed in a great town, inside a house.”
Time to delve into the nuances. The poet speaks in the voice of a person addressing a soldier preparing to leave for the battlefield. This soldier seems to have been ordering around his helpers asking that his shield be brought to him. Seeing this, the poet remarks to this soldier, ‘Even if you put up a boulder in front of your shield and defend, you cannot escape from someone’. Who could that formidable someone be? The poet reveals that this is the younger brother of the man killed in the battlefield by this soldier the previous day, and he goes on to describe how that man’s eyes are rolling, red and furious, like the crab’s eye seeds in a wide bowl. Scary indeed to imagine those blood-red eyes! From his appearance, the poet moves on to the action of that red-eyed man, saying he’s out there searching for the soldier who killed his elder brother, just the way a person who loves drink would search for a perfect bowl of toddy brewed in a famous town, said to be somewhere inside the expanse of a house!
The passion for toddy in these Sangam folks is evident from the use of this unique simile. Made me think of what we would search with fervour these days – Misplaced car keys, mobile phones and maybe wallets! But there, it seems to be a bowl of toddy! Returning from these amused musings, we see the core theme here is the passion brewing in the mind of a man to avenge the death of his brother, and possibly has a lot to do with honour and pride. It’s these elements of the ego that have kept wars going on, from two thousand years ago till today. Isn’t it time we emerged as humans from these primitive emotions that differentiate as ‘us’ and ‘them’ so as to carve a better world?
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