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In this episode, we understand a unique quality of a soldier, as depicted in Sangam literary work, Puranaanooru 309, penned by the poet Madurai Ilankanni Kosikanaar. Set in the category of ‘Thumbai Thinai’ or ‘Battle of two kings’, the verse presents striking similes to capture the essence of a personality.
இரும்பு முகம் சிதைய நூறி, ஒன்னார்
இருஞ் சமம் கடத்தல் ஏனோர்க்கும் எளிதே;
நல் அரா உறையும் புற்றம் போலவும்,
கொல் ஏறு திரிதரு மன்றம் போலவும்,
மாற்று அருந் துப்பின் மாற்றோர், ‘பாசறை
உளன்’ என வெரூஉம் ஓர் ஒளி
வலன் உயர் நெடு வேல் என்னை கண்ணதுவே.
A verse that attempts to answer the question, ‘How is your lord different from all the others?’. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“Blunting the edges of their iron weapons, fighting and conquering enemies in the huge battlefield is easy for others too; Akin to a termite mound where a cobra resides, akin to the ground where a killer bull grazes, his encampment too is pointed out by enemies with unceasing strength, who then tremble saying ‘He is in there’. Such a light resides only in the eyes of my lord with his tall and upraised spear!”
Let’s delve into the details. The poet declares that it’s easy enough for anyone to fight valorously and conquer their enemies, breaking and blunting their weapons in the process. When it comes to the lord being sung about, when enemies hear about his arrival to the war camp, immediately they start trembling just the way anyone would, knowing a cobra resides in a mound nearby or that a murderous bull roams in the grounds around. Such a halo of greatness can be found only around my lord with his uplifted spear, the poet concludes.
The most striking element in this verse is the matter-of-fact comparison of this warrior to a snake. Even a bull we can understand having heard this epithet used to describe young men of those times. But the way the Sangam poets equate the presence of this lord to a snake’s presence in a mound informs us that they regarded all animals the same. This we know because there is a rule in Sangam literature that similes employed to depict the protagonist must be of noble and worthy nature. In an indirect way, we can appreciate this quality of Sangam folks to see all life as being equal!
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