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In this episode, we listen to the attributes of a valorous leader, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 314, penned by the poet Aiyoor Mudavanaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Vaagai Thinai’ or ‘Victory’ and paints a portrait of a striking personality.
மனைக்கு விளக்கு ஆகிய வாணுதல் கணவன்,
முனைக்கு வரம்பு ஆகிய வென் வேல் நெடுந் தகை,
நடுகல் பிறங்கிய உவல் இடு பறந்தலை,
புன் காழ் நெல்லி வன் புலச் சீறூர்க்
குடியும் மன்னும் தானே; கொடி எடுத்து
நிறை அழிந்து எழுதரு தானைக்குச்
சிறையும் தானே தன் இறை விழுமுறினே.
A list of noble qualities in this one! The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“He is the husband of the woman with a bright forehead, who is like a lamp unto the home, and a great leader with a white spear, who guards his army in the battlefield; He comes from a small drylands town with small-seeded gooseberries, in whose pebble-filled, wide spaces, stands memorial stones many; He is one, who would raise his flag, and become a blocking dam unto the soaring enemy army that brims over, if he perceives danger for his king!”
Let’s delve into the details. To describe a person, the poet curiously starts by calling him the husband of a radiant woman, who is a light in her home. Apparently, it was Sangam custom to praise a man’s wife when talking about his glories. Continuing, the poet talks about how the man renders protection in the battlefield and then moves on to sketch the place this person comes from, calling it a small town in a harsh land, where gooseberry trees with small seeds abound, and more importantly, numerous hero stones are to be found. This is to tell us the man’s town is known for the valorous warriors who come from there and the weight of a great legacy that rests on this leader’s shoulders. Finally, the poet talks about how the man defends his king by rising like a dam, when a flood of the enemy army soars against that king. To put it in a nutshell, this is an ode to a hero, who is a husband, warrior, heir and defender!
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