In this episode, we perceive the wishes in the heart of a supplicant, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 393, penned about the Chozha King Kulamuttrathu Thunjiya Killivalavan by the poet Nalliraiyanaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Paadaan Thinai’ or ‘Praise’ and etches, with striking similes, the present state of a person.

பதிமுதல் பழகாப் பழங்கண் வாழ்க்கைக்
குறு நெடுந் துணையொடு கூர்மை வீதலின்,
குடி முறை பாடி, ஒய்யென வருந்தி,
அடல் நசை மறந்த எம் குழிசி மலர்க்கும்
கடன் அறியாளர் பிற நாட்டு இன்மையின்,
‘வள்ளன்மையின் எம் வரைவோர் யார்?’ என,
உள்ளிய உள்ளமொடு உலை நசை துணையா,
உலகம் எல்லாம் ஒரு பாற் பட்டென,
மலர் தார் அண்ணல் நின் நல் இசை உள்ளி

ஈர்ங்கை மறந்த என் இரும் பேர் ஒக்கல்
கூர்ந்த எவ்வம் விட, கொழு நிணம் கிழிப்ப,
கோடைப் பருத்தி வீடு நிறை பெய்த
மூடைப் பண்டம் மிடை நிறைந்தன்ன,
வெண் நிண மூரி அருள, நாள் உற
ஈன்ற அரவின் நா உருக் கடுக்கும் என்
தொன்று படு சிதாஅர் துவர நீக்கி,
போது விரி பகன்றைப் புது மலர் அன்ன
அகன்று மடி கலிங்கம் உடீஇ, செல்வமும்,
கேடு இன்று நல்குமதி, பெரும! மாசு இல்
மதி புரை மாக் கிணை தெளிர்ப்ப ஒற்றி,
‘ஆடுமகள் அல்குல் ஒப்ப வாடி,
கோடை ஆயினும், கோடா ஒழுக்கத்துக்
காவிரி புரக்கும் நல் நாட்டுப் பொருந!
வாய் வாள் வளவன்! வாழ்க!’ எனப்
பீடு கெழு நோன் தாள் பாடுகம் பலவே.

All about the suffering of a supplicant in this verse of praise! The poet’s words can be translated as follows:

“From the beginning, unable to come to terms with this wretched life, my wife, who has been with me for long from a young age, and I suffered. Even as my sharpness declined, I kept singing in the courts of many kings, worrying deeply, to no avail. Since I found no one who knew their duties in any of these countries, who would make our pots, which had lost their wish to cook, to stand upright once again, I remained, wondering within, ‘Who could be that generous person, who can shower unto me?’. Then propelled by all this sorrow, I recollected your great fame that speaks about how all the world’s goodness has risen in one place in you, O garland-clad, esteemed king!

Ending the angst of my huge group of kith and kin, who have forgotten what it’s like to have moist hands, shredding pieces of fatty meat, akin to carded cotton stuffed to the full in sacks during summer, render unto us, white fatty meat. Removing my old and torn garment, akin to the split tongue of a snake, offer me, a wide and well-stitched attire, with the softness of a fully bloomed ‘pakandrai’ flower. Shower riches plenty, leaving nothing in want, O lord! Striking a flawless, huge drum, akin to the full moon, and making it resound, saying, ‘Even if it’s the summer, when everything shrinks, akin to a dancing maiden’s waist, with a tradition of never ceasing, the Kaveri flows in the good country of the lord, Valavan, with a victorious sword! May he live long!’, I shall sing praises many of your proud and mighty presence!”

Time to explore the details. The poet begins by talking about the sad life he had been leading with his wife for long because there was no one who realised their duty of giving to supplicants. He talks about how all their cooking pots were sitting upturned and empty, forgetting even the desire to cook. Even though he sang in the courts of many kings, no one was there to turn those pots upright, the poet adds. He seems to have been wondering who could end this state and then he recollects the greatness of this Chozha king. He arrives to his court, looks at the king and asks him for food in the form of fatty meat. The request is nothing new but where the poet shines is in placing that fluffy fat-filled meat to sacks filled with carded cotton in the summer months. This matter-of-fact reference tells us that the Sangam people were experts at cotton cultivation two thousand years ago. Next request from the poet is for the king to remove the stained garment he is wearing, and here too, he compares it to the forked tongue of snake, implying that it was torn in that manner. He asks for clothes as soft as the ‘rattlepod’ flowers. The last request is for wealth to the brim, so that the poet lacks nothing at all. Here’s someone who is clear about what he wants! Moving on, the poet talks about the fertile country of this King Valavan, where the River Kaveri never stops flowing, even if every other place has dried up and shrunk like a dancing maiden’s waist, and concludes by declaring that he shall always sing praises of the king and shower blessings upon his conquering sword. 

A verse that showcases the brilliance of Sangam poets in showing us the connectedness of all things. Their ability to see a sack of cotton in a food item, a snake in a garment, and a dancing maiden’s waist in a shrinking river is nothing short of spectacular. This no doubt arises from the deep attention they paid to all aspects of the world around them. Speaking of the dancing maiden, the verse made me remember the famous bronze statue of the ‘Dancing girl’, discovered in the excavation of Mohenjo-daro, one of the most impressive artefacts from the Indus Valley Civilisation. That intricate indent indicating the waist of this dancing girl that I saw in an image, made me imagine a sculptor from the Indus Valley and this poet from the Sangam age shaking hands and acknowledging their connection across the eras!