Purananuru (புறநானூறு)

Introduction: Literary classics abound in all languages of the word and it is indeed a pleasure to read them and appreciate how our ancestors viewed life and how every civilization differed from each other in viewing at the aims and pursuits of life in this world. The objective here is to present once a week, the best poem or sloka or verse or song I have read among the different literary works of the world. "யான் பெற்ற இன்பம் பெருக இவ்வையகம்" என்று திருமூலர் திருமந்திரத்தில் கூறியதுபோல, let everyone attain the bliss I have received in reading them.

If there is a work called 'Akananuru' in Sangam literature that deals with "internal matters" (அகத்திணை) like love (pre and post marital), there should be one anthology to deal with "external matters" (புறத்திணை). Yes there is, not one but quite a few. The most famous of them all is the Purananuru' (புறநானூறு), another anthology of 400 poems. One may ask why all these anthologies contain 400 poems invariably! Yes, for some strange reasons, Tamil anthologists preferred to restrict their collected poems to 400. Natrinai, Akananuru, Purananuru, Kurunthogai, Naaltiyar and Pazhamozhi Nanuru are some of the well known examples in Tamil literature.  In the northern tongue (Sanskrit and Prakriti), there is this tradition of compiling 700 poems (called "sathasai" / “சத்தசை”). Hala’s Sattasai, Bihari Sattasai, Vajjalaggam, Durga Saptasati are some examples. I will take some of these works at a later time for discussion.

பதினேழாம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்த ஆங்கில கவிஞர் சேக்ஸ்பியர் “Pericles” (II.3) என்ற தன்னுடைய படைப்பில் இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிடுகிறார்: “We are gentlemen that neither in our hearts nor outward eyes envy the great nor shall the low despise.” பதினெட்டாம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்த பஹாய் மதத்தை உறுவாக்கிய பஹாவுள்ளா தன்னுடைய பயானில் “The earth is but one Country, and mankind its Citizens.” (Gleanings from the writings of Baha’u’llah, CXVII) என்று எழுதுகிறார். இதைப்போலவே, 16-ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழ்ந்த கன்னட கவிஞர் சர்வஜ்னமூர்த்தியும் தன்னுடைய ஒரு வசனத்தில் “All are my relatives, of every street and town” என்று முழக்கமிடுகிறார். இவ்விரு கருத்துகளையும் சுமார் 2,000 ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே நம் தமிழகத்தில் தோன்றிய கணியன் பூங்குன்றன் என்ற புலவர் “யாதும் ஊரே; யாவரும் கேளிர்” என்று தொடங்கும் 192-ஆவது புறநானூறு பாடலில் எடுத்துறைக்கிறார். “யாதும் ஊரே; யாவரும் கேளிர்” என்று தமிழில் உள்ளது போலத்தான் கன்னட மொழியிலும் சர்வஜ்ன “ஊரெல்ல நெண்டரு கேரியெல்லவூ பளக” (ಊರೆಲ್ಲ ನೆಂಟರು, ಕೇರಿಯೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಬಳಗ) என்று சொல்லுகிறார்.

Needless to say this is one of the most impressive of all Purananuru poems, as far as I am concerned.

யாதும் ஊரே; யாவரும் கேளிர்;
தீதும் நன்றும் பிறர்தர வாரா;
நோதலும் தணிதலும் அவற்றோ ரன்ன;
சாதலும் புதுவது அன்றே; வாழ்தல்
இனிதுஎன மகிழ்ந்தன்றும் இலமே; முனிவின்,
இன்னா தென்றலும் இலமே; ‘மின்னொடு
வானம் தண்துளி தலைஇ, ஆனாது
கல்பொருது இரங்கும் மல்லற் பேர்யாற்று
நீர்வழிப் படூஉம் புணைபோல, ஆருயிர்
முறைவழிப் படூஉம்’ என்பது திறவோர்
காட்சியின் தெளிந்தனம் ஆகலின், மாட்சியின்
பெரியோரை வியத்தலும் இலமே;
சிறியோரை இகழ்தல் அதனினும் இலமே.

Every town is our town. Everyone is our kin.

Failure and prosperity do not come to us because of others!

Nor do suffering and end of suffering.

There is nothing new in death.

Thinking that living is sweet, we do not rejoice in it.

Even less do we say that life is miserable if times of crisis!

Through the vision of those who have understood life,

We know that life, with its hardship, makes its way like a raft

Riding the water of a huge and powerful river roaring

Without pause as it breaks against rocks because the clouds

Crowded with bolts of lightning pour down their drops of rain,

And so we are not amazed at those who are great,

Even less do we despise the weak!

(Purananuru, 192) (Translators: G.L. Hart & H. Heifetz) (Slightly modified)

The next Purananuru poem I take for a discussion is the song number 369 which has an interesting series of similes to compare the scenes in a battlefield to natural phenomena of thunder and rain. In Indian poetry, it is not uncommon to see herds of elephants being compared to rainclouds and a shower of arrows to rain. We see this, for instance, in Valmiki Ramayana: “Behold the great black clouds like to battling elephants leaping and rolling in heaven” and also “Rendering himself invisible, he rose high in the air and showered arrows like rain until Rama and Lakshmana, who were grievously wounded, fell down and pretended to be dead” (Valmiki Ramayana, CHAPTER XXVI). Not only Valmiki, but also Kalidasa employs these similes, befittingly in his work on ‘seasons’ Ritusamhara.

The season of rains has come my dear,

With all the pomp and panoply of a king,

The dark clouds are his war-elephants,

Lightnings his royal flags,

And thunders his ratting drums.

(Ritusamhara, II: 1 – Translator: A.N. Kapoor)

In the following Puranānūru poem, poet Paranār takes this comparison a stage beyond the natural heavenly events to the earthly activities during monsoon. He compares the some of the events in the battlefield with activities in the agricultural field (போர்க்களமும் ஏர்க்களமும்). So this practice of comparing the battlefield scenes to monsoon is at least as old as Valmiki times. Perhaps Valmiki set the precedence if we are to assume that Paranar was aware of Valmiki’s composition.

இருப்புமுகம் செறிந்த ஏந்தொழில் மருப்பின்,
கருங்கை யானை கொண்மூவாக,
நீண்மொழி மறவர் எறிவனர் உயர்த்த
வாள்மின் நாக, வயங்குடிப்பு அமைந்த
குருதிப் பலிய முரசுமுழக் காக,
அரசராப் பனிக்கும் அணங்குறு பொழுதின்,
வெவ் விசைப் புரவி வீசுவளி யாக,
விசைப்புறு வல்வில் வீங்குநாண் உகைத்த
கணைத்துளி பொழிந்த கண்ணகன் கிடக்கை,
ஈரச் செறுவயின் தேர்ஏ ராக,
விடியல் புக்கு, நெடிய நீட்டி, நின்
செருப்படை மிளிர்ந்த திருத்துறு பைஞ்சால்.
பிடித்தெறி வெள்வேல் கணையமொடு வித்தி,

விழுத்தலை சாய்த்த வெருவரு பைங்கூழ்ப்,
பேய்மகள் பற்றிய பிணம்பிறங்கு பல்போர்பு,

Paranar:

The elephants with their dark trunks and their handsome tusks

raised on high tipped with iron are the clouds.

The swords of warriors who swore oaths as they flourished them

            for the attack form the lightning.

The royal drums that received a sacrifice of blood

are with their glowing drumsticks the thunder

that makes those snakes, the enemy kings,

tremble and feel deep anguish.

The fast horses are the driving wind on the wide field

where arrows shower like rain

released by the mighty strings of the strong, swift bows.

On the drenched battlefield, chariots are the plows.

In the long and fresh furrows scored

and then turned over by your weapons of battle ….

White spears and clubs that were seized and hurled have been planted.

And terrible new crop, with the handsome heads bending low,

            has been the many towering stacks of corpses

            with female ghouls crowding around them.

(Purananuru, 369: Translators – George Hart and Hank Heifetz)

Paranar here compares the elephants in a battlefield to rainclouds, shining swords like lightening, sounds of battle drums to thunder, horses to wind, arrows shower like rain, fast moving chariots to ploughs, spears that hit the ground to seeds and human corpses to crops after harvest!

Movement of elephant herds do resemble moving clouds, as this image from the African continent show.
Photo from Andy's "Timeless Africa" gallery. Image Courtesy and Copyright © Andy Biggs.

Reproduced below are three poems from medieval Indian literature in other languages. The 19^th century Hindi poet Gwal of Mathura employs a different set of natural phenomena to compare with the battlefield:

The gathering of the army is like the stars in the sky.

A number of battalions move like storms.

The black uniforms of soldiers are like dense clouds.

Thundering shouts are heard like the roaring of clouds.

(Sankalit, 2: Translator – J.P. Srivastava)

The twelfth century poet Kallol of Rajasthan, for a change, compares the rainy season to the events in the battlefield in Apabhramsha language:

The array of advancing clouds is like an invading army;

The play of lighting, the glint of swords;

And the rain-drops strike one like piecing arrows;

In this season of the rains, o my beloved husband,

How could I possibly live without you?

(Dhola Maru ra Duha, 4: Translator – Kesri Singh)

Bharateshwar Bahubali Rasa, a Jaina work in Gujarati of the 12^th century A.D., is considered to be one of the earliest compositions in Western Indian language. It has a long poem which has vivid descriptions of various aspects war. The similes are scattered across different stanzas:

Armour-clad, excellently-bred elephants looked like moving mountains

Who were swinging their mace-like trunks to and fro,

And trumpeting loudly, they were rocking their bodies. (I.21)

Those horses were walking about here and there like a hooded cobra

And were making puffing and hissing sounds with their nostrils.

Those bright, agile, spirited Tatari horses fairly resembled the horses of the sun-god. (I.25)

A profound darkness created by the dust raised by the trampling hooves of horses

Spread everywhere like a canopy of clouds.

The king’s army made its progress onward in the light of their flashing weapons. (I.37)

புறநானூற்றில் எனக்கு பிடித்த மற்றுமொரு பாடல் “நரம்பு எழுந்து“ என்று தொடங்கும் நச்செள்ளையார் எழுதிய 278-ஆவது பாடல். In Thirukkural we see Thiruvalluvar saying “A woman rejoices at the birth of a son, but even more when he is praised” (ஈன்ற பொழுதின் பெரிதவக்கும் தன்மகனைச் சான்றோன் எனக்கேட்ட தாய், குறள் 69). Here we see poet Nachelliyar narrating an incident when a mother rejoices at the death of her son in the battle. Of course elsewhere in Thirukkural, Valluvar talks about the death of soldier would bring tears from the eyes of the ruler: “If death lies in glory that draws tears from the ruler, it is worth seeking even in alms” (புரந்தார்கண் நீர்மல்கச் சாகிற்பின் சாக்காடு இரந்துகோள் தக்கது உடைத்து, குறள் 780). Let us now see the poem from Purananuru:

“நரம்புஎழுந்து உலறிய நிரம்பா மென்தோள்
முளரி மருங்கின், முதியோள் சிறுவன்
படைஅழிந்து மாறினன்” என்று பலர் கூற,
“மண்டுஅமர்க்கு உடைந்தனன் ஆயின், உண்டஎன்
முலைஅறுத் திடுவென், யான்’ எனச் சினைஇக்,
கொண்ட வாளடு படுபிணம் பெயராச்,
செங்களம் துழவுவோள், சிதைந்துவே றாகிய
படுமகன் கிடக்கை காணூஉ,
ஈன்ற ஞான்றினும் பெரிதுஉவந் தனளே! (278)

When she heard the many voices saying,

            “That aged woman with dry, veined arms where the soft flesh hangs down,

                        she whose belly is wrinkled like a lotus leaf –

                        her son was afraid of the enemy army

                        and he showed them his back and ran!”,

            Then rage overcame her and she said,

            “If he fled in the furious battle, I will cut off the breast at which he sucked!”

            And she snatched up the sword and she turned over every body

                        lying there on the blood-soaked field.

            And when she found her son who was scattered in pieces,

                        she felt happier than she had been the day she bore him.

(Purananuru 278, Translators: G.L. Hart & H. Heifetz)

The fourth poem I would like to quote here deals with captive elephants and horses. Poet Moolangkizhar (ஆவூர் மூலங்கிழார்) makes an extraordinary reference to the anguish of captive bound horses and elephants in the Pandya King Keeranjaathan’s kingdom. 
 

கந்துமுனிந்து உயிர்க்கும்யானையொடு,பணைமுனிந்து,
கால்இயற் புரவி ஆலும் ஆங்கண்,
மணல்மலி முற்றம் புக்க சான்றோர்
உண்ணார் ஆயினும், தன்னொடு சூளுற்று
உண்மென இரக்கும் பெரும்பெயர்ச் சாத்தன்

ஈண்டோர் இன்சா யலனே ;

Cāttan whose fame ranges far is a man of dulcet benevolence,

For he has vowed that he will never eat if ever his urgings cannot persuade men

To do once they have entered his courtyard with its expanses

Where elephants sigh because they hate being tied to posts,

Where horses swift as the wind neigh with their hatred of stables!

(Purananuru, 178) (Translators: G.L. Hart & H. Heifetz)

The fifth and last poem I would like highlight here is a short four-liner in Purananuru, perhaps the easiest of all the poems to memorize. In chapter 74 on “Land”, Valluvar says “Unfailing harvests, learned men and honest traders constitute a country” (தள்ளா விளையுளும் தக்காரும் தாழ்விலாச் செல்வரும் சேர்வது நாடு, குறள் 731). A Hebrew proverb says "The place honours not the man; it is the man who honours the place". So also a proverb from Greece "The people make the town".  This idea is conveyed brilliantly in the following Purananuru poem attributed to Avvaiyar (ஔவையார்). A land is valued, she says, based on the quality of people who live there, and not whether it is a valley or a mountain, forest or cultivated land.

நாடா கொன்றோ ; காடா கொன்றோ;
அவலா கொன்றோ ; மிசையா கொன்றோ;
எவ்வழி நல்லவர் ஆடவர்,
அவ்வழி நல்லை ; வாழிய நிலனே!

O Land!
You may be a flourishing kingdom or a wild jungle:
You may be a hollow depression, or a high table-land:
These matter not.
Wherever men are good, there you are good:
So, long may you live, O Land.
(Purananuru 187) [Translator: P.N. Appuswamy]

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