Thirukkural – 233
There’s nothing eternal in this world,
except peerless fame.
ஒன்றா வுலகத் துயர்ந்த புகழல்லாற்
பொன்றாது நிற்பதொன் றில்.
Old Tamil Poetry
Translations of Tamil Poetic works that span 2000 years
Archive for the month “June, 2016”
Kundalakesi – 2
Sick men don’t bother about medicine’s taste;
warmth seekers don’t bother about fire’s smoke.
Wise men won’t consider lapses in my words as lapses,
when I praise the one who overcame all three poisons.
நோய்க்குற்ற மாந்தர் மருந்தின்சுவை நோக்க கில்லார்
தீக்குற்ற காத லுடையார்புகைத் தீமை யோரார்
போய்க்குற்றமூன்று மறுத்தான்புகழ் கூறு வேற்கென்
வாய்க்குற்றசொல்லின் வழுவும்வழு வல்ல வன்றே.
Kundalakesi is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. Three of these are Jainism based (Seevaka Sinthamani, Silappathikaaram, Valayaapathi) and two are Buddishm based (Manimekalai and Kundalakesi). Kundalakesi is estimated to have been written before 5th Century AD. Only 19 of the 99 verses of Kundalakesi are available today.
It is about Kundalakesi, daughter of a rich merchant in Puhar, who falls in love with a thief Kaalan about to be beheaded. Her father pleads with the King and saves Kaalan from death. After marriage one day she playfully calls him thief. Enraged by this , he plans to kill her and takes her to a mountain peak to push her down. When he tells this to her, she requests him to let her go around him three times as worship before being killed. He agrees. She goes behind him and pushes him down , killing him. Then she repents and becomes a Buddhist monk. She defeats Jain and Hindu scholars in theological debates.
In this poem, the poet says “see the content and forgive any mistakes in my form. Like how sick men don’t bother about the taste of medicine or those who seek warmth don’t bother about smoke from fire, those who want to learn the teachings of Buddha will overlook any mistakes I make”.
“One who overcame all three poisons” refers to Buddha. In Buddhism, three poisons – desire, hatred, ignorance or greed, anger, foolishness (காமம், வெகுளி, மயக்கம்) – are considered root of all human misery.
Valaiyaapathi – 3
You adore the dark hued, glossy, flower decked,
beautified tresses of women, my heart!
Beautified tresses and shaped hair buns
will burn in funeral pyres one day, my heart!
Though you’ve seen them burn in funeral pyres
why do you still hanker after them, my heart!
நீல நிறத்தனவாய் நெய்கனிந்து போதவிழ்ந்து
கோலம் குயின்ற குழல்வாழி நெஞ்சே
கோலங் குயின்ற குழலுங் கொழுஞ் சிகையுங்
காலக் கனலெரியின் வேம்வாழி நெஞ்சே
காலக் கனலெரியின் வேவன கண்டாலுஞ்
சால மயங்குவ தென்வாழி நெஞ்சே.
Valaiyaapathi, written in 9th Century AD is one of the five great epics in Tamil Literature. Only 72 verses of Valaiyaapathi are available now and from these it is difficult to ascertain the story of the epic. Based on the content of these verses, it has been concluded that this a Tamil Jain literature. Tamil Nadu had dominant Jain presence for nearly thousand years from 4th Century BC to 8th Century AD. It declined with the revival of Shaivism in 8th C AD.
This verse talks about temporary nature of worldly pleasures. Jain monks naturally advocated an ascetic lifestyle.
Kurunthokai – 18
Her friend says:
O’ Lord from the hills, where bamboo stalks
fence trees that have jackfruits growing in roots,
find an auspicious time to marry her soon;
who else knows her plight?
Like a small twig in which a huge fruit hangs,
her life is tenuous, but her love, immense!
தோழி கூற்று:
வேரல் வேலி வேர்கோட் பலவின்
சார னாட செவ்வியை யாகுமதி
யாரஃ தறிந்திசி னோரே சாரற்
சிறுகோட்டுப் பெரும்பழந் தூங்கி யாங்கிவள்
உயிர்தவச் சிறிது காமமோ பெரிதே!
This is another of Kapilar’s marvellous poems. After their usual tryst at night, he starts to go to his town. Her friend stops him and advices him that this nightly visits cannot continue forever. He has to marry her soon. Let’s first look at the last four lines of the poem. “Please find an auspicious time and marry her soon. Other than you, no one knows her plight. The passion she has for you is immense. Her life cannot carry such a burden for long.” The simile she uses is a huge ripening jack fruit hanging on a small twig. The twig cannot bear the fruit’s weight and the fruit may fall anytime and burst open, of use to no one. Similarly her passion is weighing on her life and she can’t bear it for ever. So marry her soon.
Jackfruit tree in my ancestral house. Fruits in both branches and roots.
Now to the first two lines. Her friend describes his hills as where jackfruits grow in roots underground. They are in no danger of falling down and bursting open. She implies “you don’t understand the plight of your lover. Jackfruits in your country are safe from falling down and are fenced with bamboo stalks so are in no danger of being stolen. But your lover’s status is like a huge jackfruit hanging in a branch, visible to all. It may either fall down or be stolen away. So act fast”
The last line ”இவள் உயிர் தவச் சிறிது, காமமோ பெரிது” portrays the burden of love beautifully. It is one of the most beautiful phrases ever in Tamil. Translating that is a tough ask. I have settled on “her life is tenuous but her love, immense”.
Also while describing the simile Kapilar uses “சாரல் சிறுகோட்டுப் பெரும்பழம்” which literally is “Huge fruits in small twigs in (trees that grow in) mountain slopes”. I wasn’t able to bring the slopes within the structure of the poem. Hence I have skipped it.
Kambaramayanam – 6443
As He – who’s so distant that even Brahma can’t find – laughed,
wise Prahaladan who’d proclaimed, “I’ll find and show Him”,
danced; sobbed; sang excitedly; raised hands over his head;
fell at His feet; ran around, stomped the earth and jumped.
“நாடி நான் தருவென் “ என்ற நல் அறிவாளன், நாளும்
தேடி நான்முகனும் காணாச் சேயவன் சிரித்தலோடும்,
ஆடினான்; அழுதான்; பாடி அரற்றினான்; சிரத்தில் செங்கை
சூடினான்; தொழுதான்; ஓடி உலகெலாம் துகைத்தான், துள்ளி.
As Narasimha (half man, half lion) appeared in the pillar Hiranyan broke, Prahaladan was overtaken by excitement. He ran around, danced, sobbed, and jumped up and down.
Narasimha slaying Hiranyan. Prahaladan is at left hand bottom corner. At Belur, Karnataka.
This is a sculpture of Narasimha slaying Hiranyan, in Belur Temple (Karnataka). You can see Prahaladan praying at the left hand side bottom corner.
Naanmanik Kadigai – 19
If husband is upset, his doe eyed wife is rattled;
if a scholar is upset, his learning is rattled;
if the ruled are upset, ruler is rattled;
if harp strings are upset, song is rattled.
பெற்றான் அதிர்ப்பின், பிணை அன்னாள்தான் அதிர்க்கும்;
கற்றான் அதிர்ப்பின், பொருள் அதிர்க்கும்; பற்றிய
மண் அதிர்ப்பின், மன்னவன் கோல் அதிர்க்கும்;
பண் அதிர்ப்பின், பாடல் அதிர்ந்துவிடும்.
Naanmanik Kadigai, is a collection of 101 poems written by Vilambi Naganar. This collection is considered to have been written at the same time as Silappathikaaram, around 2nd Century AD. All poems in this collection are advisory in nature. They contain 4 phrases connected by a common underlying meaning. Hence the name Naan (four) mani (gem) kadigai (fragment). Their meaning is direct and easily understood.
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An Introduction… on Puranaanooru – 192 Terrence on Kambaramayanam – 619 adityacholan on Kurunthokai – 133 Chockalingam S on Thirumurai 11.007.01 hari on Thirukkural 572
Old Tamil Poetry 