Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 15,616
Date uploaded in London –13 April 2026
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
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tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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Purananuru Wonders -20 Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia -Part 60; One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 60
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Item 450 Notable similes
Two similes are notable in Puram verse 54.
“He gives to everybody who comes to him,
without limits and without stopping, shaming the generosity of clouds”,
King’s generosity is compared to rainy clouds. This is a common simile in Tamil and Sanskrit. The meaning is that both did not expect anything in return.
Another simile is
“are like a whistling goat herder who wears
soiled clothes and a dirty garland, who is unable to go near a vast place where a tiger lives, with his goats with small heads”
Enemy kings are like small headed goats; our king Kothai is like a tiger.
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Item 451 Whistling
Another interesting thing about the cowherd or goatherd. When the day comes to an end they whistle to bring back all the goats into the shed. They use the dogs to round up the goats and sheep to drive them back into the shed. Even Scottish shepherds whistle to do this. It is strange that all over the world they whistle using their mouth to do this.
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Item 452 Appearance
The description of the goat herd or shepherd is notable. In other poems in the Sangam literature, they add the word Kallaa- uneducated, illiterate–.to cowherders. Even Andal in Tiruppavai repeated that. So we know they never go to school for basic education; there may be one or two exceptions. Here the poet says,
“like a whistling goat herder who wears
soiled clothes and a dirty garland”.
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Item 453 No Visa Entry
In the ancient India, poets and saints did not have any restriction or hurdle in entering a palace or an assembly. They never needed a visa to enter another country or territory. This can be seen in all the Puranas. They simply inform the gatekeeper and immediately the king comes to the gate to receive them or give them immediate audience. Here also the bard or the poet makes it clear.
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Puranānūru 54, Poet Kōnāttu Erichalūr Mādalan Mathurai Kumaranār sang for Cheraman Kuttuvan Kōthai,
In the ancient, uproarious town where my king is, those
like me can enter his great day assembly with our heads
held high! It is easy for those like me to approach him.
Not just that. He gives to everybody who comes to him,
without limits and without stopping, shaming the generosity
of clouds, Kōthai with charitable hands and fast horses.
The mighty kings who have risen up against our lord with
great strength, are like a whistling goat herder who wears
soiled clothes and a dirty garland, who is unable to go near a
vast place where a tiger lives, with his goats with small heads.
His country is not approachable by enemy kings.
Notes: This is the only poem written for this king. He was a contemporary of Chozhan Ilavanthikai Palli Thunjiya Nalankilli and Chozhan Kurāpalli Thunjiya Perunthirumāvalavan. This poet wrote Puranānūru poems 54, 61, 167, 180, 197 and 394.
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Vaidehi Herbert’s translation is used, thanks.
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புறநானூறு 54, பாடியவர்: கோனாட்டு எறிச்சலூர் மாடலன் மதுரைக் குமரனார், பாடப்பட்டோன்: சேரமான் குட்டுவன் கோதை
1
எங்கோன் இருந்த கம்பலை மூதூர்
உடையோர் போல இடையின்று குறுகிச்,
செம்மல் நாள் அவை அண்ணாந்து புகுதல்
எம்மன வாழ்க்கை இரவலர்க்கு எளிதே,
இரவலர்க்கு எண்மை அல்லது புரவு எதிர்ந்து, 5
2
வானம் நாண, வரையாது சென்றோர்க்கு
ஆனாது ஈயும் கவிகை வண்மைக்
கடுமான் கோதை துப்பு எதிர்ந்து எழுந்த
நெடுமொழி மன்னர் நினைக்குங் காலைப்,
3
பாசிலைத் தொடுத்த உவலைக் கண்ணி 10
மாசுண் உடுக்கை மடிவாய் இடையன்,
4
சிறுதலை ஆயமொடு குறுகல் செல்லாப்
புலி துஞ்சு வியன் புலத்து அற்றே,
வலி துஞ்சு தடக்கை அவனுடை நாடே.
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Item 454
“O Māran donning a flower garland! You are like the god
with a blue throat, a glowing eye, and a crescent moon
on his head, who used the soaring mountain as a large bow,
and a snake as a string, and with one arrow ruined three forts and brought victory to the celestials”.
Lord Shiva destroyed three hanging castles in the sky occupied by three demons. This anecdote is in the ancient Puranas and all the devotional songs sung by Saivite as well as Vaishnavite saints, Naayanmaars and Aalvaars.
Though Sangam literature mentioned Lord Shiva in many other places, this specific story is more important ; many Puranic stories reached common man in Tamil Nadu 2000 years ago!
Let us look at the story/anecdote:
Story of Tripurantaka murti- Tripuraantaka—is connected to puranas. Siva killed three demons and reduced their magic cities to ashes. During this campaign the earth served Siva as a chariot and the sun and the moon as wheels. The four Vedas were the four horses and the Upanishads were the guiding reins; the mythic golden mountain Meru was the bow, the ocean was the quiver and god Vishnu was the arrow.
Images of Tripurantaka were made with right leg firmly placed on the pedestal and the left leg bent. The right forehand is in the simha karna posture holds the arrow and the left fore arm, the bow. The other hands hold the tanka or axe and the deer respectively. His locks are arranged in the form of a jatamakuta and the goddess Gauri stands on the left side.
In the chariot, at its front, is seated the four faced brahma and below him is a white bull.
- The Demons: Tarakasura’s sons—Taarakaksha, Kamalaksha, and Vidyumaali—performed severe penance to Lord Brahma to gain immense power.
- The Three Cities (Tripura): Brahma granted them three invincible, flying cities that could only be destroyed by a single arrow when they aligned, which happened once in a thousand years. The Asuras had three cities: the lowest was of iron, then there was one of silver, then one of gold
- Symbolism: Shiva destroyed the cities with a single, flaming arrow. The story symbolizes Shiva’s role in destroying the three inner impurities—ignorance, ego, and negativity.
Shiva is often depicted as the “laughing” destroyer (Tripurantaka), holding a bow, and sometimes, in some versions, the cities were destroyed by a mere smile.
My interpretation
Hindus thought of creating even space stations thousands of years before the modern space stations of Russia and America. Moreover Siva must have burnt them in a second with his laser sword. And the metals used to build them are also important. If one has to burn them one needs immense heat that can be generated with lasers. Siva did this by lauging is recited throughout Tevaram songs.
Tripura Antaka Statues are in famous temples like Madurai and Chidambaram. An image of tripurantaka murti in the thousand pillared hall of Madurai temple shows an actual figure of Vishnu on the arrow held by Siva.
This is seen in many archaeological monuments too
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Item 455 Four fold Army
you own an army with these four divisions –
murderous elephants with fierce rage, proud swift horses,
tall chariots with rising flags, and foot soldiers with
Hindus invented the board game Chess and spread it throughout the world. We see the four- fold army there. It is in all our epics, inscriptions, Kalidas and other Sanskrit books. Being Pukka Hindu rulers, Tamils followed the same Six Seasons, Same Fourfold army, same Spy and Duta/ambassador system. (In my old articles I have given the relevant quotes)
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Item 456 Sun and Moon
Sun and Moon are compared with the qualities of a king in Raghuvamsam of Kalidasa and Manu smriti. Er see it here in the poem.
with bravery and manliness like the sun, coolness and
tenderness like the moon and charity like the sky,
Raghuvamsam of Kalidasa – 4-12 and many more poems.
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Item 457 Sand particles, rain drops
Greatness! May your life be long with more days than the number of sands
King is greeted to have long life and the years in his life span are compared to the number of raindrops or sand particles on a beach. This is repeated by many Sangam poets.
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Item 457 Lord Muruga/ Skanda in Tiruchendur
roll from the deep waters in Senthil where Murukan rules!
Lord Skanda/ Kartikeya (Murugan in Tamil) is the subject of another Sangam book Tirumurukatruppadai. Lord Muruga is worshipped by millions of Hindus even today in his Six Abodes known as Aru Padai Veedukal. Tiruchendur on the eastern sea shore is one of the six abodes and the poet Maruthan Ilanaakan refers to it .
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Puranānūru 55, Poet Mathurai Maruthan Ilanākanār sang to Pandiyan Ilavanthikaipalli Thunjiya Nanmāran
1
O Māran donning a flower garland! You are like the god
with a blue throat, a glowing eye, and a crescent moon
on his head, who used the soaring mountain as a large bow,
and a snake as a string, and with one arrow ruined three forts and brought victory to the celestials.
2
You are superior
to all the other kings!
Even though you own an army with these four divisions –
murderous elephants with fierce rage, proud swift horses,
tall chariots with rising flags, and foot soldiers with
strength in their hearts and desire for battles, esteemed
righteousness is the foremost cause for real victory. So,
not thinking that they are ‘ours’ and being unjust to favor
them, and not hurting others because they are ‘not ours’,
3
with bravery and manliness like the sun, coolness and
tenderness like the moon and charity like the sky,
possessing these three great virtues, may you live a long life,
so that there will not be people in need without anything!
4
Greatness! May your life be long with more days than the number
of sands brought and heaped by powerful winds, with deep scars,
on the lovely vast shores of the ocean where white-crested waves
5
roll from the deep waters in Senthil where Murukan rules!
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புறநானூறு 55, பாடியவர்: மதுரை மருதன் இளநாகனார், பாடப்பட்டோன்: பாண்டியன் இலவந்திகைப்பள்ளித் துஞ்சிய நன்மாறன்,
1
ஓங்கு மலைப் பெருவில் பாம்புஞாண் கொளீஇ,
ஒரு கணை கொண்டு மூவெயில் உடற்றிப்
பெரு விறல் அமரர்க்கு வெற்றி தந்த
கறை மிடற்று அண்ணல் காமர் சென்னிப்
பிறை நுதல் விளங்கும் ஒருகண் போல, 5
வேந்து மேம்பட்ட பூந்தார் மாற!
2
கடுஞ் சினத்த கொல் களிறும்; கதழ் பரிய கலி மாவும்,
நெடுங் கொடிய நிமிர் தேரும், நெஞ் சுடைய புகல் மறவரும், என
நான்குடன் மாண்ட தாயினும், மாண்ட
3
அறநெறி முதற்றே, அரசின் கொற்றம்; 10
அதனால், நமரெனக் கோல்கோ டாது,
‘பிறர்’ எனக் குணங் கொல்லாது,,
4
ஞாயிற் றன்ன வெந்திறல் ஆண்மையும்,
திங்கள் அன்ன தண்பெருஞ் சாயலும்,
வானத்து அன்ன வண்மையும், மூன்றும், 15
உடையை ஆகி, இல்லோர் கையற,
நீநீடு வாழிய நெடுந்தகை!
5
தாழ்நீர்!
வெண் தலைப் புணரி அலைக்கும் செந்தில்
நெடுவேள் நிலைஇய காமர் வியந்துறைக்
கடுவளி தொகுப்ப ஈண்டிய 20
6
வடுஆழ் எக்கர் மணலினும் பலவே!
–Subham—
Tags—Purananuru Wonders -20 ,Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia -Part 60, One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 60, Shiva story, destruction of 3 hanging cities, Tripurantaka story, goatherds, whistling, item
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