Post No. 14,741
Date uploaded in London – 8 July 2025
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Who are you ? A Pandya King asked Mrs Kannaki 1800 years ago.
Who are you ? A Pandya King asked the Miracle Boy Saint Gnana Sambandar 1400 years ago.
Both introduced themselves beautifully. Before going into their answers, let me put the same question today to my Tamil friend.
His answers would include,
My uncle is a ruling party MLA. My father was a police office clerk; now my mother works for the chairman of the town. My elder brother has just passed IAS and waiting for his post. Most probably he would be appointed as collector of our district.
The person who asked the question would be in a great dilemma to believe it or not.
Kannaki, wife of executed husband Kovalan, answered the king , glorifying her choza country. Sambandar also glorified his birth place Sirkazi inside Choza Country.
Both believed that past history is better than today’s history.
Here is what they said
From Tamil Epic Silappadikaram
Valakkurai katai (Chapter of Reporting a case )
Translated by Prof V R Ramachandra Dikshitar
“The gate keeper reported to the king,
Someone waits at the gate. She appears to be filled with resentment. She seems to swell with rage. She has lost her husband. She has in her hand an anklet of gold, and she waits at the gate.
The king said,
Let her come; bring her here.
Kannaki enters.
O lady with the tear stained face! who are you? my young lady. What has brough you here before us
She replied,
Inconsiderate king!
I have something to say. I am a native of much celebrated Pukar, one of whose kings of untarnished glory once allayed the suffering of a dove to the wonderment of gods, and another sacrificed at his chariot wheel his dear and only son, grieved at the sight of a cow whose eyes were filled with pearl like tears and who rang the bell at the palace gate for justice. From that city Kovalan, the son of the merchant Masattuvan , belonging to a reputed and exalted family of faultless name , driven by fate, entered your city. O,king with tinkling anklets, to earn his livelihood, when he was murdered by you while out to sell my anklet. I am his wife. My name is Kannaki.”
The king replied,
“Divine lady. It is not injustice to put a thief to death. Know that it is kingly justice.”
The lustrous lady retorted
“O lord of Korkai
You have fallen from your righteous course. My golden anklets contain gems inside.”
The king said,
“O lady! what you have said is well said. Our anklet contains pearls inside. Give it here. It was given and placed before him. Kannaki then broke open her beautiful anklet, and gems flew into king’s face.
When he saw that gem, the king with his umbrella falling and his sceptre faltering said,
“Am I a ruler- I who have listened to the words of a goldsmith; it is I who am the thief. The protection of the subjects of the southern kingdom has failed in my hands for the first time. Let me depart from this life”.
Speaking thus the king fell down in a swoon and his great queen collapsed and shuddered saying,
“It is impossible for woman to replace the loss f a husband. Worshipping both his feet, she fell down. Poor woman !”
Silappadikaram was written by Tamil poet Ilango around second century CE.
My comments
Chozas were not Tamil kings; they came from North West India , where the Sibi ruled. Sibi is not the name of the king. It is the name of the tribe according to Panini of Seventh century BCE.
The story of Sibi Chakrvarthy is in Sangam Poems Pura Nanuru verses 37, 39 and in many inscriptions. The story of Manu Neethi Choza is also repeated many times. We have his statues at Tiruvarur and Madras High Court. Chozas were ardent Hindus who built hundreds of temples for Lord Shiva.
Later Pandyas put to death 1000 goldsmiths to avenge the injustice according to the epic.
Dravidians don’t touch this epic because of innumerable references to the temples and Hindu Gods. There is a beautiful praise for Jainism in the epic.
Now let us look at Sambandar’s answer to the question Who are you?
To be continued…………..
—Subham—
Tags- Silappadikaram, Kannaki, Who are you, Self Introduction, Tamil Literature
Tamil and Vedas 