Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 16,390
Date uploaded in London – 10 November 2026
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
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Like a cobra/Snake that has heard thunder he trembled; Petrified with fear / Shocked to the core—used by Sangam Tamil Poets
Sangam Age poets used a phrase he was shocked like a snake that heard Thunder. But we don’t see ears on snakes. Sanskrit has over thirty names for snake in the world’s first thesaurus called Amarakosa. One of them is Cakṣuḥśravāḥ (चक्षुःश्रवस्): One who “hears” or perceives through its eyes-.
Tamils also translated it and used it as Katchevi=EyeEar.
In my early research article on snakes I said that they have night vision like the Infrared Night Vision Binoculars used by the army to se the enemies. They can see any warm blooded animals as red colour in utter darkness. I even argued that this was what the Sanskrit and Tamil poets called Nagaratna= Cobra Jewel. But latest research on snakes show that they can hear sound through the bones on its belly; further research showed that the can hear sound waves travelling through air like human beings.
Tamils poets in 2000 year old Sangam poems used it in at least 25 poems. Later poets like Kamban used it Ramayana and other works.
One example in Purananuru 17 is as follows
O King who rules Kudanādu! Your generosity
is without limits! Your royal drum roars like thunder that
causes the heads of snakes with venomous fangs to tremble!
Poems where we see such cliches are
Akananuru -182, 92, 8, 323, 202, 68, 274;
Purananuru -126, 17, 37, 58, 366;
Kuruntokai-158, 190, 268, 391;
Narrinai -37, 114, 129, 255, 51, 264, 373;
Pathrruppaththu -51/25;
Perumpanatruppadai etc
The latest research proved Tamils are right in using such cliché They described the enemies of Tamil kings trembled like snakes that heard thunder. Hindus used the Eye Ear for snakes for over 2000 years. It shoed that they knew Infrared Night Vision Binoculars. Now anyone can buy it in London and other countries and see night movements of people in complete darkness.
Here is the latest news about snake research:
CAN SNAKES HEAR SOUND?
Yes, snakes can hear sound, though they do it very differently than humans
How Snakes Hear
- No external ears: Snakes do not have outer ears, ear openings, or eardrums.
- Inner ear and jaw bones: They have an inner ear connected to a small bone in the jaw called the quadrate and a middle ear bone called the columella (similar to the human stapes).
- Two ways of sensing sound:
- Ground vibrations (Tactile/Seismic sensing): When sound travels through the ground, the snake picks up the tremors through its belly scales and jawbone, sending the signal straight to its inner ear.
- Airborne sounds: Recent research shows snakes can also hear sounds traveling through the air (such as human voices or screams). Airborne sound waves cause the snake’s head and skin to vibrate slightly, which the inner ear picks up.
What Sounds Can They Hear?
- Low frequencies only: Snakes mostly hear low-frequency sounds.
- Frequency range: They can typically detect frequencies roughly between 50 Hz and 1,000 Hz (compared to humans, who hear from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz).
- Human voices: Because the average human voice ranges from about 100 to 250 Hz, snakes can hear you speaking or shouting loudly nearby, even if it sounds muffled to them.
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Names of Snakes in the oldest Thesaurus in the world:
sarpaḥ pṛdākurbhujago bhujaṅgo ‘hirbhujaṅgamaḥ
āśīviṣo viṣadharaścakrī vyālaḥ sarīsṛpaḥ
kuṇḍalī gūḍhapāccakṣuḥśravāḥ kākodaraḥ phaṇī
darvīkaro dīrghapṛṣṭho dandaśūko bileśayaḥ
uragaḥ pannago bhogī jihmagaḥ pavanāśanaḥ
lelihāno dvirasano gokarṇaḥ kañcukī tathā
kumbhīnasaḥ phaṇadharo harirbhogadharastathā
Synonyms for Snake in the Amarakosha
- Sarpa (सर्प): One that creeps or crawls.
- Pṛdāku (प्रदाकु): A snake or tiger/leopard.
- Bhujaga (भुजग) / Bhujaṅga (भुजङ्ग) / Bhujaṅgama (भुजङ्गम): One who goes or moves (gaccha) by means of its chest/bends (bhuj).
- Ahi (अहि): A serpent (derived from a root meaning to move or wind).
- Āśīviṣa (आशीविष): One having poison (viṣa) in its fangs (āśī).
- Viṣadhara (विषधर): A bearer of poison.
- Cakrī (चक्रिन्): One that moves in coils or circles.
- Vyāla (व्याल): A fierce or wicked beast / snake.
- Sarīsṛpa (सरीसृप): A creeping or crawling animal.
- Kuṇḍalī (कुण्डलिन्): Coiled, wearing rings or circles.
- Gūḍhapāt (गूढपात्): One whose feet are hidden (footless).
- Cakṣuḥśravāḥ (चक्षुःश्रवस्): One who “hears” or perceives through its eyes.
- Kākodara (काकोदर): Having a hollow or curved belly (or black-bellied).
- Phaṇī (फणिन्) / Phaṇadhara (फणधर): Having or wearing a hood (phaṇa).
- Darvīkara (दर्वीकर): One that turns its hood like a ladle (darvī – i.e., a cobra).
- Dīrghapṛṣṭha (दीर्घपृष्ठ): Long-backed.
- Dandaśūka (दंशूक): One that bites aggressively or repeatedly.
- Bileśaya (बिलेशय): One that lies or sleeps in holes (bila) or burrows.
- Uraga (उरग): One that moves (ga) on its breast/chest (uras).
- Pannaga (पन्नग): One that goes without feet (pad).
- Bhogī (भोगिन्): One that possesses or moves in coils (bhoga).
- Jihmaga (जिह्मग): One that moves in a crooked or serpentine path.
- Pavanāśana (पवनाशन): One that feeds on air (a poetic trope for snakes living on minimal air).
- Lelihāna (लेलिहान): One that repeatedly licks (with its forked tongue).
- Dvijihva (द्विजिव्ह) / Dvirasana (द्विरसन): Double-tongued.
- Kañcukī (कञ्चुकिन): One that sheds its skin (kañcuka).
- Hari (हरि): (Also meaning green/yellow or a ray of light, used in specific contexts).
—Subham—
Tags- Snakes, Thunder, Sangam Poets, Cliches, tremble, Eye Ear, Infra-red night vision, Nagaratna, Cobra jewel, hearing
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