When he was asked why he didn’t do so, this poem was his answer. You can either read this poem as surrendering to the inevitability of life or as a proclamation of independence from man made boundaries. This poem is that of a global citizen, who doesn’t reduce himself to an identity. Every person we interact with is our kin (like Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, whole world is one family). Good and evil in our lives occurs not because of others, they come by themselves. (This can also be read as Good and evil are inherent in us, and not dependent on external factors). Dying isn’t something new, it has been happening since ages. So we do not rejoice that life is blissful. At the same time we aren’t bitter about life being a misery. Wise men have already written down that our lives, though precious to us, follow their predetermined course. Just like rafts following the course of a great river that flows noisily over rocks after a downpour from the skies. Life happens on its own with hardly any control by the individual. So we do not wonder at those who are superior to us. Neither do we scorn those who are inferior to us. It is with trepidation that I set out to translate this poem. AK Ramanujan’s translation of this poem is well known and well received. However I differ from AKR on the following points.ġ. ‘Rafts drifting in the rapids of a great river’ is good imagery. However the original poem says rafts following the course of the river, not drifting. Literal meaning of those lines in the original is ‘Rain drops from lightning streaked skies fall down and gush over the rocks noisily and flow as a mighty river.Ī friend pointed out that rafts don’t drift in rapids but are hurtled forward. Like a raft following the course of the river, our precious lives too follow a predetermined course’. Here the river is equated to fate and our lives to rafts. So rafts follow the course of the river, they do not drift.Ģ. He translates திறவோர் காட்சி as ‘vision of men who see’. and Avvai Duraisami Pillai interpret it as “நன்மைக் கூறுபாடு அறிவோர் கூறிய நூல்” literally “books of those who know good and evil”. I have decided to go by their commentaries.ģ. So I have followed U.Ve.Saa.’s commentary and used disgust.Ĥ. He skips the word அதனினும் – ‘more than that’ in the last line. “We do not look at the mighty people with wonder. He said: Ovvoru iṭattaiyum cērntavarkaḷ eṉṟa uṇarvu eṅkaḷukku irukkiṟatu, ellōrum nam'muṭaiyavarkaḷ More importantly, we do not scorn those who are lower than us”.In his 16 minutes 50 seconds speech at the UNGA, PM Narendra Modi invoked Tamil Poet Kaniyan Pungundranar. The quote when translated in English means 'we have a sense of belonging to every place and everyone is our own'. "3000 years ago, a great poet of India, Kaniyan Pungundranar wrote in Tamil the most ancient language of the world "Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelirwhich means 'We belong to all places, and to everyone'.
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