(pukazhchOzha nAyanAr purANam - Periyapuranam as English poetry)

 
 
        "I am a servitor of Pukazhcchozhar who passed away 
        At Karur girt with gardens." 
         
                        - The Tiru-th-Tonda-th-Tokai. 
 
1.     The glorious and generous Chola Tamil monarchs 
    Imprinted on the crest of the Himavant their signum 
    Of the tiger-banner; abiding under the white-rayed 
    And moon-like parasol, they sweetly fostered the vast earth; 
    Uraiyoor, the great hoary city--verily the abode of all 
    The multitudinous pulchritudes of the world--, 
    Was of the Chola realm.                        (3942) 
 
2.     In that beautiful city of great and endless glory 
    The pencil of rays like unto those of the young sun’s, 
    Issuing from beatuous gems chased away the murk 
    Of night; at the sides of the streets stood rows 
    Of effulgent mansions from whose tops flags wafted, 
    Touching the celestial river.                    (3943) 
 
3.     This peerless and bountiful realm was the abode 
    Of all bhogas of well-being of not only this world 
    But also the worlds above and beneath it; 
    It was also rich in many goods pilled up sky-high 
    In its endless sea-like commercial streets.            (3944) 
 
4.     From the fierce and martial elephants poured down 
    The musty ichor which drenched the earth; 
    Their trumpeting rumbled through the cool sky; 
    Indistinguishable were the clouds that came near 
    Unto them where they were tethered in rows, 
    Looking like similar herds and endowed with the ichor 
    Of dripping rain and the flashy 
    Forehead-vestment of lightning.                    (3945) 
 
5.     Their bells tinkled and they neighed aloud pridefully; 
    The foam at the mouths of the rows of grass-eating 
    And radiant steeds was like unto the foam 
    At the tip of the (serried) waves; their bright saddles 
    Were like clouds resting on hills; their stables 
    Were vast as the (excavated) sea.                (3946) 
 

                                                           
 
 
6.     It looked as though that the flowery moat that girt 
    The fortess there, was like the sorrowing sea of milk 
    Which was bent upon repossessing at least one of its 
    Treasures--the tusker Airaavatam with a hollow proboscis, 
    Ucchaisravas the king of steeds, Lakshmi- 
    The Goddess of Wealth churned out of nectar, the tree Karpaka 
    And the Chintaamani--, wrenched from it y the celestials.    (3947) 

7.     It is well-nigh impossible to describe the foison 
    Of Uranthai whose radiant glory pervades 
    The whole world; the city abounded in cloud-capped 
    Towers, gardens reaching the sun and the moon, 
    Beautiful streets where cars plied, flawless beauty 
    Scaling the very directions and women of lovely breasts 
    Cinctured with breasts-bands, whose hips 
    Were the target of Manmata’s flowery darts.            (3948) 
 
8.     The puissant king that ruled the world from this city 
    For his capital, hailed from the ancestral line of Anapaayan-- 
    The performer of divine service to the beauteous streets 
    Of aeviternal Tillai-city; this fosterer of the Ponni’s realm 
    Was known by the renowned name Pukazhcchozhar.            (3949) 
 
9.     The whole earth rested under the benign shade of his peerless 
    White parasol; the princes on earth obeyed him by reason 
    Of his victorious and hill-like shoulders; the whole world 
    Richly thriving, was under the righteous sway of his sceptre; 
    He so ruled that Saivism of the rare Vedas flourished.        (3950) 
 
10.     During his reign, he caused the splendorous and great 
    Performance of pooja in all Siva temples where is 
    Enshrined, in joy, the Lord whose ruddy matted hair sports 
    The crescent; he met all the needs of the servitors 
    Of ever-abiding renown by ascertaining them from them 
    And by divining them; thus poised in piety, he fostered 
    The supreme way of the Holy Ash.                (3951) 
 
11.     As he thus flourished, his feet hailed by the princes, 
    On an auspicious day he proceeded to Karur, the great 
    And peerless city of his race, with his ministers 
    And retinue, to receive the tributes from Kongkars 
    And other princes of the western realms.            (3952) 
 
12.     Like Indra’s coming to his Amaraavati with the celestials 
    He came near Karur girt with a beautiful fortress 
    And proceeded to the temple of Lord Hara who is happily 
    Enshrined in Aanilaikkoyil, and adored it; thence 
    He came to his palace of lovely radiance.            (3953) 
 
13.     He sat in the gem-inlaid throne wrought of gold 
    In the durbar-hall of the palace where he surveyed 
    The tributes thither brought by the princes 
    Of the west in the forms of throngs of tuskers 
    Unending rows of steeds, heaps of weighty gold, 
    Gems flashing their brilliance to great distance 
    And other limitless goods.                    (3954) 
 
14.     He reinvested the princes that came with tributes 
    With the right to rule, and queried his ministers endowed 
    With the wisdom of government, thus: “Are there princes 
    Who obey not our sovereign and unique rule, and abide 
    Sheltered? Tell me after investigation.                (3955) 
 
15.     One day, his royal elephant plucked the flowers intended 
    For pooja and brought by Sivakaami Aandaar, 
    And scattered them; when Yeri Patthar killed the tusker 
    And its mahouts, the king saying: “(This is not enough;) 
    Be pleased to kill me too,” gave his victorious sword 
    Of steel, and even thus thrived in divine servitorship.        (3956) 
 
16.     Unto the King of a long and bright crown that ruled 
    The earth, enthroned under the radiant and rich 
    And moon-like umbrella, the ministers well-versed 
    In the ancient laws, customs and usages, said: 
    “There is still a prince who has not paid the tribute 
    Due to you.” Hearing this the king smiled his wonder.        (3957) 
 
17.     When he asked them; “Who is he?”, they said: 
    “He is Atikan that abides nearby in his place girt 
    With a lofty hill of fortress.” Thereupon the king said: 
    “Is there a fortress impregnable even unto you? 
    Go, wage a war and pulverize his fortress and Palladium.”    (3958) 
 
18.     As commanded by the puissant Chola the ministers 
    Marched on with great and vast armies like unto the sea; 
    With their strong, great and fourfold armies they waged 
    A fierce war that would reduce to powder the interfluent 
    Jungles, lofty hills and well-built and guarded forts.        (3959) 
 
19.     The great armies of the Chola wore garlands of vanji 
    To give battle to the puissant armies of Atikan; 
    The prince endowed with endless fortresses, 
    Plucked, in wrath, the lofty flowers of kaanchi 
    And wore them to meet the opposing hosts in battle; 
    The rival armies rose up against each other 
    Like two noisy and opposing oceans.                (3960) 
 
20.     Tuskers against tuskers, steeds facing steeds 
    In might, footmen opposing footmen: 
    Punched, dashed and fought; thus was 
    Waged a great war on the vast earth.                (3961) 
 
21.     Like hills fighting aginst hills fought the tuskers 
    Of cascading and billowy must; with a force greater 
    Than that of the bowmen-riders with which they were 
    Plied, the murderous tuskers fought and got killed.        (3962) 
 
22.     The opposing heroes of the dashing cavalry 
    Like unto a hurricane fought, in opposite rows 
    In exceeding wrath and killed each other.            (3963) 
 
23.     The warriors who could slice away their foes 
    So fought that their enemies were cut to pieces; 
    Thus discharging the debt of gratitude, these too 
    Gave up their lives in the field of battle            (3964) 
 
24.     The blood gushing from fighters 
    Who were slaughtered, ran like 
    A river; the piles of corpses rose up 
    Huge like mountains.                        (3965) 
 
25.     The black crows that winged the sky, 
    The vulture-thong that circled above them 
    And the flock of huge eagles, rose up 
    With large chunks of flesh--their big fare.            (3966) 
 
26.    In that field of battle, well-strung bows, 
    Maces, mucundis, swords, short spears, javelins 
    Long spears, fiery tridents, Kappanams 
    And flashing darts opposed each other, broke 
    And fell down in pieces.                    (3967) 
 
27.     When the armies of the spear-wielding Atikan 
    Were slaughtered, the armies of Pukazhcchozhar, 
    The crowned king, razed to the ground the hilly 
    Towers and turrets and their passes, and encircled his city 
    (Once) girt with a great wall whence flags wafted aloft.    (3968) 
 
28.     By the besieging army of the Chola, the vigil over the city 
    Girt with a hardy and hilly fortress was destroyed. 
    Thereupon the besieging warriors forged ahead 
    And pulled down--ha, pathetic to behold--, 
    The city’s fort and all.                    (3969) 
 
29.     With the destruction of his great armies--now merely 
    Heaps of flesh--, the sword-wielding Atikan 
    Of the (once) strong and hostile army, fled away 
    From his citadel of utterly breached walls, 
    And hid himself in a huge jungle.                (3970) 
 
30.     After despatching the innumerable severed heads 
    Of Atikan’s warriors, the numberless Chola warriors 
    Took hold of heaps and heaps of riches, women, 
    Sturdy steeds and tuskers which would dash forth 
    In wrath in the field of battle.                (3971) 
 
31.     The ministers who besieged and destroyed 
    The fortresses ceased all their martial activites; 
    Desiring to come under the shade of the ankleted feet 
    Of the earth’s king, with all the glory of victory, 
    They arrived at the city of Karur girt with great walls.    (3972) 
 
32.     Before the presence of the spear-wrelding Chola 
    Of the great and bright-rayed crown, 
    The warriors brought the heaps of black 
    And severed heads already kept gathered 
    At the entrance of the ever-during city of Karur.        (3973) 
 
33.     The monarch who was the life of the earth, 
    Among the innumerable severed heads 
    Brought to his view, beheld on the top of a head 
    A little braid of matted hair.                    (3974) 
 
34.     Even as he beheld it, he quaked; his mind grew 
    Bewildered; he folded his hands in adoration; 
    Borne by the great fear which possessed him, he moved 
    Toward the head held by the valiant and hardy warrior 
    And clearly beheld the matted hair; 
    Tears cascaded from the beauteous lotus-eyes of the king.    (3975) 
 
35.     Then he burst out thus: “My eminent ministers 
    Led strong armies to the beat of martial drums, 
    Destroyed the foes and annexed glorious victory 
    Celebrated by others; but behold my beauteous reign 
    Of fostering the way of the Holy Ash in this world 
    Girt with billowy main!” He wilted, he languished sore.        (3976) 
 
36.     “This person with matted hair wearing the garland 
    That became the war, did hi duty to his king; he was 
    Poised in the divine way of the Lord of matted hair 
    Which sports the Ganga; even after beholding his severed 
    Head of matted hair mantled in glory, brought 
    To me, do I live to bear the burden of the earth? 
    Am I not the bearer of blame?” Thus he spake.            (3977) 
 
37.     He resolved to expiate (his sin), and accordingly addressed 
    His ministers who ever stood by his word and the Holy Writ; 
    To reign in this vast earth and foster it, and to stand 
    Firmly established in the traditional servitorship 
    Of the Lord-Dancer of the Ambalam, you will invest 
    My son with the victorious crown.” Thus he bade them.        (3978) 
 
38.     He consoled the ministers who stood bewildered, 
    Hearing his words; the king who himself devised 
    His expiation, standing firm in the redemptive way, 
    Had the ruddy fire reared before him; then he decked 
    Himself with the holy ash that would quell the false way; 
    He stood wondrously resplendent.                (3979) 
 
39.     He placed that head of matted hair in a vessel 
    Of gold set with gems and set it on his head; 
    He circumambulated the blazing fire, chanted 
    The Panchaakshara, the hallowed name of the Lord of Devas; 
    In joy he entered the flames that spiraled up.            (3980) 
 
40.     When he entered the fire, celestial flowers showered 
    On the whole earth; great and auspicious instruments 
    Resounded from the heavens; thus, even thus, 
    He reached the umbrage of the great and merciful 
    And ankleted feet of the Lord of the ruddy 
    Matted hair, there to abide in aeviternal bliss.        (3981) 
 
41.     He was the greatest of the three crowned kings endowed 
    With resounding drums and sea-like, vast armies; 
    By our propagation of the glory of Pukazhcchozhar-- 
    The service that we render unto him, the wearer 
    Of a melliferous garland--, and by our adoration 
    And hailing of his feet, we are now blessed to narrate 
    The greatness of Narasingka Munaiyar as is known to us.        (3982) 
 
---------------- 
 
NOTES 
 
Verse No. 
 
   1.    Uraiyoor: For a long time this was the capital of the Chola country. 
 
   3.    Commerce thrived well in Uraiyoor. 
 
   8.    St. Sekkizhaar gratefully mentions the name of his patron (Anapaayan) in this verse. 
 
  17.    Atikan.  He is also known as Atiyamaan. 
 
  33.    A little braid of matted hair: The holy ash, the rudraaksha bead and the matted hair  
    are the three divine symbols of Saivism. 
 
  34.    he quaked: The king shuddered to behold the little braid of matted hair on a severed  
    head.  He felt he had committed a most heinous sin. 
 
  39.    This verse speaks of the expiation of the king. 
 
  40.    The king underwent the prescribed agnipariksha to gain the umbrage of Siva’s  
    hallowed feet. 
 
 
            Here ends the Puranam of Pukazhcchozha Naayanaar 
 

Sincere thanks to Sri. T N Ramachandran of thanjavur, for permitting his English rendering of the holy text periyapurANam be published here.

See Also: 
1. pukazch chOza nAyanAr purANam in English prose 
2. புகழ்ச் சோழ நாயனார் புராணம் (தமிழ் மூலம்) 
3. thiruththoNDar purANam main page
4. 12 shaivite thirumuRais