To us all towns are our own, everyone our kin, Life's good comes not from others' gifts, nor ill, Pains and pain's relief are from within, Death's no new thing, nor do our bosoms thrill When joyous life seems like a luscious draught. When grieved, we patient suffer; for, we deem This much-praised life of ours a fragile raft Borne down the waters of some mountain stream That o'er huge boulders roaring seeks the plain Tho' storms with lightning's flash from darkened skies. Descend, the raft goes on as fates ordain. Thus have we seen in visions of the wise! We marvel not at the greatness of the great; Still less despise we men of low estate.
Kaniyan Poongundran, Purananuru - 192
Cosmopolitanism
Poongundranar rejected division of mankind into various categories and emphasised the universality of all humans. The Tamil bards and intellectuals of the time of Poongundranar and those preceding his age considered that all humans, whatever their rank or station in life, were alike.
Poongundranar states that the wooden log is carried by the water in its direction and similarly postulates that everything in life will also follow Natural law. This he calls 'Way of Order'.
Principles of the Way of Order
Throughout his poem, Poongundranar lays down the principles of his version of natural law. The first part of the poem deals with the basic principles of the 'Way of Order' which is his term for natural law.
Every human of every town is of the same value because they are கேளிர். Hence, all people should be bound by one, same moral and legal code.
நன்று and தீது do not come from others. Hence, humans are liable for both the pleasure and suffering they feel.
Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, it is not new. Hence, this life must be made use of to its full potential.
Yet, life should neither be full of pleasure, nor full of storms . Hence, life should be full of plenitude.
Allegory of the raft
Poongundranar further goes onto explain these principles with an example of a raft.
He compares birth to lightning, suggesting it can happen spontaneously anywhere.
He gives an example of a raft which is allegorical to human life going downstream a steep hill, having a perilous journey through boulders and faces its climax just as in திறவோர் காட்சியில் which is death.
He concludes that since everyone's life is like the raft's journey, it is irrational to magnify the பெரியோ and even worse to diminish சிறியோ, because everyone goes through similar tribulations whatever their social estate might be.
Influence
Kaniyan Poongundranar's Yathum oore poem has been declared as the theme song of the 10th World Tamil Conference scheduled in Chicago. American composer Rajan Somasundaram has given the first music form for the 2000-year-old poetry. It has been sung by Academy nominated singer Bombay Jayashri and Karthik among other international artists. Poongundranar was extremely influential in the revivalistSelf-respect movement. The first sentence of his poem has been adopted as the motto of the World Thamizh Confederation to represent Tamil people.
