The Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki is one of the great Tamil Novels. The Inspiring characters & Engaging Storyline keeps the reader to completely merged with it. A novel becomes great not only with the engaging storyline but also with the moral principles written in between the passages for the betterment of life. The key takeaways which struck in my mind while reading are
Be present & Enjoy the Moment:
The Protagonists of the novel are always engaged in the series missions related to kingdom yet when they are travelling they always admire & enjoy the beautiful lakes, calm oceans, glazing full moon and greener paddy fields…
To make the life lively & joyfully it makes sense to enjoy the shining things in corner of eyes at the present moment while pursuing the longterm goals. It is better to plan the future rather than worrying about it. After all, life is happening at the present moment called now and it should be spent joyfully 😊.
God & Devotion:
Tamil Nadu is the land of temples, When we see the presiding deity in the temple we always have a blissful feeling which will be a treat for eyes. An ardent vaishnavite devotee feels this in the following lines.
“கண்டேன் கண்டேன் கண்டேன் கண்ணுக்கினியன கண்டேன்!”
When the same ardent vaishnavite devotee saws his guru worshipping a shiva temple, He questioned his guru’s act. At that time Shaivism and Vaishnavism are considered as different religions!. The guru replied that he saw Vishnu in Shiva’s Linga and tells a universal truth that God is one and we can see our version of god in any holy places. Adding to that we believe that God is in every place as “தூணிலும் இருப்பான் துரும்பிலும் இருப்பான்”. Hence why not our god wouldn’t be present in the shrine of any other religion’s god. In recent times Shiva and Vishnu followers are now converged into Hinduism. Let’s start looking our version of god in other religious shrines & hope that the religions we have will converge in future to avoid conflicts with one another 🙏.
Love can’t be Locked :
“அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ, அடைக்கும் தாழ்” which means love is limitless and there is no lock for love to hold it. The author further states that no one in the world has ever found the reason for the occurrence of love & attraction through a character. The unconditional love between man and women is the source of new life and the caring love of mother helps in growing the new life. Perhaps the unconditional love is required for the life to survive and that’s why we can’t lock it💓.
Pleasure & Challenging Situations:
Those who read this novel will be surely impacted by this beautiful poem.
“அலை கடலும் ஓய்ந்திருக்க
அகக் கடல்தான் பொங்குவதேன்?
நிலமகளும் துயிலுகையில்
நெஞ்சகம் தான் பதைப்பது மேன்?
வானகமும் நானிலமும்
மோனமதில் ஆழ்ந்திருக்க
மான் விழியாள் பெண்ணொருத்தி
மனதில் புயல் அடிப்பது மேன்?”
It is sung by a Sailor women who is having anxious thoughts when the situation around her is excellent such as oceans are calm and the sky & earth is completely still.
The same sailor women is in a completely messy environment & sing the song in vice versa. There are storms in the sea, thunder is blowing in sky & earth is shattering with floods. However, her mind is calm, chilling with peace and she is also enjoying the moment with dancing.
“அலை கடல் கொந்தளிக்கையிலே
அகக் கடல்தான் களிப்பது மேன்?
நிலமகளும் துடிக்கையிலே
நெஞ்சகந் தான் துள்ளுவதேன்!
இடி இடித்து எண் திசையும்
வெடி படும் இவ் வேளையிலே
நடனக் கலை வல்லவர்போல்
நாட்டியந்தான் ஆடுவதேன்?”
The first set of the poem is about the anxious thoughts in our mind when we are having a comfortable life full of pleasure. It can be taken as a way of getting informed that pleasure will pass on and soon a challenging situation is waiting for us & we have to get prepared for it. The second set of poem informs us how to handle the challenging situation with calmness. The external situation can be bad however it is important for us not to react & respond with a chill mind. Life is full of pleasure and challenges and we need to get reminded that both changes periodically as “இதுவும் கடந்து போகும்”.
Life-changing Event:
The Protagonist is shown as a playful youth who is full of fun, brave in nature, tell lies and believes in trickery to escape the challenges. Throughout the story, he met a lot of inspiring persons, undergoes series ups & downs and finally a sad event in climax makes him a kind-hearted, compassionate and gives him the wisdom required for the rest of life. A Life-changing experience like this makes the protagonist a Gentle Man from a Playful Youth. I believe it is important for every one of us to get these experiences in their life to get Evolved💪.
