Of real and supernatural creatures

Thirukkural with the Times explores real-world lessons from the classic Tamil text ‘Thirukkural’. Written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the Kural consists of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each. This text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth, and love and is considered one of the great works ever on ethics and morality. The Kural has influenced scholars and leaders across social, political, and philosophical spheres.Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.Legends across culture have always featured unique fauna—be it reptiles, birds or animals. We don’t know if these magical creatures ever existed, but they symbolise cultural or religious identities.The immortal phoenix is one such, believed to rise from its own ashes, an epitome of the indomitable spirit of life. The ‘Yali’ with a graceful cat-like body, the head of a lion, the tusks of an elephant and the tail of a serpent, is a great illustration of Indian mythology, a guardian that fights evils. Centaurs in Greek mythology, dragons in China, unicorns—all represent the craving of humans for supreme powers to protect them from harm.Some of these mystical animals possess emotional attributes, too. ‘Asunama’, an animal mentioned in Sangam literature, can attack hunters mercilessly, but the beast is tamed when melodious music is played.Chataka, the birds that drink only pure rainwater keep their beaks open to the sky, expecting the mercy of the rain god. Chakora, a peasant bird that cries passionately for the full moon is believed to bring prosperity. Next time you are about to meet someone to get money, pray for the sight of the chakora!The bird soma, mentioned in Vedic literature, lays eggs in the air, which hatch before they reach the earth. Baby birds fly up to join their mothers—symbolising a rise from the rubbles of a mundane life. The Yeti, the abominable snowman in the Himalayan terrain, is believed to be a guardian of the mountains, according to Tibetan belief. Are all these just fragments of the imagination?I am surprised when people quote a couplet in which they believe Valluvar mentioned a unique variety of deer. According to them, this deer is ‘Kavari Maan’ that will give up its life if it loses even one strand of its hair. This analogy was supposedly used to represent people who will give up their lives if there is a slur on their honour.Kavari Maan became very popular with writers and poets. I was intrigued because there is no such deer species that would kill itself for losing a hair. Valluvar is not a person who uses unrealistic allegories.I turned to researchers of Thirukkural and found the answer—Valluvar never mentioned a deer! He said ‘Kavari Maa’, not ‘Kavari Maan’. ‘Kavari’ is used to denote hair, and ‘Maa’ an ox. He probably meant a Himalayan yak. For the yak, its hair is its natural protection against the biting cold and it would perish if it lost all its hair.I don’t know if Valluvar ever travelled to the Himalayas, but he probably knew about the wildlife in the terrain. Just as the yak would perish if it lost its hair, so would some people if their honour is at stake.While poets the world over used parables of supernatural creatures, Thiruvalluvar desisted from mentioning any such. All the animals mentioned by him are real—elephants, bulls, cows, tigers and the yak.Perhaps he was not a dreamer but someone who had his feet firmly on the ground.Mayirneeppin Vaazhaa Kavarimaa AnnaarUyirneeppar Maanam Varin(Like the wild ox that, of its tuft bereft, will die, are those whoOf their honour, shorn, will quit the light of day)Audio Production: Sahil Gupta