Triveni Journal
1927 | 11,233,916 words
Triveni is a journal dedicated to ancient Indian culture, history, philosophy, art, spirituality, music and all sorts of literature. Triveni was founded at Madras in 1927 and since that time various authors have donated their creativity in the form of articles, covering many aspects of public life....
The Martial Mother
1BY K. RAMARATNAM AIYAR, B.A.
The aged mother with full-shrunk, fleshless limbs
When told, her son, throwing all weapons down,
Had basely fled the field, quick stung with shame
And wrath exclaimed: "This is no son of mine,
This false and craven heir of warriors
All brave and true. From fear of death indeed
Thus had he run away, I will cut off
These befouled breasts of mine that gave him suck
And fed with milk. But yet my heart me tells
It cannot be. "Then straight she snatched a sword
And mad with rage ran to the bloody field,
Where scouring thro’ heaps of the mangled dead
Found at last and beheld with joy her son's
Dismember'd corse covered with grisly wounds, –
With joy greater than when she gave him birth–
And glad and proud she then her home regained.
1 A free translation of an ancient Tamil Poem of Kakkai-Padiniyar-Nachchelliar, a Tamil Poetess, one among the collection of four hundred poems known as Purrananuru. The true martial spirit of an ancient Dravidian matron of some warlike clan, here extolled and commemorated, is verily Spartan in its sublime heroism.