64 THIRU VILAIYAADALGAL
51 (d). THE GIFT OF SANGAP PALAGAI.
The old poets whose glory was diminished by the arrival of the talented young poets resented their presence. They grumbled about these poets and felt very unhappy.
Those who had lost in the debates were shy to go out and face people known to them. They felt even more miserable and sadder than the others.
The Akshara poets went to Siva temple and prayed to Him, “God ! Several people come to us for debating. If we can have an instrument to measure their poetic talent, it will be of great use to us.”
God had given a plank of gold, studded with the nava rathna to PaaNan, when he was shivering with cold! Why would he withhold a plank these poets were praying for?
The Lord appeared to them as a Tamil Poet. He gave them a square plank with its sides measuring 18 inches. He told them,
“This plank is magical in nature. It is fairer and purer than the moon! It can measure the poetic talent of a person. If he is really talented, it would grow by 18 inches more to accommodate him on it!”
The poets were very happy to receive the magical plank called Sangap palagai. They went back to the maNdapam. They performed elaborate pooja to the plank. It grew in its length to give place to accommodate the famous poets Nakkeeran, Kapilan and Baranan.
Later the other poets also were given place on the plank. The forty eight poets were very happy that they now had an infallible method of measuring a person’s poetic talents.
51 (d). THE GIFT OF SANGAP PALAGAI.
The old poets whose glory was diminished by the arrival of the talented young poets resented their presence. They grumbled about these poets and felt very unhappy.
Those who had lost in the debates were shy to go out and face people known to them. They felt even more miserable and sadder than the others.
The Akshara poets went to Siva temple and prayed to Him, “God ! Several people come to us for debating. If we can have an instrument to measure their poetic talent, it will be of great use to us.”
God had given a plank of gold, studded with the nava rathna to PaaNan, when he was shivering with cold! Why would he withhold a plank these poets were praying for?
The Lord appeared to them as a Tamil Poet. He gave them a square plank with its sides measuring 18 inches. He told them,
“This plank is magical in nature. It is fairer and purer than the moon! It can measure the poetic talent of a person. If he is really talented, it would grow by 18 inches more to accommodate him on it!”
The poets were very happy to receive the magical plank called Sangap palagai. They went back to the maNdapam. They performed elaborate pooja to the plank. It grew in its length to give place to accommodate the famous poets Nakkeeran, Kapilan and Baranan.
Later the other poets also were given place on the plank. The forty eight poets were very happy that they now had an infallible method of measuring a person’s poetic talents.