Agni - Subramania Bharathiyar

 

Subramania Bharathiyar, also known as Subramania Bharati, was a Tamil author, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, social reformer and polyglot born on the 11th of December 1882. Acting as the pioneer of modern Tamil poetry, Subramania Bharati was given the title of “Mahakavi Bharati”, which means the Great Poet Bharathi. The Tamil poet is best known for his works in the field of emancipation of women, standing against child marriage, reforming Brahminism and religion and his excellent literary works surrounding the idea of patriotism for India and the independence movement against the British Empire.

Bharathiyar translated his own poetry collection under the title “Agni and Other Poems and Translations” in 1977. Bharathi’s songs in Tamil have almost a Shakespearean touch in freshness, spontaneity and suggestive power of the lyrical outburst. They herald a new epoch in our lives. Bharathi is not a summer cloud, but the first expression and descent of the monsoon itself, scattering its pearls of plenty over land and river, over hill and dale.

The fire that is burning in the altar brings blessing to the saints and destruction to the demons and to the evils of the world. The saints describe how the fire, Agni is rising in the altar in all the sides. And because of this rise, the dark regions are getting destroyed. The Agni is lifting up his golden arms towards the Heaven and the dawn, which is in the form of knowledge, descends down with love to meet the Flame, the destructor of the evils.

The flame is wide opening its jaws and Bharathiyar terms it as the priest of their sacrifice. The Flame happily engulfs the ghee and honey that were given as sacrifice by the saints. The Agni rises up as it accepts the sacrifices and it serves as the messenger of God and the General-in-chief of the war. The evil things are got destroyed in the sacred shrine and the valiant son of eternity rises up with force.

The Flame was satisfied with the saints sacrifices and he has called upon the Gods, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman and Bhaga. Flame has even given a call to the whrilwind and thunderbolt to honor the sacrifice of the saints. And the Gods too pleased, stand in front of the altar and accept their obligation. Since God himself has blessed the altar, there is no more death and enemies. The saints have attained the supreme blessing of the God.

The Goddess has arrived accompanied by vision(Thirumagal) and inspiration(kalaimagal). Moreover the highest of the Gods, the son of Truth, the Sun too has blessed their altar. The saints welcome the Gods and offer Milk, ghee, rice and soma-wine(Amirtham). The saints call upon the Immortal Powers to accept their offerings and sacrifices and bless them.

Since the almighty have drunk the soma-wine, the Gods have granted them the Light, which is the highest of gifts and because of this they are freed from all evil and they attained eternal felicity too. Here Bharathiyar calls Agni as the priest, who has spread all through the three world, namely body, soul and mind and purified and blessed the three worlds. Even the Gods have helped out to get their blessings.

Bharathiyar ends up the poem by saying that the whole world is a sacrifice and hence the Agni has blessed all the humans too and now they too have become immortal and they keep shining. The happiness and the blessing of the God is everlasting as they have attained immortality. The poet ends up the poem with the lines ‘He live for ever, the Flame, the Flame, the Flame’. He praises the Flame and glorifies it as an eternal thing which brought happiness in the saints life and which destructed all the evil and enemies in this world.