When Pandyan king in Madurai ruled
                    a flood in Vaigai rose,
A threat discharged on kingdom's wealth
                    and royal glory's pride.
The kind, aghast at ceaseless rush of
                    swelling waters' roar,
Summoned his court and dwelt on means of
                    meeting danger's roots.
The palace ordered every house to send
                    a man for work
To bunds erect and walls upraise to stem
                    the force of tides.
The rule of law enforced the hardest
                    punishment on those
Who desisted or failed to comply with
                    the demand made,
The rich and poor, strong and weak, and
                    every citizen,
Deputed men to render service as the
                    edict went.
The whole of town and village folk
                    did rise to hurry forth
In labour deemed so emergent to save
                    the city's life.
Lo, everyone, not one is left, from imposed
                    force of law's.
So stringent was the order come from
                    despot ruler's will.
An old and weak and poor dame of city's
                    corner's hut,
Was also served the notice come, as no one
                    was exempt.
The bending back with feeble eyes moved
                    out in open streets
In search of someone who could work, as
                    second she had none.
When lowest level of support to breaking
                    point does move,
The last of strings that ties to earth the
                    soul does break and snap.
Since all was gone, same body's breath, with
                    legal wrath as only friend,
The aged lady unwittingly summoned 'all'
                    to her rescue.
A little boy from off the road eagerly rushed
                    and spoke to her
To service lend on payment made, a joy and
                    grief to her distressed.
It's joy because someone had come, and grief
                    because she had no wealth
To pay the servant for the workwhich he
                    demanded as his due.
"I have some cakes of pounded rice, please
                    have it as wages I pay,
No other thing I can afford; if you are
                    willing go and work".
So saddened lady made her point to which he
                    gladly did agree,
And having eaten some of cakes he went to
                    labour for the bund.
When all were hard at rugged labour on the
                    banks to raise the walls,
The little lad just threw some mud and idly
                    strolled in careless ease.
While this was bad he made it worse by
                    complaining of hunger-thirst,
And frequently making his way to lady's hut
                    for eating cakes.
The king did notice lethargy and idle play
                    of servant sent,
And on enquiry came to know an old woman had
                    sent this boy.
Casting his glance on work pretentions, irked
                    at wilful negligence,
The king his whip of lashes raised and dealt
                    a blow on back of boy.
Then what happened, who can describe, the atoms
                    split their very core,
And every cell of all creation shook with shock
                    of thrash of whip.
The king who struck was first belaboured with
                    the strike of rod
And felt the pain of blow he dealt on working
                    peasant boy.
The workers all in thousands stretched busy
                    in building bunds,
Did each one feel the hit on back as if
                    a stone did roll.
The hills in tremor showered blasts of earth
                    element from their pores,
And seas rose up in heaving waves as if the
                    mountains in them sank.
Vibrations struck the sun and moon and stars
                    in the sky spat tongues of flame,
Brahma and Vishnu in Their seats and Indra
                    felt the sudden quake.
The boy in play took up a handful of the
                    earth from ground,
And threw it on the gaps of bund which closely
                    fixed the walls.
This in an instant raised the barracks
                    turning tides away,
To marvelled looks of all the folks who drudged
                    for days and days.
Lo, wonder this, who is this rustic lad who
                    played these pranks
And struck with wonder everyone who dazed
                    beheld what this could be.
Suddenly in place of that one little
                    boyish frame
Arose the magnificent frame of Siva,
                    Almighty
Who lighted up the firmament as thousand
                    suns would rise,
And blessed the kind and all the people
                    with his divine grace.

Poetical Writings