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In beautiful relief against the general
didactic style of Kural, here and there we land on sparkling poetry.
Do not challenge my commander. Many are
those who stood against him and stand now in stone.
We see here that the custom of setting up
memorials in stone for those killed in battle was prevalent. It seems from the reference
that the stone memorial was raised on the field of battle, and the victors did this as
much out of pride as an act of chivalry for the opponents who fell in battle.
It is better even to miss the arm hurling
the javelin at an elephant than to throw it successfully at a hare running in the jungle.
I.e., it is not worthy of a soldier to
attack a weak and helpless toe, so I let you go. This is desoppus to be addressed by the
victor when he withdraws from pursuing the enemy.
Author - C. Raja Gopala Chari
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