Paari was the lord of the hill country of Parambu-nadu in Tamil Nadu. One day he was driving through a forest in his golden chariot. It was hot and humid. The king was thirsty. On the way, he spotted a stream. He stopped the chariot, got down, and walked to the stream. He splashed cool water on his face. He then scooped water in both his hands and drank. After quenching his thirst, the king walked back to the chariot.
As he was about to step into the chariot, he noticed a wild jasmine creeper that had entwined itself around the wheel of the chariot. He stepped back. He did not want to disturb the creeper, which had taken the support of the chariot. Abandoning the golden chariot, the king walked back to his palace.
When he was thirsty, the stream gave him water. When the creeper needed support, the king felt, he should give away the chariot!
As time passed, the creeper grew covering the entire chariot. The chariot lending support to the creeper stood as a testimony to the generosity of the noble king.
In the Tamil work, Purananuru, we have poems praising this generous king. One of the poems reads as follows:
Again, and again poets call out his name
“Paari! Paari”! Words fail to praise this man.
To nourish this earth, we have clouds which pour down the rain
and we have Paari!
Like Paari, there is another king from ancient Tamil Nadu known for his kindness. King Pegan was taking a stroll in the garden. It was cold and the king had wrapped a shawl around himself. He came across a peacock shivering in the cold. Moved by the plight of the bird, the king took off the shawl, lovingly wrapped it around the peacock, and walked back to the palace.
