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In this episode, we see echoes of human life in the animal world, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 103, written by Maruthan Ilanaakanaar. The verse is set in the ‘Paalai’ landscape or the drylands and speaks in the voice of a man to his heart, bidding it to guide him in the right direction.
ஒன்று தெரிந்து உரைத்திசின்-நெஞ்சே! புன் கால்
சிறியிலை வேம்பின் பெரிய கொன்று,
கடாஅம் செருக்கிய கடுஞ் சின முன்பின்
களிறு நின்று இறந்த நீர் அல் ஈரத்து,
பால் அவி தோல் முலை அகடு நிலம் சேர்த்திப்
பசி அட முடங்கிய பைங் கட் செந்நாய்
மாயா வேட்டம் போகிய கணவன்
பொய்யா மரபின் பிணவு நினைந்து இரங்கும்
விருந்தின் வெங் காட்டு வருந்துதும் யாமே;
ஆள்வினைக்கு அகல்வாம் எனினும்,
மீள்வாம் எனினும், நீ துணிந்ததுவே.
The verse pulls us in with an eye-catching opening line, ‘ஒன்று தெரிந்து உரைத்திசின்-நெஞ்சே!’ meaning ‘speak after understanding one thing, O heart!’ Shortly thereafter, we stand in the shade of a ‘வேம்பு’ or ‘neem’ tree with its ‘சிறியிலை’ or ‘little leaves’. But, not for long, because there, treads about, a ‘கடாஅம் செருக்கிய களிறு,’ meaning ‘a male elephant in musth’. This word ‘musth’, to indicate an animal in an aggressive state, has the same origin as that word found frequently in Hindi film songs ‘mast’ conveying that something is ‘cool or awesome’. However, you will not find anything cool about an elephant in musth unless you like living on the edge! Interesting to find that the word ‘சினம்’ signified ‘fury’ even then. Learnt a new word for ‘strength’ in ‘முன்பு’. We glimpse yet another animal in ‘செந்நாய்’, the ‘dhole’ or ‘red dog’. Amazed to find the word ‘கணவன்’, meaning ‘husband’ in contemporary language, used in association with an animal. Curious because the word has become strongly associated with marriage and hard to connect this institution to the animal world. Perhaps, it could be a subtle hint that the poem sees the human in the animal. Let’s move in to investigate how!
The man and woman have been leading a happy married life, when the time arises for the man to leave the lady, in order to gather wealth. One day, in the journey, when walking in the drylands, the man turns to his heart and says, “Understand one thing and tell me clearly, O heart! Attacking a neem tree with a slender stem and small leaves, the elephant in musth, filled with fury and strength, breaks its big branches. In the moisture on the ground, caused by waste water flowing from the mad elephant’s legs, spreading its milk-less udders, lies curled in hunger, a tender-eyed female ‘sennaai’. Seeing its suffering, its mate sets out on an unfailing hunt and yet because of its loving nature, yearns in sadness for its female. Such is my sad state too, as I traverse this never seen before, new path, filled with heat! Shall I proceed on my path to gather wealth or shall I turn back to be with my lady? This or that, decide where I should go and guide me so!” With these words, the man expresses the dilemma in his heart as love and duty pull him in opposing directions.
Setting out on a self-guided tour through this verse, we find ourselves witnessing a violent scene in the drylands. Before our eyes, a wild elephant is seen running uncontrollably and attacking a neem tree, standing in its path, by swirling its trunk and breaking apart big branches. The elephant seems to be driven by something beyond its control and the gentle giant is going berserk. Reading on this occasional violent aggression in elephants, I learnt that there are many conflicting theories as to why this happens. The one that sounded right to me, was that this behaviour belongs to a long-gone, evolutionary past of the elephants and has lived on, even when it has no use for it, in its current lifestyle. An elephant in musth is said to be a dangerous thing as it can even kill its own calves, females and human caregivers under the influence of this condition. Some of the symptoms that occur in this period apparently are heightened testosterone levels and constant dripping of urine, filled with a strong odour, that irritates the legs of these elephants. Finding this same reference in two thousand year old poetry made me marvel at the acute powers of observation of those Sangam poets. This symptom of urinating excessively is the connection between the scene with the elephant and the next one, which opens with a wild dog rolling in moisture. It’s summer and in the drylands, there is no water to cool oneself down. Seeing the only moisture on the ground, thanks to that elephant in musth, the female red dog, lies curled, pressing its milk-less udders on the wet ground. Now, our eyes take in the male red dog setting out to hunt, seeing its female in such a state of suffering. As we follow this male red dog, we see it hesitating in its path, looking back, with yearning eyes, at its female, left behind.
This far, our eyes have been moving from the bull elephant in musth to the female red dog curled on the ground and then to the male setting out on a hunt. Now, we look at the man, who seems to be a mirror image of that male red dog, with one leg forward and another backward, thinking and yearning for his mate. With that graphic scene in the wild, the man visually lays out the conflict playing in his head. Should he continue on his path and fulfil his duty of earning wealth or should he heed the painful call from within and turn towards his lady, back at home, pining for him? He gives the task of deciding to his heart, as if it had a mind of its own. Perhaps it has! He tells it strongly, tell me one thing and one thing only! Forward or homeward? Although we don’t hear the answer of his heart, we hear the echo of something deeper. An animal in the wild reveals the nuance of conflict in the man’s heart and so too, this poem from the past is an accurate reflection of our own, torn moments of indecision, be it in work or love, even today!
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