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In this episode, we listen to an insightful conversation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 150, penned by Kaduvan Ilamallanaar. Set in the ‘Marutham’ landscape of agricultural lands, the verse speaks in the voice of a courtesan to a singer-messenger, revealing her feelings about the errant man.
நகை நன்கு உடையன் பாண நும் பெருமகன்,
மிளை வலி சிதையக் களிறு பல பரப்பி
அரண் பல கடந்த முரண் கொள் தானை
வழுதி வாழிய பல எனத் தொழுது ஈண்டு
மன் எயில் உடையோர் போல, அஃது யாம்
என்னதும் பரியலோ இலம் எனத் தண் நடைக்
கலி மா கடைஇ வந்து, எம் சேரித்
தாரும் கண்ணியும் காட்டி ஒருமைய
நெஞ்சம் கொண்டமை விடுமோ? அஞ்சக்
கண்ணுடைச் சிறு கோல் பற்றிக்
கதம் பெரிது உடையள், யாய் அழுங்கலோ இலளே.
A peal of laughter opens the verse with ‘நகை நன்கு உடையன்’ meaning ‘you make me laugh’. The phrase ‘நும் பெருமகன்’ meaning ‘your lord’ is significant because in Tamil culture, there’s a tendency to use the pronoun ‘our’ even when one means ‘my’ or ‘your’, so as not to alienate someone. In this specific instance, the word ‘your’ highlights the anger in the speaker. ‘மிளை’ refers to ‘thick forests’ that surround forts, as an extra layer of protection in an enemy attack. The rhythmic address ‘அரண் பல கடந்த முரண் கொள் தானை வழுதி’ refers to a Pandya king of yore. The word ‘சேரி’ has taken on a negative connotation over the centuries to mean a ‘slum’ now. But, here it refers to ‘a group of people living together’ or ‘a colony’. There were many such colonies, not just for courtesans, but for various, highly skilled artisans too. Towards the end, we get a feeling of déjà vu, when we see ‘சிறு கோல்’ and ‘யாய்’ meaning ‘a small cane’ and ‘mother’, for just in the last poem, in Natrinai 149, mother made a fiery appearance with a rod in hand! Let’s move on to find the meaning hiding within these words and images.
The man, belonging to a prosperous agricultural community, starts a relationship with a courtesan. A little while later, he leaves this person and seeks the company of another. To appease the anger of the first courtesan, the man sends the singer as a messenger, to seek entry to her home. To this singer-messenger, the courtesan replies, “O bard, you are laughable indeed! Feudal chiefs hold on to their forts because they praise the powerful Pandya king saying, ‘Spreading elephants many, destroying surrounding forests, you claim unassailable forts with your ferocious army, O Vazhuthi, may you live long!’ Like those feudal chiefs, your lord sent word praising me. But, I heeded not a bit to it. Then, riding his proud horse with a cool trot, he arrived to my colony. When he showed his garland and wreath, he stole my heart. My heart, that has decided on him as the one, will it dream of letting him go? If you dare to speak otherwise, my mother awaits in a raging fury, holding a small cane dotted with nodes, and she will wield it without a shred of kindness!” With these words, the courtesan makes it evident that she regards the man with the same feelings but at the same time, she conveys that her mother is irked by these actions of the man and needs to be appeased.
Time to delve into the minute details embedded in the verse. The first gem in this treasure trove is a simile that mentions an ancient king. This king is referred by the generic title ‘Vazhuthi’, which refers to rulers of the Pandya dynasty. He is described as one who claims the forts of all his enemies, wielding a powerful and fearsome army. His method of going about that, is to first spread his many elephants in the forests around the fort and once the elephants destroy these forests, he would proceed to claim the forts within. This reminded me of a scene in the Tamil historical novel ‘Sivagamiyin Sabatham’, written by the famous Kalki. Two horseback riders are traversing through the land where war is imminent between the Pallava king, Mahendravarman and Chalukya king, Pulakeshin. One rider remarks on how green and soothing the land around is. The other rider, more knowledgeable in the ways of the world, replies cynically that it remains so only because the enemy king’s elephant army has not reached that region yet! Returning to our verse, we find this powerful Pandya king is so praised by all the feudal lords and thus they are spared their forts. The courtesan likens the man to the feudal lords, as he came praising her, in order to seek her company. She informs the bard that she did not fall for that praise. Only when the man arrived on his horse, and offered his garland and the floral wreath he wears on his head, these being signs that he comes from a rich and noble family, did the courtesan relent and accept him.
The courtesan speaks in a voice of chastity saying that she had decided that the man was the one for her. She adds that nothing will change her mind and the singer needn’t try so hard. However there was a catch and that was the fact her mother was angered by the man’s actions in leaving her daughter and seeking another’s company. The courtesan reveals that it was mother’s ire, the bard and indirectly, the man needs to face! Within that simile of the Pandya king, spreading his elephants and raiding forts many, the courtesan hides a metaphor of how the man must come with gifts many and overcome mother, the protective fort around her. In a few lines of intricate imagery, the courtesan shows to the man, the path back to her company. Reflecting tangentially, this is a verse that makes me wish that the days of destroying forests and claiming forts are truly over, for this the time to build bridges, if there is to be a future for humanity!
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