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In this episode, we understand the effects of falling in love, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 160, penned by an anonymous poet. Set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of a man to his friend, in response to that friend’s angry words about the man’s changed behaviour.
நயனும், நண்பும், நாணு நன்கு உடைமையும்,
பயனும், பண்பும், பாடு அறிந்து ஒழுகலும்,
நும்மினும் அறிகுவென்மன்னே-கம்மென
எதிர்த்த தித்தி, ஏர் இள வன முலை
விதிர்த்து விட்டன்ன அந் நுண் சுணங்கின்,
ஐம் பால் வகுத்த கூந்தல், செம் பொறி
திரு நுதல் பொலிந்த தேம் பாய் ஓதி,
முது நீர் இலஞ்சிப் பூத்த குவளை
எதிர் மலர்ப் பிணையல் அன்ன இவள்
அரி மதர் மழைக் கண் காணா ஊங்கே.
With a melodious effect, the poem opens with a list of attributes such as ‘நயனும், நண்பும்’, ‘பயனும், பண்பும்’, each of which we will explore at length shortly. Following this, the qualities that signify physical beauty in a Sangam woman is brought forth in words like ‘தித்தி’, yellowish spots that spread on the skin post adolescence, ‘ஐம் பால் வகுத்த கூந்தல்’, ‘thick tresses that were tied together in a five-plaited braid’ and ‘திரு நுதல்’, ‘fine forehead’. We encounter a curious phrase in ‘முது நீர் இலஞ்சி’ which translates to ‘pond filled with ancient water’. I wonder what that means! Perhaps, this was a pond or a tank built generations before the time of this poet and hence this quaint reference. Finally, the phrase ‘மழைக் கண்’ that we have relished many a time, meaning ‘moist, rain-like eyes’ greets us with a familiar twinkle. Let’s peer into these windows to see the soul of the poem!
The man has met a girl and fallen in love with her. His close friend, observing that his behaviour has completely changed, chides him and reminds him of the qualities of greatness. To the friend’s fiery words, the man responds saying, “Qualities of justice, friendship, modesty, compassion, fruitfulness, conduct and consideration, I did possess to a greater degree than you. But, that was before I gazed at her streaked, moist, rain-like eyes akin to a garland of intertwined blue lilies that have just bloomed in the ancient waters of a pond; her honey-flowing tresses; her glorious forehead akin to red gold; her five-plaited thick hair; her beauty spots of puberty that look as if splashed gently with the fingers; her young and beauteous bosoms and the yellow spots sparkling on her form.” With these words, the man makes it clear to his friend that seeing his lady love has made reason wither in his mind.
At the core, the poem is a simple one. This is a poetic presentation of the subduing of seven rational attributes of a man by seven physical attributes of a woman! The man relays a string of qualities such as doing the just thing, acting with friendship, avoiding bad conduct, being compassionate, doing useful work, acting with culture, and finally, behaving in accordance with the laws of society. After mentioning all these qualities, he tells his friend that indeed he knew about and possessed these qualities much more than that chiding friend. Then, he places the twist in the verse. That was before! Before what? Before he met and witnessed the beauty of the lady. Indeed, he finishes by saying all those great qualities seemed to not matter when he glanced into the rain-like eyes of the lady. In short, the man has been drenched in love, which seems to have extinguished the fire of reason in his mind!
An article in ScienceDaily talks about how falling in love plays havoc on the chemicals in the human body, which renders a person different from who they used to be. One of the effects is said to be the lowering of serotonin, and this causes the condition of being in love to mimic the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorders. No wonder those in love can think of little else than the one they love. What twenty-first century science explains with its chemical and biological measurements, this two-thousand-year-old poem relates by closely observing the human condition. A poem that goes to prove that in most matters of knowledge, the heart represented by art, already knows the answers and is simply waiting for the logical mind of science to catch up!
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