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In this episode, we learn fascinating facts about an ancient hill country, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 185, penned by an anonymous poet. The verse is set in the mountainous landscape of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the man to his friend, seeking his help to win the affection of the lady in his heart.
ஆனா நோயோடு அழி படர்க் கலங்கி,
காமம் கைம்மிக, கையறு துயரம்
காணவும் நல்காய் ஆயின்-பாணர்
பரிசில் பெற்ற விரி உளை நல் மான்
கவி குளம்பு பொருத கல் மிசைச் சிறு நெறி,
இரவலர் மெலியாது ஏறும், பொறையன்
உரை சால் உயர் வரைக் கொல்லிக் குடவயின்,
அகல் இலைக் காந்தள் அலங்கு குலைப் பாய்ந்து,
பறவை இழைத்த பல் கண் இறாஅல்
தேனுடை நெடு வரை, தெய்வம் எழுதிய
வினை மாண் பாவை அன்னோள்
கொலை சூழ்ந்தனளால்-நோகோ யானே.
The poem starts with the tone of a patient relating symptoms to a physician, as depicted by the words ‘ஆனா நோயோடு’ meaning ‘unyielding disease’! As we start to wonder which one of the plethora of diseases that we, of the twenty-first century are well-versed with, the healthy Sangam folks say nay. The only disease that seems to strike them is one of love, as illustrated by the phrase ‘காமம் கைம்மிக’ meaning ‘as passion exceeds’. As we move along the verse, ‘விரி உளை நல் மான்’ brings before our eyes, a ‘horse with a thick mane’. ‘பொறையன்’, a Chera King, whom we have met in Natrinai 18 and 8, makes an appearance in this verse too. These mountains welcome us with images of the ‘அகல் இலைக் காந்தள்’ meaning ‘wide-leafed flame lily’ and ‘பல் கண் இறாஅல்’ meaning ‘many-eyed honeycomb’. Ending with a plea of suffering in the words ‘நோகோ யானே’, the verse beckons us to listen to the story of the man’s woe.
In his travels, the man had met a young girl in the mountain country and fell in love with her. He yearns to win the affections of the lady. This could be possible only with the approval and blessing of the lady’s confidante. The man makes no headway in that endeavour. Disheartened, his demeanour changes. Noticing this, the man’s friend chides him. The man says to his friend, “With this ceaseless illness, perpetuated by my boundless passion, I’m rendered helpless with misery. Even after seeing this, you do not take pity on me. Fine horses with luxuriant manes, gifted to bards, leave the imprint of their split hooves on the narrow paths in the mountains. Following these tracks, suppliants climb with ease in the high Kolli hills, made famous by the generous king Poraiyan. On the western side of these Kolli hills, bees dive into the wide-leafed flame lily’s swaying flower clusters and carry the nectar to build many-eyed honeycombs high above. On this honey-filled tall mountain, there lives a woman akin to the statue of the ‘Kolli goddess’, carved with skill. She intends to strike me with death. And yet, if you do not take pity and come to my aid, I can only blame my fate and suffer!” With these words, the man subtly urges his friend to seek the confidante and thereby, help the man win the heart of his lady, to end the suffering he finds himself in.
Now, to unravel the hidden nuggets of history and mythology hiding in this verse! The man initially gives an accurate description of the pain he’s in, as his passion makes him helpless. He gives us to understand that the person he’s seeking help from, is not heeding to his heart. Then, he describes a scene from that mountain land. He talks about bards winning prizes from a king. Unlike what we usually imagine, these prizes are not gold coins or precious gems. It’s a horse with a rich mane. These horses make an imprint on the mountain path, as the bard leaves from the king’s court to his home. Anyone wishing to seek the grace of that king, would follow the hoof prints of these horses. Tracking these, other bards and suppliants, without much discomfort to them, would find themselves in the court of that generous king. And, this king happens to be ‘Poraiyan’, whose fame had spread all through the land. The man seems to be mentioning this scene only to describe the rich mountain country of the lady but we can see the traces of a metaphor hiding within. The man is bidding his friend to aid in convincing the confidante so that like those suppliants, who follow the hoof prints of the prize horse, he too can unite with the lady easily. The man depicts the land with further detail saying buzzing bees gather nectar from the flower clusters of the flame-lily, take the same high above to the upper ridges of the hills and build honeycombs there. This is to say, the lady’s love, like those honeycombs, seems to be beyond the man’s reach!
After that detailed description of the mountain country, the man mentions a statue of a goddess made with much skill, to say that the lady was one with such beauty. On searching more, I learnt that this is a reference to ‘Kolli paavai’, or the ‘Kolli goddess’, who finds mention in Sangam texts and seems to have a long history. Myth says that the Kolli hills was the abode of many ascetics and saints. However, the richness of that mountain country, seemed to attract the common people, and this continually disturbed those ascetics. So, they sought the help of a skilled sculptor who carved for them, the statue of a goddess with such beauty, that people who glanced at the statue, seemed to lose their senses and forget their way. And this is the story of ‘Kolli paavai’, who is worshipped till this day in some interior regions of the Tamil land. The man invokes the name of this goddess to say that his lady too, had the same mesmerising beauty and decides, like that goddess, she too intends to strike him with death. The man ends by saying that if his friend does not come to his aid then, the only thing to be blamed would be his past sins and he could do nothing but suffer. Thus, the man intends to move his friend and consequently, the confidante, to help him win the affections of the lady. Curious indeed is the depiction of this ancient world, where the only threat to health and happiness seems to be unrequited love!
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