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In this episode, we perceive unique ways of conveying intention, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 233, penned by Anjil Aanthaiyaar. The verse is set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, conveying a subtle message to the man, listening nearby.
கல்லாக் கடுவன் நடுங்க, முள் எயிற்று
மட மா மந்தி மாணா வன் பறழ்,
கோடு உயர் அடுக்கத்து, ஆடு மழை ஒளிக்கும்
பெருங் கல் நாடனை அருளினை ஆயின்,
இனி என கொள்ளலைமன்னே; கொன் ஒன்று
கூறுவென் வாழி-தோழி!-முன்னுற
நாருடை நெஞ்சத்து ஈரம் பொத்தி,
ஆன்றோர் செல் நெறி வழாஅச்
சான்றோன் ஆதல் நன்கு அறிந்தனை தெளிமே.
The poem starts with the words ‘கல்லாக் கடுவன்’ meaning ‘unskilled male monkey’ and refers to the quality of a monkey knowing nothing other than climbing trees. The whole ape family makes an appearance as we get to meet ‘மட மா மந்தி’ meaning ‘the young and huge female monkey’ and the ‘மாணா வன் பறழ்’ meaning ‘the undeveloped, young infant’. ‘ஆடு மழை ஒளிக்கும்’ evokes the mystical image of ‘hiding within the clouds’. The phrase ‘நாருடை நெஞ்சத்து’ refers to a ‘heart filled with love’. Note how the word ‘love’ is represented by the Tamil word ‘நாரு’ which in current day lingo means ‘a rope’ and perhaps, we can perceive the connection in seeing ‘love’ as the ‘rope of attachment’. The verse mentions both ‘ஆன்றோர்’ ‘the wise’ as well as ‘சான்றோன்’ ‘man of virtue’ and ends with ‘நன்கு அறிந்தனை தெளிமே’ meaning ‘understand and perceive clearly’. On our part, let’s do that too!
The man and lady have been in a love relationship and the man seemed to be focused only on his trysts with the lady. Seeing the lady in agony whenever the man was absent, the confidante decides to persuade him to change his ways. So, one day, when the man arrives to the lady’s house, pretending not to see him, but making sure he was listening, the confidante says to the lady, “Making the skill-less male monkey shiver, the big, youthful female monkey with sharp teeth, carrying its immature young infant, climbs on to the mountain peak and hides within the clouds therein. Such is the scene in the huge mountains of your lord. You are filled with love for him, and so, you will not heed my word. Still, I’m going to say one thing, my friend. May you live long! You have been showering the love in your heart on him all this time. Now, I ask you to hide this passion and analyse for yourself if he’s a man of virtue, who walks unfalteringly in the path of righteousness as advised by the wise!” With these words, the confidante is insisting the man to give up his trysting and instead, seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
Now, for the nuances in the verse! The confidante starts by illustrating a scene from the mountain country of the lord. In the huge mountains, a female monkey seems to be climbing in a huff, with its young one clutching on to it, so as to hide in the thick cloud cover, thus making the male monkey shiver in fear thinking it has lost its mate. Before we unravel the metaphor within, let’s look into the rest of the verse. The confidante starts her conversation as if it’s futile saying anything as the lady is so filled with love for the man that the lady is not going to listen to the words of the confidante. And yet, as if it’s her duty, the confidante says she’s going to persist with her message. And, this message is that the lady must not continue to shower her unflinching affection on the man as she has been doing all this while. Instead, she must lock the love in her heart and look at the man with a clear eye, so that she can understand whether he is indeed a man of virtue who walks on the path of the wise!
To put it in other words, the confidante is relating her case in the lines of the expression ‘love is blind’. Indeed, says the psychology of relationships with numerous studies proving that in love, the flaws of the other do not appear before one’s eyes and that the thinking mind is simply overruled by emotions. Understanding all this without the aid of any peer-reviewed studies, the confidante says to the lady, that even though the lady’s heart pushes her in this reckless direction, the lady must rein it in and see if the man is one who will walk the path of the wise. And, what path is that? The path of a happy married life, prescribed as the righteous path by the wise then! With that picturesque metaphor of the female monkey hiding within the cloud with its young one, the confidante is reiterating this message that the lady must hide her immature love for the man and make him shiver in fear like the male monkey. Hearing this, the confidante hopes the man will understand the true love in the lady’s heart and that he will be persuaded to formalise their union. In this little verse, with the aid of a family of monkeys in the mountain country, the ways of the man’s mind are mended!
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