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In this episode, we glimpse at aspects of history and sociology in an ancient land, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Natrinai 253, penned by Kabilar. The verse is set in the mountain country of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, subtly persuading him to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
புள்ளுப் பதி சேரினும், புணர்ந்தோர்க் காணினும்,
பள்ளி யானையின் வெய்ய உயிரினை,
கழிபட வருந்திய எவ்வமொடு பெரிது அழிந்து
எனவ கேளாய், நினையினை, நீ நனி:
உள்ளினும் பனிக்கும்-ஒள் இழைக் குறுமகள்,
பேர் இசை உருமொடு மாரி முற்றிய,
பல் குடைக் கள்ளின் வண் மகிழ்ப் பாரி,
பலவு உறு குன்றம் போல,
பெருங் கவின் எய்திய அருங் காப்பினளே.
Starting with the phrase ‘புள்ளுப் பதி சேரினும்’ meaning ‘when birds fly back to their nests’, the verse transports us to an evening sky, where scores of birds are seen flying together to retire for the day. From tiny birds in the sky, our attention then shifts to a huge ‘elephant on the ground’ in ‘பள்ளி யானை’. The phrase ‘வெய்ய உயிரினை’ talks about the ‘hot sigh’ of this elephant. This makes me imagine the poet standing near an elephant that’s about to sleep and feeling its hot breath on his face. Masters of observation indeed, those ancient poets! ‘நினையினை, நீ நனி’ means ‘you think a lot’ and shows us the issue of ‘overthinking’ is no modern attribute of humans! History comes alive when we see ‘வண் மகிழ்ப் பாரி’ meaning ‘Paari, filled with happiness’ and refers to an ancient lord, a patron of the poor, known for his generosity. Anyone who has even slight knowledge of Tamil history, will recollect ‘Paari’ as the king, who gave away his chariot to a flowering ‘mullai’ vine for it spread its roots. This is the ultimate illustration of compassion defeating materialism. If we, the descendants of this great ancestor, even show a fraction of this kindness, the world would indeed be a greener and better place. Finally, we see the verse ending with ‘அருங் காப்பினளே’ meaning ‘lady, who is confined to the house’. Let’s enter this well-guarded house and learn more!
The man and lady had been in a love relationship and the man had been trysting with the lady for a while. One day, when he comes to the lady’s house to meet with the lady secretly, the confidante turns to him and says, “At the sight of birds returning to their nests or when you see lovers together, you seem to let out hot sighs like an elephant lying down. With extreme sadness and suffering, you seem to be greatly confused. And so, you don’t listen to me. Instead, you seem to be lost in a lot of thought. That young girl wearing radiant jewels shudders at the mere thought of your struggles to see her. The lady has a great beauty akin to Paari’s mountain, where jackfruit trees abound and where rain bearing clouds surround with the loud music of thunder. Paari, who takes much delight in sharing fine toddy in many palmyra cups. Owing to this beauty of the lady, she has now been placed under heavy guard at home.” With these words, the confidante informs the man that the lady is attracting marriage offers from strangers and thereby, she has been placed under confinement in the house and the only way to enjoy her company would be to formalise his union with the lady.
How does this verse seamlessly travel from historic facts to a marriage proposal? Time to delve in deeper! The confidante starts by expressing her understanding of the man’s mind by saying that whenever he looks at birds flying together with their mates, or when he glances at lovers sharing each other’s company, the man seems to let out hot sighs, yearning for the lady. This, she compares with the hot sigh of an elephant that is resting on the ground. From these outer actions of the man, she understands his mind is overheating with thought and that he is suffering greatly within. And then, telling him that he’s not listening to her, the confidante subtly insists that the man pay attention to what she’s about to say! After this, she talks about the lady, a young girl, who is scared by all the dangers that the man has to face whenever he comes to see her. As if that weren’t enough, she has also been confined to the house and placed under guard owing to her maturing beauty.
Why should a lady be placed under guard if she’s growing beautiful? To understand that sociological aspect of this land, we have to explore the simile. The confidante compares the lady’s beauty to the mountains of King Paari, abounding with jackfruit trees and around which, rich rain clouds swirl around, filling it with fertility. And here, King Paari is described as one who takes much happiness in his hospitality to others, wherein he offers a sweet drink in many palmyra cups to his guests. Coming to that mountain, ruled by Paari, we learn that this mountain was called as ‘Parambu malai’ then and ‘Thirukongkundram’ later during the times of Bakthi literature and now, it goes by the name ‘Piraanmalai’ and is located in the Sivagangai district in Tamilnadu. The hill, which is described as lush and green, filled with jackfruit trees many, is but a barren one now. And yet, it stands to proclaim Paari’s name over the ages. The history behind this mountain and the king who ruled it tells us this was a much coveted region and even the great Chola, Chera and Pandiya kings vied to take possession of this region, owing to their envy of Paari’s fame. It’s this aspect that the confidante draws on, to describe how there are many who have appealed to the lady’s parents with marriage proposals and that’s the reason why the lady has been confined to her house. From this, we understand there were cases of both marriages being arranged by parents and marriages, wherein the couples choose each other in a love relationship. Returning to the poem, the confidante thus describes all these dangers in the lady’s situation and how the man must rise out of that mere sighing and thinking to claim the lady’s hand in marriage. The confidante thus subtly highlights that mere thinking and wishing will not be of any aid, and it’s only action that will lead one to embrace victory!
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