Kurunthogai 37 – Love in the path he treads

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In this episode, we relish an act of love in nature, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 37, penned by Paalai Paadiya Perungkadungko. The verse is situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, consoling her saying that the man has every reason to return soon to her.

நசை பெரிது உடையர்; நல்கலும் நல்குவர்;
பிடி பசி களைஇய பெருங் கை வேழம்
மென் சினை யாஅம் பொளிக்கும்
அன்பின-தோழி!-அவர் சென்ற ஆறே.

All about a deep love for a beloved! Even as it starts, the verse speaks of ‘someone who has a great affection’ in ‘நசை பெரிது உடையர்’. Next, the words take a wild turn and we gaze at ‘பெருங் கை வேழம்’ or ‘a long trunked elephant’ as well as ‘மென் சினை யாஅம்’ referring to ‘a gentle-branched anjan tree’, a tree said to be characteristic of the dry forests found in central and south India, the quintessential ‘paalai’ regions. Ending with ‘அவர் சென்ற ஆறே’ or ‘the path he treads’, the verse invites us to share the journey and know more.

A loving person, an elephant and a tree – How have these ancients fused these elements together? The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a married life when the man parted away to gather wealth. The lady languishes in his absence and one day, the confidante says to her, “He is one who has immense love and he is sure to shower his graces too. Seeking to slay the hunger of its mate, the huge-trunked male elephant breaks open the bark on the gentle branch of the ‘Ya-am’ tree. The path your man traverses is filled with such loving scenes, my friend!” With these words, the confidante promises the lady that the man’s nature and the scenes on his path will propel him to come home to the lady soon.

Inner nature and outer nature seems to be lending a helping hand to the lady! The confidante first talks about the nature of the man, whom she describes as one filled with a genuine love for the lady and that he is sure to shower his graces on her. If that sounded like mere propping up of the man’s character, the confidante turns to a logical reason to help the man return and talks about how in the paths the man walks, which are filled with ‘ya-am’ trees, huge-trunked male elephants would be seen breaking the bark of the tree and offering the water therein to their mates. Meandering for a moment, let’s take a look at this ‘ya-am’ tree. In current day Tamil, it’s called as the ‘Aacha’ tree and is said to be found in the river valleys of the Cauvery. Returning to the verse, we find the confidante telling the lady, how can the man not think of you, my friend, when such love shines before him? And so, he will come back to you soon, she declares.

Sangam poetry is filled with instances of humans finding the right path forward in nature and this verse is a classic instance of that. A male elephant slaying the hunger and thirst of its mate seems to be the inspiration for the man’s heart to turn away from material pursuits in the direction of his beloved. A perfect blend of a person’s nature and a scene from nature portray love and affection, at its superlative best! Like the man in the verse, if only we could pause and fully open our eyes to the world around, how many answers that we seek could come our way?