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In this episode, we perceive the high esteem a man holds for his marital life, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 101, penned by Paroovu Movaai Pathumanaar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his heart, in response to its insistence that he part with the lady to go in search of wealth.
விரிதிரைப் பெருங் கடல் வளைஇய உலகமும்,
அரிது பெறு சிறப்பின் புத்தேள் நாடும்,
இரண்டும், தூக்கின், சீர் சாலாவே-
பூப் போல் உண்கண், பொன் போல் மேனி,
மாண் வரி அல்குல், குறுமகள்
தோள் மாறுபடூஉம் வைகலொடு எமக்கே.
At the core of this verse is an image of a traditional weighing scale! The opening words ‘விரிதிரைப் பெருங் கடல் வளைஇய உலகமும்’ meaning ‘this world enveloped by waves in the huge ocean’ render the image of the world in the minds of these ancient folk. Although this song is situated in the mountains, there’s a clear understanding that the world was predominantly clothed in ocean waters. Next, we get to see the phrase ‘புத்தேள் நாடும்’, one that is found in Thirukkural as well, and some have interpreted it as ‘a celestial world’ and others as ‘a new world’. That image of ‘a weighing scale’ mentioned earlier, becomes clearer in the words ‘சீர் சாலாவே’ meaning ‘it will not be equal’, hinting at some comparison. Following this, there appears the description of a woman in ‘பூப் போல் உண்கண்’ meaning ‘flower-like eyes, streaked with kohl’ and ‘பொன் போல் மேனி’ meaning ‘skin like gold’. Next is the curious coinage ‘தோள் மாறுபடூஉம்’ which means ‘placing one’s shoulders against another’s’ and simply talks about a hug. Ending with the words ‘வைகலொடு எமக்கே’ meaning ‘a single day, to me’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
What could be that thing that’s not equal to worlds entire? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a happy, married life when the man found his heart nagging him to part away with the lady to gather wealth. One day, he turns to his heart and says, “Even if this world surrounded by spreading waves of the wide ocean and the hard-to-obtain, renowned new world were placed together on a scale, and measured, it cannot compare to a single day of embracing the young lady with flower-like, kohl-streaked eyes, gold-like skin and loins with beautiful lines!” With these words, the man declares to his heart that he will not part with the lady in quest of wealth.
Sounds like an expression of clarity and conviction. Now, for the nuances! The man first talks about this wide world with its roaring oceans and then talks about another world, one that is hard-to-obtain. Is the man surely talking about the heavens, as some have interpreted, or could the man be talking about worlds undiscovered? We cannot say for sure! Moving away from these philosophical questions, we see that the man then conjures a hypothetical situation wherein the first known world and the second unknown world are stuffed together on one side of a traditional weighing balance. What could be on the other bowl of this balance? To make us understand this, he turns to describe the lady’s beautiful eyes that remind him of flowers, and her skin, which shines like gold. After this description, he reveals the element on the other side of that scale and he says that’s nothing but a single day spent in the embrace of this young lady. He concludes that even worlds together cannot stand up to this one day with his lady love.
In here, is the classic conflict between being with a beloved and going towards wealth that we have encountered in many Sangam poems. And, without a doubt, here, the scales tip in the direction of being with a beloved, rather than the futile search for transient wealth. Fortunate is the man to have this clarity of thought in that ever-present struggle between cherishing love and seeking wealth. Like the man in this verse, wish each of us could find the way to truth in our own moments of struggle!
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