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In this episode, we relish the ingenuity of the confidante in her indirect persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 111, penned by Theenmathi Naakanaar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, passing on a hidden message to the man, listening nearby.
மென் தோள் நெகிழ்த்த செல்லல், வேலன்,
”வென்றி நெடு வேள்” என்னும்; அன்னையும்,
அது என உணரும்ஆயின், ஆயிடைக்
கூழை இரும் பிடிக் கை கரந்தன்ன
கேழ் இருந் துறுகல் கெழு மலை நாடன்
வல்லே வருக-தோழி!-நம்
இல்லோர் பெரு நகை காணிய சிறிதே!
An illustration of illogical acts in this one! Right at the beginning, the words ‘மென் தோள் நெகிழ்த்த செல்லல்’ meaning ‘sadness that causes soft arms to become thin’ reveals that pining has reared its head. The famous priest of Sangam times, ‘வேலன்’, makes an appearance as does his god, ‘நெடு வேள்’ meaning ‘the long-speared one’ referring to God Murugu. Animal life can be glimpsed at, in ‘கூழை இரும் பிடி’ meaning ‘short and dark female elephant’. When you think about it, there’s nothing short about an elephant but perhaps the poet wants to differentiate the female from the male elephant, which is somewhat bigger than its mate. This alliteratively charming phrase ‘வல்லே வருக’ meaning ‘come quickly’ conceals the core of the verse! Ending with the words ‘பெரு நகை காணிய சிறிதே’ meaning ‘to see a little, the huge joke’, the verse captures our attention!
What’s the joke then and that too with gods involved? The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a love relationship and that the man had been trysting with the lady for a long while. One day, when he arrives to tryst with the lady, pretending not to notice him but making sure he’s listening, the confidante says to the lady, “The misery that makes gentle arms thin, will be declared by ‘Velan’, to be caused by the victorious, long-speared god. Mother too, would believe it to be the truth. Just then, the lord of the mountains, whose dark-hued hill has the appearance of a stout, dark female elephant that hides its trunk, should come here hastily, my friend… To see a little, these laughable acts of the members of our household!” With these words, the confidante declares in a subtle manner to the listening man that the situation in the lady’s house necessitated that he seek the lady’s hand without any further delay.
Social customs and cultural beliefs lie hidden herein! Touching upon the problem instantly, the confidante mentions how the lady’s arms were now thinning down. After traversing through so many Sangam verses, we can be sure that this means the lady is worrying for some reason. Never is any physical illness, the reason for these symptoms in these Sangam women. It’s always worry about their relationships! However, the true reason for these symptoms is not understood by the lady’s mother, who immediately requests the services of ‘Velan’ the priest, who I think, doubles up as a physician and diagnoses these ailments in women. Knowing Velan and his methods, the confidante predicts that he’s going to say that the reason for the lady’s ill-health is because God Murugu has been angered and that he has taken possession of the lady. Proceeding on that line of thought, the confidante concludes that mother too, is sure to believe that. I want to pause here and ask why doesn’t the mother understand her daughter’s predicament! Wasn’t she a young woman herself and who might have gone through the same emotions? Our logical questions notwithstanding, the confidante tells us that’s how things were, just then!
Turning to describe the man’s mountain country, she mentions how a hill in that land resembles a female elephant hiding its trunk and goes on to say, that the man must come there, without delay. Why must he do that? The confidante tell us that it’s to see the laughable actions of those in their household taking steps to allay the supposed anger of God Murugu. In that imagery of a hill appearing like an elephant with its trunk hidden, the confidante conceals an intricate metaphor for how just like a hill is mistaken for an elephant, although the lady’s symptoms appears to Velan and mother as if God Murugu is the reason, on analysing carefully, one can see that the reason was none other than the man himself. Outwardly, while the confidante says that the man must come there to see and laugh at those foolish conclusions of their kith and kin, inwardly, she’s actually telling the man to avoid making the lady suffer further and to come there soon, to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
To me, the thing to be celebrated here is that there is at least one person, who is not fooled by the strong beliefs of those around but knows the truth of things. This demonstration of analysing a problem, reaching the core of that issue, and then, going on to convey the solution in a subtle and effective manner to the concerned person is stunning, mainly because an understanding of this very modern rationality and problem-solving exercise seems to be in practice two thousand years ago in Tamil society!
Brilliant one 😍