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In this episode, we listen to a person’s perception about the paradox of love, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 206, penned by Aiyoor Mudavanaar. Set in the hills of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his friend, in response to the friend’s words of chiding about the man’s changed state.
அமிழ்தத்து அன்ன அம் தீம் கிளவி
அன்ன இனியோள் குணனும் இன்ன,
இன்னா அரும் படர் செய்யும் ஆயின்,
உடன் உறைவு அரிதே காமம்,
குறுகல் ஓம்புமின், அறிவுடையீரே.
‘So sweet, yet so bitter’ is the contradiction in this verse! The opening words ‘அமிழ்தத்து அன்ன அம் தீம் கிளவி’ meaning ‘words, as alluring and agreeable as the elixir of life’ focus on the good part of the core theme. Following this, ‘இன்னா அரும் படர்’ meaning ‘disagreeable, unbearable suffering’ talks about the other side of the equation. A common declaration about love can be seen in ‘அரிதே காமம்’ meaning ‘love is difficult’. Ending with the words ‘குறுகல் ஓம்புமின், அறிவுடையீரே’ meaning ‘O intelligent people, safeguard by not nearing’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
A mountain of contradiction in this seed of a verse! The context reveals that the man had met the lady and fallen in love with her. As the first rush of love floods through him, his behaviour changes drastically. Seeing this, the man’s friend scolds him. To the friend, the man says, “She speaks sweet and beautiful words, akin to ambrosia. If such a sweet and desirable person’s nature can cause such undesirable suffering, then it’s indeed impossible to live with the feeling of love. So, protect yourself by staying away, O wise friend!” With these words, the man expresses his angst after falling in love and subtly passes on a message to his friend to be more supportive at this time.
How does the man invoke his friend’s help? Let’s understand by listening carefully and seeing beyond the words. The man starts by describing the kind of words that his lady speaks. As it occurs to one, knee-deep in love, to the man, it seems as if her words are the epitome of all that’s good. He describes it as something as sweet and good as the elixir of life. How I wish they tell us what this really refers to! Was there a food that endowed forever life or was it a poet’s hyperbole for something delicious beyond words? Let’s keep that question alive as we journey on. Returning, we find the man wondering aloud as to how the nature of someone so pleasant could cause something so harsh to streak through him and he declares it seems to be impossible to co-exist with this feeling of love. The man ends by addressing his friend as the ‘wise one’ and asks him to protect himself by staying away from this thing called love.
While that may look like a linear statement, just narrating about what the man feels, within that he conceals something more. In that last line, the man seems to be telling his friend, the only way to protect oneself is by not falling in love and since the friend is such a wise person, perhaps that would be possible for him. But now, the man has fallen into love and is in the midst of its consequences. He implies that if the friend is truly a wise person, he would stop nagging the man about how to behave and instead take steps to find a true solution for the man’s suffering. The verse seems to subtly tell us that instead of talking and blaming endlessly, the right way to solve problems, is to see deeply and touch the issue at its very core!
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