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In this episode, we relish scenes in nature and the stories they tell, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 232, penned by Oon Pithaiyaar. Set in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, consoling her friend as the man remained parted away.
உள்ளார்கொல்லோ?-தோழி!-உள்ளியும்,
வாய்ப் புணர்வு இன்மையின் வாரார்கொல்லோ?-
மரற்புகா அருந்திய மா எருத்து இரலை,
உரற்கால் யானை ஒடித்து உண்டு எஞ்சிய
யாஅ வரி நிழல், துஞ்சும்
மா இருஞ் சோலை மலை இறந்தோரே.
‘He will return soon’ is the reassuring message here. The opening words ‘உள்ளார்கொல்லோ’ meaning ‘won’t he think?’ probes the state of mind of another. In ‘மரற்புகா அருந்திய மா எருத்து இரலை’ meaning ‘the long throated male deer that fed on hemp leaves’, we glimpse at an animal in the wild and its favourite food. ‘உரற்கால் யானை’ paints a striking portrait of ‘an elephant likening its legs to that of a pounding mortar’, which is a cylindrical structure with a dip on its surface on which grains were made into flour using a grinding pestle. Ending with the words ‘மலை இறந்தோரே’ meaning ‘he who departed to the mountains’, the verse beckons us to listen with empathy.
Deers and elephants seem to depict a tale of pining. The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a married life when the man parted away on a mission. In his absence, the lady languishes and wonders aloud to her confidante if thoughts of her would never cross the man’s mind. To the lady, the confidante says, “Won’t he remember, my friend? Although he remembers, does he come not because his task is not complete? After eating hemp leaves, the male deer with a long neck, sleeps in the striped shade of the ‘ya’ tree’s branches, which remain after the elephant with mortar-like legs had bent and eaten, in the huge and dark orchards of the mountains, to which he has left!” With these words, the confidante assures the worrying lady that the man would return and bring peace to her soon.
All that was expressed were a couple of questions and a scene in nature and how can these be words of reassurance? Let’s investigate by listening to the confidante’s words closely. She starts by repeating the lady’s question about whether the man won’t ever think of her. Through this, she acknowledges the anxiety in the lady’s heart. Then, she goes on to give an alternative explanation in the form of a question, asking the lady, do you think the man does not return because he doesn’t think of you or because his work is not done. Food for thought for the worrying lady! Speaking of food, the confidante talks about how a deer, after munching on hemp plants to its satisfaction, sleeps in the shade of a ‘ya’ tree, which has been stripped of its leaves by an elephant with mortar-like legs. She concludes saying such scenes are to be found in the groves through which the man walks on his mission.
To understand how a description of a scene in nature renders consolation, we need to traverse beyond the visible. The image of a sleeping male deer under a ‘ya’ tree, which has been bitten off by an elephant holds within not one, but two hidden metaphors. When the man sees the sleeping male deer, he too will be reminded that he has completed his task and must rush to rest in the shade of the lady’s embrace. That picture of an elephant breaking and eating the leaves of the ‘ya’ tree is a depiction of how pining seems to be wreaking havoc on the lady’s form and a subtle message on the confidante’s part that the lady should bear well and protect her health so that the shade she will offer to the man on his return would be rejuvenating. And thus, by acknowledging the lady’s worry, by offering an alternative to the lady’s rumination, by presenting a positive image of the future and by concealing a call to action in the present, the confidante outlines a step-by-step plan to face the angst of the present and welcome the future with hope. Words of wisdom that will serve us even today!
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