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In this episode, we perceive the wealth of a home, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 233, penned by Peyanaar. Set in the forest regions of ‘Mullai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his charioteer, on his return from a mission to gather wealth for his wedding with the lady.
கவலை கெண்டிய கல்வாய்ச் சிறு குழி
கொன்றை ஒள் வீ தாஅய், செல்வர்
பொன் பெய் பேழை மூய் திறந்தன்ன
கார் எதிர் புறவினதுவே-உயர்ந்தோர்க்கு
நீரொடு சொரிந்த மிச்சில், யாவர்க்கும்
வரைகோள் அறியாச் சொன்றி,
நிரை கோற் குறுந்தொடி தந்தை ஊரே.
‘So rich is he’ echoes from the many lines of this verse! In the opening words ‘கவலை கெண்டிய’, I learnt a new meaning for the word ‘கவலை’, which means ‘worry’ in contemporary Tamil, whereas here, it refers to ‘a type of yam called kavalai, which has been dug up’. From a tuber, the focus shifts to a well-known flowering tree in ‘கொன்றை ஒள் வீ’ meaning ‘shining flowers of the golden shower tree’. An object of affluence appears in ‘செல்வர் பொன் பெய் பேழை’ referring to ‘a box of gold belonging to the wealthy’. The phrase ‘உயர்ந்தோர்க்கு நீரொடு சொரிந்த மிச்சில்’ meaning ‘what’s left after rendering with water to the learned’ hints at a custom in charity. Ending with the words ‘நிரை கோற் குறுந்தொடி தந்தை ஊரே’ meaning ‘the father’s hamlet of the girl, who wears little bangles in neat rows’, the verse welcomes us to learn more.
Flowers of a tree and the box of the wealthy paint the poem in dazzling shades of gold. The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when it was discovered by the lady’s kith and kin. At this time, the man leaves to gather wealth for his wedding. After completing the mission, the man returns and on the way, says to his charioteer, “On the small hole, made by the digging up of ‘kavalai’ yam, falls and spreads the glowing flowers of the ‘Kondrai’, looking like a rich person’s lid-opened box of gold, in the forest, which is soaked in the rains. The rice that is left after rendering to the wise, with water, is shared with everyone, without any limits, in the village, headed by the father of the girl, who wears small bangles in multiple rows.” With these words, the man describes the riches of the lady’s family and urges his charioteer to rush to the lady’s home, without any further delay.
Sounds like a gold rush! The man starts by talking about a scene in the forest after the rains. A hole has been made so as to pull up the yam growing there. The hole is left as it is and into this hole, pushed by the gusty winds of the changing season, falls the flowers of the golden shower tree, filling it to the brim. In a rich simile, the man connects this image to a box of gold coins in the house of the wealthy, whose lid has been opened out with a bang. The man continues by saying it’s in this forest, the town of the lady’s father stands. To elaborate the nature of the father’s home, the man says here, the learned arrive seeking alms and they are showered with cooked rice for their hunger and water, for their thirst. After serving the learned, it’s not like the utensils have gone empty, for there is so much left to give to anyone who comes, without any restrictions whatsoever, meaning there are mounds and mounds of rice to be donated away. The man concludes by saying such is the town of the lady, who wears many rows of small bangles!
Small bangles indicating slender wrists and youth, no doubt! It’s clear the man is in awe of his prospective father-in-law, isn’t it? Such a rich man, with so much to give away, the man thinks, and perhaps wonders if what he has earned on his mission would be sufficient to claim the hand of this affluent leader’s daughter. The curious thing is even in nature, in a flower’s fall, all the man sees is an object of wealth. This illustrates how when we are focused on something, that thing seems to bloom everywhere, out of the blue. Say you are thinking of changing your car and have decided on a particular model, then wherever you go, that car would seem to appear. It’s not that the carmaker has somehow discovered that you are looking to buy that car and is flooding the streets with that model! It’s simply that you have started paying selective attention to what you are interested in. A gentle whisper that tells us what you pay attention to, in your inner world, has a way of appearing in the outer world too, and in what way we will use this inevitable truth will determine the trajectory of our life!
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