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In this episode, we listen to words of consolation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 248, penned by Ulochanaar. Set in the coastal regions of ‘Neythal’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, allaying the lady’s worries about the delay in her marriage to the man.
அது வரல் அன்மையோ அரிதே; அவன் மார்பு
உறுக என்ற நாளே குறுகி,
ஈங்கு ஆகின்றே-தோழி!-கானல்
ஆடு அரை புதையக் கோடை இட்ட
அடும்பு இவர் மணற் கோடு ஊர, நெடும் பனை
குறிய ஆகும் துறைவனைப்
பெரிய கூறி யாய் அறிந்தனளே.
‘It will surely happen’ promises a voice in this verse. The opening words ‘அது வரல் அன்மையோ அரிதே’ meaning ‘that it will not come is indeed rather impossible’ employs a double negative to talk about a positive event. In ‘அவன் மார்பு உறுக என்ற நாளே குறுகி’ meaning ‘the days between when you will delight in his embrace are shortening’ renders a message of hope to the lady. A vine that we frequently encounter in Sangam verses from the shore, makes an appearance in ‘கோடை இட்ட அடும்பு’ referring to ‘beach morning glory, brought by the summer winds’. In ‘நெடும் பனை குறிய ஆகும்’ meaning ‘the tall palm looks shortened’, we perceive yet another reference to something shrinking. Ending with the words ‘பெரிய கூறி யாய் அறிந்தனளே’ meaning ‘saying great things, mother came to know’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
That mother knows generally spells trouble for the lady but what could it mean here? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man parted to gather wealth for their wedding. The lady languishes in his absence. One day, the confidante says to her, “It would be rare for it not to happen; The day when you will find joy in his chest is nearing, my friend. The swaying tree trunk in the grove is buried by the spreading ‘adumbu’ vines, brought by summer winds, making the tall palm look short on the shores of the lord. Since she mistook his deeds to be that of the great one, she has now come to know who he is!” With these words, the confidante conveys that all events leading to the lady’s marriage have been initiated and promises the lady that her special day of joy was rather near.
Heartening news indeed to the lady! What else can we extract from the confidante’s words? She starts with a curious way of declaring something is going to surely happen by talking about the rarity of it not happening! The thing she’s talking about is revealed when she mentions the lady’s day of delighting in the man’s embrace was almost right next to them. Then, leaving abstractions, the confidante travels to the man’s shores and points how the ‘adumbu’ vines spreading all over the sands have managed to bury the tall palm trees, making them look rather short. After identifying the man with that description, the confidante finishes with a single line indicating because mother said ‘great things’, she now knows about the man.
That last line sounds like a real riddle! To unravel, we need to reflect on what is that great thing mother could have said. It turns out that mother had blamed the changes in her daughter on God Murugu taking possession of the lady, and had started making arrangements for the ‘Veri’ ritual. This made it inevitable for the confidante to break the news that the reason for the lady’s changes was her love for the man. The confidante also hides, in the image of the tall palm shrinking in size, owing to the spreading vines of the beach morning glory, a metaphor for how the long time to the lady’s marriage with the man had diminished because of this action of mother in starting the ‘Veri’ ritual and the reaction of the confidante in declaring the lady’s love for the man. And so, the confidante comes not with empty words but a concrete path to end the lady’s agony. Lucky lady indeed, for she has in the confidante – a super sleuth, a defender of justice and a compassionate counsellor, all rolled in one!
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