Kurunthogai 251 – A rain of compassion

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மடவ வாழி-மஞ்ஞை மா இனம்
கால மாரி பெய்தென, அதன் எதிர்
ஆலலும் ஆலின; பிடவும் பூத்தன;
கார் அன்று-இகுளை!-தீர்க, நின் படரே!
கழிந்த மாரிக்கு ஒழிந்த பழ நீர்,
புது நீர் கொளீஇய, உகுத்தரும்
நொதுமல் வானத்து முழங்கு குரல் கேட்டே.

‘Don’t you be fooled like them’ seems to be the message in this verse. The opening words ‘மடவ வாழி’ meaning ‘They are foolish. Live long’ combines a judgement about some unnamed entities and also, a blessing. Perhaps, the Sangam people had the habit of rendering a blessing when they have uttered negative words about something. Next, we glimpse at ‘மஞ்ஞை’ or ‘peacock’ and ‘பிடவு’ or ‘wild jasmines’, the quintessential life in the forest regions. The phrase ‘கார் அன்று-இகுளை!’ meaning ‘this is not the season of rains, my friend’ echoes the core concept. ‘நொதுமல் வானத்து’ meaning ‘unconcerned sky’ endows a colourful character to the inanimate canopy of our world. Ending with the words ‘முழங்கு குரல் கேட்டே’ meaning ‘hearing the thundering voice’, the verse welcomes us to listen intently.

It’s not the season of rains and yet, a thundering voice is heard – A puzzling contradiction indeed! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a married life when the man parted away to gather wealth. The lady languishes in his absence. One day, when the lady was in such a deep angst, the confidante says to her, “Foolish, they are. May you live long! The dark flock of peacocks, thinking that timely rains have poured, in response, dance away; Likewise, the wild jasmines have bloomed as well. This isn’t the season of rains, my friend! End your suffering. The indifferent sky sheds old water left behind from the past rains so as to gather new water. Hearing the sky’s roaring voice, those peacocks dance and jasmines bloom!” With these words, the confidante allays the lady’s worries that the season of rains was upon them.

Why should it bother the lady if the season of rains were to arrive? To understand this, we have delve into the context. As we have seen in many other poems, the man should have promised the lady that he’d be back before the rainy season commenced. And, now seeing signs that the rains have arrived, the lady begins worrying that the man has not kept his promise. And it falls on the confidante’s shoulders to allay the lady’s worries and she does this by declaring that they are foolish. When we ask who, the confidante points in the direction of a flock of peacocks and as if she has seen their minds, she says that the peacocks have decided it’s the rainy season and thus, have started their radiant dance to beckon their mates. Then, she increases the membership of this foolish group by adding wild jasmines, saying that these have bloomed for the same reason as well. 

Turning to her friend, the confidante says that while these foolish beings may make you think that the rains are here, it’s not the real rains. She then instructs her friend to let go of her suffering. Following this, she gets scientific about it and extends a logical reason for the rains pouring just then, by saying it’s because there was some water left from the previous rainy season, and now, since they had to gather fresh water for the next rains, the apathetic clouds had decided to shed that old water. As these clouds were going about, roaring their purpose, the peacocks and jasmines were fooled in thinking that the rains were here. So, don’t you worry about it, my friend, the confidante says in conclusion to the lady, and assures her friend that the man will return as he promised. 

I relished the characterisation of those clouds as ‘indifferent’ and the peacocks and wild jasmines as ‘foolish’, endowing human attributes to plants, animals and even elements of the sky. Whether the lady believed the confidante’s explanation or not is immaterial, for what she would appreciate is the love and care in her friend’s words. Truth does takes a beating here but the kindness encased in that thought, endows a new meaning to this truth. A moment to ponder about where you would stand on the truth-compassion continuum!