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In this episode, we perceive the hard life in an ancient region, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 274, penned by Uruthiranaar. The verse is situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’ and speaks in the voice of the man to his heart, when contemplating a journey to gather wealth.
புறவுப் புறத்தன்ன புன் கால் உகாஅத்து
காசினை அன்ன நளி கனி உதிர,
விடு கணை வில்லொடு பற்றி, கோடு இவர்பு,
வருநர்ப் பார்க்கும் வன்கண் ஆடவர்
நீர் நசை வேட்கையின் நார் மென்று தணியும்
இன்னாக் கானமும், இனிய-பொன்னொடு
மணி மிடை அல்குல் மடந்தை
அணி முலை ஆகம் உள்கினம் செலினே.
The magic of ‘something unpleasant turning pleasant’ is the crux of this verse. The opening words ‘புறவுப் புறத்தன்ன புன் கால் உகாஅத்து’ meaning ‘a toothbrush tree with a rough trunk akin to a pigeon’s back’ talk about the predominant tree of the drylands, the miswak tree, whose twigs have been used as a tool of oral hygiene for thousands of years. In ‘விடு கணை வில்லொடு’ meaning ‘an arrow placed on a bow’, we see a dynamic scene of a hunt in place. It’s the hot drylands and as expected ‘a searing thirst’ parches throats in ‘நீர் நசை வேட்கை’. Ending with the words ‘உள்கினம் செலினே’ meaning ‘if I were to think of that and go thither’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
What could be that prescribed thing to think about? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a happy, married life when the man felt the need to part with the lady to gather wealth. At this point, the man’s heart languished thinking about the impending parting with the lady. To his heart, the man says, “The ‘ugai’ tree stands with its rough trunk looking like a pigeon’s back. Making the coin-like, ripe fruits of this tree fall, fierce-eyed men on the lookout for wayfarers, climb on branches, holding flying arrows stretched out on bows. When struck by thirst, they quench it by chewing on the tree’s twigs in that suffering-filled drylands jungle. Even a walk through this path would turn pleasant if I were to think of the beautiful bosoms of my maiden, who has loins decked with gold and precious jewels.” With these words, the man renders the needed encouragement to his heart to proceed with his journey to gather wealth.
Let’s take a walk with the man on the drylands path and understand how he finds the strength to part with the lady. The man points to us the rough trunk of a ‘miswak’ tree and compares it to the grey back of a pigeon. Next, he turns the spotlight on how round, sapphire-hued fruits of the tree are falling down. As there is no breeze to shake down the fruits, we look up puzzled and then the man points out the highway robbers perched on branches and hidden by leaves, in readiness with their arrows stretched out on bows. And, we realise that it’s their climbing that has shaken off the fruits of the tree. The man whispers that these men are on the lookout for unsuspecting wayfarers to aim their arrows at and we thank our stars for being invisible to their eyes. Fierce-eyed and harsh men they may be but even they feel thirst striking their throats and at this time, all those men can do is to chew on the twig of the miswak tree to feel some relief, the man says. With that, he lets us know how harsh the drylands is to those harsh men. Akin to how a meta-level danger was revealed in a ‘Kurinji’ poem by talking about ‘thunder striking a snake at midnight’, here, the terrible nature of the drylands is illustrated by the compound effect of thirst in the waiting robbers. Returning, the man concludes by saying even such a terrible scrubland jungle would turn a sweet orchard if he were to walk there, with the thoughts of his lady’s pretty bosom.
Thus, the man seems to have discovered the alchemy of turning rock to gold or in other words, turning something disagreeable to pleasurable. By disagreeable, he means the experience of walking in the drylands, filled with the danger of the robbers’ arrows flying at you, and nothing but a tree’s twig to quench your thirst for miles on end. Even this would be a saunter on a bed of flowers if only his mind turned to his lady, the man predicts. Here’s a timeless thought that no matter how difficult and dangerous one’s path is, all the mind needs to go on is the thought of a beloved back home!
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