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In this episode, we perceive the inevitability of a difficult decision, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 297, penned by Kaaviripoompattinathu Kaarikkannanaar. The verse is situated in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the confidante to the lady, bidding the lady to elope away with the man.
‘அவ் விளிம்பு உரீஇய கொடுஞ் சிலை மறவர்
வை வார் வாளி விறற் பகை பேணார்,
மாறு நின்று எதிர்ந்த ஆறுசெல் வம்பலர்
உவல் இடு பதுக்கை ஊரின் தோன்றும்
கல் உயர் நனந் தலை, நல்ல கூறி,
புணர்ந்து உடன் போதல் பொருள்” என,
உணர்ந்தேன்மன்ற, அவர் உணரா ஊங்கே.
‘Dangers many but that’s the path to take’ bids this verse. In the opening words ‘அவ் விளிம்பு உரீஇய கொடுஞ் சிலை’ meaning ‘a curved bow with its rim tied strongly’, we glimpse at an ancient weapon. ‘ஆறுசெல் வம்பலர்’ brings before our eyes ‘the wayfarers who walk in the drylands path’. A frequent find in archaeology makes an appearance in ‘உவல் இடு பதுக்கை’ meaning ‘ stone graves covered with leaves’. The core theme of the verse can be sensed in ‘புணர்ந்து உடன் போதல்’ meaning ‘eloping together’. Ending with the words ‘அவர் உணரா ஊங்கே’ meaning ‘even before he understood it’, the verse welcomes us to understand more.
Why is this path being advocated? The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting together with the lady for a while. Difficult circumstances around the lady’s marriage arose in the lady’s household. One day, the confidante turns to the lady and says, “Holding the curved, sharp edge of the bow tied tightly, the bandits aim their sharp and long arrows at those wayfarers, who suspect not the waiting enmity and walk straight ahead in the path. The stone graves of these victims are covered with leaves and appear akin to villages from the high peaks in the wide open spaces. Speaking of good things and eloping away together is the right thing to do. This I realised, even before he did.” With these words, the confidante conveys to the lady the only thing to do, given the circumstances, is to elope away with the man and get married in the man’s village.
Time to explore the nuances. The confidante starts by zooming on to the taut and bent rim of a bow. Zooming backwards, she brings into focus, the hand that is holding this bow and we find that it belongs to a highway robber, whose gaze is focused on an unsuspecting wayfarer, walking in the path ahead. The robber releases his sharp and long arrow and that missile finds its target in that wayfarer. Even though the robbers kill these strangers for their livelihood, they do justice to the dead and bury the bodies with stones and cover these makeshift graves with leaves. Raising high to the peaks around, the confidante says when viewed from there, these stone graves seem like huts in a village. Connecting this wide open space to the lady, the confidante says that all the lady must do now is to leave to that mentioned place and walk as one with the man, speaking of good things to come. The confidante concludes that even before the man decided that course of action, she was clear about that.
The last statement is to say that the confidante has observed the lady’s kith and kin and they seem to be implacable when it came to giving the lady’s hand in marriage to the man. Seeing this situation firsthand, the confidante is clear about the lady’s path. So is the man, the confidante tells the lady conveying how the two important people in the lady’s life want the same thing for her. No doubt the lady will follow the advice of the confidante and part away to the man’s village. What impressed me about this verse is how the confidante does not sugarcoat the dangers that’s going to arise in the lady’s path. She is saying to the lady, ‘Yes, you have high chances of meeting those bandits and your life could be in danger too. Be aware of that but focus on the positives in your life – your marriage with the man and a life together’. With the events of the past guiding your decision, a clear eye about the dangers of the present, and hope in the heart about the future, walk on, the confidante seems to say to her friend, and to us, too!
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