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In this episode, we relish a scene involving wildlife in the mountains, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 335, penned by Irunthaiyoor Kotran Pulavanaar. Set in the hills of Kurinji, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, refusing him his request of nightly tryst with the lady.
நிரை வளை முன்கை நேர் இழை மகளிர்
இருங் கல் வியல் அறைச் செந் தினை பரப்பிச்
சுனை பாய் சோர்வு இடை நோக்கி, சினை இழிந்து,
பைங் கண் மந்தி பார்ப்பொடு கவரும்
வெற்பு இடை நண்ணியதுவே -வார் கோல்
வல் விற் கானவர் தங்கைப்
பெருந் தோட் கொடிச்சி இருந்த ஊரே.
‘No easy task to meet her’ warns a voice here. In the opening words ‘நிரை வளை முன்கை நேர் இழை மகளிர்’ meaning ‘girls wearing well-carved jewels and rows of bangles on their forearms’, we see the spotlight thrown on the ornaments worn by women in Sangam times. It’s curious how jewels never fail to appear when maiden are being discussed. Could this matter of fact reference signify the wealth and opulence of people in the Sangam age? Returning, the wildlife mentioned earlier appears in ‘பைங் கண் மந்தி பார்ப்பொடு’ meaning ‘the female monkey with green eyes along with its little ones’. An interesting epithet for the female protagonist can be seen in ‘வல் விற் கானவர் தங்கை’ meaning ‘the sister of mountain men with strong bows’ and we will explore the significance of this address shortly. Ending with the words ‘பெருந் தோட் கொடிச்சி இருந்த ஊரே’ meaning ‘the town of the mountain girl with huge shoulders’, the verse welcomes us to visit and know more.
Jewels of mountain maiden, eyes of a monkey and arrows of mountain hunter flash a series of vivid images here! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by day. After a while, the man decides to meet with the lady by night and puts forth this request to the lady’s confidante. In response, the confidante says, “Maiden bedecked with exquisite ornaments and wearing rows of bangles spread red millets on a wide rock in the dark mountains. Watching out for the time when they would tire from this work and would instead play in the springs, the fresh-eyed female monkey along with its infants comes down from the branches above and steals the millets in that soaring hill. Near this hill is the town of the wide-shouldered mountain girl, the sister of those hunters with long arrows and sturdy bows!” With these words, the confidante informs the man in a hidden manner that it would impossible to meet with the lady at night and the best course of action would be to seek the lady’s hand in marriage.
Didn’t what we hear sound just like a description of the mountains and where in this space does the confidante hide her message? Let’s investigate by listening to her words closely. The confidante starts by talking about what certain bejewelled ladies are up to. She reveals how these maiden bring freshly harvested red millets, so as to dry them on a wide rock. As can be expected, after a while, they tire out of this task and decide to have some fun by playing in the pools of the spring. Waiting just for this moment, the female monkey and its little ones climb down from the branches to snatch that easy food. All this happens in the hills and nearby, is the town of the lady and her brothers, who wield skilful bows and piercing arrows, the confidante concludes.
That slice of life in a monkey’s day is presented not just to establish the setting but it serves to project the man’s situation. This far, like the monkey, you have been stealing time with the lady by day, whenever she was in the company of her playmates; But now, she is under guard of her brothers, who will not be easily fooled like those maiden, for they are skilled hunters, the confidante conveys in a hidden manner to the man. And so, it becomes clear that a nightly tryst with the lady is out of the question. Instead of being thwarted by these temporary obstacles, go towards the permanent path of union with the lady, the confidante subtly suggests. I would like to turn the focus on how the lady is described as a sister of someone, and that too, to denote how she is under their protection. In a way, this is a portrait of a Sangam lady as a prized possession in her birth home and how the man must win her through the right means. A fascinating trip to the mountains and minds therein indeed!
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