Kurunthogai 337 – Markers of maturity

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In this episode, we perceive markers of a woman’s maturity, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 337, penned by Pothukkayathu Keeranthaiyaar. The verse is situated in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’ and speaks in the voice of the man to the confidante, in response to the confidante’s refusal for the man’s request to tryst with the lady.

முலையே முகிழ் முகிழ்த்தனவே, தலையே
கிளைஇய குரலே கிழக்கு வீழ்ந்தனவே;
செறி முறை வெண் பலும் பறிமுறை நிரம்பின;
சுணங்கும் சில தோன்றினவே; அணங்கு என
யான் தன் அறிவல்; தான் அறியலளே;
யாங்கு ஆகுவள்கொல் தானே-
பெரு முது செல்வர் ஒரு மட மகளே?

‘I know for a fact that she’s ready’ is the matter-of-fact declaration here. In the opening words ‘முலையே முகிழ் முகிழ்த்தனவே’ meaning ‘breasts have bloomed akin to buds’, there’s open talk of a female’s physical growth. ‘குரலே கிழக்கு வீழ்ந்தனவே’ meaning ‘hair strands extend long and deep behind’ talks about the luxurious growth of tresses, which we have seen as a prominent marker of feminine beauty in Sangam times. The phrase ‘வெண் பலும் பறிமுறை நிரம்பின’ meaning ‘white teeth have fallen and grown back completely’ indicates the stage of milk teeth falling down and then being replaced by permanent teeth. Certain ‘spots that appear on the skin’ seem to be an indicator of growth too, as reflected in ‘சுணங்கும் சில தோன்றினவே’. Ending with ‘பெரு முது செல்வர் ஒரு மட மகளே’ meaning ‘the innocent daughter of a man with a prosperous, ancient wealth’, the verse welcomes us to meet her and learn more.

That sounds like the onset of puberty! The context reveals the man had met with the lady and fallen in love with her and the lady too seemed to reciprocate his feelings. As custom dictated, the man had to seek the help of the confidante to further his relationship with the lady. When he approaches the confidante with his request to tryst with the lady, the confidante refuses to accept that, citing the reason that the lady was not old enough. In reply, the man says to the confidante, “Akin to flower buds, her bosom has blossomed; On her head, close-set hair strands have grown long and extend deep down; Neat and straight white teeth have fallen and filled again; Some skin spots have appeared too. I know that she has bloomed enough to cause pain in me; But she doesn’t know that. What is to become of her – that naive daughter of the chief with great, old wealth?” With these words, the man tells the confidante that he knows for sure that the lady is mature enough to tryst with him.

A curious case of a strange man knowing more about the lady than her own friend! The man starts by talking about the lady’s bosom, her hair and her teeth and how all these are now mature. The hair is no longer short but growing long and deep, touching the ground, perhaps. Then, those little teeth have all fallen out and filled up perfectly too, he says. We know that the milk teeth falling out and new teeth growing is no sign of adulthood for this happens between 12 to 13 years. It is indeed quite a shock to us, seeing with the eyes of this century, to consider that the man is talking about a 13 year old girl. But, this was two thousand years ago, and a different world. Even as recent as a few centuries back, girls were married at the age of 13 or 14. Thankfully, we now see both boys and girls of this age, as children, and give them the space to mature. In India, moving the legal age of marriage to 18, has been one of the reasons for girls completing their school education and stepping towards equality. 

Returning to the verse, we find the man talking about these changes in the lady and saying that he knows for sure that she has the power to cause love affliction in him but she doesn’t seem to know it. What is to become of this simple-minded maiden of the rich chief, the man laments! Although he talks of the lady so, he in fact means the confidante for she is the one who has refused the man’s request saying the lady is too young. The man indicates how familiar he is with the lady, and how he seems to know her better than her own best friend. While this is one of those songs that’s somewhat difficult to digest, from we stand, there is one tiny element that we can connect with. That is how we don’t notice the changes in those whom we live with, as it’s happening day by day. Only when some outsiders tell us that our child has grown so much, do we tend to realise they have. In our minds, they are still the helpless little beings we brought into this world, and it somehow refuses to see how they have suddenly matured, for a while at least. That could be the reason for the confidante’s refusal and the man’s insistence. A song that reveals how although cultural perspectives may have changed with the millennia, perception of the human condition remains the same!