Kurunthogai 360 – Today’s trial for tomorrow’s triumph

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வெறி என உணர்ந்த வேலன் நோய் மருந்து
அறியான் ஆகுதல் அன்னை காணிய,
அரும் படர் எவ்வம் இன்று நாம் உழப்பினும்,
வாரற்கதில்ல-தோழி!-சாரல்
பிடிக் கை அன்ன பெருங் குரல் ஏனல்
உண் கிளி கடியும் கொடிச்சி கைக் குளிரே
சிலம்பின் சிலம்பும் சோலை
இலங்கு மலை நாடன் இரவினானே.

‘Even though it’s painful, hope he doesn’t come tonight’ is the central thought herein. The opening words ‘வெறி என உணர்ந்த வேலன்’ meaning ‘Velan, who thinks it needs a Veri ritual’ talks about the practice in Sangam times of requesting a priest to resolve unexplainable illnesses, especially in women of marriageable age. The phrase ‘அரும் படர் எவ்வம் இன்று நாம் உழப்பினும்’ is significant for it puts forth a hypothetical case meaning ‘even though it means we are going to be in a state of utter pain and suffering today’. In ‘உண் கிளி கடியும் கொடிச்சி கைக் குளிரே’ meaning ‘the ‘kulir’ device in the hands of the mountain maiden to chase away stealing parrots’, we see the attack of the wild on agriculture and people’s attempts at keep it at bay. Ending with the words ‘இலங்கு மலை நாடன் இரவினானே’ meaning ‘the man from the glowing mountains, at night’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.

A curious combination of ancient rituals and abstract emotions! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship and the man was trysting with the lady by night for a while. One night, when the man comes to meet with the lady, pretending not to notice him, but making sure he’s in earshot, the lady says to her confidante, “To make mother realise that Velan, who is intent upon the ‘Veri’ ritual, does not know the cure for my affliction, even if I am to go through a deeply tormenting suffering now, let him not come, my friend! In the slopes, akin to a female elephant’s trunk stands huge eared millets. To chase away parrots that come to feed on this millet field, the hill maiden shakes a ‘kulir’ rattle in her hand, making it appear as if the hills are making that sound, in the groves of the man’s radiant mountains. Let him not come at night!” With these words, the lady conveys to the listening man that he mustn’t meet with her that night and indirectly persuades him to seek her hand in marriage.

Why does the lady insist that the man shouldn’t tryst with her that particular night? Let’s understand by listening to her words intently. The lady starts by saying that here was Velan, who had arranged the ‘Veri’ ritual for the following day. Some context about this ritual for those who are unaware! During the period of trysting with the man, whenever he is unable to make it to the tryst, the lady languishes and starts exhibiting symptoms of pining. Seeing her changed state, her kith and kin would be concerned and they seek the counsel of Velan, the priest. In this case, Velan seemed to have decided that a ‘Veri’ ritual to appease the anger of God Murugu was the only solution and he had decided to perform it the next day. Returning, this plan puts the lady in a fix because she knows the cure for her affliction is not God’s appeasement but a union with her man. 

So, the lady says she wants to make mother realise that Velan does not know the real cure to her illness and for that, the man must not visit her at night. That sounds totally unrelated, isn’t it? However, the lady has a sound reason for her statement. If the man were to meet and tryst with her that night, the next morning, her symptoms of pining would fade away and immediately, Velan would declare that he was the one who has found the cure for the lady’s affliction. The lady does not want this to happen, and so, if the man were not to meet her, the Veri ritual would seem to produce no good result on her, and mother would realise it was not God’s anger that was causing her child’s changed state but something else. 

In the scene, where the lady describes the man’s land with the rattling of Kulir device making parrots think it’s arising in the mountains, the lady places a metaphor for how people around her seem to be in the wrong notion that her illness was due to God Murugu’s anger instead of the true reason of her relationship with the man. And that’s why, even though it’s something so painful in that moment, the lady is prepared to accept that she will not enjoy the man’s company that night. Understanding the criticality of the situation, the man is sure to let go of temporary trysting and seek the lady’s hand in marriage. When we look for the very core of this verse, we will find it in the thought that even though some battles may be lost, that is the only way the war can be won. Like this Sangam lady demonstrates so effectively, today’s trouble may seem unbearable but if it will pave the way for a better tomorrow, then the right path is to focus on that future and bear today’s burden with grace!