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In this episode, we take in scenes in nature involving wild life, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 128, penned about the Velir King Aay Andiran by the poet Uraiyoor Enicheri Mudamosiyaar. Set in the category of ‘Paadaan Thinai’ or ‘King’s praise’, the verse relates the inaccessibility of the king to his foes.
மன்றப் பலவின் மாச் சினை மந்தி
இரவலர் நாற்றிய விசி கூடு முழவின்
பாடு இன் தெண் கண், கனி செத்து, அடிப்பின்,
அன்னச் சேவல் மாறு எழுந்து ஆலும்,
கழல் தொடி ஆஅய் மழை தவழ் பொதியில்
ஆடுமகள் குறுகின் அல்லது,
பீடு கெழு மன்னர் குறுகலோ அரிதே.
A short song that reminds one of the vivid nature descriptions in ‘Aham’ poems. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“A female monkey on the dark branch of a jackfruit tree in the town centre, seeing a tightly tied drum, hung by supplicants, thinks that it’s a fruit and strikes against its musical head, which makes a male swan rise up and call out aloud in the rain-cloud enveloped Pothiyil hills, ruled over by the anklet-clad Aay. Easy for dancing maiden to go near his abode but indeed, impossible for proud and arrogant kings!”
Let’s take a closer look at the words here. The poet starts by bringing before our eyes a female monkey in a moment of confusion. It’s glancing at a tightly-tied drum hanging from a tree at the town’s centre. It has been left there by bards who have come seeking the favour of this patron. Thinking it’s a fruit, the monkey taps on this, the poet says. When I first read it, I too was confused like the monkey about how can a drum be mistaken for a fruit. On fully grasping the fact that this particular tree was a jackfruit tree, and then recollecting the curving cylindrical shape of these ancient drums, was I able to see what the monkey was seeing. When the monkey taps on the head of this drum, there comes another response from the wild – a male swan calling out, perhaps thinking that it’s the call of a female. This entire narration is done to detail the Pothiyil mountains, where Aay lives, and the poet concludes with the words that the king could be easily reached by artists such as the dancing maiden and bards, who come seeking the ruler’s favour, but rare for other rulers to reach this king and wage war against him.
In one shot, the poet illustrates both the generosity and strength of this king. Returning to the depiction of the monkey’s confusion leading to the action of tapping a musical instrument, which in turn causes confusion in a swan, we see the chain of reactions in nature caused by human intervention. Here, the consequences are harmless, leading only to momentary bewilderment in these animals but it’s a small window to reflect upon the other dangerous ways in which we are disturbing the balance in the wild because of our presence in this planet!
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