Puranaanooru 191 – On ageing and appearance

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In this episode, we relish an insightful perspective on ageing, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 191, penned by the poet Pisiranthaiyaar. Set in the category of ‘Pothuviyal Thinai’ or ‘Common Themes’, the verse puts forth the reasons for the poet’s youthful appearance.

‘யாண்டு பல ஆக, நரை இல ஆகுதல்
யாங்கு ஆகியர்?’ என வினவுதிர் ஆயின்,
மாண்ட என் மனைவியொடு, மக்களும் நிரம்பினர்;
யான் கண்டனையர் என் இளையரும்; வேந்தனும்
அல்லவை செய்யான், காக்கும்; அதன்தலை
ஆன்று அவிந்து அடங்கிய கொள்கைச்
சான்றோர் பலர், யான் வாழும் ஊரே.

We have already met Pisiranthaiyaar, the poet, whose name had become synonymous with friendship in the Sangam age because of his deep respect and affection for the Chozha king Koperunchozhan. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:

“You ask me, ‘Years many have passed in your life and yet you have no greys in your hair. How is this possible?’. My esteemed wife and my children are full of intelligence and understanding; My helpers see as one with me; The king too never does anything untoward and always protects; Most of all, wise and humble men of knowledge and principle, many in number, reside in my town.”

Let’s take a deeper look at the words here. The poet starts by establishing the context for the poem which happens to be when some people ask him how come the poet had no grey hairs on his head even though he had lived so many years. To that question, the poet lists four aspects as explanation. The first reason on that list is that his wife and children were understanding of him and were full of innate intelligence. Next, he talks about the people who work for him saying they always follow his instructions and are of one mind with him; Third, he mentions the king of the land and says how this ruler does not do disagreeable things, say such as extorting huge amounts of tax, but always has his focus on protecting the people. Finally, the poet mentions the topmost reason happened to be the presence of wise people having humility and principles in his home town. 

In a nutshell, the poet lists the causes for the lack of greys despite his mature years, to be his family, his workers, his ruler and his community. Reading up on the reasons for greying, which has become premature in this century, where greys start to appear even as early as the 20s, I learnt that these are caused by vitamin deficiencies, genetics, chemicals, smoking and stress. The age that this poet lived in naturally voids all reasons except genetics and stress. Seeing that Mendel was not one among the wise men in Pisiranthaiyaar’s town so as to educate him about genetics, we now understand how the poet has exactly zeroed in on the other relevant scientific cause, that is stress. To interpret his words in our twenty-first century terms, the poet says his family’s understanding, his workers’ compliance, his king’s protection and his community’s principles keep him absolutely stress-free and that’s why no grey dare rise its head on his head. While our struggle to keep these greys away have become more challenging owing to multiple causes in this era, we can still follow this ancient poet’s words by nurturing the bonds with our families, choosing wisely both our workers and leaders, and finally seeking out good company so as to make our life as devoid of harmful stress as possible and to infuse it with joy, health, peace and wisdom!