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In this episode, we hear predictions about a family and town, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Puranaanooru 346, penned by the poet Andar Makan Kuruvazhuthiyaar. The verse is situated in the category of ‘Kaanji Thinai’ or ‘Defence’ and speaks about the relationship a girl has with her family members.
பிறங்கிலை இனி உள பால் என மடுத்தலின்,
ஈன்ற தாயோ வேண்டாள் அல்லள்;
கல்வியென் என்னும், வல் ஆண் சிறாஅன்;
ஒள் வேல் நல்லன், அது வாய் ஆகுதல்
அழிந்தோர் அழிய, ஒழிந்தோர் ஒக்கல்
பேணுநர்ப் பெறாஅது விளியும்
புன் தலைப் பெரும் பாழ் செயும், இவள் நலனே.
A song which poses some difficulty in ascertaining the meaning and flow. The poet’s words can be translated as follows:
“Her mother who bore her says, ‘You are not mature enough to know that you are full, drink up the milk left’. Such is her bond with her daughter; Her capable young brother declares ‘I’m educated’. As for her father, he is a good man with a shining spear. Listen to the truth about to unfold that after those who are defeated have died, ruined will be the remaining kith and kin. Not finding anyone to protect and take care, this land will come to great ruin, all because of her beauty!”
Let’s delve deeper into these words. The poet first talks about the girl’s mother saying she’s someone who showers a lot of love on her daughter as illustrated by how she insists to the girl that she has not had enough food and that she must have more. Does this tell us that the girl being spoken about is very young or that the mother continues to see her the way she used to see her as a child? Moving on, the poet next talks about the girl’s brother, who has a sense of his knowledge and education, and who is described as a capable person, and finally the father is described as a person with a radiant spear. Now, the poet says the truth that’s about to happen is that after all those who are defeated have died, the remaining kith and kin will suffer, and likewise the land having no one to take care of it will be ruined utterly. All this will happen because of her beauty, the poet concludes.
It appears as if the poet is predicting the course of events seeing the attitude of the mother, who thinks the daughter is young, the brother who considers them educated and of good name. As a result, the girl will be refused to those who come seeking, and because of this, great ruin will befall the land, the poet foresees. Looks like war is inevitable in this situation. As seen in the previous verse, it’s not wealth the girl’s family seem to want but someone their equal, which leads us to the question of how they determine this metric. Like these poets, we too wish and wonder if there could have been some way to avert this war and destruction caused by those ancients because of their seeking and not finding what they want!
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