Kalithogai 15 – Purpose of parting away

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அரி மான் இடித்தன்ன, அம் சிலை வல் வில்
புரி நாண், புடையின், புறம் காண்டல் அல்லால்
இணைப் படைத் தானை அரசோடு உறினும்
கணைத் தொடை நாணும் கடுந் துடி ஆர்ப்பின்,
எருத்து வலிய எறுழ் நோக்கு இரலை
மருப்பின் திரிந்து மறிந்து வீழ் தாடி,
உருத்த கடுஞ் சினத்து, ஓடா மறவர்,
பொருள் கொண்டு புண் செயின் அல்லதை, அன்போடு
அருள் புறம் மாறிய ஆர் இடை அத்தம்

புரிபு நீ புறம் மாறி, போக்கு எண்ணி, புதிது ஈண்டிப்
பெருகிய செல்வத்தான் பெயர்த்தரல் ஒல்வதோ
செயலை அம் தளிர் ஏய்க்கும் எழில் நலம்; அந் நலம்
பயலையால் உணப்பட்டுப் பண்டை நீர் ஒழிந்தக்கால்?

பொய் அற்ற கேள்வியால், புரையோரைப் படர்ந்து, நீ
மை அற்ற படிவத்தான் மறுத்தரல் ஒல்வதோ
தீம் கதிர் மதி ஏய்க்கும் திருமுகம்; அம் முகம்,
பாம்பு சேர் மதி போல, பசப்பு ஊர்ந்து தொலைந்தக்கால்?

பின்னிய தொடர் நீவி, பிறர் நாட்டுப் படர்ந்து, நீ
மன்னிய புணர்ச்சியான் மறுத்தரல் ஒல்வதோ
புரி அவிழ் நறு நீலம் புரை உண் கண் கலுழ்பு ஆனா,
திரி உமிழ் நெய்யே போல், தெண் பனி உறைக்குங்கால்?

என ஆங்கு,
அனையவை போற்றி, நினைஇயன நாடிக் காண்;
வளமையோ வைகலும் செயலாகும்; மற்று இவள்
முளை நிரை முறுவலார் ஆயத்துள் எடுத்து ஆய்ந்த
இளமையும் தருவதோ, இறந்த பின்னே?

Another one by the confidante saying no! The words can be translated as follows:

“Akin to a lion’s roar, is the sound that arises when the strings of their sturdy bows, made from the beautiful ‘Silai’ wood, are pulled in aim. Even if it’s a king and his accompanying army, who hear this roar, they would show their backs and retreat. Those men would consider it a shame to actually shoot their arrows. Their loud thudi drums resound aloud; Known for their strong necks, sharp looks and beards that twist and turn akin to a stag’s antlers; Filled with boundless fury, they never desert their station; Those highway robbers take wealth and give wounds in return. Such is the formidable drylands, where there’s no space for love and grace!

With a deep desire, you have changed tracks, and are thinking about leaving away to attain new wealth. Her exquisite beauty is akin to a ‘Ashoka’ tree’s leaf shoot. Will this beauty, which will be devoured by pallor when you part away, be brought back to their old state, by the wealth you earn?

Seeking those who are wise, you intend to part away to attain through true listening, flawless knowledge. Her lovely face is akin to the moon that sheds sweet rays; Will that face, which will spread with pallor, akin to how a celestial snake devours the moon, be brought back to its old state, by the knowledge you gain?

Letting go of your deep togetherness, you intend to go to other countries and attain great friendships. Her kohl-streaked eyes are akin to the fully-bloomed, fragrant blue lotuses. Will those eyes, that will shed tears, akin to drops of oil from a wick, be brought back to their old state, by these friendships you win?

And so, realising all this, decide what you should do; Attaining prosperity can be done any day; But can her beauty that stands out amidst her bosom friends be attained again, after it has vanished away?”

Time to delve into the details. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s parting from his lady after marriage. When he conveys his intent to the confidante, she replies to him with these thoughts. As customary in most renditions, the confidante starts with a picture of the drylands. To talks about its nature, she turns to the tribe who reside there. They happen to be the highway robbers denoted by the term ‘Maravar’, which has later come to mean ‘warriors’. The confidante talks about how these men with the mere pull of their bow strings, send out a roar like that of a lion, and even if it’s a king’s army that was approaching, on hearing this, they would turn their backs and scuttle in fear. Such is the power they wield that these robbers consider it a shame to actually launch their arrows against their foes. They have the quality of giving in exchange, searing wounds for the stolen wealth of wayfarers, the confidante details. Moving on to their physical features, she talks about their strong necks, their piercing looks and the way their beards lie all matted and twisted like a deer’s antlers. After painting that vivid picture, the confidante says this is a place where there’s no room for any of the softer emotions in life, adding that it’s through such a drylands path, the man wants to leave.

Then follows the three-step questioning by the confidante. In the first, the confidante describes how the man intends to go in search of wealth, in the second, for knowledge, and in the third, for friendships. So, we can infer that the man must have told generically about his mission, without giving further details and she fits in all possibilities for such a journey then. Next, we see the confidante declaring that no matter for what purpose he leaves, would that purpose be able to return the beauty and health of the lady that’s sure to vanish away in the man’s absence. The confidante summarises the situation saying prosperity can be gained any day, any where, but youth and beauty, once lost, cannot be brought back!

The confidante extinguishes the spark in the man to pursue other things in life yet again. So curious to know if such conversations actually happened in the life of people then or are these the figments of poets’ imagination! In any case, through this verse, we learn that these journeys mentioned in Sangam literature, were not only for earning wealth, but also for the sake of attaining knowledge, similar to our educational pursuits abroad, as well as expanding trade ties, similar to our attending conferences to widen our network today!