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In this episode, we perceive a subtle technique of persuasion, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 238, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated amidst the scent of flame-lilies in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and sketches a tiger’s midnight hunt in vivid detail.
மான்றமை அறியா மரம் பயில் இறும்பின்,
ஈன்று இளைப்பட்ட வயவுப் பிணப் பசித்தென,
மட மான் வல்சி தரீஇய, நடு நாள்,
இருள் முகைச் சிலம்பின், இரை வேட்டு எழுந்த
பணை மருள் எருத்தின் பல் வரி இரும் போத்து,
மடக் கண் ஆமான் மாதிரத்து அலற,
தடக் கோட்டு ஆமான் அண்ணல் ஏஎறு,
நனந்தலைக் கானத்து வலம் படத் தொலைச்சி,
இருங் கல் வியல் அறை சிவப்ப ஈர்க்கும்
பெருங் கல் நாட! பிரிதிஆயின்,
மருந்தும் உடையையோ மற்றே இரப்போர்க்கு
இழை அணி நெடுந் தேர் களிறொடு என்றும்
மழை சுரந்தன்ன ஈகை, வண் மகிழ்,
கழல் தொடித் தடக் கை, கலிமான், நள்ளி
நளி முகை உடைந்த நறுங் கார் அடுக்கத்து,
போந்தை முழு முதல் நிலைஇய காந்தள்
மென் பிணி முகை அவிழ்ந்து அலர்ந்த
தண் கமழ் புது மலர் நாறும் நறு நுதற்கே?
In this trip to the mountains, we get to see plenty of dynamic scenes, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he arrives for his nightly tryst with the lady:
“In the jungle where trees knowing not separation are fused so densely together, as its exhausted mate, which had just given birth was suffering with hunger, intending to bring it the meat of a naive deer, at midnight, through the slopes with dark caves, treads a huge male tiger, with a neck, akin to a palmyra trunk, and having many stripes, intent on hunting prey. At this time, as a wild cow with innocent eyes cries out from the distance, the tiger attacks a majestic bull with curving horns, and kills it on the right side, in that vast jungle. Then the tiger pulls the carcass, painting the wide boulders of the huge hills red, in your great mountain country, O lord!
Having a charity, which makes him render with joy, ornamented, tall chariots, along with elephants, to those who come seeking, akin to the showering rain, wearing thick ornaments on his curving arms and wielding proud horses, rules Nalli. In the fragrant, dark mountain ranges of his domain, filled with flowering buds, near the trunk of a tall palm tree, stands a flame-lily. Akin to the moist and fragrant new flower that blooms from gentle buds, her forehead wafts with a delectable scent. If you wish to part away from her, pray tell if you have the cure for the affliction that would befall upon her fine forehead!”
Let’s brave the midnight hour and start on a mountain trek! The confidante starts with a description of the man’s mountain country, where we see a tiger wanting to allay the hunger of its mate, stepping out with the intent of killing a deer. But instead of a deer, it finds a wild bull. As a wild cow screams in alarm, it fells the animal and drags it to its abode, painting the mountains red. From this vivid tale, the confidante moves on to render a portrait sketch of a king name Nalli, renowned for his generosity to supplicants, not just giving them food or jewels, but entire ornamented chariots and elephants apparently. The confidante then moves on from the king to his domain of the tall hills, where many flowers bloom, and in particular, she zooms on to a flame-lily, near the trunk of a palm tree, and connects the fragrance of this flower to the lady’s forehead. Then she predicts that if the man were to part away as he wishes to, a deep affliction would fall on this forehead, and she concludes by asking the man if he had the right cure for that malady.
In essence, the confidante is asking the man not to part away and bring suffering to the lady, but rather seek the lady’s hand in marriage. In the scene of the tiger, wanting to hunt for a deer, returning with the better offering of a wild bull, the confidante places a metaphor to depict how the man would be better off, seeking the lady’s hand by applying to her kith and kin, rather than parting away to earn wealth, and leaving her in misery. With scenes from the wild and events from a royal court, the confidante nudges the man to take the right steps to bring permanent joy to her beloved friend!
