Kurunthogai 43 – Bitten by a cobra

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In this episode, we perceive the nuanced expression about one’s state of mind, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 43, penned by Avvaiyaar. Situated in the drylands of ‘Paalai’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to the confidante, conveying her feelings about the man’s parting away.

‘செல்வார் அல்லர்’ என்று யான் இகழ்ந்தனனே;
‘ஒல்வாள் அல்லள்’ என்று அவர் இகழ்ந்தனரே:
ஆயிடை, இரு பேர் ஆண்மை செய்த பூசல்,
நல்அராக் கதுவியாங்கு, என்
அல்லல் நெஞ்சம் அலமலக்குறுமே.

What emerges here is the struggle between two conflicting entities! In the words ‘செல்வார் அல்லர்’ meaning ‘he will not part away’, the verse expresses the belief held about a man. The parallel expression that follows ‘ஒல்வாள் அல்லள்’ meaning ‘she will not agree’ speaks about the same belief about a lady. ‘இரு பேர் ஆண்மை’ was intriguing because in contemporary language, the word ‘ஆண்மை’ refers to ‘manliness’ and has only been used in connection with the male gender, whereas here it appears in the meaning of ‘ஆளுமை’ referring to ‘the will of a person’ and is gender-neutral! An element of nature raises its hood in ‘நல்அராக் கதுவியாங்கு’ meaning ‘caught and bit by a cobra’. Ending with ‘அல்லல் நெஞ்சம் அலமலக்குறுமே’ meaning ‘my suffering-filled heart quivers in confusion’, the verse expresses the pain of someone and invokes our empathy.

Thoughts and wills seem to be clashing together! The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a married life when the man parted with her to gather wealth. The lady was inflicted with much pain by his parting away. One day, she turns to her confidante and says, “Thinking he would never part away, I made no effort. Thinking she would never accept it, he made no effort. And in between, in the suffering caused by the conflicting wills of two people, as if bitten by a cobra, my miserable heart is in agony!” With these words, the lady expresses the acute misery of her situation after the man’s parting.

Time to explore the tiny nuances! The lady talks about what went through her head when she surmised that the man was making preparations to leave on his mission. As we have seen in other Natrinai verses, perhaps the man was sharpening his spears and sending out instructions to his helpers. However, the lady seemed to have believed that the man would not part and she took no efforts to stop him. At the same time, she adds the man must have been thinking that if he were to express to the lady about his intention to part away, she would never agree to it. Consequently, he seems to have left without telling her. After talking about these thoughts from the past, the lady brings us to her present state, where she declares how caught between the strong beliefs of them both, her heart is the casualty. In a realistic capture of an abstract emotion, she describes how her heart suffers in agony, as if it has been bitten by a cobra!

What a stunning image that is – as if a cobra could leap within and bite the heart caged therein! That’s how I feel, the lady seems to tell her friend. The fascinating thing about Sangam Literature is the importance accorded to every little hill and valley in the emotional landscape of a person. Indeed, this attention to the internal matters of the heart is a showcase of their insightful culture. And, as experts of psychology and sociology would agree, any society that pays this kind of attention to the matters of the mind is bound to be the healthiest of societies!