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In this episode, we perceive a unique way of rendering a refusal, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 61, penned by Thumbiser Keeranaar. Set in the farmlands of ‘Marutham’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the messengers, declining the man’s request seeking entry to the lady’s house.
தச்சன் செய்த சிறு மா வையம்,
ஊர்ந்து இன்புறாஅர்ஆயினும், கையின்
ஈர்த்து இன்புறூஉம் இளையோர் போல,
உற்று இன்புறேஎம்ஆயினும், நற்றேர்ப்
பொய்கை ஊரன் கேண்மை
செய்து இன்புற்றனெம்; செறிந்தன வளையே.
The repeated thought that arises in this verse is ‘even if one couldn’t, one could’! To get working on this puzzling thought, let’s start by focusing on the first few words in the verse, ‘தச்சன் செய்த சிறு மா வையம்’ meaning ‘the small horse-cart made by the carpenter’. It’s interesting to see how this word for a ‘wood craftsman’- ‘தச்சன்’ has lived on to this day in the same meaning in contemporary Tamil. The phrase ‘ஊர்ந்து இன்புறாஅர்ஆயினும்’ meaning ‘even if they can’t ride and delight’ is the first instance of the repeated thought mentioned earlier. This is complemented by ‘ஈர்த்து இன்புறூஉம்’ meaning ‘they pull and delight in it’. The second instance of this thought occurs in ‘உற்று இன்புறேஎம்ஆயினும்’ meaning ‘even if we can’t embrace and delight’ and its complement ‘செய்து இன்புற்றனெம்’ meaning ‘we think and delight’. In the words ‘நற்றேர்ப் பொய்கை ஊரன்’ , we see the man described as ‘he, who has fine chariots and he, who lives in a town filled with ponds’, rendering a clue about the prosperity of the man’s land. Ending with the words ‘செறிந்தன வளையே’ meaning ‘the bangles are holding tight’, the verse intrigues our curiosity!
Little horse-carts and tight bangles are sounding out an interesting rhythm! The context reveals that the man and lady had been leading a married life, when the man took to keeping the company of courtesans. As can be expected, the lady is angered by this action of the man. After a while, the man realises the mistake in his ways and decides to allay the anger of the lady and return to their house. So he sends his messengers to the lady taking his request. To these messengers, the confidante says, “Even if they cannot ride and relish the small horse-cart made by the woodworker, little children pull it with their hands and relish it! Akin to that, even if she cannot embrace and relish the company of the lord of the town with rich ponds and fine chariots, imagining his relationship with her, she relishes that. And so, the bangles are holding well in place!” With these words, the confidante is rejecting the man’s request, in an elegant way that upholds the virtue of the lady!
In so many verses, we have read about bangles slipping away from the lady’s hand. But, in contrast, here we find that those bangles are staying where they should be! Let’s explore how this different state came to be. The confidante brings an adorable image of little children playing. We seem them pulling a well-crafted little horse-cart, laughing and enjoying every moment of their play-time. At this time, the confidante turns to those messengers and says, even though those children do not get the pleasure of mounting on that cart and riding away like the elders, they seem to be happy just pulling it. She adds that just like that, though the lady has not obtained the pleasure of being with the man, the lady has found happiness in just reflecting on her relationship with the man. With that, the confidante delivers the parting shot to those messengers that the lady isn’t pining away in the man’s absence for her bangles are holding tight on her hands!
What a curious way of talking about a lady’s health by connecting it to her bangles! It’s almost like those Sangam bangles are like one of these ‘smart watches’ that constantly monitor every health parameter in a modern person. Returning to the verse, isn’t that such a sleek way of saying, ‘the lady is doing perfectly fine without the man. He can stay where he is!’ Hinting how the man has hurt the lady by offering his presence to the courtesans rather than to the lady, and yet how she seems to find joy in just the theory of her bond with the man, even though nothing is happening in practice, the confidante elevates the lady and snubs the man in one neat shot, without any disrespect to him whatsoever. Perhaps the man would learn his lesson this time and avoid repeating his hurtful actions. Through her words, the confidante has ensured this gift of the man’s repentance to the lady. While she’s at it, she doesn’t leave us empty-handed too. To us, the confidante delivers the gift of understanding how to communicate a difficult decision in a thoughtful and graceful manner!
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