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In this episode, we perceive the way a person is guided towards the right path, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 81, penned by Vadama Vannakkan Perisaathanaar. Set in the hills of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the confidante to the man, reminding him of his obligations to the lady.
இவளே, நின் சொல் கொண்ட என் சொல் தேறி,
பசு நனை ஞாழல் பல் சினை ஒரு சிறைப்
புது நலன் இழந்த புலம்புமார் உடையள்;
உதுக் காண் தெய்ய; உள்ளல் வேண்டும்-
நிலவும் இருளும் போலப் புலவுத் திரைக்
கடலும் கானலும் தோன்றும்
மடல் தாழ் பெண்ணை எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே.
Two different trees offer more than a pleasant sight in this verse! In the opening phrase ‘இவளே, நின் சொல் கொண்ட என் சொல் தேறி’ meaning ‘She, who believed in my words, which in turn came from believing your words’ seems to narrate the entire history of their communication in a single line. The first of the two trees mentioned appear in ‘பசு நனை ஞாழல்’ meaning ‘the new buds of the senna sophera’. From flowering trees, we turn to see ‘a lonely lady’ in ‘புலம்புமார் உடையள்’. A request for introspection can be seen in the words ‘உள்ளல் வேண்டும்’ meaning ‘you need to consider it carefully!’. More elements of the land unfold in ‘நிலவும் இருளும்’ meaning ‘moonlight and the dark’ as well as ‘கடலும் கானலும்’ meaning ‘sea and grove’. The second tree appears in ‘மடல் தாழ் பெண்ணை’ meaning ‘the palmyra tree with low branches’. Ending with the words ‘எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே’ meaning ‘our modest but excellent hamlet’, the verse beckons us to take a walk within!
In glimpses of the sea, groves, senna sophera and palmyra tree, we see typical elements of the seashore. But then, why has this poem been classified as belonging to the mountains? Let’s investigate the context to find out if it offers any clues. The context reveals that the man had met the lady and fallen in love with her. To further his relationship with the lady, the man seeks the confidante’s help, who relents to his request. The man unites with the lady and then parts away, not seeing the lady for a long time. One day, the confidante seeks out the man and says to him, “Accepting my words, which came from believing in your words, on one side of the many branched ‘gnazhal’ with fresh buds, she lost herself to you and suffers with loneliness in your absence. You must keep this in mind. Behold! Akin to the moon and the dark, appear the fish-scented waves of the sea and the grove, and there stands a ‘pennai’ tree, with low-lying branches, in our fine, little village!” With these words, the confidante is bidding the man to not forgo his promises to the lady.
Coastal trees, we may glimpse, and yet at the heart of this verse, is the core of the union between the man and the lady and that’s why this song has been interpreted as belonging to the ‘Kurinji’ landscape. The confidante starts her address to the man by reminding him of the past. She reveals how she trusted the man’s words, professing love to the lady, and thereby, spoke to the lady with convincing words, who then agreed to heed to the man’s request. Bringing up the very spot where the man’s union with the lady took place, the confidante sketches the fresh buds and the many branches of the ‘gnazhal’ tree. Then, she adds how the lady has lost her health and beauty, now that the man doesn’t see her and is filled with the suffering of loneliness. With strong words, the confidante nudges the man to think about this situation. Then, turning from these abstractions, she points in the distance to the sea waves and the groves on the sand-filled shore and mentions how like the dark sky and the moon, these two elements are. Moving beyond these picturesque elements, the confidante points to their village in the distance, where stands a palm tree and tells him subtly that the man must find his way to the lady there.
In mentioning the fresh buds of the senna sophera, the confidante conceals a metaphor for how the man’s relationship with the lady was akin to a mere bud then and that the man must take steps to make it flower and bear fruit, hinting on the next steps of getting to know the lady well and eventually seeking marriage with her. The reference of the palmyra tree with low-lying branches in their village is an attempt by the confidante to show the man another trysting spot close to where they live, so that his relationship can mature in the shade of the said tree. In the end, the verse is a reminder of promises made as well as the revelation of the path to fulfil the same!
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