Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we listen to abstract notions about wealth and joy, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 120, penned by Paranar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the man to his heart, in a message of consolation when being unable to meet with the lady at their trysting spot.
இல்லோன் இன்பம் காமுற்றாஅங்கு,
அரிது வேட்டனையால்-நெஞ்சே!-காதலி
நல்லள் ஆகுதல் அறிந்தாங்கு
அரியள் ஆகுதல் அறியாதோயே.
‘Yearning for the elusive’ is at the core of this little verse! Opening with the word ‘இல்லோன்’, the verse characterises ‘a penniless person’ and introduces the subject of poverty. This is followed by the word ‘இன்பம்’ which has multiple meanings within the scale of happiness, starting from ‘pleasure’ all the way to ‘joy’. In the phrase ‘அரிது வேட்டனை’, the core thought of ‘desiring the rare’ smiles at us. Following this, we see ‘the lady love’ in ‘காதலி’ turning into ‘நல்லள்’ meaning ‘the good one’ as well as ‘அரியள்’ meaning ‘the rare one’. Ending with ‘அறியாதோயே’ meaning ‘you know not’, the verse beckons us to know more!
No trees and no animals, no history too in this story of abstractions! In different verses, the spotlight falls on different elements. In one, it may be a simile of astonishing beauty, in another, it may be an impressive historic event but here, the context is king! The context reveals that the man had met a lady and fallen in love with her. Happily for him, the lady too reciprocates his feelings and they agree that the man would call out to the lady in a discreet way and that she would come down to tryst with him. One day, mistaking other noises around her, the lady comes seeking the man and returns disappointed. Later, when the man comes there and makes his call, the lady does not arrive thinking it’s a mistake again. As he returns dejected, the man turns to his heart and says, “Akin to how an impoverished man lusts after pleasures, you desire the unreachable, O heart. The way you have understood how good my lady love will be to me, you have not understood how rare she is, to attain!” With these words, the man consoles his heart saying that such disappointments are to be expected, as the lady was a rare find in his life.
Time to rummage this tiny box for treasures any! Introducing the topic with a simile, the man talks about a hypothetical situation involving a poor person. The man describes a state where this person who has no wealth yearns for the pleasures of this world. After mentioning that penniless man’s state, the man turns to his heart and tells it, that is exactly what his heart seemed to be doing at the moment, which is to desire the unobtainable. Note how the man separates his heart from himself as if it were a separate entity and then, he tells his heart that as much as it understands the lady would be good for the man, it doesn’t seem to understand that she was difficult to reach!
In a few words, the man demonstrates how emotions are the same, be it in a destitute person or in a person, coming from an affluent situation as himself. When desire beckons, there’s bound to be disappointment in both cases, the man conveys with wisdom. The highlight of the verse is in how the man nudges his heart away from mere disappointment to perceiving the difficulty in the situation. Perhaps this distancing would give perspective to the man and help him surmount his difficulties with determination the next time over. An illustration of an effective method to detach oneself from the heightened emotions of a situation and perceive the full picture!
Share your thoughts...