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In this episode, we perceive how solace can come from unexpected corners, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Kurunthogai 361, penned by Kabilar. Set in the mountains of ‘Kurinji’, the verse speaks in the voice of the lady to her confidante, in response to that friend’s appreciation that the lady had bore well with the man’s parting.
அம்ம வாழி, தோழி!-அன்னைக்கு
உயர்நிலை உலகமும் சிறிதால்-அவர் மலை
மாலைப் பெய்த மணம் கமழ் உந்தியொடு
காலை வந்த முழுமுதற் காந்தள்
மெல் இலை குழைய முயங்கலும்,
இல் உய்த்து நடுதலும், கடியாதோளே.
‘Mother deserves a great gift’ says a voice herein! The opening words ‘அம்ம வாழி, தோழி’ meaning ‘Listen, my friend, may you live long’ illustrate the Sangam tradition of calling another’s attention with a blessing. ‘உயர்நிலை உலகமும் சிறிதால்’ meaning ‘even the higher worlds are lesser’ talks about a world greater than this one. Does it have religious connotations or is it something else? Returning from religion to the real, we gaze in awe at ‘மணம் கமழ் உந்தி’ meaning ‘a flood filled with fragrance’. A famous flower of the mountainside smiles at us in ‘முழுமுதற் காந்தள்’ meaning ‘a complete plant of the flame lily’. Ending with the words ‘கடியாதோளே’ meaning ‘she, who does not scold’, the verse intrigues our curiosity.
Soaring heavens and blooming lilies call out to us here! The context reveals that the man and lady were leading a love relationship when the man decided to part with her to gather wealth for their wedding. Because of his efforts, the wedding seems imminent and the confidante tells the lady warmly that she has been bearing with the man’s parting in a fine manner. In response, the lady says to the confidante, “Listen, my friend, may you live long! Even the higher worlds are not worthy as a gift to mother. Owing to the evening rains in his mountains, along with the fragrant flood, in the morning, came a complete shoot of the flame-lily. When I saw this, I embraced it, crushing its soft petals, and took it to my home to plant it there. Even though she saw all this, mother said nothing harsh!” With these words, the lady explains how she found comfort from a simple element from the man’s country and curiously, thanks her mother for this experience.
Why is mother, considered to be the lady’s arch enemy during her courtship period, being thought of, with such gratitude? Let’s listen to the lady’s words and find out! She starts by saying that even a gift of the greater worlds would not be worthy enough for mother. As we are wondering what service has mother rendered to warrant this high praise, the lady starts to talk about a moment in the past. This was the time the man was away and the lady was languishing in his absence. After a rainy night, the next morning, the lady noticed a dense flood, wafting with a rich fragrance, coming from the direction of the man’s mountains. In this flood, filled with herbs and flowers, the lady happened to sight a flame-lily, and to her delight, she found it was not just the flower, but the leaves, stem and root of the plant. She immediately snatched it from the flood, and held it close to her, squishing the soft petals even. Mother was watching this and said nothing. Later, when the lady brought the shoot and planted it in the garden at her home, mother said no harsh words, and that’s why, even a gift of the greater worlds is nothing when rendered to her, the lady concludes.
Now, it becomes clear that mother is being celebrated thus, simply because she did not stop the lady from doing something that the lady wanted. To the lady, that flame-lily from the man’s mountains was as if the man himself had come down to see her, and this seems to have kept her going through the trying times of separation. Be it in this flame-lily from the mountain, or a rainbow on the sky or a flower bush in the garden, the universe seems to be constantly showing us how to wipe our tears, but the question is, will we look up and see the present?
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