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In this episode, we listen to thoughtful words of consolation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 311, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse throws the spotlight on the nature of a tribe in ancient Tamil land.
இரும் பிடிப் பரிசிலர் போலக் கடை நின்று,
அருங் கடிக் காப்பின் அகல் நகர் ஒரு சிறை,
எழுதியன்ன திண் நிலைக் கதவம்
கழுது வழங்கு அரை நாள், காவலர் மடிந்தென,
திறந்து நப் புணர்ந்து, ”நும்மின் சிறந்தோர்
இம்மை உலகத்து இல்” எனப் பல் நாள்
பொம்மல் ஓதி நீவிய காதலொடு,
பயம் தலைப்பெயர்ந்து மாதிரம் வெம்ப,
வருவழி வம்பலர்ப் பேணி, கோவலர்
மழ விடைப் பூட்டிய குழாஅய்த் தீம் புளி
செவி அடை தீரத் தேக்கிலைப் பகுக்கும்
புல்லி நல் நாட்டு உம்பர், செல் அருஞ்
சுரம் இறந்து ஏகினும், நீடலர்
அருள் மொழித் தேற்றி, நம் அகன்றிசினோரே.
In this trip to the drylands, we get to witness heartwarming scenes, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, at a time when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth before his marriage to the lady:
“In the manner of supplicants, who seek to receive huge female elephants, he would stand, waiting on one side of the wide, well-guarded mansion. Biding his time till the guards relaxed their watch, he would open the painting-like, sturdy door, in that midnight hour, when ghosts roam around, and unite with you, saying ‘There’s no one who’s better than you in this whole wide world’, as he caressed your thick tresses with love, on many days. There, where fertility has abandoned the land, and heat pours in from all directions, cowherds would take the sweet tamarind food, stuffed inside bamboo caskets, tied around the necks of young bulls, and spreading it on teak leaves, they would share with wayfarers, who happen to tread those paths, caring for them and ending their hunger that throttles their ears, in the fine country of Pulli. Even if he has journeyed on to those formidable drylands spaces beyond Pulli’s country, the one who spoke gracious words to you and parted away, will not delay his return any further!”
A walk through the hot and dry yet again! The confidante starts by reversing to the past, and propelling a flood of memories on the lady. She specifically talks of the time of courtship, when the man used to come tryst with the lady, and he would wait humbly and patiently, as if he was a bard who had come seeking a female elephant. Then, waiting for that time when the guards would be fatigued and yearn for some shut-eye, he would open the strong door of that well-protected mansion, find the lady, unite with her and speak worshipping words, caressing her tresses, declaring there was no one like her in the whole wide world, the confidante recollects! The very words of those madly in love that seem to be timeless indeed!
After that flashback, the confidante zooms on to a totally different scene, where there’s not a drop of water anywhere, only punishing heat pouring from all directions. In such a place, cowherds who have brought their cattle for grazing, would take pity on wayfarers, who arrive there, famished and fatigued, with hunger ringing in their ears, and with the newcomers, those cowherds would share the food, prepared with that natural preservative of tamarind that they have brought, so ingeniously packed into bamboo tubes and tied around the necks of young bulls, the confidante details, revealing that such scenes unfold in the fine country ruled by Pulli. She concludes by declaring that even if the man had travelled beyond that country, he would not delay his return to his beloved any more.
The best techniques of bringing cheer to a languishing heart is illustrated in this verse, such as talking about the joyous past, reliving the scenes of love and care witnessed then, and ending with the promise that this person, who meant so much then, cannot stay away any longer from his love. Other this masterclass in offering consolation, there is one other facet, which records how even in that terrible land of heat and hunger, the river of kindness flows steadily in the heart of those cowherds, who, humble though their fare maybe, share it with strangers who happen to come there. That’s the beacon of the best of humanity, offering hope across the centuries!
