Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | More
In this episode, we listen to hidden words of persuasion, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 328, penned by Madurai Panda Vaanikan Ilanthevanaar. The verse is situated amidst the rain-soaked darkness of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and projects a person’s wish on the elements of nature.
வழை அமல் அடுக்கத்து வலன் ஏர்பு வயிரியர்
முழவு அதிர்ந்தன்ன முழக்கத்து ஏறோடு,
உரவுப் பெயல் பொழிந்த நள்ளென் யாமத்து,
அரவின் பைந் தலை இடறி, பானாள்
இரவின் வந்து, எம் இடைமுலை முயங்கி,
துனி கண் அகல அளைஇ, கங்குலின்
இனிதின் இயைந்த நண்பு, அவர் முனிதல்
தெற்று ஆகுதல் நற்கு அறிந்தனம்ஆயின்,
இலங்கு வளை நெகிழ, பரந்து படர் அலைப்ப, யாம்
முயங்குதொறும் முயங்குதொறும் உயங்க முகந்து கொண்டு
அடக்குவம்மன்னோ தோழி! மடப் பிடி
மழை தவழ் சிலம்பில் கடுஞ்சூல் ஈன்று,
கழை தின் யாக்கை விழை களிறு தைவர,
வாழை அம் சிலம்பில் துஞ்சும்
சாரல் நாடன் சாயல் மார்பே!
In this trip to the hills, we get to hear the familiar roar of the sky, as we listen to the lady say these words to the confidante, knowing that the man is listening nearby, pretending not to see him but making sure he’s in earshot:
“In the mountain ranges, filled with Surangi trees, climbing on the right, along with thunder that resounds with the roar of performers’ drums, a heavy downpour showered in the midnight hour. At this time, severing the head of snakes, he came in the dead darkness of night and embraced my bosom, until his suffering parted away from him. Such was the close affinity that the night so sweetly rendered unto us. In the slopes of the lord, a naive female elephant after giving birth amidst those cloud-covered hills, filled with a desire to feed on bamboo, sleeps as its huge mate strokes it gently. Had I known that the lord would tire and dislike this bond between us, making my shining bangles slip away, and letting the pallor of suffering torment me, each and every time he embraced me, I would have held that tender chest of his, so close, and contained it, without letting go, my friend!”
Let’s brave the midnight dangers and delve into this domain! The lady starts by talking about how the man always arrives in the middle of the night, when the rains are pouring with the roaring thunder for company. She talks of how the man would come seeking her, not minding the slithering snakes on the way, trampling upon it, just to come embrace the lady, and he would do so, till his yearning was fulfilled. Recollecting how beautiful their bond was, she then goes on to describe the man’s mountain country, where a female elephant after giving birth, filled with a wish to feed on bamboo, sleeps, even as its mate caresses it gently. The lady concludes by saying that if only she had known that the man would come to dislike their relationship, making her health and beauty fade, then each and every time he embraced her, she would have pressed him so close that it felt like she had contained him within her.
The thought to be emphasised here is the lady’s note about the man disliking their relationship. That would be like a spear piercing his heart, considering the love he must have to brave all those dangers to be with her. He would take heed and also perceive from the scene of the female elephant cloistered with its mate, the metaphor the lady places, wishing for such a future with him. The man would be convinced that the only way to make this happen would be to seek the lady’s hand in marriage. Yet again, it’s the art of making another arrive at the right conclusion all on their own, just by presenting the situation at hand along with the subtle hope for the future, with but a few perceptive words!
