Kalithogai 52 – The future wished for

Sangam Lit

In this episode, we listen to an argument for seeking an alternative path, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 52, penned by Kabilar. The verse is situated in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountains landscape’ and sketches the danger of discovery to a man intent on trysting by night.

முறம் செவி மறைப் பாய்பு முரண் செய்த புலி செற்று,
மறம் தலைக்கொண்ட நூற்றுவர் தலைவனைக்
குறங்கு அறுத்திடுவான் போல், கூர் நுதி மடுத்து, அதன்
நிறம் சாடி முரண் தீர்ந்த நீள் மருப்பு எழில் யானை,
மல்லரை மறம் சாய்த்த மால் போல், தன் கிளை நாப்பண்,
கல் உயர் நனஞ் சாரல், கலந்து இயலும் நாட! கேள்:

தாமரைக் கண்ணியை, தண் நறுஞ் சாந்தினை,
நேர் இதழ்க் கோதையாள் செய்குறி நீ வரின்,
‘மணம் கமழ் நாற்றத்த மலை நின்று பலி பெறூஉம்
அணங்கு’ என அஞ்சுவர், சிறுகுடியோரே

ஈர்ந் தண் ஆடையை, எல்லி மாலையை,
சோர்ந்து வீழ் கதுப்பினாள் செய்குறி நீ வரின்,
ஒளி திகழ் ஞெகிழியர், கவணையர், வில்லர்,
‘களிறு’ என ஆர்ப்பவர், ஏனல் காவலரே

ஆர மார்பினை, அண்ணலை, அளியை,
ஐது அகல் அல்குலாள் செய்குறி நீ வரின்,
‘கறி வளர் சிலம்பில் வழங்கல் ஆனாப்
புலி’ என்று ஓர்க்கும், இக் கலி கேழ் ஊரே

என ஆங்கு
விலங்கு ஓரார், மெய் ஓர்ப்பின், இவள் வாழாள்; இவள் அன்றி,
புலம் புகழ் ஒருவ! யானும் வாழேன்;
அதனால், பொதி அவிழ் வைகறை வந்து, நீ குறை கூறி,
வதுவை அயர்தல் வேண்டுவல், ஆங்கு,
புதுவை போலும் நின் வரவும், இவள்
வதுவை நாண் ஒடுக்கமும், காண்குவல் யானே.

We are back to the three-step format and the context of a confidante’s plea! The words can be translated as follows:

“Angered by a tiger that pounced and attacked it, hidden because of its winnow-like ears, a handsome elephant with long tusks, akin to the strong and righteous one, who tore apart the thigh of the one, who was the chief of the hundred, piercing with its sharp ends, stabbed the chest of the hostile tiger and ended its enmity, and akin to the towering lord, who vanquished the ‘Mallars’, standing tall amidst its herd, it roves around in the wide slopes of your high mountains, O lord! Listen:

Wearing a lotus garland, streaked with cool and fragrant sandalwood, when you come to tryst with the maiden, adorned with an exquisite-petaled flower garland, the people of the little hamlet, filled with fear, might mistake that fragrant scent as belonging to the fearsome mountain spirit that seeks a sacrifice.

Wearing a cold and dripping attire, adorned with an evening garland, when you come to tryst with the maiden, with low-hanging thick tresses, people carrying radiant firebrands, catapults and bows, who guard the millet fields, might mistake you for an elephant and shout out in a frenzy.

Wearing sandalwood on your chest, with a noble attitude and with grace, when you come to tryst with the maiden, having a wide and beautiful waist, the people of this uproarious town might mistake you as a tiger that has entered the pepper-flourishing mountain slopes.

And when people see that it’s not an animal or a spirit that has come there and know the truth, she would not live; Without her, O man with a deep intellect, I shan’t live either. And so, come here at dawn, when flowers blossom, and stating your claim, seek her hand in marriage. I so wish to see you come here as if you were a stranger to her, and make her blush in shyness on the day of her wedding!”

Let’s delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of a man’s love relationship with a lady, prior to marriage and around the theme of trysting. The words are rendered by the confidante to the man. The confidante begins by etching the man’s mountain country with that favourite trope of an elephant fighting with a tiger and vanquishing it. What’s unique in this instance of the repeating reference is the concept of a ‘blind spot’ that we can infer from this verse, in the image of how the elephant was not able to see the tiger behind it, because of its huge, winnow-like ears. Through this minute description, the poet brings out a deep dynamism to the scene, where the tiger, with cunning, hides behind the elephant and pounces on it. There are some mythical references as well in the image of a strong warrior tearing apart the thigh of another, who is said to be the leader of the hundred. Other interpreters have chosen to see this description as signifying the tale of Bheema and Duryodhana in the Epic Mahabaratha.

Returning, we see the confidante relating to the man the situation of the townsfolk mistaking his fragrance, his wet appearance and manner of walking, as that of a fearsome spirit, or a ravaging elephant or a dangerous tiger. Because of this, a huge furore may rise and he may be found out in his secret tryst with the lady. If that happens, the lady cannot bear the shame and she will lose her life, the confidante says, adding so will she. So, instead of paving the way for these terrible consequences, the man must instead seek the lady’s hand to her family, the confidante advises, with a final note, filled with wishfulness, desiring to see the man walk like a stranger to the lady and the lady bending her head low in shyness, on that day they come together as one before the world. By painting these vivid images of the future she wishes for, the confidante makes a strong case to the man, and yet again teaches us the principles of persuasion!