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Sangam Lit

Sangam Lit

De: Nandini Karky
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Reflections on 2000 Year Old Tamil Poetry© 2019 Nandini Karky Arte Ciencias Sociales Filosofía Historia y Crítica Literaria Mundial
Episodios
  • Aganaanooru 223 – Flaming forest and blazing beauty

    Aganaanooru 223 – Flaming forest and blazing beauty
    Apr 6 2026
    In this episode, we listen to words of assurance, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 223, penned by Paalai Paadiya Perunkadunko. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse illustrates both the fierce nature of this domain and the gentle beauty of the lady. ‘பிரிதல் வல்லியர், இது, நத் துறந்தோர்மறந்தும் அமைகுவர்கொல்?’ என்று எண்ணி,ஆழல் வாழி, தோழி! கேழல்வளை மருப்பு உறழும் முளை நெடும் பெருங் காய்நனை முதிர் முருக்கின் சினை சேர் பெருங்கல்,காய் சினக் கடு வளி எடுத்தலின், வெங் காட்டுஅழல் பொழி யானையின் ஐயெனத் தோன்றும்நிழல் இல் ஓமை நீர் இல் நீள் இடை,இறந்தனர்ஆயினும், காதலர் நம்வயின்மறந்து கண்படுதல் யாவது புறம் தாழ்அம் பணை நெடுந் தோள் தங்கி, தும்பிஅரியினம் கடுக்கும் சுரி வணர் ஐம்பால்நுண் கேழ் அடங்க வாரி, பையுள் கெட,நன் முகை அதிரல் போதொடு, குவளைத்தண் நறுங் கமழ் தொடை வேய்ந்த, நின்மண் ஆர் கூந்தல் மரீஇய துயிலே? In this trip to the drylands, we get to see some striking images, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth: “Thinking ‘He seems to be capable of parting away from me; Would the one, who has forsaken me so, also be capable of remaining there, forgetting me?’, cry not, my friend! May you live long! As the coral tree, having long and huge petals, akin to the curved horns of a male boar, extends its branch upon a huge boulder nearby, in the midst of hot winds that blow fast, it appears strikingly as if an elephant is surrounded by flames in a dry scrub jungle, in those waterless long paths, filled with shadeless toothbrush trees. Even though that lover of yours has left to such a place, how will his eyes close? Your tresses hang low on your back, having curly, five-part braids that appear akin to a swarm of bees, in a fine, rich hue, neatly oiled and combed, and ending all sorrow, tied with fine buds of wild jasmine with pollen, along with cool and fragrant flowers of blue-lily woven together, and are adorned with fragrant pastes! Indeed, how can he forget that sleep he relished on your beautiful, bamboo-like arms, resting on these tresses of yours?” Time to brave the hot winds of the drylands and explore on! The confidante starts by repeating what’s going on in the lady’s mind, talking about how she’s thinking, ‘It was unthinkable earlier that he would leave me and part away, but he seems to have done that easily. In the same way, would he also forget about me and remain there?’. Logical question, of course! But the confidante answers this question in a different way. First she acknowledges the reality that the man has indeed left to the drylands, and she sketches this place vividly, pointing to how a coral tree branch with its red, claw-like petals, which resemble a boar’s curving horns, extending upon a rock, and shaking in the hot wind, appears as if an elephant is on fire in the searing, dry atmosphere of the place. With that image and describing the drylands as shadeless and waterless, having only toothbrush trees, the confidante paints a dreary image of where the man is at. From there, she zooms on to the beauty of the lady’s tresses, highlighting how it’s long, black, thick and curly, like a swarm of bees. This simile and description brings to mind the unique hair texture of many modern Africans. Could this line possibly point to genetic similarities between people of the Sangam era with prehistoric migrant populations from Africa? Science will validate in the future, no doubt! Returning, the confidante has been going on about the lady’s five-part braids and tresses coated with many fragrant pastes only to conclude by saying, ‘How is it humanly possibly for the man to forget the sleep he enjoyed on your arms, caressing your tresses, and remain in that forsaken place faraway?’. An effective technique of contrasting the dreariness of the drylands and the heavenliness of the lady’s beauty, to assure the lady that the man will indeed return to her. What a boost to the sinking morale of the lady to be reminded of her power to pull back the man, ...
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    6 m
  • Aganaanooru 222 – The fame of finding

    Aganaanooru 222 – The fame of finding
    Apr 5 2026

    In this episode, we perceive a subtle technique of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 222, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated amidst the soaring peaks of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and narrates a much talked about story from the Sangam times.

    வான் உற நிவந்த நீல் நிறப் பெரு மலைக்
    கான நாடன் உறீஇய நோய்க்கு, உன்
    மேனி ஆய் நலம் தொலைதலின், மொழிவென்;
    முழவு முகம் புலராக் கலி கொள் ஆங்கண்,
    கழாஅர்ப் பெருந் துறை விழவின் ஆடும்,
    ஈட்டு எழில் பொலிந்த ஏந்து குவவு மொய்ம்பின்,
    ஆட்டன் அத்தி நலன் நயந்து உரைஇ,
    தாழ் இருங் கதுப்பின் காவிரி வவ்வலின்,
    மாதிரம் துழைஇ, மதி மருண்டு அலந்த
    ஆதிமந்தி காதலற் காட்டி,
    படு கடல் புக்க பாடல்சால் சிறப்பின்
    மருதி அன்ன மாண் புகழ் பெறீஇயர்,
    சென்மோ வாழி, தோழி! பல் நாள்,
    உரவு உரும் ஏறொடு மயங்கி,
    இரவுப் பெயல் பொழிந்த ஈர்ந் தண் ஆறே.

    In this mountain trek, we take a long detour to the shores of another riverine town, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, noticing the man listening nearby, pretending not to see him, but making sure he’s in earshot:

    “The lord of the huge mountains, in blue hue, soaring to the skies, and brimming with forests, has rendered unto you, this affliction, which has made the fine beauty of your form fade away. That’s why I’m saying this! In that place filled with much joy, where the skin of the drums dry not, in the huge shore of Kazhaar, when dancing in the festivities, seeing the beauty of Aattan Aththi, whose upright shoulders shone with much splendour, desiring him, River Kaveri with her low-hanging tresses, took him away. Searching for him in all the directions, much confused, roved Aathi Manthi. Showing to her, where her lover was, Maruthi then stepped into the roaring ocean herself and gained the fame of being sung about. Akin to this Maruthi, let me attain great fame! Come let’s go, my friend, may you live long, and search, treading upon this cool and moist path, where the night rains have poured, fused together with roaring thunder, for many days now!”

    Let’s scale this hill and learn more! The confidante describes the man’s domain as the blue mountains, with high peaks and dense forests. That’s all the good the confidante has to say about the man and turns to focus on how he has left the lady in a love affliction of pining for him and losing her health. Then, the confidante narrates a story about a handsome male dancer named ‘Aattan Aththi’ and how enamoured by his handsome shoulders, the River Kaveri had snatched him, when he was dancing on the shores of Kazhaar. His wife, ‘Aathi Manthi’, went around searching for her lover in all the directions, asking everyone, in a much confused state. At that time, a lady named Maruthi showed Aathi Manthi, where her husband was, and for some reason, she jumped into the ocean and gave up her life. Can’t imagine why she should do that? Did she die in some sort of rescue mission? Anyway, whatever the context, this supposedly endowed great fame on this Maruthi, describes the confidante, and connects saying that she too must attain that kind of fame and she concludes by beckoning her friend to join her in the search for the man, treading those slippery mountain paths, upon which the rains have fallen for many a day!

    All this drama is for the benefit of the listening man! To tell him, ‘See how much pain you inflict on the lady with your absence. See what desperate measures we are pushed into, just to find you’ and thereby point out that the man must give up his temporary trysting and seek the lady’s hand in marriage. Hope the man gets the message and relieves the lady’s angst! Yet again I’m amazed by what measures this confidante takes to ensure the well-being of the lady! Don’t you think we should grant the confidante the fame she seeks in this verse, and endow her the title of ‘Epitome of Friendship!’?
    Más Menos
    5 m
  • Aganaanooru 221 – Time to leave

    Aganaanooru 221 – Time to leave
    Apr 4 2026
    In this episode, we listen to a description of the only available course of action, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 221, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse reveals the situation which necessitates elopement in a lady’s life. நனை விளை நறவின் தேறல் மாந்தி,புனை வினை நல் இல் தரு மணல் குவைஇ,‘பொம்மல் ஓதி எம் மகள் மணன்’ என,வதுவை அயர்ந்தனர் நமரே; அதனால்,புதுவது புனைந்த சேயிலை வெள் வேல்,மதி உடம்பட்ட மை அணற் காளைவாங்கு சினை மலிந்த திரள் அரை மராஅத்து,தேம் பாய் மெல் இணர் தளிரொடு கொண்டு, நின்தண் நறு முச்சி புனைய, அவனொடுகழை கவின் போகிய மழை உயர் நனந்தலை,களிற்று இரை பிழைத்தலின், கய வாய் வேங்கைகாய் சினம் சிறந்து, குழுமலின் வெரீஇ,இரும் பிடி இரியும் சோலைஅருஞ் சுரம் சேறல் அயர்ந்தனென், யானே. In this trip to the drylands, we hear the confidante say these words to the lady, urging her to choose the path of elopement: “Relishing well-filtered toddy that blooms from buds, heaping sand brought from elsewhere, in front of the fine and well-etched mansion, declaring, ‘Our daughter, the girl with exquisite tresses, is about to be married’, our kin are making preparations for your wedding; And so, the bull-like, bearded young man, holding a newly sculpted leaf-edged white spear, sees eye to eye with me on this. He shall pluck soft, honey-soaked flower clusters, along with tender sprouts, from the burflower tree, with a thick trunk, brimming with curving branches, and adorn your cool and fragrant head. Along with him, you should traverse the highland spaces, without rain, where bamboos have lost their beauty, and where a tiger, with a fierce mouth, maddened by the loss of its prey of a male elephant, filled with fury, lashes out with a loud shout, and frightens the elephant’s dark mate in the drylands scrub jungle. This is what I wish for you now!” Time to walk along with this couple through that harsh domain! The confidante starts with an account of what’s happening at home right then and she zooms on to the actions of the lady’s relatives, who are getting into the festive mood by drinking toddy that’s mentioned as blooming from buds. Now, blooming from buds implies that this is honey. Are they fermenting honey into alcohol? Researching on this, I learnt the term for this alcoholic beverage, made from honey, is ‘mead’, and it’s considered to be the ‘great, great, great grand-mother’ of all liquor, and revered in many ancient cultures, be it in China, Greece, Rome or even Scandinavia! Perhaps the ‘theral’ we keep reading about in Sangam literature, is the Tamil equivalent of this ‘mead’! Returning from our revels in toddy, we find the confidante continuing what those relatives of the lady are up to, talking about how they have brought heaps of sand and spread it in front of the mansion and they are going around telling everyone that the their daughter is about to be married. A wedding is a happy occasion, is it not? But not so, for the lady, who loves another, and here, the parents are arranging a wedding with a stranger. So, the confidante had taken things into her hands and has told the man the only way forward was to elope with the lady, and he too had wholeheartedly agreed to the plan. All this, the confidante conveys to the lady and sketches an image of the drylands, which is harsh indeed, where the sounds of a tiger, which has lost its prey of a male elephant makes it bellow aloud in fury, and this startles the female elephant there. The confidante concludes by telling the lady that even so, all she wished for the lady was to leave there, along with the man, whom the confidante promises will adorn the lady’s tresses with the clusters of bur-flowers growing in that very space! And so, the confidante seems to be telling the lady, ‘Even though there’s danger in the drylands, you are in safe hands, and those will shower love and care upon you!’ By presenting both the harsh reality of the situation and positive visualisation of the future, the confidante shows the way to nudge someone in the right direction!
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    6 m
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