In this episode, we listen to a man’s story of winning over his love, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Kalithogai 138, penned by Nallanthuvanaar. The verse is situated in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and portrays a public ritual, undertaken as the last resort by young men in love.

எழில் மருப்பு எழில் வேழம் இகுதரு கடாத்தால்
தொழில் மாறித் தலை வைத்த தோட்டி கை நிமிர்ந்தாங்கு,
அறிவும், நம் அறிவு ஆய்ந்த அடக்கமும், நாணொடு,
வறிதாக பிறர் என்னை நகுபவும், நகுபு உடன்,
மின் அவிர் நுடக்கமும் கனவும் போல், மெய் காட்டி
என் நெஞ்சம் என்னோடு நில்லாமை நனி வௌவி,
தன் நலம் கரந்தாளைத் தலைப்படும் ஆறு எவன்கொலோ?

மணிப் பீலி சூட்டிய நூலொடு, மற்றை
அணிப் பூளை, ஆவிரை, எருக்கொடு, பிணித்து யாத்து,
மல்லல் ஊர் மறுகின்கண் இவட் பாடும், இஃது ஒத்தன்
எல்லீரும் கேட்டீமின் என்று

படரும் பனை ஈன்ற மாவும் சுடர் இழை,
நல்கியாள் நல்கியவை
பொறை என் வரைத்து அன்றி, பூநுதல் ஈத்த
நிறை அழி காம நோய் நீந்தி, அறை உற்ற
உப்பு இயல் பாவை உறை உற்றது போல
உக்குவிடும் என் உயிர்

பூளை, பொல மலர் ஆவிரை வேய் வென்ற
தோளாள் எமக்கு ஈத்த பூ
உரிது என் வரைத்து அன்றி, ஒள்ளிழை தந்த
பரிசு அழி பைதல் நோய் மூழ்கி, எரி பரந்த
நெய்யுள் மெழுகின் நிலையாது, பை பயத்
தேயும் அளித்து என் உயிர்

இளையாரும், ஏதிலவரும் உளைய, யான்
உற்றது உசாவும் துணை

என்று யான் பாடக் கேட்டு
அன்புறு கிளவியாள் அருளி வந்து அளித்தலின்
‘துன்பத்தில் துணையாய மடல் இனி இவள் பெற
இன்பத்துள் இடம்படல்’ என்று, இரங்கினள் அன்புற்று,
அடங்கு அருந் தோற்றத்து அருந் தவம் முயன்றோர் தம்
உடம்பு ஒழித்து உயர் உலகு இனிது பெற்றாங்கே.

A song which breaks the usual three-step Kalithogai format, and in a rare occurrence, makes us hear the man’s voice and his side of the story. The words can be translated as follows:

“Owing to the flowing of musth, a handsome elephant with handsome tusks, changes track and refuses to heed the hand, which places the goad on its head. Like this, my sense, and modesty, guided by this sense, along with shame, heed not to me, making me the laughing stock of everyone. All this came about, when, with a smile, akin to the flash of lightning, akin to a dream, she appeared, and artfully captured my heart that refused to stay with me, and then she disappeared and hid her beauty from me. I wondered what could be the way for me to attain her?

On a thread tied with sapphire-hued peacock feathers, stringing together the flowers of the mountain knotgrass, matura tea tree and milkweed, I went to the streets of the prosperous town and said, ‘Hear ye everyone! Listen to this man sing a song about her!’

‘This horse made from the spreading fronds of the palmyra tree, has been rendered to me by that maiden wearing radiant jewels – a burden beyond my bearing ability. Now, I wallow in the gift of this debilitating love affliction, caused by the maiden, with a flower-like forehead, and akin to a doll made of salt, lying on a salt pan, that melts away, when touched by rain, my life fades.

These flowers of the matura tea tree and milkweed are the flowers rendered to me, by the maiden with arms that wins over bamboos – a response beyond my bearing ability. Now, I drown in the gift of this suffering-filled disease, caused by the maiden, wearing shining jewels, and akin to a piece of wax dropped in an oil set on a flame, my life vanes.

Youngsters and strangers of this town are my only considerate companions!’

As I sang so, that maiden, who speaks affectionate words, decided to shower her grace. As she rendered her concern with affection, I said, ‘O palm horse, you were my mate in sorrow, but now after attaining her, you are not needed in the joy that is to follow’, and became like those, with a wild, unkempt appearance, who undertake impossible penances, and then leave their form behind, to reach the higher world of happiness!”.

Let’s delve into the nuances. The verse is situated in the context of the man’s love relationship with the lady, prior to marriage, and here, the man narrates to his friends, the story of how he won over the lady. He starts by talking about what happened when he caught a glimpse of the lady for the first time. Even as she appeared, she seems to have instantly stolen his heart, and at that moment, like how a mad elephant in musth refuses to heed to its mahout’s direction, his intelligence, modesty and shyness seem to have completely deserted him. This made him forget his honour and only wonder about how he could attain the lady, who seemed to have disappeared from his life. Then he decides that there’s no other go but to do the ritual of ‘Madal eruthal’ or ‘Madal ooruthal’, in which a man climbs on a horse made from palmyra fronds, wearing flowers that everyone shuns, and appeal to the townsfolk, expressing the love within for a maiden.

So, this man seems to have gone to the town of that lady and sang about how the lady had gifted this palmyra horse and those flower strands and how he was swimming and drowning in the sea of this love affliction. The man brings forth two evocative similes to describe his state, talking about a doll made of salt vanishing away when rain falls, and wax melting away in oil on a flame! Rain and fire used with precision to echo the painful emotions within. The man concludes this song in front of the town, by declaring he had no one but the youngsters and strangers of this place to share his pain with. The kind maiden, who had stolen his heart, comes to hear of this, and decides to accept this man. Now, the man describes ascetics, who undertake penances unto death, and seem to drop their bodies and reach a place of joy in the higher world. He connects and concludes saying, he too gave up his palmyra horse, which had helped him in sorrow, and went on to that joyous heaven of attaining the lady he loved!

After all those endless pleas for the man’s grace towards the suffering lady in the previous verses, it’s refreshing to hear a man seeking the attention and love of a lady. At least, there is equality of emotion in the understanding that both this man and that lady find themselves helpless, and are then rescued by the other. What’s interesting here are the many similes like the uncontrollable elephant, the melting salt doll, the vanishing wax in oil, and finally, that image of parting ascetics. The last image seems to touch upon a related ritual in the Jain religion, wherein those who practice this ritual fast unto death to reach the supposed place of enlightenment. While such practices are surely extreme, the connection between how those ascetics leave their body and how the man abandons his palm horse that stood by him, but is of no use anymore, is etched with perfection! Although this verse normally belongs to the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’, where love blooms, possibly it has been included in the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal landscape’, to match the theme of lament, and here, we get to hear the story of the man’s fall and triumph in love!