In this episode, we listen to a message of reassurance, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 91, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse sketches contrasting images of an arid domain and a fertile one.

விளங்குபகல் உதவிய பல் கதிர் ஞாயிறு
வளம் கெழு மா மலை பயம் கெடத் தெறுதலின்,
அருவி ஆன்ற பெரு வரை மருங்கில்
சூர்ச் சுனை துழைஇ நீர்ப்பயம் காணாது,
பாசி தின்ற பைங் கண் யானை
ஓய் பசிப் பிடியொடு ஒருதிறன் ஒடுங்க,
வேய் கண் உடைந்த வெயில் அவிர் நனந்தலை
அரும் பொருள் வேட்கையின் அகன்றனர் ஆயினும்,
பெரும் பேர் அன்பினர் தோழி!-இருங் கேழ்
இரலை சேக்கும், பரல் உயர் பதுக்கைக்
கடுங்கண் மழவர் களவு உழவு எழுந்த
நெடுங் கால் ஆசினி ஒடுங்காட்டு உம்பர்,
விசிபிணி முழவின் குட்டுவன் காப்ப,
பசி என அறியாப் பணை பயில் இருக்கை,
தட மருப்பு எருமை தாமரை முனையின்,
முடம் முதிர் பலவின் கொழு நிழல் வதியும்,
குடநாடு பெறினும் தவிரலர்
மடமான் நோக்கி! நின் மாண் நலம் மறந்தே.

In this trip to the drylands, we meet the confidante consoling the lady, at a time when the man had left in search of wealth and remains parted away from the lady:

“The many-rayed sun that aids the day to flourish, had scorched away and made the huge and fertile mountain lose its useful cover, and the cascades too had ceased to flow in those spaces amidst the hills. Searching these erstwhile springs, inhabited by fearsome spirits, and finding no water whatsoever, the fresh-eyed elephant ends up eating moss, and then lies down with its hungry mate on one side. Although he parted away to these drylands spaces, where bamboos burst open in the blazing heat, with a desire to gain precious wealth, he is someone who has a deep love within, my friend! Beyond the region of Odungaadu, filled with tall-trunked breadfruit trees, where dark-hued stags rest amidst the high stone-filled burial mounds, where harsh-eyed warriors go about their act of ploughing by stealing, there is a town, protected by King Kuttuvan, renowned for his resounding tight drums, a place brimming with bamboos and fertile fields, where people know not the meaning of hunger, where a buffalo with curving horns, satiated with lotus flowers and wanting no more, leaves to rest in the thick shade of the curving jackfruit tree. Even if he were to attain this prosperous town known as ‘Kudanaadu’, he will not stay away, forgetting your fine beauty, O maiden with a gaze of a naive deer!”

Let’s step into those scorching spaces and learn more! The confidante starts with a vivid description of a drylands space. She mentions how it’s the sun that makes the day shine, but sometimes the sun overdoes its work and as a result the lush mountains lose their fertility. From this, we infer that this ‘Paalai’ region is not a drylands region always, but a ‘Kurinji’ space modified so, in the sweltering summer. This should explain that the ‘Paalai’ landscape often seen in Sangam verses does not pertain to a permanent desert region in ancient Tamil land but possibly talk about the transformation of ‘Kurinji’ and ‘Mullai’ tracts in a particular season. Returning, the confidante continues saying how thanks to the scorching sun, the cascades have dried up, and elephants that come expectantly to those ancient springs find no water and have to be content with eating moss. The confidante connects saying though the man had seemingly abandoned the lady and left to such a place to gather wealth, he was one filled with a great love for the lady. 

Then, she moves on to talk about another space entirely, first mentioning a region called Odungaadu, seemingly another drylands space, where there are many breadfruit trees, where deers can be seen resting amidst the stone graves, and where the highway robbers are said to do their daily ploughing of stealing from wayfarers. That ancient Tamil land was predominantly a farming society is captured by the way the professions of every other region is seen through the lens of tending to the soil. Returning, the confidante has mentioned these facts only to talk about Kudanaadu, a town that lies beyond this region, the capital of the Chera King Kuttuvan, where people do not know the meaning of hunger, whatever be the season, and here, even a buffalo has so much to eat that it munches in plenty its favourite food of lotus flowers that it wants no more and waddles along to rest in the shade of the jackfruit tree. The confidante concludes by saying even if the man were to attain this fertile town of Kudanaadu, he will not be tempted to stay away from the beautiful, deer-like eyes of the lady.

In essence, the confidante proclaims that nothing would make the man forsake his love for his lady ever. Isn’t it interesting to note that it’s wealth that the man leaves the lady for, however even though he is given that epitome of wealth, the rich town of Kudanaadu, he would not be tempted to stay away from his beloved? A picture perfect illustration of the code of ethics in the man’s wealth-seeking!