In this episode, we perceive the dangers in a journey, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 109, penned by Kadunthodai Kaavinaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse relays an indirect message of motivation.

பல் இதழ் மென் மலர் உண்கண், நல் யாழ்
நரம்பு இசைத்தன்ன இன் தீம் கிளவி,
நலம் நல்கு ஒருத்தி இருந்த ஊரே
கோடு உழு களிற்றின் தொழுதி ஈண்டிக்
காடு கால்யாத்த நீடு மரச் சோலை
விழை வெளில் ஆடும் கழை வளர் நனந்தலை,
வெண் நுனை அம்பின் விசை இட வீழ்ந்தோர்
எண்ணு வரம்பு அறியா உவல் இடு பதுக்கைச்
சுரம் கெழு கவலை கோட்பால் பட்டென,
வழங்குநர் மடிந்த அத்தம் இறந்தோர்,
கைப்பொருள் இல்லைஆயினும், மெய்க் கொண்டு
இன் உயிர் செகாஅர் விட்டு அகல் தப்பற்குப்
பெருங் களிற்று மருப்பொடு வரி அதள் இறுக்கும்
அறன் இல் வேந்தன் ஆளும்
வறன் உறு குன்றம் பல விலங்கினவே.

In the previous trip to the drylands, we saw how a journey to be taken was visualised. In contrast, now the journey that has been taken is described in these words by the man, speaking to his heart, in the middle of his travel through the drylands, to seek wealth:

“With kohl-streaked eyes, akin to a many-petalled, soft flower, speaking sweet words, akin to the music from the string of a fine lute, is the one, who renders her beauty to me.  The wide spaces we have crossed are where herds of elephants kill with their tusks; where mating squirrels play around in the dense groves with tall trees; where those who fell to the speed of the white-tipped arrows are heaped in countless pebble-filled graves; where, fearing that people would be killed in these deadly paths, wayfarers avoid on principle; where, if by chance, a person traverses this path, with nothing in their hands, and if the robbers let them leave without ending their lives, as penalty, the ruler of those robbers, the one who lacks justice, demands a huge elephant’s tusk and striped skin of a tiger, in those arid, dreary peaks. Beyond such places many, is the town, where my beloved lives!”

Let’s take a daring walk through the drylands! The man starts by reflecting on the beauty, sweetness and love of his beloved and he thinks about where her town is. When he does that, images of ruthless elephants, countless stone-graves, and uninhabited paths that he has crossed flashes before his mind. He remarks how in these spaces, normally people avoid knowing that there is a high chance of being killed by the robbers, and if in case, an unknowing person does walk through that path, and if that person has nothing worth in their hands, and the robbers let the man leave with his life, then the leader of this group would be so furious that he would demand those robbers to bring him elephant’s tusk and tiger’s skin as penalty. Such is the harsh nature of the people there, the man depicts, and concludes by saying his dearest’s town is beyond such places many, which the man has traversed. In a nutshell, the man is telling his heart, you may think of the lady, but we have crossed so many dangers to come here, and there is no point in turning back, and that the only way is the way forward! Sounds like a much-needed message for all of us, in our different journeys through life!