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Sangam Lit

Sangam Lit

By: Nandini Karky
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 Reflections on 2000 Year Old Tamil Poetry© 2019 Nandini Karky Art Literary History & Criticism Philosophy Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Aganaanooru 145 – Regret from the heart

    Aganaanooru 145 – Regret from the heart
    Dec 12 2025
    In this episode, we perceive the remorse of a mother, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 145, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse presents a contrast of the dreariness of this domain and the prosperity of the lady’s home. வேர் முழுது உலறி நின்ற புழற்கால்,தேர் மணி இசையின் சிள்வீடு ஆர்க்கும்,வற்றல் மரத்த பொற் தலை ஓதிவெயிற் கவின் இழந்த வைப்பின் பையுள் கொள,நுண்ணிதின் நிவக்கும் வெண் ஞெமை வியன் காட்டுஆள் இல் அத்தத்து, அளியள் அவனொடுவாள்வரி பொருத புண் கூர் யானைபுகர் சிதை முகத்த குருதி வார,உயர் சிமை நெடுங் கோட்டு உரும் என முழங்கும்”அருஞ் சுரம் இறந்தனள்” என்ப பெருஞ் சீர்அன்னி குறுக்கைப் பறந்தலை, திதியன்தொல் நிலை முழு முதல் துமியப் பண்ணியநன்னர் மெல் இணர்ப் புன்னை போல,கடு நவைப் படீஇயர்மாதோ களி மயில்குஞ்சரக் குரல குருகோடு ஆலும்,துஞ்சா முழவின், துய்த்து இயல் வாழ்க்கை,கூழுடைத் தந்தை இடனுடை வரைப்பின்,ஊழ் அடி ஒதுங்கினும் உயங்கும் ஐம் பாற்சிறு பல் கூந்தற் போது பிடித்து அருளாது,எறி கோல் சிதைய நூறவும் சிறுபுறம்,”எனக்கு உரித்து” என்னாள், நின்ற என்அமர்க் கண் அஞ்ஞையை அலைத்த கையே! A deep dive into this domain, as we listen to the lady’s mother say these words, at the juncture she learns of her daughter’s elopement with her man: “In the hollow trunk of a tree that has dried up from root to tip, crickets resound with the sound of chariot bells. Upon this parched tree, standing amidst a place that has lost its beauty owing to the scorching heat, a golden-headed lizard, crawls up with much suffering, in those wide spaces of the uninhabited drylands, filled with axle-wood trees. After fighting with the tiger, having sword-like stripes, the wounded elephant, with blood dripping from its crushed, spotted face, trumpets akin to thunder that resounds in the soaring peaks of tall hills. To such a formidable drylands, my poor girl has left with him, they say! In the spacious mansion of her prosperous father, where ecstatic peacocks and birds with elephantine voices, call aloud, and drums roar ceaselessly, living a life of plenty and comfort, she would feel sorrowful even if she were to miss a step and stumble. Catching hold of the garland tied tightly to her thick tresses with five-part braids, without any grace, shattering the stick, when I struck again and again, acting as if her little back was not even hers, she stood still, that daughter of mine with exquisite eyes. May these hands that made her suffer so, become utterly ruined like the ‘Laurelwood tree’ with fine and soft flower clusters, belonging to Thithiyan, when it was chopped at its trunk of many years, by the famous ‘Anni’ at the ‘Kurukkai’ battlefield!” Let’s brave the parched air of the drylands and walk on! Mother starts by describing this domain, and to do that, she brings before us, a seared tree, which seems not to have a drop of water right from its root to the tip of its topmost branch. From inside the hollows of this tree, crickets resound and a reptile, possibly the Indian golden gecko, treads upon it, with much languish. There’s sweltering heat everywhere, and not a sign of any human around. Here, after a clash with a tiger, a bleeding elephant walks about, roaring like the thunder in the mountains, mother continues. She then connects this place to her situation saying this is where her daughter had left to, with her beloved. Then, from these impossible places, she turns to describe the lady’s home, talking about her rich father, the wide mansion, where peacocks and birds, which trumpet like elephants, are to be found. A moment to ponder on what bird this might be! On searching, I learnt that it could be the Great Hornbill that has a unique, loud voice, somewhat close to an elephant’s trumpet. Possibly, the ...
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    7 mins
  • Aganaanooru 144 – Delight despite Distress

    Aganaanooru 144 – Delight despite Distress
    Dec 11 2025
    In this episode, we perceive the hope in a man’s heart, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 144, penned by Madurai Alakkar Gnaazhalaar Makanaar Mallanaar. The verse is situated amidst the blooming wild jasmines of the ‘Mullai’ or ‘Forest Landscape’ and presents dual perspectives from the home front and the battlefront. ‘’’வருதும்’ என்ற நாளும் பொய்த்தன;அரி ஏர் உண்கண் நீரும் நில்லா;தண் கார்க்கு ஈன்ற பைங் கொடி முல்லைவை வாய் வால் முகை அவிழ்ந்த கோதைபெய் வனப்பு இழந்த கதுப்பும் உள்ளார்,அருள் கண்மாறலோ மாறுக அந்தில்அறன் அஞ்சலரே! ஆயிழை! நமர்” எனச்சிறிய சொல்லிப் பெரிய புலப்பினும்,பனி படு நறுந் தார் குழைய, நம்மொடு,துனி தீர் முயக்கம் பெற்றோள் போலஉவக்குநள் வாழிய, நெஞ்சே! விசும்பின்ஏறு எழுந்து முழங்கினும் மாறு எழுந்து சிலைக்கும்கடாஅ யானை கொட்கும் பாசறை,போர் வேட்டு எழுந்த மள்ளர் கையதைகூர் வாட் குவிமுகம் சிதைய நூறி,மான் அடி மருங்கில் பெயர்த்த குருதிவான மீனின் வயின் வயின் இமைப்ப,அமர் ஓர்த்து, அட்ட செல்வம்தமர் விரைந்து உரைப்பக் கேட்கும் ஞான்றே. A little of the forest and more of the fierce battlefield in this trip, as we listen to the man say these words to his heart, as his charioteer listens, at the moment the man’s returning home after his mission: “Saying, ‘The day he had marked for his return has turned out false; Tears stop not from these beautiful, kohl-streaked eyes with red lines; The pointed, white buds of green-vined wild jasmines have burst into bloom because of the cool rains; He thinks not of how my tresses that used to be clad in garlands, have lost their lustre; If he, who does not fear righteousness, no longer wants to render his grace to me, so be it, O maiden clad in well-etched ornaments!’, she would be expressing a little and lamenting a lot. As thunder soars in the skies and resounds aloud, standing opposite, wild battle elephants reflect that sound in equal measure in the battlefield. Here, desiring war, soldiers rise with sharp swords in hand. Blunting these sharp edges, they have scattered much blood, which gather in the pits made by hooves of horses, and twinkle hither and thither, akin to stars in the sky. O heart, may you live long! When our kin rush to her and tell her about how I quelled enemies in this battlefield and heaped wealth, she shall delight, as if crushing her dew-covered, fragrant garland, she has attained a flawless union with me!” Let’s trot along with the man on his way home through the jasmine-clad forest and listen in! The man starts by expressing the thoughts that would be passing through the head of his lady just then, about how the man was not back when he promised he would be, about the way her eyes were overflowing with tears, and how the wild jasmines have bloomed in the rains and yet her tresses cannot be adorned with garlands, owing to his absence. She may even wonder if the man’s love for her has changed and call him an unjust person, the man says aloud. He tells his heart that for sure the lady would be worrying a lot in this manner. While that may be so, the minute she hears their relatives talk about how the man vanquished enemies in that fierce battlefield, and brought back great wealth, the lady would forget all her laments and would feel the same delight she does when she attains a sweet sleep in his embrace, the man concludes. The man’s subtle way of pressing his charioteer to speed the horses and hasten home! In the thought that his actions would bring happiness to the lady in spite of the pain he has inflicted by his parting, the man echoes the same hope each of us carry, when we give up pleasures in the short run and yearn for greater things. Just like this ancient ancestor of ours, all we can do is hope, wishing that no matter how they seem now, things will turn out well in the end!
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    5 mins
  • Aganaanooru 143 – The very thought of parting

    Aganaanooru 143 – The very thought of parting
    Dec 10 2025
    In this episode, we observe an attempt to change a person’s course of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 143, penned by Alamperi Saathanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse transports us to the domain of a king’s commander. செய்வினைப் பிரிதல் எண்ணி, கைம்மிகக்காடு கவின் ஒழியக் கடுங் கதிர் தெறுதலின்,நீடு சினை வறிய ஆக, ஒல்லெனவாடு பல் அகல்இலை கோடைக்கு ஒய்யும்தேக்கு அமல் அடுக்கத்து ஆங்கண் மேக்கு எழுபு,முளி அரிற் பிறந்த வளி வளர் கூர் எரிச்சுடர் நிமிர் நெடுங் கொடி விடர் முகை முழங்கும்வெம் மலை அருஞ் சுரம் நீந்தி ஐயசேறும் என்ற சிறு சொற்கு இவட்கே,வசை இல் வெம் போர் வானவன் மறவன்நசையின் வாழ்நர்க்கு நன் கலம் சுரக்கும்,பொய்யா வாய்வாள், புனைகழல் பிட்டன்மை தவழ் உயர் சிமைக் குதிரைக் கவாஅன்அகல் அறை நெடுஞ் சுனை துவலையின் மலர்ந்ததண் கமழ் நீலம் போல,கண் பனி கலுழ்ந்தன; நோகோ யானே. This trip offers a study in contrast when it comes to the features of the domain, as we listen to these words the confidante says to the man, at a time when he’s planning to part away from the lady, to gather wealth: “When I said to her, ‘Intending to part away on a mission to gather wealth, the lord plans to go to those formidable drylands near the sweltering mountains, where immensely ruining the beauty of the forests, the harsh sun scorches, and dries up long branches, and the hot summer winds wither many leaves and take them away, with a rustling sound, in those ranges, filled with teak trees, and here, soaring above, a fierce flame, birthed in the dried-up bushes and reared by the wind, rises tall and resounds aloud in the clefts and caves’, just hearing these few words, akin to the cool and fragrant blue lotus, which has bloomed in the spray of the wide and deep spring in the tall peak of the ‘Kuthirai’ mountains, enveloped by clouds, ruled by the army commander of the impeccable, battle-worthy King Vanavan, Pittan, who wears well-etched anklets, wields a victorious sword, and one, who renders fine vessels to those who come seeking with desire to him, her eyes filled with tears! I suffer so!” Let’s take a walk through those searing spaces and learn more! The confidante tells the man that she happened to go to the lady and tell her that he was planning to leave to the drylands. In her usual style, she presents a vivid view of the drylands, painting the drying branches, withering leaves and soaring wildfire. It was interesting to note the words used to describe this wildfire, by mentioning how it was born in the dried-up bushes but fostered and reared into a force of nature by the winds. The hidden metaphor of a child, born in a family, and raised by the world entire, to become who they become, was intriguing to note. Returning, we find the confidante continuing her narrative, telling the man that the moment she said these words, the lady’s eyes started shedding tears. To etch this image, she summons blue-lotuses, which have apparently bloomed because of the spraying water droplets from a spring nearby, and she locates this place as the domain called ‘Kuthirai mountains’, belonging to a brave commander of King Vannan, a a person named Pittan, renowned for his generosity. The confidante concludes by saying seeing those tear-filled eyes of the lady made her suffer much agony. In essence, the confidante means to tell the man that the mere thought of him leaving had reduced the lady to such a state, projecting the implied question, ‘What would befall her, if the man were to actually leave?’. The confidante has intervened on behalf of the lady and hopes to prevent the man from proceeding with his plan of parting with the lady. The lady encapsulates a deeply human sentiment of worrying about something, even before it happens – the downside of our unique powers of imagination. Curious isn’t it that it’s this same human imagination, which has made these poets perceive a child in a wildfire and connect a water-soaked flower to a tear-filled eye!
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    6 mins
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