Aganaanooru 162 – Yearning for the mountain maiden

In this episode, we listen to the passionate heart of a man, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 162, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated amidst the soaring peaks and descending cascades of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and reveals the beauty of a lord’s mountain country. கொளக் குறைபடாஅக் கோடு வளர் குட்டத்துஅளப்பு அரிது ஆகிய குவை இருந் தோன்றலகடல் கண்டன்ன மாக விசும்பின்அழற்கொடி அன்ன மின்னு வசிபு நுடங்ககடிதுஇடி உருமொடு கதழ்உறை சிதறி,விளிவு இடன் அறியா வான் உமிழ் நடு நாள்,அருங் கடிக் காவலர் இகழ்பதம் நோக்கி,பனி மயங்கு அசைவளி அலைப்ப, தந்தைநெடு நகர் ஒரு சிறை நின்றனென்ஆக; அறல் என அவிர்வரும் கூந்தல், மலர் எனவாள் முகத்து அலமரும் மா இதழ் மழைக் கண்,முகை நிரைத்தன்ன மா வீழ் வெண் பல்,நகை மாண்டு இலங்கும் நலம் கெழு துவர் வாய்,கோல் அமை விழுத் தொடி விளங்க வீசி,கால் உறு தளிரின் நடுங்கி, ஆனாதுநோய் அசா வீட முயங்கினள் வாய்மொழிநல் இசை தரூஉம் இரவலர்க்கு உள்ளியநசை பிழைப்பு அறியாக் கழல்தொடி அதிகன்கோள் அறவு அறியாப் பயம் கெழு பலவின்வேங்கை சேர்ந்த வெற்பகம் பொலிய,வில் கெழு தானைப் பசும் பூண் பாண்டியன்களிறு அணி வெல் கொடி கடுப்ப, காண்வரஒளிறுவன இழிதரும் உயர்ந்து தோன்று அருவி,நேர் கொள் நெடு வரைக் கவாஅன்சூரரமகளிரின் பெறற்கு அரியோளே. In this somewhat long trip to the mountains, we get to hear the man say these words to his heart, after a tryst with his lady love: “Never diminishing no matter how much is taken, having an unmeasurable depth where conches bloom, appearing with a thick darkness is the ocean! The vast skies seemed akin to glimpsing this ocean, and here, akin to a vine of flames, lightning flashed, splitting the clouds, along with roaring thunder and scattered heavy rain, with no end in sight. Such was the dark hour of midnight, shrouded in a downpour. Just then, watching for the moment the stern guards would relax, as cold and moist winds tormented me, I stood on one side of her father’s tall mansion. Akin to river sand, cascaded down her tresses; Akin to flowers blooming on her shining face, were her huge-petaled, rain-like eyes; Akin to bee-buzzing buds, assembled in a row, were her white teeth; Akin to jewels, radiantly shone her exquisite red mouth; Swaying her hands and making her rounded, brilliant bangles tinkle, akin to a sprout that had grown legs, trembling, she had come to end my unceasing affliction and embraced me tight. In the mountains ruled by Athikan, who wears warrior anklets, known for his words of honesty, and having the fine fame of generosity that renders to supplicants, never leaving them in a state of unfulfilled wishes, fertile jackfruit trees, which have never known a moment of not bearing a fruit, flourish along with Kino trees. Here, akin to the victorious flag, fluttering atop elephants, owned by Pasumpoon Pandiyan, who wields an army of skilled archers, pleasing to the eyes, descend down from high, radiant cascades. Akin to the tormenting divine spirits that live in the slopes of this tall and majestic mountain range, my lady is hard to attain!” Let’s soak in the shower of the mountains and listen on! The man starts by describing the skies that appear before him just then, and to do that, he summons the deep and immeasurable seas in parallel. In this sea-like sky, lighting was flashing, thunder was roaring and the rain was pouring, with no respite, the man says. He illustrates how he was standing there, shivering in the cold, by the mansion belonging to the lady’s father, waiting for the right moment the guards would relax their watch. Fulfilling his yearning, the lady seemed to have arrived there, walking like a vine with legs, quivering. That’s not all he says about the lady, of course. He calls her tresses, black sand; Her eyes, blue-lotus flowers; Her teeth, wild jasmine buds; Her mouth, red coral jewels; He vividly records how the lady came there, with her bangles tinkling, and embraced him, putting his painful disease of yearning at ease. Then, he goes on to talk about the fertile mountain slopes of a lord named Athikan, who was known for his honesty and generosity, a place, where there were lush jackfruit trees, bursting over with fruits from every part, and radiant Kino trees as well. To describe the cascades flowing down in this mountain, the man summons another historic character, Pasumpoon Pandiyan, and specifically talks about the victorious flags fluttering atop his elephants. Returning back to Athikan’s mountain slopes, the man says this region was inhabited by female spirits, and concludes by declaring however hard it would be to attain those female spirits, it was so with his beloved too. In essence, though the man has just embraced his love, he is already pining for her! That’s the handiwork of love, especially in the blooming stage, modern psychologists would concur, remarking there’s not that much of a distance between love and addiction, symptomatically speaking!