Aganaanooru 251 – Slipping Shell bangles

In this episode, we hear words of consolation, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 251, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse relates a significant historic incident involving hostilities between the north and south of ancient India. தூதும் சென்றன; தோளும் செற்றும்;ஓதி ஒண் நுதல் பசலையும் மாயும்;வீங்கு இழை நெகிழச் சாஅய், செல்லலொடுநாம் படர் கூரும் அருந் துயர் கேட்பின்,நந்தன் வெறுக்கை எய்தினும், மற்று அவண்தங்கலர் வாழி, தோழி! வெல் கொடித்துனை கால் அன்ன புனை தேர்க் கோசர்தொல் மூதாலத்து அரும் பணைப் பொதியில்,இன் இசை முரசம் கடிப்பு இகுத்து இரங்க,தெம் முனை சிதைத்த ஞான்றை, மோகூர்பணியாமையின், பகை தலைவந்தமா கெழு தானை வம்ப மோரியர்புனை தேர் நேமி உருளிய குறைத்தஇலங்கு வெள் அருவிய அறை வாய் உம்பர்,மாசு இல் வெண் கோட்டு அண்ணல் யானைவாயுள் தப்பிய, அருங் கேழ் வயப் புலிமா நிலம் நெளியக் குத்தி, புகலொடுகாப்பு இல வைகும் தேக்கு அமல் சோலைநிரம்பா நீள் இடைப் போகி,அரம் போழ் அவ் வளை நிலை நெகிழ்த்தோரே. In this trip to the familiar drylands, we take a detour to observe the path of hostile armies, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the lady, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth: “Messengers have gone thither; Thinning arms shall recover; Pallor that spreads on the shining forehead, hemmed by tresses, shall disappear; If he hears of the deep sorrow that spreads in you, making you lose your health and causing your thick ornaments to slip away, even if he were to attain the wealth of Nandan, he will not choose to remain there! May you live long, my friend! Wielding wind-like, well-etched chariots, fluttering with victorious flags, the Kosars ruined the battlefields of enemies, as the sweet-sounding drums thundered and roared amidst the common grounds, spreading with the thick branches of the ancient banyan tree. At this time, as Mokoor refused to submit to them, the Mauryas arrived with their huge armies to rout the enmity, and to ensure the wheels of their etched chariots roll on, they carved paths through mountains, flowing with shining, white cascades. Beyond those mountain paths, a strong tiger, with a radiant hue, which had previously escaped the attack of an esteemed elephant with flawless white tusks, is now gored, making the wide land to break apart into pits, and where that elephant, removed from its protective herd, now resides with arrogance, amidst the jungle interspersed with teak trees. Though he has left to these uninhabited long paths, making your beautiful shell bangles, carved by a saw, slip away, he shall stay not there and shall return to you soon!” Time to take a stroll amidst those barren spaces and learn more! The confidante opens the conversation by talking about how their messengers have left to where the man was, and because of that the sad happenings in the lady’s life, such as her thinning arms and spreading pallor, would be reversed. The confidante says this because she’s convinced that once the man hears of the lady’s sorrowful state, even if one were to tempt him with as much wealth as someone then named ‘Nandan’, he would not choose to remain where he was. Then she goes on to describe where the man is at now, and to do that, she talks of how the Mauryas had waged war on the south, and the Kosars had chosen to rise in their support. At this time, the Tamil king of Mokoor refused to accept their subjugation. To quell this dissent, the Mauryas themselves had decided to come south, and to do that, they carved paths through the mountains so that their chariots could roll on unimpeded. Now the confidante connects saying the man walks beyond those carved mountainous paths, and here a tiger is attacked by the sharp tusk of an elephant, which roves alone, without its herd. The confidante concludes with the words that though the man had gone to such far places, making the saw-cut, shell bangles of the lady to slip away, he would not remain there for long, and would be back in the lady’s fold.  The striking thing in this verse is the mention of the conflict between kings in the north and south of India, even in ancient times. Though the details are sketchy and the focus seems to be more on the roads laid by the Mauryas to come south, it does give a hint of the hostilities of the past. Another subtle reference here is to the saw-cut, shell bangles, in a taken for granted away, but this has current-day implications in the excavation of many such bangles from both the Indus Valley sites in Gujarat as well as Sangam era sites such as Vembakottai in Tamil Nadu, revealing the presence of a nuanced industry to produce decorated bangles from conch shells. Yet again, simple words of consolation throw the spotlight on significant events around trade and war in the ancient world!