Aganaanooru 281 – Bearing the burden of slander

In this episode, we listen to the lady’s angst, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 281, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse mentions historical facts to etch this story of separation. செய்வது தெரிந்திசின் தோழி! அல்கலும்,அகலுள் ஆண்மை அச்சு அறக் கூறியசொல் பழுது ஆகும் என்றும் அஞ்சாது,ஒல்கு இயல் மட மயில் ஒழித்த பீலி,வான் போழ் வல் வில் சுற்றி, நோன் சிலைஅவ் வார் விளிம்பிற்கு அமைந்த நொவ்வு இயல்கனை குரல் இசைக்கும் விரை செலல் கடுங் கணைமுரண் மிகு வடுகர் முன்னுற, மோரியர்தென் திசை மாதிரம் முன்னிய வரவிற்குவிண்ணுற ஓங்கிய பனி இருங் குன்றத்து,ஒண் கதிர்த் திகிரி உருளிய குறைத்தஅறை இறந்து, அவரோ சென்றனர்பறை அறைந்தன்ன அலர் நமக்கு ஒழித்தே. In this trip to the drylands, we go a history detour, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when the man continues to remain parted away, having left in search of wealth: “Analyse and tell me what I should do, my friend! Day after day, staying right here, he spoke words many to remove my fears utterly. Not worrying that those words would become false now, he has left beyond those boulders, broken apart by the Mauryas, wanting to seize the lands to the south, when they marched on and tunnelled through the sky-soaring, dark, dew-covered peaks, so as to make their white-rayed wheels roll on, led by the belligerent Vadugars, who, picking up the feathers dropped by a naive peacock, with a swaying gait, tied those long stems around the sturdy bows, fitted with taut straps, from which with a deep sound, speeding arrows rush ahead. He has left beyond those boulders, leaving us to shoulder all alone, this slander, that resounds akin to the roar of drums!” Time to tread upon those stony surfaces and explore on! The lady starts by asking her confidante what she should do, now that the man had falsified his promises of never parting from her and had left to the drylands. She describes the place where the man’s at by mentioning the rocks that were cut across to make way for the chariots of the northern Mauryas, when they came south, intending to conquer these lands, in the company of the Vadugars, who wield sturdy bows and speedy arrows. The lady concludes by lamenting how the man had left to this place, leaving her all alone to face the slander in town, which seems to echo aloud like a thundering drum. That slander is on the rise is indication that the separation has happened before marriage between the man and the lady. The verse renders a history lesson about the incursion of northern rulers into the southern region of India, two thousand years ago. At the core is a heart, disappointed by broken promises. Hope it heals with the return of the man, speeding back to the lady, like the arrows of those Vadugars!