Sangam Lit

In this episode, we listen to the ecstatic voice of a lady in love, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 352, penned by Anjiyaththai Magal Naakaiyaar. The verse is situated amidst the singing cascades of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and sketches the process of penning a king’s praise. ”முடவு முதிர் பலவின் குடம் மருள் பெரும் பழம்பல் கிளைத் தலைவன் கல்லாக் கடுவன்,பாடு இமிழ் அருவிப் பாறை மருங்கின்,ஆடு மயில் முன்னது ஆக, கோடியர்விழவு கொள் மூதூர் விறலி பின்றைமுழவன் போல அகப்படத் தழீஇ,இன் துணைப் பயிரும் குன்ற நாடன்குடி நன்கு உடையன்; கூடுநர்ப் பிரியலன்;கெடு நா மொழியலன்; அன்பினன்” என, நீவல்ல கூறி, வாய்வதின் புணர்த்தோய்;நல்லை; காண், இனி காதல் அம் தோழீஇ!கடும் பரிப் புரவி நெடுந் தேர் அஞ்சி,நல் இசை நிறுத்த நயம் வரு பனுவல்,தொல் இசை நிறீஇய உரை சால் பாண்மகன்எண்ணு முறை நிறுத்த பண்ணினுள்ளும்,புதுவது புனைந்த திறத்தினும்,வதுவை நாளினும் இனியனால் எமக்கே. In this trip to the highlands, we encounter festive scenes, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when the man had claimed her hand and the lady’s marriage with him was imminent: “Bearing a huge fruit, plucked from the mature, curving jackfruit tree, akin to a pot, the unskilled male monkey, the head of a huge clan, sits atop a boulder near the musically resounding cascade, with a dancing peacock in front, appearing akin to a drummer, who stands behind a female dancer in the festivities, filled with musicians, unfolding in an ancient town. Hugging that jackfruit, the male monkey calls out to its sweet mate in the peaks of the lord. Saying, ‘The lord is from a noble clan; He is someone who will never desert those he loves; He never speaks harsh words; He is someone full of love’, you had praised him much and brought us both together. You are such a good soul, my loveable friend! More than the song, penned with perfect precision, about the ancient fame of Anji, who wields speeding horses and tall chariots, by an expert bard, and set to fine music, according to the age-old rules in books, more than the talent that makes one create anew, more than the day of our wedding, he is sweeter to me indeed!” Let’s leap along with that mountain monkey and learn what’s in the lady’s mind! The lady starts with a description of the man’s mountain country, and to do that, she focuses on a male monkey holding on to a huge jackfruit, perched on a boulder, upon which stands a peacock. This image looks like how a male drummer would stand behind a female dancer in the festivities of an ancient town, the lady connects. Then she completes the picture of the lord’s land with the male monkey calling its mate to share its sweet meal. Then the lady talks about the confidante and how she had helped the lady accept the man’s proposal by singing his praises, calling him one of noble birth, a kind person who never spoke harsh words and someone full of love. The lady calls the confidante a good person for her past actions and concludes by declaring that the man was sweeter to her, more than the perfect verse penned by an expert bard about the fame of King Anji, and set to the right music according to the rulebook, and not stopping with that comparison, the lady calls the man sweeter than the creativity which makes the poets pen new things, and sweeter than even that most expected day in a Sangam lady’s life – The day of her wedding!  In essence, this is a verse of gratitude rendered unto the confidante, and also a celebration of the love, felt in the heart for the lady for the man. Highlights of this verse are the aspects that are compared with the lady’s feelings for the man, such as the way a verse of praise is etched with care, and the talent of bards, talking about how these aspects were held high in the esteem of people then, and this makes us infer how celebrated art was in their lives!

In this episode, we perceive the tug between hearts that are apart, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 351, penned by Porunthil Ilankeeranaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse highlights the beliefs of the ancients in omens about another’s homecoming. வேற்று நாட்டு உறையுள் விருப்புறப் பேணி,பெறல் அருங் கேளிர் பின் வந்து விடுப்ப,பொருள் அகப்படுத்த புகல் மலி நெஞ்சமொடுகுறை வினை முடித்த நிறைவு இன் இயக்கம்அறிவுறூஉம்கொல்லோ தானே கதிர் தெற,கழல் இலை உகுத்த கால் பொரு தாழ் சினை,அழல் அகைந்தன்ன அம் குழைப் பொதும்பில்,புழல் வீ இருப்பைப் புன் காட்டு அத்தம்,மறுதரல் உள்ளமொடு குறுக, தோற்றியசெய் குறி ஆழி வைகல்தோறு எண்ணி,எழுது சுவர் நனைந்த அழுது வார் மழைக் கண்விலங்கு வீழ் அரிப் பனி பொலங் குழைத் தெறிப்ப,திருந்துஇழை முன்கை அணல் அசைத்து ஊன்றி,இருந்து அணை மீது, பொருந்துழிக் கிடக்கை,வருந்து தோள் பூசல் களையும் மருந்து எனஉள்ளுதொறு படூஉம் பல்லி,புள்ளுத் தொழுது உறைவி செவிமுதலானே? In this trip to the drylands, it’s less of the land and more of the mind, as we listen to the man say these words, at a time when he’s parted from the lady, having left in search of wealth: “Wishing fervently to travel to and stay in other countries, when I left, my precious kith and kin came behind with affection and bid farewell. The heart that left so, with much determination to obtain wealth, has now the satisfaction of finishing the task it set out to do, and returns contentedly. As the sun’s rays scorch on, loosened leaves are scattered by the wind from low-hanging branches, in the grove with tender sprouts, akin to glowing flames, blooming on the Mahua tree, with hollow-tubed flowers, in this dull scrub jungle in the drylands, through which I traverse on, with the intent of returning home. At this time, as she keeps counting the marked circles made day after day on the wall, her moistened, rain-like eyes, would fill with tears, and the shining drops that fall down would splash on her golden earrings. As she sits there, resting her chin on her forearms, with well-etched ornaments, leaning on the pillow upon the bed, will that lizard that keeps clicking proclaim in the ears of that maiden at home, who prays for bird omens, that the cure to remove the affliction of pining from her worrying arms, was on the way?” Let’s listen to the intentions and hopes of these parted lovers! The man starts by recollecting how he had left with much determination to seek wealth and the way his relatives had bid him luck. That goal had been achieved and he’s now returning home, with much satisfaction, the man mentions, and talks about how he’s walking through the harsh drylands, where dry leaves are being pulled and thrown by the hot winds, and where sprouts on the Mahua tree appear like flames. From his own state, the man then accesses the state of his beloved with his mind’s eye and he sees her sitting, looking at the wall on which markings have been made day after day ever since the day he left. The lady’s eyes start brimming over with tears and these tears fall down and scatter upon her huge earrings, the man visualises. Then he wonders if the lizard on the wall would tell the lady, fervently hoping for some good omen, the delightful news that the cure for her disease was coming towards her with much speed!  At a time when our phones keep chirping incessantly like that lizard on the wall, and we can dash off a message, talk to or even see someone on a screen, no matter how far apart they are, it’s hard to relate to this feeling of missing another, having no way to reach them. We can see how that sense of being apart and yearning to be back was so much stronger and deeper in those times without all the technology of today. It’s true that parting these days do not have the pain and pining the people from the Sangam era experienced, but at the same time, we have to acknowledge that the reunions in that past would have been much sweeter and deeper. If only humans can somehow learn the art of keeping their emotions and values intact, no matter the technology that overpowers, then there will be redemption!

In this episode, we perceive words of welcome, infused with a hidden message, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 350, penned by Chenthan Kannanaar. The verse is situated amidst the crashing waves of the ‘Neythal’ or ‘Coastal Landscape’ and etches a scene depicting an ancient occupation in the seas. கழியே, சிறு குரல் நெய்தலொடு காவி கூம்ப,எறி திரை ஓதம் தரல் ஆனாதேதுறையே, மருங்கின் போகிய மாக் கவை மருப்பின்இருஞ் சேற்று ஈர் அளை அலவன் நீப்ப,வழங்குநர் இன்மையின் பாடு ஆன்றன்றே;கொடு நுகம் நுழைந்த கணைக் கால் அத்திரிவடி மணி நெடுந் தேர் பூண ஏவாது,ஏந்து எழில் மழைக் கண் இவள் குறையாகச்சேந்தனை சென்மோ பெரு நீர்ச் சேர்ப்ப!இலங்கு இரும் பரப்பின் எறி சுறா நீக்கி,வலம்புரி மூழ்கிய வான் திமிற் பரதவர்ஒலி தலைப் பணிலம் ஆர்ப்ப, கல்லென,கலி கெழு கொற்கை எதிர்கொள, இழிதரும்குவவு மணல் நெடுங் கோட்டு ஆங்கண்,உவக்காண் தோன்றும் எம் சிறு நல் ஊரே! In this trip to the shore, we get to see both the peaceful as well as festive sides of this domain, as we listen to the confidante say these words to the man, when he prepares to leave to his home, after a tryst by day with the lady: “In the backwaters, the short-stalked blue lotus and the red lotus have closed their buds; The crashing waves of the sea that flood the shore cease not; In spaces nearby, a crab with a long, branching antenna, peeps out of its moist hole in the dark mud, and as no one passes by, silence fills the air. At this time, without bidding that the thick-legged mule, be tied to the curving yoke of your tall chariot, decorated with well-etched bells, for the sake of this maiden, having uplifted, beautiful, rain-like eyes, why don’t you stay back and then leave, O lord of the great seas? In the vast spread of the ocean, avoiding the attack of sharks, fishermen with wide boats, dive deep in search of right-whorled conch shells, and as they step out onto the heaped sands of the long shore, they are welcomed with the blow of conches echoing loud and clear, with much uproar, by the boisterous people from Korkai. Look well, right there, is our fine, little hamlet!” Time to dive into the pristine sea of the past! The confidante starts by describing the surroundings at that time of the day, and mentions how both the blue and red lotus have closed their buds, telling us it’s the evening hour. While those flowers may have shut shop, the waves never call it a day and continue to keep crashing on the shore. There’s a quick shot of a crab peeping out of the mud hole. Other than this little denizen, there’s no one about and a thick silence fills the air, the confidante sketches. She turns to the man and tells him pointedly not to ask his helper to tie his mule to the chariot and leave as usual to his town, at that time of the day. Instead of that, she asks the man to stay the night and then leave. Pointing at some distance, she talks about how fishermen in huge boats, take a deep dive, and expertly avoiding the sharks, they collect the right-whorled conches from the seabed. When they emerge with these shells and step out on the sands with their bounty, the waiting people of Korkai render a rousing welcome to them, the confidante sketches. She concludes by saying that very close to that landing spot on the sands was their village and that the man should spend the night there and then leave! One may think the confidante is extending a sweet welcome to the man, but that’s not all. The confidante knows that it was not custom for the man to stay at the lady’s house, before they are man and wife, and so, she means to nudge the man to give up his temporary trysting and choose the path of permanent happiness. Let’s focus on that scene of diving in the seas to gather conch shells. Those divers did not stop with collecting conch shells and were renowned to collect such exquisite pearls from this region, and that’s why you have people from Korkai, waiting on the shores to welcome these divers. Whatever those divers brought from the seabed would then be polished and parcelled to destinations, as far as Rome and Greece. In fact, there are many historical accounts that say those pearls from the seas around Korkai was much favoured by Queen Cleopatra. No doubt the effort of those pearl divers translates as gold and silver to the waiting people from the port of Korkai, and that’s why those divers are given that jubilant welcome, mentioned in these lines. At the same time, the confidante conjures this scene as a metaphor promising the welcome that the man would receive at the lady’s home if he were to seek her hand in marriage. A verse which turns out to be an ode to the art of welcoming, and as the third and final act, it ends up welcoming us, the people of the future, into the lives and homes of those ancients, who have left their footprints on the shore of time!

In this episode, we observe the bewilderment of a person at another’s course of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 349, penned by Maamoolanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse etches the victory and generosity of a Sangam-era king. அரம் போழ் அவ் வளை செறிந்த முன்கைவரைந்து தாம் பிணித்த தொல் கவின் தொலைய,எவன் ஆய்ந்தனர்கொல் தோழி! ஞெமன்ன்தெரி கோல் அன்ன செயிர் தீர் செம் மொழி,உலைந்த ஒக்கல் பாடுநர் செலினே,உரன் மலி உள்ளமொடு முனை பாழாக,அருங் குறும்பு எறிந்த பெருங் கல வெறுக்கைசூழாது சுரக்கும் நன்னன் நல் நாட்டு,எழிற் குன்றத்துக் கவாஅன், கேழ் கொள,திருந்து அரை நிவந்த கருங் கால் வேங்கைஎரி மருள் கவளம் மாந்தி, களிறு தன்வரி நுதல் வைத்த வலி தேம்பு தடக் கைகல் ஊர் பாம்பின் தோன்றும்சொல் பெயர் தேஎத்த சுரன் இறந்தோரே? In this trip to the drylands, we get to see the usual sights and visit a king’s court, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when the man had parted away from her and gone in search of wealth: “Leaving me to lose the old beauty of these forearms, decked with beautiful bangles, cut with a saw, which he had claimed in marriage and held close, what has he found that’s so precious, my friend? Nannan renders flawless, fine words with justness, akin to the mid pointer of a weighing balance, and when seeing singers and their fatigued clan, he would render without any hesitation, great vessels and wealth that he had captured from the formidable forts of his foes, after ruining them in the battlefield with much determination. In Nannan fine country, where soars the Ezhil mountain peak, blooms a bright-hued, dark-stemmed Kino tree, with an etched and soaring trunk. Feeding on its flame-like flowers, a male elephant places its tired, curving trunk on its striped forehead, which appears akin to a snake crawling on a boulder. Why has he gone, crossing many such countries, where languages differ, and parted away to those drylands?” Time to ponder on the lady’s words! She starts by asking a question to her friend about the man, wondering what is that thing he has found to be so important for him to leave her and make her lose the beauty of those arms the man had linked together in marriage. Then she goes on to talk about King Nannan and his just nature, bringing the pointer of a weighing scale to symbolise his qualities, and mentions how he would render all the wealth he had gained in the battlefields to singers and their clan, without any thought of keeping it for himself. We learn that Nannan has been called to mention his country of Ezhil mountains, and the lady taking us to this land, points to a particular Kino tree growing there, whose flowers a tired elephant preys upon, having nothing to eat, and places its trunk on its head, making it appear like a snake crawling up a hill. After that description, the lady connects saying it’s crossing many such countries, where different languages are spoken, the man has gone to the drylands, leaving her! In essence, the lady’s wonder is, ‘What is that which he deems so precious than my health and beauty?’. When in courtship, no doubt the man had been pursuing the lady with such devotion, but once he was married, he was off to his new pursuit, and that’s why the comparison is so stark in the lady’s mind. Pondering on a beloved’s choices seem to be a custom, then and now, here and everywhere!

In this episode, we perceive a subtle message of persuasion, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 348, penned by Madurai Ilam Paalaasiriyan Chenthan Koothanaar. The verse is situated amidst the flourishing millet fields of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain Landscape’ and details the ingredients and recipe of an ancient fermented beverage. என் ஆவதுகொல் தானே முன்றில்,தேன் தேர் சுவைய, திரள் அரை மாஅத்து,கோடைக்கு ஊழ்த்த, கமழ் நறுந் தீம் கனி,பயிர்ப்புறப் பலவின் எதிர்ச் சுளை அளைஇ,இறாலொடு கலந்த, வண்டு மூசு அரியல்நெடுங் கண் ஆடு அமைப் பழுநி, கடுந் திறல்பாப்புக் கடுப்பு அன்ன தோப்பி வான் கோட்டுக்கடவுள் ஓங்கு வரைக்கு ஓக்கி, குறவர்,முறித் தழை மகளிர் மடுப்ப, மாந்தி,அடுக்கல் ஏனல் இரும் புனம் மறந்துழி,‘யானை வவ்வின தினை’ என, நோனாது,இளையரும் முதியரும் கிளையுடன் குழீஇ,சிலை ஆய்ந்து திரிதரும் நாடன்நிலையா நல் மொழி தேறிய நெஞ்சே? In this short trip to the hills, we get to witness a unique culinary custom, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, pretending not to notice the man listening nearby but making sure he’s in earshot: “Taking the fragrant, sweet fruit, which has ripened in summer, with a honey-like taste, growing on the thick-trunked mango tree in their front yard, and mashing it with the sticky slices of the jackfruit, adding some honeycomb, they prepare a bee-buzzing nectar, pour it into the hollowed-out stems of tall and swaying bamboos and store it for long. That well-aged, sharp toddy turns out with a sharpness, akin to the bite of a snake. After offering a portion of that drink to the god, who resides in the soaring, sky-high peaks, mountain maiden, wearing garments of tender sprouts and leaves, offer to their men, who drink it up, and forget all about guarding their millet fields in the mountain ranges. Then, realising that elephants have raided those millets, unable to accept that, the young and old group together, and then, selecting their bows and weapons, set out and rove around in the country of the lord. What will happen now to that heart of mine, which had trusted in his wavering words?” Time to explore the highs and lows of this terrain! The lady starts by describing the man’s mountain country, and to do that, she first zooms on to a mango fruit in the summer, growing on a tree in the front yard of a home. This mango fruit is said to have the sweetness of honey. We see a hand choosing and plucking this mango fruit. Next, some sticky slices of the jackfruit are taken, and both these fruits are mashed well, with a dash of honeycomb too. Beating this mixture well, next they pour the liquid into the hollowed-out bamboo stems, swaying in the wind. Apparently, they leave this bee-buzzing mixture for a while, and then, when they take out the aged, fermented toddy, it has the sharpness of a snake bite, the lady details. Next she talks about how the womenfolk first offer this well-aged toddy to the god in the mountains and then to their men. Those men happily slurp their fruit wine, and lie there, completely sloshed. Consequently, they forget their task of tending to the millet fields, and as can be expected, elephants come to enjoy their bit of delicacy. Hearing about the raid, the men can tolerate no more, and the young and old prepare to go hunt down the elephant, in the man’s country, the lady connects. She concludes by wondering what is going to happen to her, because she had trusted in the man’s words, which did not seem to stand steady and render permanent happiness!  While that long description of a toddy preparation and millet fields may seem like a mere description of place, within lies a sharp and biting metaphor for how the man too had become drunk with the pleasures of trysting with the lady, and had forgotten to protect her from the gossiping mouths, spreading slander in town, and causing her health and beauty to fade. When the man hears that, he will understand the angst in the lady’s situation and take steps to claim her hand. In this usual theme of ‘Marry me, marry me’, I was intrigued to learn about this specific way of preparing what seems like a fermented fruit wine, and when searching about the same, I came across this research abstract published in 2025, named ‘Investigation of wine fermentation from dual mango (Mangifera indica) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) mash‘, by a scholar from an University in Vietnam, exploring this very same dual fruit fermentation, mentioned in this Tamil poem from more than two thousand years ago. Made me smile to see how these random connections seem to turn up from nowhere, without any constraints of space and time, echoing again and again the core of our oneness!  Reference: Nguyen PM. Investigation of wine fermentation from dual mango (Mangifera indica) and jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) mash. Plant Sci. Today [Internet]. 2025 Nov. 21 [cited 2026 Aug. 28];12(4). Available from: https://horizonepublishing.com/journals/index.php/PST/article/view/8751