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Sangam LitSangam Lit - Reflections on 2000 Year Old Tamil Poetry Author: Nandini Karky
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Aganaanooru 148 – Distress in the day
Wednesday, 17 December, 2025
In this episode, we perceive an alternate proposal of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 148, penned by Paranar. The verse is situated amidst the rocky paths of the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’ and describes an astonishing historic moment. பனைத் திரள் அன்ன பரு ஏர் எறுழ்த் தடக் கை,கொலைச் சினம் தவிரா மதனுடை முன்பின்,வண்டு படு கடாஅத்து, உயர் மருப்பு யானைதண் கமழ் சிலம்பின் மரம் படத் தொலைச்சி;உறு புலி உரறக் குத்தி; விறல் கடிந்து;சிறு தினைப் பெரும் புனம் வவ்வும் நாட!கடும் பரிக் குதிரை ஆஅய் எயினன்நெடுந் தேர் மிஞிலியொடு பொருது, களம் பட்டென,காணிய செல்லாக் கூகை நாணி,கடும் பகல் வழங்காதாஅங்கு, இடும்பைபெரிதால் அம்ம இவட்கே; அதனால்மாலை வருதல் வேண்டும் சோலைமுளை மேய் பெருங் களிறு வழங்கும்மலை முதல் அடுக்கத்த சிறு கல் ஆறே. In this little trip to the mountains, we get to hear the confidante say these words to the man, when he arrives to tryst with the lady by day: “Having a thick, beautiful, sturdy and curving trunk, akin to a palmyra tree, expressing a fierce strength with killer rage, flowing with bee-buzzing musth, and bearing upraised tusks, an elephant dashes and ruins a tree, in the cool and fragrant mountain slopes, pierces and overpowers a tiger that opposes it, and then snatches small millets in the huge fields of your land, O lord! When Aay Eyinan, the possessor of speedy horses, clashed with Mignili, the owner of tall chariots, and perished in the battlefield, unable to go visit him in the harsh time of day, an owl felt much shame. Even more than that owl’s suffering is hers, during the day. And so, you must come to that narrow, stone-filled path through the mountains, frequented by a huge elephant that comes to graze on bamboos in the grove, only in the evening hour!” Let’s tread those mountain paths at different times of the day and learn more! The confidante starts by describing the man’s mountain country, bringing into spotlight an elephant in rut, with a thick trunk and upraised tusks. This pachyderm is on a rampage, destroying a tree, most probably a Kino tree, no doubt, mistaking it for its arch enemy. Then, finding the real deal, it fights and kills a tiger, and then devours millets in the fields. After this animated portrait of a being in the man’s land, the confidante turns to history and describes an incident from the battle between two kings, Aay Eyinan and Mignili. In this clash, Aay Eyinan was killed, and at that moment, birds seemed to soar in the sky and shield Aay Eyinan from the harsh sun. The reason for this action of the birds is attributed to the nature of this king. Apparently, he was a great protector of birds, and at the moment of his death, the birds with their superior perception had arrived to pay their respects. Returning, the confidante continues by saying at that time when all the birds of this land arose to shield this bird-lover of a king, one bird was not able to come there, and that was an owl, and though it very much wanted to arrive there, owing to its inability to move about in the day, it remained where it was, filled with shame. Now, the confidante turns to the lady’s state and connects it to the angst-ridden owl, saying that the lady too is in a terrible position of being unable to see the man by day. This is possibly because of the soaring gossip in town about the lady’s relationship with the man. So, the confidante concludes by telling the man that he should choose the evening hour to come tryst with the lady, treading those narrow paths, traversed by huge, fearsome elephants, seeking bamboos to graze on! It’s a seemingly simple thought asking the man to not come by day but to come by night. However, concealed in that last line about dangerous elephants in his path, the confidante seems to be hinting that even a tryst by night would not be remain suitable and the best thing for the man to do would be to seek the lady’s hand in marriage. Even within that scene of the elephant thrashing about trees and tigers and then feasting on the millets, the confidante places a metaphor for how the man should put an end to the slander in town and then feast on the lady’s company. Leaving these concerns of that past moment aside, when we turn to that exquisite comparison of the lady’s suffering with an owl’s distress of being unable to visit that famous king in his moment of death, and perceive the kindness to birds that this king must have shown to evoke such a reaction, we can see how this oft-repeated portrait is streaked in the timeless hues of what’s best in humanity!
