Sangam Lit

Aganaanooru 219 – Mother’s worry

In this episode, we perceive the worry of a mother, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 219, penned by Kayamanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse sketches a portrait of the care and love showered on a daughter. [https://nandinikarky.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/219-PodCast-Des-Aganaanooru-219-1024x1024.jpg] சீர் கெழு வியன் நகர்ச் சிலம்பு நக இயலி, ஓரை ஆயமொடு பந்து சிறிது எறியினும், ‘வாராயோ!’ என்று ஏத்தி, பேர் இலைப் பகன்றை வால் மலர் பனி நிறைந்தது போல் பால் பெய் வள்ளம் சால்கை பற்றி, ‘என் பாடு உண்டனைஆயின், ஒரு கால், நுந்தை பாடும் உண்’ என்று ஊட்டி, ‘பிறந்ததற்கொண்டும் சிறந்தவை செய்து, யான் நலம் புனைந்து எடுத்த என் பொலந்தொடிக் குறுமகள் அறனிலாளனொடு இறந்தனள், இனி’ என, மறந்து அமைந்து இராஅ நெஞ்சம் நோவேன் ‘பொன் வார்ந்தன்ன வை வால் எயிற்றுச் செந்நாய் வெரீஇய புகர் உழை ஒருத்தல் பொரி அரை விளவின் புன் புற விளை புழல், அழல் எறி கோடை தூக்கலின், கோவலர் குழல் என நினையும் நீர் இல் நீள் இடை, மடத் தகை மெலியச் சாஅய், நடக்கும்கொல்? என, நோவல் யானே. In this trip to the drylands, we get to hear mother say these words, at the juncture her daughter had left her home and eloped away with the man: “In the esteemed and prosperous mansion, when she moved about with her anklets tinkling, and played by throwing the ball with her mates, fearing she would tire out, I called out, ‘Come here, my dear’ and holding a bowl, brimming with milk, appearing akin to a white flower of the rattlepod, coated with dew, I would say to her, ‘After eating one portion for me, do eat another for your father’ and feed her with care. Thinking, ‘My darling young girl, adorned in gold, on whom I showered all that was good and brought out the best in her, has now parted away with that unjust man’, my heart doesn’t want to forget her even a little. I worry not about this! Having sharp, white teeth, akin to molten gold, the wild dog roves in the drylands. Hearing its rustle nearby, frightened, a spotted male deer, turns in the direction of a sound that arises when the heat-showering summer wind blows through the cracked shell of the wood apple fruit, blooming on a rough trunk, and thinks it’s the flute of the cowherds, in that waterless, long path. Wondering how my naive and delicate girl would walk through such a place, is all I worry about!” Time to tread those scorching spaces! Mother starts by recollecting the attention and care she had bestowed on her girl, feeding her and nurturing her. Mother talks about how she would feed her daughter even if she had spent but a little energy in playing ball with her friends, worrying that she would fall tired. All the coaxing mother would do is brought out by the mention of her asking the girl to eat a little for the sake of mother and a little for the sake of father. This brings to my memory about how caregivers here, often play the game of making the food they are feeding a young child into small balls, and saying one is for mother, one is for father, one is for sister, and so on, including the whole family from grandparents to uncles and cousins, a way of entertaining and ensuring the kid gets some food in! Returning, we find mother saying how after all this care, the girl chose to leave her home and part away with the man. Yet that her girl broke her heart is not what worries her, mother says, but the thought of how she is going to walk on those harsh drylands spaces, where a deer, startled by a wild dog, mistakes the sound of wind through a wood apple as the sound of the cowherds’ flute! In essence, the verse etches the nature of a mother, who even when hurt by her daughter can think of nothing else but how she would fare, wherever she is!

Aganaanooru 218 – The path of honour

In this episode, we perceive an effective technique of changing a person’s course of action, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 218, penned by Kabilar. Set amidst the pouring rain of the midnight hour in the ‘Kurinji’ or ‘Mountain landscape’, the verse etches the dangers in traversing this domain by night. [https://nandinikarky.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/218-PodCast-Des-Aganaanooru-218-1024x1024.jpg] ‘கிளை பாராட்டும் கடு நடை வயக் களிறு முளை தருபு ஊட்டி, வேண்டு குளகு அருத்த, வாள் நிற உருவின் ஒளிறுபு மின்னி, பரூஉ உறைப் பல் துளி சிதறி, வான் நவின்று, பெரு வரை நளிர் சிமை அதிர வட்டித்து, புயல் ஏறு உரைஇய வியல் இருள் நடு நாள், விறல் இழைப் பொலிந்த காண்பு இன் சாயல், தடைஇத் திரண்ட நின் தோள் சேர்பு அல்லதை, படாஅவாகும், எம் கண்’ என, நீயும், ‘இருள் மயங்கு யாமத்து இயவுக் கெட விலங்கி, வரி வயங்கு இரும் புலி வழங்குநர்ப் பார்க்கும் பெரு மலை விடரகம் வர அரிது’ என்னாய், வர எளிதாக எண்ணுதி; அதனால், நுண்ணிதின் கூட்டிய படு மாண் ஆரம் தண்ணிது கமழும் நின் மார்பு, ஒரு நாள் அடைய முயங்கேம்ஆயின், யாமும் விறல் இழை நெகிழச் சாஅய்தும்; அதுவே அன்னை அறியினும் அறிக! அலர் வாய் அம்பல் மூதூர் கேட்பினும் கேட்க! வண்டு இறை கொண்ட எரி மருள் தோன்றியொடு, ஒண் பூ வேங்கை கமழும் தண் பெருஞ் சாரல் பகல் வந்தீமே! In this adventurous trip to the mountains, we get to hear the confidante say these words to the man, when she brings the lady over for a nightly tryst: “A strong male elephant with a steady gait, one which is celebrated by its kith and kin, brings bamboo shoots for the whole herd and lets them feed contentedly, at a time when the skies flash their lightning in the hue of swords, scatter many thick drops of rain, which leap from the skies, and pour down, surrounding cool mountain peaks, as clouds resound aloud with thunder, during the darkness-drenched midnight hour. Saying, ‘Her eyes will not find any sleep unless she unities with my thick and curving arms, pleasing to the eyes, and adorned with strong ornaments’, and without thinking, ‘The paths through the huge mountain ranges, where in this hour of confusing darkness, a huge tiger with swaying stripes stands in wait for wayfarers, is dangerous’, you think it’s easy to come here. It’s also true that if even for one day, she does not get to embrace your cool and fragrant chest, adorned with a fine and intricately etched necklace, her exquisite ornaments would slip away; So, if mother would come to know of this, so be it! If the gossiping women of this uproarious town were to hear of this, so be it! Come by day, to this cool mountain slope, which wafts with the together fragrance of the fire-like flame-lilies, swarming with bees, and the radiant flowers of the Kino tree!” Time to brave the rain and leave on a midnight trek. The confidante starts by sketching an image of a male elephant, which is thoughtful and considerate to its herd and brings shoots and leaves for them to feed on and is much celebrated by the herd. After a record of that estimable being, the confidante turns her attention to the weather, which is quite stormy, bringing down heavy rain on the peaks. She says all this is happening at midnight. At this time, the man thinks about how his beloved would not find any sleep, if she did not unite with him and without caring about the danger in that mountain path, where a tiger waits to pounce on some innocent wayfarer, the man comes walking to tryst with the lady, in the confusing hour of darkness, the confidante explains. She also concedes that indeed the lady would lose her health and her jewels would slip away from her arms if at all the man did not come to meet her. After mentioning all this, as if she has come to a conclusion, she tells the man, ‘Never mind if mother comes to know of your relationship, never mind if the slanderous womenfolk in town get to know about it, but you must come to our mountain slope, wafting with the scent of both the flame-lily and the Kino flowers, only by day.’ While it may sound like a harmless request to change the time of the rendezvous, it’s a neatly-worded statement to make the man change his attitude of temporary trysting and make him seek the lady’s hand in marriage. The confidante does this in a gradual and logical manner, first appealing to the man’s sense of honour by talking about that esteemed elephant, which keeps the entire herd in mind, then she goes on to appreciate the man’s love for the lady, and his fearlessness in fulfilling his duty by her. At this point, she talks about how the lady too is worthy of his love and truly reciprocates his feelings. After all these statements, she presents it to the man as if the only logical solution is to meet by day, so as to not fear for the man’s safety. Even there, she brings in the other danger of mother knowing and the women gossiping, and through his, without telling the man, she tells him, the only way forward is to marry the lady, in front of the whole village, and be honoured like the elephant we just met. Holding the other to a high standard, acknowledging the positives, establishing the worthiness of the recipient, and nudging the concerned person to come up with the idea on their own are the nuanced steps that this master negotiator of the Sangam era takes, to bring lasting joy in her friend’s life!

Aganaanooru 217 – Part not in this season

In this episode, we listen to a prediction of pain, as portrayed in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 217, penned by Kazhaarkeeran Eyitriyanaar. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse sketches the seasonal changes in the outer world. [https://nandinikarky.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/217-PodCast-Des-Aganaanooru-217-1024x1024.jpg] பெய்து புறந்தந்த பொங்கல் வெண் மழை, எஃகு உறு பஞ்சித் துய்ப் பட்டன்ன, துவலை தூவல் கழிய, அகல் வயல் நீடு கழைக் கரும்பின் கணைக் கால் வான் பூக் கோடைப் பூளையின் வாடையொடு துயல்வர, பாசிலை பொதுளிய புதல்தொறும் பகன்றை நீல் உண் பச்சை நிறம் மறைத்து அடைச்சிய தோல் எறி பாண்டிலின் வாலிய மலர, கோழலை அவரைக் கொழு முகை அவிழ ஊழ் உறு தோன்றி ஒண் பூத் தளை விட , புலந்தொறும் குருகினம் நரல, கல்லென அகன்று உறை மகளிர் அணி துறந்து நடுங்க, அற்சிரம் வந்தன்று அமைந்தன்று இது என, எப்பொருள் பெறினும் பிரியன்மினோ எனச் செப்புவல் வாழியோ, துணையுடையீர்க்கே நல்காக் காதலர் நலன் உண்டு துறந்த பாழ் படு மேனி நோக்கி, நோய் பொர, இணர் இறுபு உடையும் நெஞ்சமொடு, புணர்வு வேட்டு எயிறு தீப் பிறப்பத் திருகி, நடுங்குதும் பிரியின் யாம் கடும் பனி உழந்தே. In this trip to the drylands, we learn more about time than place, as we listen to the lady say these words to her confidante, when her friend informs her about the man’s intention to part away in search of wealth: “After pouring and gracing the land, the brimming white clouds now, appear soft and fluffy, akin to cotton, carded with steel, bereft of even a light drizzle. At this time, in the wide fields, tall stems of sugarcane sprout with thick-stalked, white flowers, and sway in the cold, northern wind, akin to summer flowers of the mountain knotgrass; White rattle-pod flowers, in all the bushes brimming with green leaves, bloom, akin to rounded pieces that hide the bluish-green hue of a leather shield; Fleshy clusters of bulging beans blossom; Mature flowers of the flame-lily sprout out; All over the land, birds call out aloud, making those women, who are separated from their spouses, to lose their beauty and tremble. Such is the cold season that has now arrived! Please go tell him, ‘This is not the right season to part, no matter what wealth you would obtain. Blessed be you!’ If my lover, who has feasted on my beauty and intends to part, does not concede and render his grace, all I can do is to look at my ruined form, with the disease of pining brimming over, with a heart that breaks without any strength, wishing only to be one with him, and grind my teeth until sparks fly out, filled with suffering in this severe cold!” Time to take in the blooming flowers of the season! The lady starts by talking about the weather, mentioning how the season of rains is all done, the clouds have done their duty of pouring, and appear white and soft like carded cotton, and in the land around, sugarcane flowers are sprouting and swaying like summer flowers, as the cold northern wind blows, and not only that, flowers of the rattle-pod, beans and flame-lilies are all blooming bright. If that’s happening with the plants, the birds above are screaming their hearts out, calling to their mates, and making maiden separated from their own mates to experience a deep sorrow, the lady adds. All this tells them the cold season had arrived and this was absolutely the wrong season to part away, no matter what mounds of wealth stand to be gained, the lady says, and asks her friend to go convey this message to the man. The lady concludes by saying if the man refused to heed this voice of reason and still parted away, all she could do was to become ruined, be filled with pining and yearning and shiver so much in that cold, making her teeth grinding together to send out sparks! A graphic vision of future suffering indeed! Perhaps the man will heed her words and defer his travel. Does this mean other seasons were better to be apart? Say spring or summer? One can’t help wondering! A verse that etches how the world outside plays a critical role in human emotions, something that can be related to, irrespective of time and place!

Aganaanooru 216 – Words of war

In this episode, we perceive a woman’s fury, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 216, penned by Aiyoor Mudavanaar. The verse is situated amidst the lush river shores of the ‘Marutham’ or ‘Farmlands landscape’ and connects conflicts at home and battles in the warfront. [https://nandinikarky.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/216-PodCast-Des-Aganaanooru-216-1024x1024.jpg] ‘நாண் கொள் நுண் கோலின் மீன் கொள் பாண் மகள் தான் புனல் அடைகரைப் படுத்த வராஅல், நார் அரி நறவு உண்டு இருந்த தந்தைக்கு, வஞ்சி விறகின் சுட்டு, வாய் உறுக்கும் தண் துறை ஊரன் பெண்டிர் எம்மைப் பெட்டாங்கு மொழிப’ என்ப; அவ் அலர்ப் பட்டனம்ஆயின், இனி எவன் ஆகியர்; கடல் ஆடு மகளிர் கொய்த ஞாழலும், கழனி உழவர் குற்ற குவளையும், கடி மிளைப் புறவின் பூத்த முல்லையொடு, பல் இளங் கோசர் கண்ணி அயரும் மல்லல் யாணர்ச் செல்லிக் கோமான் எறிவிடத்து உலையாச் செறி சுரை வெள் வேல் ஆதன் எழினி அரு நிறத்து அழுத்திய பெருங் களிற்று எவ்வம் போல, வருந்துபமாது, அவர் சேரி யாம் செலினே. In this trip to the farmlands, we get to explore the familiar theme of trouble involving a courtesan, as we hear the courtesan say these words to her friends, making sure the lady’s friends listening nearby, get to hear it: “The bard’s daughter traps fish with a fine rod, tied with a thread, in the river shores. Taking the murrel fish thus captured, she roasts it on ‘Rattan’ firewood, and feeds her father, who had been relishing toddy, filtered by palm fibres, in the cool shores of the lord. They say that his woman has been speaking ill of me. If I’m to be subject to this slander, so be it! Screw-pine flowers plucked by maiden playing in the seas, blue-lilies picked by farmers ploughing the fields, along with wild jasmines that bloom in the well-protected forests, are worn by many young Kosars in the city of ‘Selli’, brimming with prosperity, ruled by King Aathan Ezhini. The white spear this king launches never fails to hit its target. Akin to the angst of the huge elephant, whose majestic chest is pierced by his spear, she will suffer too, if I were to go to the neighbourhood, where the lord’s wife lives!” Let’s walk along the banks of the fertile fields and learn about the latest in town! The courtesan starts by talking about the lord’s town, and to capture it, she follows in the trail of a bard’s daughter, who seems to be good at fishing, for she nabs a murrel fish in the river shores, brings it home, roasts it atop rattan firewood and then takes it to her father, who has been making merry with toddy and feeds him. What a caring girl this bard has got! As if contrasting the good nature of the daughters in the man’s domain, the courtesan then talks about how the man’s wife has been backbiting her, saying whatever she wished, causing slander about the courtesan to spread. After saying this, the courtesan suddenly starts talking about flowers from diverse regions, such as the shore, the farm and the forest, namely screwpine, blue-lilies and wild jasmines respectively, to say all these are worn by the young men, who live in the region of ‘Selli’, perhaps talking about the extent of this city, ruled by Aathan Ezhini. The courtesan has mentioned this king only to refer to his unfailing spear and the way an enemy’s elephant would suffer when struck by the same. She concludes by talking about how the man’s wife and her friends, would feel the same suffering, if at all, she decided to go to where they lived. In essence, the courtesan has issued a warning to the man’s wife, expressing her confidence in the man’s affection for herself! Curious how a battle elephant is called as a witness to a cat fight in town!

Aganaanooru 215 – The ability to bid adieu

In this episode, we observe an interesting technique of expressing dissent, as depicted in Sangam Literary work, Aganaanooru 215, penned by Irangukudi Kundra Naadan. Set in the ‘Paalai’ or ‘Drylands landscape’, the verse evokes a sense of ever-present danger in this domain. [https://nandinikarky.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/215-PodCast-Des-Aganaanooru-215-1024x1024.jpg] விலங்கு இருஞ் சிமையக் குன்றத்து உம்பர், வேறு பல் மொழிய தேஎம் முன்னி, வினை நசைஇப் பரிக்கும் உரன் மிகு நெஞ்சமொடு புனை மாண் எஃகம் வல வயின் ஏந்தி, செலல் மாண்பு உற்ற நும்வயின், ‘வல்லே, வலன் ஆக!’ என்றலும் நன்றுமன் தில்ல கடுத்தது பிழைக்குவதுஆயின், தொடுத்த கை விரல் கவ்வும் கல்லாக் காட்சி, கொடுமரம் பிடித்த கோடா வன்கண், வடி நவில் அம்பின் ஏவல் ஆடவர், ஆள் அழித்து உயர்த்த அஞ்சுவரு பதுக்கை, கூர் நுதிச் செவ் வாய் எருவைச் சேவல் படு பிணப் பைந் தலை தொடுவன குழீஇ, மல்லல் மொசிவிரல் ஒற்றி, மணி கொண்டு, வல் வாய்ப் பேடைக்குச் சொரியும் ஆங்கண், கழிந்தோர்க்கு இரங்கும் நெஞ்சமொடு ஒழிந்து இவண் உறைதல் ஆற்றுவோர்க்கே. In this trip to the drylands, we hear the confidante say these words to the man, in response to his request, asking the confidante to convey to the lady his wish to part away in search of wealth: “Beyond the radiant, huge mountain peaks, wishing to go to lands, where many other languages are spoken, with a determined heart that nudges with a desire to earn wealth, holding a well-etched spear in your right hand, you wish to part away to the drylands, where live those uneducated men, who bite their finger, if the arrow they aimed hits not the target, have the harsh nature of holding on to their curving bows ceaselessly and killing people with their sharp arrows, and then covering those corpses in fearsome, shallow graves, from where a sharp-beaked, red-mouthed, red-headed, male vulture, digs up the fresh head of a corpse, with its sharp claws, plucks the eyes, and then carries it to its strong-mouthed mate. To say to you, ‘Go on and be victorious’ is only possible for those, who have the ability to live here, when their heart ceaselessly worries about the one who has parted thither!” Time to explore the fearful paths again! The confidante starts by repeating the man’s wish to part away, wanting to go to a far away land, and earn wealth. She describes how he would tread on with a spear in his hand and leave to a place, filled with highway robbers, who think not one moment before killing others with their fierce arrows. Then she mentions how they would bury the dead in shallow, stone graves. A moment to pause and see how even these thieves seemed to have had a sense of honour. They don’t cast away the bodies and leave just like that. Even though they have the harshness to kill, they show their respect for the dead by burying them in whatever manner possible. Returning, we now find the confidante telling us how their efforts have been in vain, for a red-headed vulture digs out the dead with its sharp claws, and chooses its favourite bit of the corpse’s eyeball and carries it to its mate devoutly. Ending this description of the unimaginable place the man wants to leave to, the confidante concludes by saying, there may be some who have the ability to live quietly, even as their heart worries incessantly about a person who has parted away to such a place, and only they could wish the man good luck and bid farewell on his mission, implying that the lady has no such ability. In a nutshell, the confidante is asking the man not to part away and leave on this mission, for it would be impossible for the lady to live here, in that state of anxiety about his welfare. The confidante’s way of ‘saying no, without saying no’, sketching in one stroke, the danger ahead, the man’s courage and the lady’s love!