In today’s fast paced lifestyle, we mostly see the world through videos and listen to facts and news through podcasts. Two of our most important sensory organs that stimulate analytical abilities receive already filtered information. Especially when we leapfrog several beautiful, enticing and interesting aspects of history and literature in our race against time, comes the need for intellectual analysts and Historians. Historians to me, act as connecting cables between our ancient/medieval past and our present.
I came across one such interesting historic analysis in one of the articles in varalaaru.com, published way back in 2005- Dr. R. Kalaikkovan’s ‘mandratthu punnaiyum maamanithar apparum’ (மன்றத்துப் புன்னையும் மாமனிதர் அப்பரும்)- which literally translates as – ‘the Punnai tree in the village common grounds and the great soul Appar’.
The article brought to limelight Appar – the scholar and historian overpowered by the eminence of Sainthood in his Thevaram hymns. A huge resource on historical and religious facts, Thirunavukkarasar’s poetry is revered as the 4th, 5th and 6th Thirumurai among the 12 Thirumurais of Saivism.
This particular write-up was a literary dish on a religious platter.
The Thiruvathigai Veerattanam Pathigam (4.26) of Appar is a devout worshipper’s confession of not keeping the Lord in his mind and the revelation of a common man unable to be relieved from the diseases of love and lust, carrying the huge load of unworthy deeds. It portrays the urge and pain of a trembling heart that yearns for Complete Realisation of Shiva.
Yet, these verses from the pathigam prove a different point, one that most translators and interpreters have apparently overlooked.
மன்றத்துப் புன்னைபோல மரம்படு துயரமெய்தி
ஒன்றினால் உணரமாட்டேன் உன்னையுள் வைக்கமாட்டேன்
கன்றிய காலன்வந்து கருக்குழி விழுப்பதற்கே
அன்றினான் அலமந்திட்டேன் அதிகை வீரட்டனீரே.
(திருநாவுக்கரசர்தேவாரம் 4.26.8)
Transliteration-
mandraththup punnaipola marampadu thuyarameythi
ondrinaal unaramaatten unnaiyul vaikkamaatten
kandriya kaalanvanthu karukkuzhi vizhuppatharkke
andrinaan alamanthitten athikai veerattaneere.
(Thirunaavukkarasar thevaaram 4.26.8)
Translation- “Unable to realise You and keep You inside my heart, I am traumatised like the Punnai tree in the village common grounds; Kalan – the God of Death doesn’t take me away but makes me fall into the womb again”. Appar compares the pain that encompassed him, with the agony of ‘mandrathu Punnai – the Punnai (Mast Wood/ Calophyllum Inophyllum) tree in the village common grounds’. In what context is the Punnai Tree related here and specifically, what was its agony that Appar is talking about?
Dr. R. Kalaikkovan’s article had traced the connect and elaborated it. What does a reader comprehend from the write-up?
Punnai Tree, commonly called mastwood or beach calophyllum, belongs to Neithal Thinai – the coastal landscape of the Tamil Land. Several poems of Sangam literature speak in great detail about Punnai.
Here is a random translation of the facts about Punnai in the article-
‘Punnai has a trunk as huge as kudamuzhavu- the pot shaped percussion instrument. The buds resemble the eggs of sparrow and the pollens that sprinkle from the flowers embellish the coastal sands. The honey filled fragrant blossoms that fall on the sand make a flowerbed for the sweethearts of Neithal land. Neithal women dance under the shades of Punnai, pluck and string the flowers and wait for their beloveds. The tired birds that return after their search for prey in the backwaters and the birds that reside in its branches for generations are all relatives to the Punnai tree. The flowers caressed by the southern breeze and splashy waters of the sea waves, in turn sprinkle their golden pollens on the feathery back of these residential birds, that resemble glittery jewels. Punnai grows not only in groves but also in the backyards of neithal houses. Fishermen tie their boats to its trunk, while waiting for the right time to traverse into the sea. The tree, as huge as a ground or village field, acted as a common discussion platform for the villagers’.
The phrase ‘mandra punnai’ (natrinai 49) and ‘mandrathu punnai’ (appar thevaram) could mean ‘punnai in the village common grounds’ or ‘punnai as huge as a village common ground’.
Literary sources reveal the life of ancient Tamils intertwined with nature. The love for trees, especially homegrown trees is passionately illustrated by an unknown poet in Natrinai (172). This poem is about the affection towards Punnai tree.
Hero comes to meet his lady love. Her friend explains to him why the lady is uncomfortable to laugh and play with him under the Punnai tree. “As little girls while playing on the seashore, we pressed a mature punnai seed into the white sand and that sprouted and grew. We nourished it with sweet milk mixed with clarified butter and loads of love. One day mother told us this punnai tree is our younger sister. And that’s why she is shy to be with you under this tree. If you wish, there are other trees with shade”.
Such an amazing account of love and life with five characters- the man and his lady love, her intelligent friend, the mother who instilled love and respect for nature, and more importantly a beloved tree as a sister.
Was Punnai associated with love life alone? Certainly not. It was the Guardian tree of Chieftain Thithiyan. How important was the Guardian tree to Tamil Kings? The Guardian Tree, a native tree to the landscape was a symbol of the kingdom; an important source of economy; a sacred image and hence a protected tree. In Purananuru 57, poet Kaaviripoompattinathu Kaarikannanaar advises Pandiyan Ilavanthikaipalli Thunjiya Nanmaaran on ‘kadi maram’ – the guardian tree. He says, ‘when you win over an enemy country- plundering fields, setting fire to large towns, killing enemy forces are all accepted, but do not cut down their protected trees, for they will serve as posts to tie your tall, fine elephant’. Apart from tying tall elephants, cutting down the protected tree of a ruler was not taken lightly can be seen from sangam sources.
Appar’s ‘mandrathu punnai’ is a reminder of the Guardian tree Punnai of the Sangam ages. Thirunavukkarasar – the King of words, speech and poetry as he is rightly called, brings back the reminiscence of the ancient Punnai in his 7th century hymn. That the continuance and longevity of every ancient language thrives upon the literary thirst of readers and scholars through ages stands proven here.
The string that connects Appar’s mental agony and the sangam age Punnai’s pain is one historical story between three Kings and one Punnai tree. Here are some facts in brief-
- 4 poems in Sangam literature talk about one historical story and 4 characters
- One historic story – Feud between chieftains Thithiyan and Anni that led to the Battle at Kurukkai Paranthalai
- The 4 characters : 3 chieftains- Thithiyan, Anni and Evvi and one Punnai tree
- The poems are – Agananuru 45 – written by velliveethiyaar, Agananuru 126 – nakkeerar, Agananuru 145 – kayamanaar, Natrinai 180 – name of poet not known
- The Story-
Thithiyan was a chieftain whose Guardian tree was an old, mature Punnai which still bloomed and blossomed as the symbol of flourishing prosperity and hence, revered and preserved by his kingdom. Anni, another chieftain wanted to win over Thithiyan’s kingdom and cause dishonour by cutting down the tree that symbolised Thithiyan’s dignity- Punnai. Another chieftain Evvi who possessed resourceful cities and brave soldiers with spears, guided Anni to quit animosity and hatred. The ethical words of Evvi failed to create a positive impact on Anni and war erupted. Thithiyan and Anni fought at Kurukkai Paranthalai. The Punnai tree with fragrant golden bunches of flowers, a dwelling place for generations of birds and one that provided its safe shadow for enchanted lovers was cut down in the battle. Thithiyan’s Punnai fell lifeless and so did the insensitive Anni.
What is fascinating about this historic occurrence, is the influence it had on four poets of the sangam age, who associated the event and especially the Pain of Punnai with four different situations in their poetry.
In Agananuru 45, Thalaivi- the Lady talks to Thozhi- her friend. She is missing her man and has gone pale, dull and weak out of loneliness. This has caused the village to gossip about her condition. Poet Velliveethiyaar compares the heavy noise of gossip to the sound of loud instruments to which Vayiriyar (the dancers) danced at the defeat of Anni, who cut Thithiyan’s punnai in the battle of Kurukkai Paranthalai.
In Agananuru 126, Thalaivan – the Hero talks to his heart that is unable to let off the beautiful thoughts of his beloved Lady. He tells his heart, it would be ruined like Anni, who didn’t take Evvi’s advise- not to cut the fragrant golden flowered punnai tree. Poet Nakkeerar connects the ruined life of Anni with the heart of the hero, which doesn’t cede to his advice.
In Natrinai 180, Thalaivan after a brief hiatus with another woman returns to his lady, who refuses to let him inside the house. He seeks the help of her friend to pacify her and that doesn’t materialise too. The poet whose name is unknown has read between the lines of history. His eyes have keenly watched the battle of Kurukkai Paranthalai from a different angle. In the war between Thithiyan and Anni, there was the distress of Punnai- the most visible outcome; what went unnoticed was the end of enmity between the two kings, with the terrible fall of punnai. Here, the friend compares her distress, squeezed between two beloveds with the pain of Punnai and additionally feels the enmity between the couple would end with her death, like the animosity between Thithiyan and Anni that ended with the ‘mowing down’ of Punnai.
Agananuru 145 shows yet another distinct scene. Here Thalaivi has eloped with her lover and poet Kayamanar presents the pain of the foster mother. She recollects one of those days when she hit her daughter badly for falling in love with the hero. She held her thick five-part braided hair and beat her till the stick broke. The mother curses herself, that the hands that beat her beloved daughter suffer the similar pain of the thick trunked Punnai of Thithiyan, chopped off by Anni in the battle of Kurukkai Paranthalai.
Such has been the pain of Punnai that caught extensive attention among Sangam poets, than the battle between Thithiyan and Anni and further losses thereupon. From the verses of Appar – ‘mandrathu Punnai pola maram padu thuyarameithi’, we realise that the Pain of Punnai had equally churned the emotions of Appar several centuries later, that he compares the agony of his heart to that of Thithiyan’s Punnai. He pleads guilty of- not having courage, determination, not being pure, possessing a body from which diseases never leave, a wandering mind, a life filled with sufferings due to misdeeds, vision through physical eyes and not spritual knowledge and many more. The strong desire to reach the feet of the Lord and on being unable to attain it, is the cause of his trauma.
Thithiyan’s Punnai of the Sangam era, seems to have travelled through post sangam epic era and continued into Bhakthi era. With different landscapes, different kingdoms, change of guard in Kingdoms and different religious inclinations, the pain of Punnai still echoed in Thamilagam and with the rise of Saivism, Appar shares it in his religious hymns.
Dr. Kalaikkovan in his article documents- ‘there are many instances in Appars’ pathigams that establish Appar as a learned scholar in Sangam Literature. How would the eyes that look at Appar as solely a religious and spiritual personality, comprehend the historian beaming in his religious hymns?’
The write-up was an eye opener as regards to not view and understand Bhakthi Literature from a religious angle alone. Be it the natural waters of the Sangam world or the heavenly waters of the religious world, Tamil Literature is a large ocean of hidden gems. The connect of the Sangam age Punnai’s pain with the agony of Appar in the Bhakthi age is one such hidden gem. It is important to realise and bring to light, the historians of the native tongue concealed under their religious ideologies.
glorioustamils 