AKAM 392

Tiṇai:
Kuṟiñci
Author:
Translation::
V. M. Subramanya Ayyar (1975) [IFP, unpublished]
Original MS location:
IFP Library [TA LIT-CL 180 (1)(2)(3)]
Original data entry (VYAPTI format):
Ramya (1999-2000, IFP)
HTML conversion, text revising & editing:
Date of last revision:
2004/06/12
Table of contents (by lines):
1-5. Talaivaṉ following talaivi and her friend in search of redress of his suffering, emaciated like an elephant which lost its female, and therefore refused eating its food.
6-9. Friend telling talaivi that talaivaṉ approached her to support him in his request for a favour.
10. Friend pleading with talaivi that talaivaṉ should be turned away and asking her to consent to his wish.
11-18. The chain of actions in the mountain due to the stone thrown from a sling by the Kuṟavaṉ.
19-28. Talaivaṉ will not part from them; if he does, friend assures talaivi to give back her beauty.
Colophon(s):

Syntactical link :

see below

Difficult words :

see below
Variant readings:
see below

Notes: :

see below
:

TRANSLATION

SYNTACTICAL LINK

: தோழி! வாழி!(11) மாக்கல் வெற்பன்(18), யாக்கைகச் சிதைவு நன்கு அறீஇ(4), பின்னிலைலை முனியானாகி(5), "நல்லோள் வயின்(7) தீதின்றாக நீ புணைபுகுக' என(8), என்னும் தண்டு மாயின்(9), மற்று அவன் அழிதகப் பெயர்தல் நனி இன்னாது(10; (இனி) (அவன்) பிரியு நன் ஆகலோஅரிது(19); அதாஅன்று பிரியு நன் ஆயின்(20), நன்னன் போல(27) நின் நலம் தரு வேன்யான் ஆகுவல்; ஒல்(11). யானை(2) உயக்கத்தன்னா(3) யாக்கை எனவும், நன்னன் போல நலன் தருவேன் எனவும் கூட்டுக.

VARIANT READINGS

DIFFICULT WORDS
தாழ் பெருந் தடக்கை தலைஇய யானை
- the elephant which has a big trunk touching the ground.
கானத்து வீழ்பிடி கெடுத்த வெண் கோட்டு யானை
the elephant of white tusk which lost the female it loved in the forest.
உண்குளகு மறுத்த உயக்கத்து அன்ன
(which is) like the distress due to refusing to eat its food of leaves.
பண்புடை யாக்கைச் சிதைவு நன்கு அறிவுறீஇ
- knowing well the thinness of his beautiful body
பின்னிலை முனியானாகி
- without disliking beseeching for redress.
நன்றும் தது செய் பாவை அன்ன தையல் மாதர் மெல்லியில் மடந்தலோள் வயின்
to the good talaivi of artlessness desirable tenderness and excellent beauty like the doll made wholly of gold
தீது இன்று ஆக நீ புணை புகுக என
saying `you go as my support without any evil.
என்னும் தண்டுமாயின்
if talaivaṉ troubles me also.
அவன் அழிதகப் பெபயர்தல் இன்னாது
- it will be very unpleasant if he goes away to make us suffer.
இனி ஒல்
- now consent to his wish
கல்லென
having the onomatopoeic sound of Kal
கனமழை பொழிந்த கான் மடி இரவில்
- when the group of clouds rained in the night when the whole forest was without any activity,
தினைமேய் யானை இனன்
- the herd of elephants which grazed the tiṉai (தினை: millet)
இரிந்து ஓட
to flee away out of fear.
கல் உயர் கழுதில் சேணேன் எறிந்த வல்வாய்க் கவணின் கடுவெடி
- the severe sound of the stone which was thrown by the sling of great speed by the Kuṟavaṉ who was seated in the raised platform in the mountain
ஒல்லென
to make a sound like ஒல்
மறப் புலி உரற
- to make the fearless tiger roar.
வாரணம் கதற
- to make the elephant to roar
நனவுறு கட்சியில் நல்மயில் ஆல
- to make the beautiful peacock in the broad forest to dance mistaking it (to be the sound of thunder)
மலை உடன் வெரூஉம் மாக்கல் வெற்பன்
- the chief of the hilly tract of big boulders where the whole of the creatures of the hill are frightened.
பிரியுநன் ஆகலோ அரிது
- it is rare that he will part from us
அதாஅன்று
moreover
உரிது அல் பண்பின் பிரியுநன் ஆயின்
if he happens to part sometimes due to some cause foreign to his nature.
வினை தவப் பெயர்ந்த வென் வேல் வேந்தன்
- the enemy king of victorious vēl who went away leaving the battle to perish.
முனை கொல் தானையொடு முன்பு வந்து இறுப்ப
to stay outside the fortification again with an army which can kill enemies in battle.
தன் வரம்பு ஆகிய மன் எயில் இருக்கை ஆற்றாமையின்
- as the permanent fortification which had him as its support could not withstand the onslaught of the enemy King.
விழைதக ஓங்கிய கழை துஞ்சு மருங்கின் கான் அமர்
who was residing in the forest by the side of the mountain where high bamboos were growing crowded to be desired by people.
பிடித்த வேல் வலித் தோற்றம் பிழையாத் தொல் புகழ் பெற்ற
who established his former fame so that his splendour which was due to the vel he held in his hand, may not cease.
நன்னன் போல
like naṉṉaṉ.
யான் நின் நலம் திருவேன் ஆகுவல்
I shall become the person who will give you your beauty by united him with you ?

NOTES

The male elephant placed its trunk on its tusks on account of the sorrow of having lost its female; this is natural for elephants.

மறுத்த உயக்கம் the refusal of the elephant to have its food is the effect of its distress

பண்பு in line 4 means beauty; it may mean also well proportioned body.

தாது means gold.

தீது means the evil of separation.

The word கூறி should be supplied after புகுகென to complete the sense.

The new commentators have interpreted "என்னும் தண்டுமாயின்' as `if talaivaṉ leaves us even for a while; but it is better to say `as he troubles me with his request

this can be understood from the following lines from Kalittokai;
""கயமலர் உண் கண்ணாய்! காணாய் ஒருவன், வயமான் அடித் தேர்வான் போலத் தொடை மாண்ட, கண்ணியன் வில்லன் வருமென்னை நோக்குபு; முன்னத்திற் காட்டுதல், அல்லது தான் உற்ற நோய் உரைக் கல்லான், பெயரும் மற்பல் நாளும்'' (37-1-5).

For ஒல் the same people have given the meaning as `Listen to what I say with a mind to receive it'; it is better to say `Consent to his request'

சேணோன் one who is seated in a high place; he will be seated on a platform in a shed which cannot be reached by the trunk of the elephant even it it stretches it to its full length
""களிறு அணந்து எய்தாக் கல்முகை இதணத்து'' (akam, 308-9)

வெடி the sound produced by the stone thrown from the sling.

The whole mountain is frightened by the sound of the stone thrown from the sling to drive away elephant, by the roar of the tiger and the elephant. The peacock begins to dance thinking these sounds to be the sound of thunder.

The friend requested talaivi to consent to make up talaivaṉ's wants by saying "If talaivaṉ leaves us asking me to be messenger to you on his behalf to support him, then his leaving us will be very unpleasant; but he will not leave us; more over if by chance he leaves us I shall unite him with you and restore to you your beauty"

வினை தவப் பெயர்ந்து having fled after being unable to fight

விழைதக ஓங்கிய கழை துஞ்சு மருங்கின் கான் அமர் நன்னன்
- naṉṉaṉ should have lived in a forest to enjoy the scarry in the forest or he should have been in hiding to prepare himself for a tough fight

பெற்ற and அமர் both qualify naṉṉaṉ.

An enemy King who besieged the fort belonging to naṉṉaṉ fought and fled having been defeated. He invaded again and attacked the fort with a bigger army, the soldiers within the fort were not equal match to the army and unable to stem the attack, so naṉṉaṉ should have come out of the forest and infused courage in his soldiers and drove the King saved those within the fort and established his former fame. So the friend compared herself to naṉṉaṉ.

In akam, 345 an incident is mentioned about ēḻiṟkuṉṟu; The chieftain of the hill was blessed with a horse by Kāṉamar celvi (கானமர்செல்வி) ; In many places ēḻiṟkuṉṟam is said to belong to naṉṉaṉ.
""பாரத்துத் தலைவன் ஆர நன்னன், ஏழில் நெடுவரைப் பாழிச் சிலம் பில்'',
""நன்னன் நன்னாட்டு, எழிற்குன்றத்துக் கவா அன்''
(akam, 152-12-13, 349-8-9);

Perhaps the incident mentioned in stanza 345-3-7, has some connection with the fight mentioned in this stanza ll 21-27.