Post No. 15,172
Date uploaded in London – 11 November 2025
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Part 31
Item 185.
Akananuru அகநானூறு verse 2
Famous poet Kabilar described natural scenery in Kurinji land, hill country, where Kurinji flowers bloom. Even now one can see the Kurinji flowers blooming once in 12 years in Nilgris and Kodaikkanal Hills of Tamil Nadu.
Number 12 is significant in Hinduism. 12 Adityas, and Kumbha Mela, Maha Makam festivals that happen every 12 years are well known. In nature also number 12 is significant, because the Kurinji flower blooms once in 12 Years. In literature also, the term Kurinji is significant because the same poet has authored another Sangam work Kurinjippattau. Ther is also a natural wonder because the poet narrated the names of 99 flowers at one breadth. No where in the world we see such a long list of flowers in any literary work.
In this verse Akananuru அகநானூறு verse 2,
Kabilar/ Kapilar mentioned plantain tree (banana), Jack fruit tree, Bamboo, Black pepper climber, Sandal tree and Venkai tree.
A male monkey ate the mixture of fruits and lied on the flower bed like a drunken one.
கறிவளர் சாந்தம் pepper climbing on sandal tree , வேங்கை– tiger and tree name, கபிலர்(poet’s name) , ,வரைவு கடாயது wedding request ,
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186
Tamils play on the word Venkai which means Tiger also. Teenage girls shout Venkai, Venkai to attract the youths. They rush to help the young girls thinking that there are tigers in the vicinity but only Venkai tree flowers. Kalidasa described a different trick of the naughty girls. They call the youths to help them in playing on swings. Suddenly they pretend that they are going to fall down and cry. Immediately the youngsters rush and hold the girls in their arms.
Mischievous girls!
187
Here in this verse, poet’s message is “Oh Ye young man, come quickly and get married with your lady love. Also come during night time, because the moon is shining bright; moreover, her mother is watching and increased her security.
We saw temporary separation of the lovers in Palai verses and in al the Kurinji verses we will see Come quickly and get married message. The Tamil word for it is VARAIVU KADAAYATHU வரைவு கடாயது.
VARAIVU- WEDDING; KADAAYATHU -REQUESTED
188
Last but not the least Tamils have some significance with Venkai tree. The time it blooms is the wedding season in Tamil Nadu.
The wonder is that the plants like Kurinji, Venkai have more meanings. They are not just plants.
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189
எயினந்தை மகனார் இளங்கீரன் (poet’s name), வலம்படத் தொலைச்சி– killed so as it falls on right hand side மரையா= ஒருவகை மான் அல்லது கட்டுப்பசு wild deer or cow,
Akananuru verse 3 by Ilam keeranar gives us three interesting details . To identify a poet, Tamils give his father’s name. Here Eyinanthai is the name of poet’s father. This shows that it is a male dominant society. We know father’s names but never mother’s names. Another thing is the prefix Ilam that means young or junior. Probably in his family or another poet’s family, one more Keeran is there who is senior (Muthu in Tamil).
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190
Another interesting belief is about the tigers. Tamils believe that tigers would its prey only when the killed animal falls on its right side.
Hindus believe that anything on right side is auspicious. All the funeral things are done left wise. All the auspicious things are done right wise/clockwise.
This tiger-right side prey is repeated by many other poets. This is part of poetic jargon or cliché. When the poets say snake with Nagaratna (cobra gem), moon devoured by demon (lunar eclipse) we see those things in Sanskrit poems too. But this tiger’s obsession with right side is not seen in Sanskrit Kavyas.
Other descriptions of Palai land (arid region) by the poet is nothing new. We see the eagle and its little ones on the trees.
To be continued…………………….
Tags- Kabilar, Natural scenery, tiger righthand side, Kurinji flowers, significance of No.12.
Tamil and Vedas 