Written by: Ival_Nidhi_Writes
Introduction
Tamil is a language spoken predominantly in South Asia; it is the official language of the Indian state of Tamilnadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world.
The story below has been passed down for generations by Tamil people and is also viewed as one of the greatest plays of the God Shiva, who constantly tests his believers to show the world the meaning of life. Still, we have the poem below as part of our education, which is believed to have been written by Shiva.
The poem below is part of "Kurunthogai", which was written by Irayyanar and Shiva.
கொங்குதேர் வாழ்க்கை அஞ்சிறைத் தும்பி
காமம் செப்பாது கண்டது மொழிமோ
பயிலியது கெழீஇய நட்பின் மயிலியல்
செறியெயிற் றரிவை கூந்தலின்
நறியவும் உளவோ நீயறியும் பூவே
Translation: O! Honey bee with beautiful wings, you live drinking nectar from selected flowers; tell me without bias, look at my friend who resembles a peacock in beauty. Have you seen any flower that smells better than her hair?
Back Story
The tranquility of the evening brings in the joy of love and oneness as the jasmine flowers bloom, the birds fly off to their nest, and the sky starts to blush at the sight of the rising moon and two souls holding each other.
It's a beautiful evening in Madurai (one of the oldest living cities in the world), the capital of the Pandya Kingdom, where King Shenbaga Pandiyan and his queen Poonguzhali (pronounced as Poongulali) currently rest as they cuddle with each other to relish their love. As the wind blows, the scent of sandalwood spreads across the palace garden mixing with the jasmine flowers, creating an exotic evening for the couple and making them feel they are on their honeymoon.
One of the most powerful and valiant of them all, King Shenbaga Pandiyan, is slowly caressing his beloved's hair as he gazes at her beautiful fish-like eyes, much like their kingdom's symbol.
As the wind blows, the hair of the queen lying on her beloved king's chest flows, and the Pandiyan king's nose is hit by the most wonderful smell he has ever smelled. The scent is exotic and divine; suddenly, he becomes curious: how in the world does female hair smell this wonderful? Does female hair have the natural ability to smell this divine, or is it by using outside products?
'"What is my king thinking about?" the queen's question makes him leave his trance and look down at her.
"Well, even with all the flowers in the garden, nothing smells exotic like your hair? Does female hair have this naturally divine and exotic smell by birth?" Shenbaga Pandiyan asks curiously, which makes his wife chuckle at her husband.
"Of course not. The hair smells good only when you wear flowers and use external products to enhance it." The queen's answer makes the king even more curious.
"But you are not wearing any flowers in your hair now, then how is it smelling heavenly?" the king asks as he sits up and tries to get answers. The queen again chuckles and softly holds her beloved's face.
"My king, I don't have answers to your question; if you find them, then let me know," she says and laughs. Well, the king wants to do precisely that.
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