Flowers from Pastoral tracts

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Jasmines and Gaertneras in ancient Tamil

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The flower with the tamil name - kurukkatti, kurintai, kuruntu,

kuruntam, kuruku is called 'spring-flower' or 'common delight of the

woods'. Its scientific name is gaertnera racemosa = hiptage madablota.

Gaertnera flowers in Sanskrit literature are descriptively called

as mAdhavI (honey-filled), atimuktaa, kAmukakAnta, bhRGapriyA,

bhramarotsava, vAsantI.

 

This mAdhavI-kuruntu springflower is sometimes confused

with jasmines, because both are pastoral creepers, with

white and highly fragrant flowers. Both gaertneras and jasmines

have common names in sanskrit such as: 1) mallinI 2) bhadravallI

3) vAsantI and 4) mahAjAti.

 

Sangam poems use gaertneras or jasmines worn by herders of pastoral

tracts:

'jasmine': mullai kaNNi pal An2 kOvalar - pati. 21:20

'gaertnera': kuruntu am kaNNi kOvalar - aiG. 439:2

 

In aiGkuRunURu poems 436 and 437 [Note 1], gaertnera and jasmine

flowers

are said to blossom. Symbolically, the white color of jasmine

or gaertnera signifies "cooling" when lovers unite after

some time in separation.

 

Interestingly, there are examples where tamil mullai is rendered as

mAdhavI in Sanskrit, and gaNikAs are compared with jasmines.

The most famous gaNikA in Tamil tradition is Maadhavi,

CTamil/message/216

 

In a puRam poem, the first two lines are damaged.

The pastoral flowers mentioned together are gaertnera and jasmine.

 

aTal aru tuppin2 ...

.... kuruntu E mullai en2Ru

i nAn2ku allatu pU um illai

karu kAl varaku E iru katir tin2ai E

ciRu koTi koL E poRi kiLar avaraiyoTu

i nAn2ku allatu uNA um illai - puRam 335

 

In the notes on this poem, Hart and Heifetz write

"This poem has often been misinterpreted and used to show

that there were only four castes (or groups) in ancient

Tamil Nadu. In order to dispel this misconception, we

quote what D. says about it: 'MaagkuTikizaar describes

in this poem the divisions of life of people who live in

a certain town in the forest (mullai) land - the flowers

they wear, the food they eat, the kinds of castes found

among them, and the way they worship the gods.' As with the

other poems in this section, this poem deals with life in

a marginal village, one that is far removed from the rich

paddy country of the riverine valleys."

 

Note 2 lists some examples where gaertneras and jasmines

are blooming in the monsoon season when lovers are

expected back from vocation.

 

The tiNaimozi aimpatu poem (no. 38) talks about a

vezyA wearing jasmine (mullai) flowers.

 

nal vayal Uran2 nalam uraittu nI pANa

collin2 payin2Ru uraikka vENTA ozi= ti nI

ellu nal mullait tAr cErnta irugkUntal

collum avar vaNNam cOrvu

 

The above tradition of fragrant white flowers - mullai (jasmine)

and kuruntu (gaertnera) - was used sometimes to denote

ganikAs. Bhagavatham, written in the South, describes

Krishna's affairs with pastoral women.

 

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan

 

Note 1: Gaertnera and Jasmine blooms in succession

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nan2Ru E kAtalar cen2Ra ARu E

nal pon2 an2n2a cuTar iNar

kon2RaiyoTu malarnta kuruntu um Ar uTaittu E -aiG. 436

 

nan2Ru E kAtalar cen2Ra ARu E

Ali taN mazai talaIya

vAliya malarnta mullai um uTaittu E - aiG. 437

 

Note 2: Gaertneras, Jasmines and Lovers

------

kAr cey puRavil kavin2ik koTi mullai

kUr eyiRu In2a kuruntu arumpa Orum

varuvar nam kAtalar vAL taTag kaNNAy

paruvaral paital nOy koNTu - patin2eN. 13:25

 

ellai taruvAn2 katir paruki In2Ra kAr

kollai taru vAn2 koTikaL ERuva kAN mullai

perun taN taLavoTu tam kELiraippOl kANAy

kuruntam koTugkazuttam koNTu - patin2en2. 9:105