I wanted to respond to this posting earlier, but got tied up with other things. I'm glad George stepped in.
The usage "maṅkala makaḷir" in puṟanāṉūṟu 332 has a parallel in cilappatikāram where mātavi is referred to as a "maṅkala maṭantai" when she and kōvalaṉ give away a great deal of gold on the occasion of celebrating the birth of maṇimēkalai. It is not clear what the author meant -- mātavi was a participant in a charitable activity (which was also 'auspicious' considering the occasion of childbirth)? or, the cilappatikāram supports the view that the attribute "maṅkala" has some connection with courtesan(s).
Other contexts/phrases to consider from early texts: vāḷ maṅkalam, kuṭai maṅkalam, ēr maṅkalam, nāḷ maṅkalam, maṇṇu maṅkalam, and so on.
However, the tirukkuṟaḷ uses the term maṅkalam differently: "maṅkalam eṉpa maṉai-māṭci ..."
There seems to be a semantic shift in the usage of the term under consideration.
Regards,
Rajam
On Oct 3, 2012, at 11:28 AM, George Hart wrote:
Dear Palaniappan,
Here's the translation Hank Heifetz and I published -- I know you've seen it, but the poem is intriguing and worth sharing:
332
The spear that belongs to the warrior from this city is not
like the spears of other men but its worth is immense.
It may rest in the eaves of a hut, its long back
gathering dust. It may travel, garlanded, in procession
around the streets and reservoirs of pure water while
the sweet voices of virtuous women mingle with the notes
of yāḻs that had been stored in large sacks. Or it may advance
so that the entire land of the enemy reels! Should the spear do that,
then it never stops thrusting into the faces
of the massive elephants of kings with their armies like the vast ocean!
The song of Viriyūr Nakkaṉār. Tiṇai: vākai. Tuṟai: mūtiṉmullai.
In addition to your suggestion that it might mean Viṟali's, I wonder whether it might refer to courtesans, since they were called nityasumangali's when they morphed into Devadasis. It is worth noting that this would seem to be a predecessor of the ulā prabandham genre. I'd love to hear if you can find anything to clarify this. George Hart
Dear Indologists,
I am intrigued by the words "maṅkala makaḷir" in the following lines.
maṅkala makaḷiroṭu mālai cūṭṭi
iṉkural irumpai yāḻoṭu tatumpa (Puṟam 332.5-6)
Interpreting "maṅkala makaḷir" as 'auspicious women' or 'women who are not widows' does not seem to make sense. If the women are supposed to sing as is usually interpreted, one cannot expect ordinary women to be able to sing to the accompaniment of lutes. This kind of singing requires significant training in music which is not expected of the women of the household depicted in the poem. What is more likely is the women who sing to the accompaniment of lutes were bardic women such as viṟaliyar or pāṭiṉiyar.
Thanks in advance for any comments.
Regards,
Palaniappan