When there’s nothing on offer for ears to feed,
a little shall be offered for stomach’s need.
செவிக்கு உணவு இல்லாத போழ்து, சிறிது,
வயிற்றுக்கும் ஈயப்படும்.
This couplet is under the chapter listening. Listening to your teachers and learning from them should be your first priority. Only when the teaching is over should you even think about food. I borrowed the feed/need rhyme from Dr.G.U.Pope’s translation.
Fresh milk can’t go back to udder, nor churned butter to buttermilk;
sound can’t go back to the conch nor can a departed soul to the body;
bloomed flowers and fallen fruits can’t go back to the tree;
The dead are never never never ever born again.
கறந்தபால் முலைப்புகா கடைந்தவெண்ணை மோர்புகா
உடைந்துபோன சங்கினோசை உயிர்களும் உடற்புகா
விரிந்த பூஉதிர்ந்த காயும் மீண்டும் போய் மரம்புகா
இறந்தவர் பிறப்பதில்லை இல்லையில்லை இல்லையே.
Siddhars were the iconoclasts of Tamil Society. They stayed outside the pale of organized religion and were considered rebels. They made fun of all that was considered sacred by the religious. Siddhar poetry is an important strand of Tamil literature. Their poems were written in simple words and easily understood by common men. At the same time it was claimed that their poems had mysterious meanings too. There are not commentaries for their poems. Some of their poems are misogynistic and some are very controversial. This poem was written by Siva Vakkiyar in 10th Century.
He directly attacks the concept of rebirth. Things that have left their birthplace cannot go back. Like milk from the udder of a cow, churned butter from butter milk, sound of a conch, a soul departed from the body, flowers that have bloomed and raw fruits that have fallen. Similarly a dead person is not going to be born again.
Idiocy of believing ephemeral things as enduring
is the worst of them all.
நில்லா தவற்றை நிலையின வென்றுணரும்
புல்லறி வாண்மை கடை.
This couplet is under the chapter Impermanence. Everything in this world is ephemeral. They will vanish. The idiocy of believing them as enduring is the worst idiocy of them all.
Beads of sweat rolling in crescent like forehead,
chains swinging between bosoms, dark tresses
adorned with flowers disheveling, bangles jingling-
Women who so make love, open your doors.
கூடு மிளம்பிறையிற் குறுவெயர் முத்துருளக்
கொங்கை வடம்புரளச் செங்கழு நீரளகக்
காடு குலைந்தலையக் கைவளை பூசலிடக்
கலவி விடாமடவீர் கடைதிற மின்றிறமின்.
Written by Jeyamkondar in 12th Century, Kalingathup Parani details the victory of Chola army led by Karunakara Thondaiman over the Kalinga (present day Odisha) kingdom. In the first part of the work, the poet asks women to open their doors to their valorous lovers.
In this poem, he says “women who are generally in a state of dishevel while making love, open your doors”.
Friendships unraveled, wise men moved away
people’s affection too waned;- think about it;
What did you gain by youthful pleasure? pain
awaits you, like a sinking ship.
நட்புநார் அற்றன நல்லாரும் அஃகினார்
அற்புத் தளையும் அவிழ்ந்தன ;- உட்காணாய் ;
வாழ்தலின் ஊதியம் என்னுண்டாம் ? வந்ததே
ஆழ்கலத் தன்ன கலி.
This poem is about the ephemeral nature of youth. Since you put your pleasures first, your friendships unraveled, wise men moved away from you, affection of your relatives too weakened. Think about it. What did you gain by the so called pleasure. Like a sinking ship, your youthfulness will be lost suddenly and all you will be left with is pain.
She’s like the life-force that keeps me alive;
her departure is like death to me.
வாழ்தல் உயிர்க்கு அன்னள், ஆயிழை; சாதல்
அதற்கு அன்னள், நீங்கும் இடத்து.
This is him feeling sad when his lover leaves him. “When we are hugging each other, she is like the life giving force that keeps me alive. When she leaves me , it is like my life leaving me and I feel dead “.
He describes her as ஆயிழை – jeweled beauty. I have settled for a prosaic ‘she’.
Do you cry for his body or for his soul?
If you cry for his body, who was it (but you)
that consigned your son’s body to cemetery?
If you cry for his soul, where it is headed
is hard to know as that’s decided by destiny.
If that soul is dear to you, my lady,
you should grieve for all souls.
உடற்குஅழு தனையோ உயிர்க்குஅழு தனையோ
உடற்குஅழு தனையேல் உன்மகன் தன்னை
எடுத்துப் புறங்காட்டு இட்டனர் யாரே
உயிர்க்குஅழு தனையேல் உயிர்புகும் புக்கில்
செயப்பாட்டு வினையால் தெரிந்துஉணர்வு அரியது
அவ்வுயிர்க்கு அன்பினை ஆயின் ஆய்தொடி
எவ்வுயிர்க்கு ஆயினும் இரங்கல் வேண்டும்
Manimekalai is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. It is a Buddhist epic. The protagonist Manimekalai is the daughter of Madhavi, one of the central characters of the epic Silappathikaaram. Hence Silappathikaaram and Manimekalai are considered as twin epics. Manimekalai is dated between 300-600 CE.
The Chola King Udhayakumaran falls madly in love with Manimekalai. But she wants to be a Buddhist nun. To escape his clutches she transforms herself into another woman , Kaayasandikai. When the King realises that it is Manimekalai in another form, the pursues her again. The real Kaayasandikai’s husband Kanchanan mistakes this and kills the King. The King’s mother wants to take revenge on Manimekalai for her son’s death. She tries to torture Manimekalai, but all her efforts fail. She realises that she has failed and falls at Manimekalai’s feet.
This poem is Manimekalai assuaging the pain of King’s mother. She says, “Do you cry for your son’s body or soul. If you cry for his body, it was you who consigned his dead body to the graveyard, not me. If you cry for his soul, it is hard to know what form his soul will take in next birth as it is decided only by his deeds in previous birth (karma/fate). So my dear lady, if you love your son’s soul, you should grieve and empathise with all souls in this universe”
The last two lines make this poem universal.
அவ்வுயிர்க்கு அன்பினை ஆயின் …எவ்வுயிர்க்கு ஆயினும் இரங்கல் வேண்டும் – If that soul is dear to you, you should grieve for all souls.
This poem also explains the Buddhist philosophy of rebirth. You can read the wiki here
Dignity to not pine for one who caused them grief,
is not something a love-sick person knows.
செற்றார்பின் செல்லாப் பெருந்தகைமை, காம நோய்
உற்றார் அறிவது ஒன்று அன்று.
He has been away for long. Her friend advises her to forget him,as he has deserted her. She replies, “I should have the dignity and self-respect to not pine for one who has caused me grief. True. But that dignity is something a love-sick person doesn’t know. Love tramples all propriety and overwhelms me.”
Anger where one is powerless is bad; where
one is powerful, it is even worse.
செல்லா இடத்துச் சினம் தீது; செல் இடத்தும்,
இல், அதனின் தீய பிற.
Anger destroys a man. Showing anger against a stronger opponent is bad news. It will be disastrous for you in this world. Showing anger against the meek is even worse. Showing your anger against those who can’t fight back destroys the humanity in man kind. It will make one suffer in afterlife too.
 | Anon on Kurunthokai 166 |
 | prasana on Thirukkural – 819 |
 | Smitha Komandoor on Kurunthokai 63 |
 | Sanjay Prasad on Thirukkural 675 |
 | Kirayukimuras on Thirikadugam – 28 |
Old Tamil Poetry 