KFTD – 1324: Tiffs are double edged

1324 –காமம்/ இன்பம் – கற்பியல் – ஊடலுவகை

புல்லி விடாஅப் புலவியுள் தோன்றுமென்

உள்ளம் உடைக்கும் படை

Pulli vidApp pulaviyull thondrumen

Ullam udaikum padai

Audio Link:  https://sites.google.com/site/kftdaudios/home/kaamathu-paal/1324.mp3

ஊடலினால் பிறிந்து இருந்தாலும், என் உறுதியை உடைத்து என் காதலரையே இறுக்கித் தழுவி இணை பிரியாமல் இருக்க தூண்டும் ஆயுதமும் அந்த ஊடலிலேயேதான் இருக்கிறது.

Thirukkural is organized as 3 major sections (Paal): Aram – virtue, Porul – Wealth and Kaamam – Love/ Sex.  (Of late, some people, out of a misguided sense of rectitude have started calling the last Inbam (Pleasure)  I have no issues with using the original Kaamam).  I personally think that Aram deals with spiritual aspects, Porul with worldly matters and Kaamam, with private matters.  Most people, including me, are exposed to the former two in schools and a very careful, kosher, selection from the Kamathupaal in college.  I stopped studying Tamil in school and hence my appreciation of kaamathupaal is based entirely on my own later reading and efforts.

The reason for this preamble is to warn you that I may be wrong in my interpretation. I am happy to be corrected.

Valluvar talks about quite a few aspects of love & sex in the Thirukkural ranging from pre-marital love to understanding signals to enjoyment of sexual intercourse to the pangs of separation.  He also shows the importance of tiffs in quite a few kurals.  In Tamil literature, a lover’s tiff is called Oodal (ஊடல்) and it has a very special place.   Such is the importance of oodal that there are entire dramas & comedies based on it.   To my limited knowledge this celebration of oodal is unique to Tamil literature.  This chapter focuses on the pleasure derived from lover’s tiffs. (Anybody know a more elegant word for this?)

In this kural, the nayagi says that while a tiff may separate me from my lover, that very tiff has within it the weapon to break my determination to stay away from him.  This weapon makes me long to be with him and embrace him forever. 

A tiff adds the necessary spice to a relationship; without tiffs the relationship is too flat and does not peak.  It is, so to say, the bubble in the champagne!

PS: Most other commentaries interpret this kural as follows:

கலைஞர் உரை:

இறுகத் தழுவி இணை பிரியாமல் இருப்பதற்குக் காரணமாக ஊடல் அமைகிறது. அந்த ஊடலில்தான் என் உள்ளத்து உறுதியைக் குலைக்கும் படைக்கலனும் இருக்கிறது.

மு.வ உரை:

காதலரைத் தழுவிக்கொண்டு விடாமலிருப்பதற்கு காரணமான ஊடலுள், என்னுடைய உள்ளத்தை உடைக்க வல்ல படை தோன்றுகிறது.

சாலமன் பாப்பையா உரை:

என்னவரைத் தழுவிக் கொண்டு, விடாமல் இருப்பதற்குக் காரணமாகிய ஊடலில் அதற்குமேலே சென்று என் உறுதியையும் உடைக்கும் ஆயுதம் இருக்கிறது.

For some reason these interpretations don’t sit well with me.  The credibility and knowledge of these sources are unimpeachable, so obviously my limited knowledge is at fault.  However, to me, they somehow seem to waffle on this kural or at least are being very obtuse.  I have based my interpretation on Mu Va’s.