இழத்தொறூஉம் காதலிக்கும் சூதேபோல் துன்பம்
உழத்தொறூஉம் காதற்று உயிர்
940 பொருட்பால்-
நட்பியல்- சூது
Material Matters – Friendship – Gambling
Izhathoroo-um kaadhalikkum soothepol thunbam
Uzhathoroo-um kaathatru uyir
இந்த
அதிகாரத்தை மேலும் மேலும் படிக்க படிக்க இது வெறும் நட்பை பற்றியில்லாமல்,
நட்பினால் வரும் விளைவுகளை பற்றியது என்று பொருள் கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்று
தோன்றுகிறது. மற்றொருவன் இல்லாமல் சூதாட
முடியாது. அந்த இன்னொருவன் நல்ல நண்பனகவோ,
தீய நண்பனாகவோ இருப்பான். சூதாட அழைக்கும்
‘நண்பன்’ தீயவனாகவே இருப்பான். அந்தச்
சூது விளைவிக்கும் கேடு பற்றியது இந்த அதிகாரம்.
“சூதாடும்
பொது எவ்வளவு இழக்கிறோமோ அவ்வளவு விட்டதை பிடிக்கும் ஆசையினால் சூதின்மேல் நாட்டம்
வரும். அது போலவே நம் உடம்பிற்கு துன்பம்
வர வர உயிருக்கு உடம்பின் மேல் காதல் பெருகிக்கொண்டே வரும்.” என்று ஒரு ஆதார உந்துதலுடன் சூதாடும் மோகத்தை
ஒப்பிடுகிறார் வள்ளுவர்.
“விட்டதை
பிடிக்கிறேன்” என்ற வெறி சூதாடும் எவருக்கும் வரும் என்பது நாம் கண்ட உண்மை. மகாபாரதத்தில் தருமனை உதாரணம் காட்டினால்
போதும்.
ஆனால்,
குறளின் உவமையை பார்த்தால், எனக்கு பொருட்பிழை இருப்பது போல் தோன்றுகிறது. எனக்கு
தெரிந்த வரையில், உடம்பிற்கு மிக அதிகம் துன்பம்
வந்தால் ஒரு நிலைக்கு மேல் சலிப்பே ஏற்படும்.
காதல் உயராமல், குறையும். வயிற்று வலியால்
தற்கொலைக்கு தள்ளப்படும் செய்தி எவ்வளவோ பார்த்துவிட்டோம். அப்படி இருக்கையில், வள்ளுவர் கூறுவது எப்படி
பொருந்தும்?
இரண்டாயிரம்
ஆண்டுகளாக பல வல்லுனர்கள் பார்த்து வந்த குறள் என்பதால், நான் புரிந்துகொண்டதே
தவறாக இருக்கவேண்டும். வேறு வழியில் பார்த்தாலும்,
நம் உயிருக்கு பங்கம் நேரக்கூடிய சந்தர்பதிலிருந்து தப்பிப் பிழைத்தால், நம் உடம்பின்
மீதும், உயிரின் மீதும் உள்ள காதல் பெருகினாலும், அந்த உடம்பை மறுபடி பணயம் வைக்க யோசிப்போம். அதனால், இந்த உவமை எப்படி சரி என்று எனக்கு
விளங்கவில்ல.
தமிழ்க்
கூறும் நல்லறிஞர்கர்கள் சற்று விளக்க வேண்டுகிறேன்.
While the
section is named Friendship, in my opinion, the Thirukkural paints on a far
vaster canvas. I believe the a more
accurate interpretation of the word, natpiyal, would be something akin to “The
consequences of your friendship”. Gambling
necessarily involves another person.
Since there is nothing good about gambling, any person is indulging your
urge to gamble, has to be necessarily a bad friend. This chapter, soothu, talks about all the
consequences
of gambling and qualities of a gambler.
“When you
are gambling, the more you lose, the greater your love for gambling, fueled by
your urge to recoup your losses. In a
similar manner, the more your body is hurt, the more you start loving life” says
the kural, comparing the basic urge to live to the love of gambling.
Anybody who
has gambled even slightly is aware of the all consuming urge to recover the
lost money “on the next throw”. One need
look no further than our own Mahabharatha’s Yudishtir for examples. However, I am not too sure that I am in
agreement with the analogy.
If your
body suffers grievous harm, typically you give up the will to live. However, since the Thirukkural is a peer
reviewed manuscript which has passed 2000 years of scrutiny by far abler
scholars than I, obviously the fault is in my understanding. The closest I can
come to understanding the aptness of the analogy is when you have a near death
experience – after that, your appreciation of your life & your second
chance definitely goes up. However, you
are that much loath to put your body in a similar risk again, at least
willingly. That is not true of gambling
and hence the analogy breaks down, in my opinion.
I am eager
to hear from others on how this analogy is correct.
Balaji, in the comments, has come up with an interpretation that would cover this scenario admirably. He says that how ever much one is troubled physically due to disease or wounds, one does not willingly give up life. (The suicides are, obviously, outliers.) Looked at that way, it is a good analogy to gambling as how ever much you get hurt gambling you want to continue gambling.
38/1330
Tags: Daily, KFTD, kural, Kural for the Day, Material
Matters, friendship, Gambling
குறள்,தினம்,தினமொரு குறள், வள்ளுவர், பொருட்பால், நட்பியல், சூது
Dear Sridhar,
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a good job - daily kural. Wonderful, I like the way you explain the things/meaning of kural (both in Tamil and English). I would even suggest you to give them in your voice too as you do for reading the kural. The doubt you raised today is very good. Surprised that none of your references discussed about this. May be, 2000 years before, it was not in practice to get suicide for the sake of malicious disease. Besides, not much of malicious diseases were identified in those days - no cancer/AIDS. Stomach pain seems to be the malicious as I read one of the Pandian kings suffered a lot with this. No idea whether he wanted to get suicide for this, but before that Shiva came and recuperated him. By the way, even people have these disease want to live and trust the treatment. Majority of them think that life should go on at any cost. Only when it goes to extreme level and doctors say nothing can be done, they end up in getting suicide.
My apologies. I thought you were my nephew & was hence casual with my language.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback.
To come back to what you are saying, I see that the Thirukkural is valid because it has fundamental insight in to people that is still true after 2000 years.
While mores & fashion might have changed, something as fundamental as physiology or psychology could not have changed.
I still feel I have not peeled the kural at the correct layer but I cant think of an alternative interpretation.
I must say I started liking Kural more, after your interpretations. Great work, Sridhar. Being a fan of your KFTD, I must also say that I have different thoughts on this specific Kural.
ReplyDeleteA sick person will always wish that he rids himself of the disease. Though there are suicides, I'd put them in one category which is outside the scope of the Kural.
"The person gets cornered due to immense pressure from others. Though the 'others' are well wishers and kith and kin, it is the trouble to the 'others' that takes more importance to a person than his own cure with hope against hope"
I also feel it is only the interpretation of the 'others' and it gives a comfort feeling to the 'others' that the death has brought peace.
The diseased would still want only to get better inspite of the pains that he faces at the moment. Valluvar just goes deep inside the psychology of the first party than interpret the feeling of second or third party.
Just my thoughts.
Thank you for your kind words, Balaji.
DeleteI think your interpretation is certainly a step forward. Basically, you are saying that how ever much one is troubled physically due to disease or wounds, one does not willingly give up life. Looked at that way, it is a good analogy to gambling as how ever much you get hurt gambling you want to continue gambling.
I will include this interpretation in the text.