Sage Thiru-valluvar
"The Bard of Universal Man"
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Chapter - 36 : Knowledge of the True
 

Introductory Note

"We know nothing at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. The real nature of things we shall never know."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

"I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts; the rest are details."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Translation(s)

Men deem as real things, things devoid of truth; this fond delusive dream is the cause of degraded birth.

Explanation

"Long is the cycle of births to the foolish who know not the sublime Truth." - The Buddha, Dhammapada, 60

Translation(s)

To men who see the pure mystic vision, darkness departs and ruptures spring, free from all delusions.

Explanation

Check.

"To know what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty... this knowledge, this feeling is at the center of true religiousness."
- Albert Einstein

Translation(s)

When doubts disperse and mists of error roll away, the heaven is nearer than earth to sage’s soul.

Explanation

"Whoever undertakes to set himself up as judge in the field of truth and knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods."
- Albert Einstein

Doubts are dispelled by "grace".

Translation(s)

What benefit accrues to them who have gained five-fold perceptions but whose spirit lacks the perception of the true?

 

Translation(s)

Whatever thing, of whatsoever kind it be; it is wisdom’s part to see in each that very thing.

Explanation

Poet perhaps means that wisdom sees in each thing correctly what it truly is. Simplify the sentence construction above.

[Rev. Pope interprets as:

‘It seems that the poet must mean, to see God in everything is true knowledge. He (or it) is the ---- or -----.

The teaching of the Chandoga upanishad, vi. 15: “Tad Twam Asi” or “thou art it,” on which Tamil sectarian poets have written volumes, is that which the poet has adopted; but it is somewhat vaguely expressed, and there is a manifest avoiding of Sanskrit formulas. He so teaches the doctrine of the Upanishads as to avoid anything that could mark him as a follower of any sectarian teacher.’ (Pope, p. 246)

Translation(s)

Those who learn and obtain the knowledge of the true here shall find the path that does not come here again.

Explanation

Those who obtain true knowledge on earth achieve salvation and not reborn – thus they found the path which does not come to earth again.

Translation(s)

The mind that knows with certainty what is (true) and ponders well; need not dwell its thoughts on birth again to other life.

Explanation

Because he will not be reborn again, his mind need not dwell on next life.

Translation(s)

When folly, which is the cause of births, departs; and the soul can view the truth of things, man dignity - it is true wisdom.

Explanation

Needs clarity

Translation(s)

One who knows the true ‘support,’ rejects ‘supports’ he sought before; sorrow that clings and destroys all, shall cling to him no more.

Explanation

This verse – in this chapter on consciousness of Truth – gives exactly the same message as the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism. Buddha effectively said, that (1) worldly life has pain (sadness / stress), (2) the pain has a cause, (3) since there exists a cause it is possible to remove it and (4) the way to remove the cause is the Noble Eight Fold Path. He taught this Path.

In the same vein, this verse says: the best remedy to the sickness of pain in life is to go to the basics and to eliminate the cause.

In the Noble Eight Fold Path, the first fold is called “Right perspective”, which is simply knowing / understanding the Four Noble Truths:

“And what, monks, is right perspective? Knowledge with regard to sadness, knowledge with regard to the origination of sadness, knowledge with regard to the stopping of sadness, knowledge with regard to the way of practice leading to the stopping of sadness: This, monks, is called right perspective.” [13]
Here Buddha makes it still simpler:

‘I teach suffering; it’s origin, cessation and path. That’s all I teach.’

Translation(s)

When lust and wrath and error’s triple tyranny is over, their very names forever extinct; then pain shall be no more.

Explanation

What is error’s triple tyranny?

Bhagavad Gita also says that dwelling on sense objects causes pain and rebirth.

“While dwelling on the objects of senses, one develops attachment for them. From attachment grows desire, and from [non fulfillment of] desire arises anger. Anger produces illusion, and from illusion comes forgetfulness. Forgetfulness brings loss of intelligence, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the whirlpool of material existence.” - Bhagavad Gita, 2.62-63

(The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita, translated by Ranchor Prime, p. 25)

In other words, when desires become extinct, there would be no pain and rebirth

The Tamil scholar will derive much information (together with a little wholesome discipline), from a study of the -------‘ (Pope, p. 247)

Summary Note

Islam also advices us to be conscious of truth when it says:

"Confound not truth with falsehood, nor knowingly conceal the truth." - Prophet Muhammad (saw), Al-Baqara 2.42, The Quran. [7]

Thiruvalluvar Statue
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), London, UK
Credit: Fermello78, Flickr

References