Tirukkural - 'On Virtue' - In Praise Of God - Kural 6

1. Porivaayil aintavittan poytiir oluuka
   Nerininraar niidu vaalvaar

Those who tread the faultless path of the one who is immune, to the five senses and the evils thereof, will attain lasting life.

The meaning here is clear, that those who follow the path of Godliness will attain eternal life, but there is controversy on the real meaning of 'Aintavittan'. The five senses are obviously those of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch or feeling, out of all of which arise desires, good and bad. It would, however, be wrong to describe, God as the one who has scotched the five senses, obviously God is above all this. Probably it was on this account, Ellis translated this portion of the Kural, as, 'who is of sensual organs, void'. Even this is not a very happy expression.

Very recently, a Christian author M Deivanayagam, has claimed that the expression ' Porivaayil Aintavittan' has reference to Jesus Christ, who sacrificed himself in human form with the five senses complete, on the symbol of the cross, so that humanity may be redeemed and ennobled towards an eternal life. The interpretation above is meaningful, though rather far-fetched, and such reference if any could only be considered a prophetic projection perhaps and not a direct reference. For one thing, there is controversy about the relative dates and Valluvar probably preceded Christ. For another, victory over the senses and the connected delusions is an equally Hindu idea.

I would personally prefer the term 'immune' in the sense that God might see all, but not be affected in any manner subjectively by the sight, hear all and not be influenced one way or another just by what is heard, etc. This would be more in keeping with God's attributes of omniscience and detachment.

Then again the expression 'Needu Vaalvaar' needs examination. To my mind it would have the same meaning here as in Kural 3, and could refer only to living long on earth physically, and by good reputation thereafter, naturally including also the attainment of eternal life by implication. But the accepted interpretation is that of reaching eternal life, with which I have no serious quarrel. And so we finally arrive at the meaning that those, who follow the path of the one who is immune to the five senses, (i.e.) of Godliness, will live long on earth, physically and through good reputation, and ultimately reach eternal life.

The Gita says that 'To the self-controlled and serene, the supreme self is the object of constant realization......'(Gita 6,7)'. The self-controlled is one 'whose senses are conquered' and the serene is one 'who is above all attachments and delusions'.

The same idea is expressed by Sambandar in the following passage:

'Oraaindhu pulanodu venru poimaigal theertha punniyar'

Delving back into Sangam literature,
'Aivarai Venron'

is a description that occurs in a similar context in Silappathikaram.

Ellis in his English rendering of the Tirukkural would give a different meaning to the controversial phrase 'Aintavittan', as one who enables the control of the five senses in others and so avoids the disputed description of God.