The Possession of Love(Anbudamai)-Thirukkural

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George Uglow Pope  or G. U. Pope was an Anglican Christian Missionary and Tamil Scholar who spent 40 years in Tamilnadu and translated many Tamil texts into English. His popular translations included those of the Tirukkural and Thiruvasagam. Born in Canada, he chose teaching as his profession. His statue can be found in the Chennai beach as a recognition for his contribution to the understanding and promotion of the Tamil language.

 

G. U. Pope translated Tirukkural on 1886. His translation contains an introduction, grammar, translation, notes, lexicon and concordance. It also includes the English translation of F. W. Ellis and the Latin translation of Constanzo Beschi.

 

“Possession of Love” (Anbudami) is the 8th chapter of the first part of Tirukkural which focuses on Ethical Code of Conduct(Arathupal). "Possession of Love" is from verse 71 to 80. Within this 10 extra-ordinary couplets , the great saint Thiruvalluvar has given wise words of wisdom. The word love here denotes ‘Anbu’ which has no sexual or carnal connotation. The verses talks about love as an indispensable attribute for a living being.

 

In verse 71, the author mentions that no lock can keep the love inside the bars, because just a drop of tear will display their love before others, which was kept secret deep within. The loveless people think that everything in this world belong to their own self but the loving men considers that even their bones belong to others. In verse 73, the great saint tells that the relation between the body and the soul is the result of the union of love and virtue that we possess. In the next verse, the sage tells that love brings forth the benefit of mingling with the sweet minds and this quality gives forth to the rare excellence of friendship.  The 75th verse says how the love that is imbibed in the domestic life gives one the rare opportunity to enjoy the eternal happiness in this world.

 

In the 76th verse the author explains that few may think love is an ally to virtue only but it also helps one to keep away from vice. The next verse further glorifies the value of love. The loveless beings will be burnt by the virtue just like the rays of the sun burning the boneless creatures. In the next verse, the author uses a simile. He compares the domestic state of the man whose mind in without love to the state of a withered tree on a dry desert. Both the things don’t have any signs of nourishment. In verse 79, the author explains that there is no use of the external completeness of the body parts when the inner soul is devoid of love. The last verse of this chapter tells how that body alone which is inspired with love contains soul within it, the body which is devoid of love is just a bone covered with skin.

 

Thus thiruvalluvar, within this 10 couplets, highlights the value of love and virtue, and how it gives fulfilment to our life.    


------HAPPY LEARNING-----

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