பழந்தமிழ்க் கொள்கையே சைவ சமயம்
5
The Tholkappiam comprises both Tamil grammar and poetics and the latter classifies the ideal activities of the ancient day Tamilians under the three categories, Love Wealh, and Virtue. What to choose from their life for ideal representations in poetry and how to idealize them for which purpose, from the subjects of many a chapter in the third book on poetics. The life of the Tamils thus dwelt on exhibits its gradual emergence from the life of the most primitive kind into that of strikingly civilized one. Still a strong tinge of the primitive characteristics, even in the life of a highly civilized kind, cannot be ex- plained except on the supposition that the Tamils are a people naturally very conservative in their habits and cus- toms and that a large portion of them were then closely adhering to them even while they were adopting the ele- ments of civilisation introduced by the best among them.
Of the many interresting subjects treated of, Love and War form the two themes that hold as prominent a place in it, as,they had held in almost all famous literature of the world. For man was born in love, was bred in love lives in love, and passes at last into love. Care has been, therefore, taken by the author to distinguish this love from lust which is intense selfishness, which takes no thought of others and their happiness, and which is wrongly identified with the former by persons who know no more than what they sensuously feel and enjoy. The union of spirits and not the union of mere corporal matter was regarded as the result of love, by 8t. Tholkappiar and by a host of poets, salots and sages who followed in his footsteps. Love regenerates both mind and body; it springs from the depth of a pure mind, flows out through the body and enters again into another mind by means of another body and blends the two minds into one. This mortal body serves only as an indispensable instrument for bringing about this intimate union of two pure spirits. When such a superior kind of love springs up from a mind and flows over sweeping before its irresistible and dignified march, all the inferior and harmful kinds of desires and passions, it goes not towards one mind alane, although it
