பழந்தமிழ்க் கொள்கையே சைவ சமயம்
7
jointly direct their thoughts to the attainment of a bliss unattended by misery. Thus a fresh regeneration of their life commences in the purely spiritual atmosphere in which the aroma of divine love emanates from God, accord- ing to Thalkappiar, the ever resplendent intelligent principle, exhilarates their mind and transmutes their human love into divine.
It is remarkable that in emphasizing the importance of turning their mutual human love to the love of God, the married couple is advised by our 81. Tholkappiar to strive after it conjointly. From this it appears that, at the time of Tholkappiar, the life of celibacy and asceticism was quite unknown. Even in the north it came into vogue only after- the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. In the pre-Buddhistic, that is, in the Vedic period, the life of the Aryan house- holder and the Aryan sage was similar to that of the Tamilian, but with this difference that, while in the former mere carnal pleasures reign supreme, in the latter an ideal and chaste love cast around its sweet and mellow light.
On all these points I have expatiated to the best of my lights and have shown how the principles of life laid down 5000 years ago by 81. Tholkappiar in his immortal Tamil work Tholkappiam, are in striking and wonderful harmony with the truly physical, moral, intellectual, and religious requirements of advancing ffi:)dern civilisation. It is a great pleasure to me to acknowledge my gratitude to the whole modern Tamil world who, with but one strange exception, appreciated this my humble contribution to modern Tamil literature and spoke and wrote of it in very high terms. To the strange critic also, who is the type of the unprogressive conservative section, I express my grateful feelings for having given me an opportunity to defend my position more strongly than before, in the second and concluding parts.
Pallavaram,
The sacred order of Lover 30th April, 1930.
VEDACHALAM
