Love is defined the best in Tamil: தன்னை மறந்த நிலையில் உருவாகும் உணர்வு .
Meaning : Love is a feeling which happens only when one cant realize himself.
A spontaneous feeling of (overpowering earnest longing) attachment (to God, a being, an object or an idea) that shapes up while you are in a state of forgetting yourself and contemplating on the beauty and perfection of God, the object, being or an idea. True love is a surge in feeling of becoming one with a being, an object or an idea.
Ancient Tamil poet and scholar திருவள்ளுவர் (Tiruvalluvar) has described the Concept of Love in different stages in his collection of 1330 Thirukurals. Namely the chapters that explain Love are களவியல் ( Surreptitious Love. Verses 1081-1150) கற்பியல் (Monogamous Marital bliss. Verses 1151-1330) காமத்துப்பால் ( Treatise on Sexual love - Verses 1081-1330 )
According to Arabic literature, there are seven stages of love.
हब – attraction, उन्स – Infatuation, इश्क - Love, अकीदत – Reverence, इबादत – worship, जूनून – obsession, मौत – death
The philosophy of Love mentioned in any form of literature and by anyone in any generation is common and substantial to any generation and walk of life. The language might be different but the glory of Love remains same.
Hub as defines as attraction is defined as desirability, Lure or a pull towards you. “Annalum nokinal avalum nokinal ” from the famous kambaramayanam is an exact example for this stage. The attraction of desire , the lure is sophisticated by the pair of eyes, intensity in the feel and the beauty beyond imagination.
The Lines of Vairan (Vairamuthu, My Teacher) is best suited here.
கைகள் நான்கும் தீண்டும் முன்னே
கண்கள் நான்கும் தீண்டிடுமே
மோகம் கொஞ்சம் முளை விடுமே ,கண் பார்வை முதல் நிலையே
Translation : Before the quartet of hands collage, two pairs of eyes meet. Seldom passion sprouts up, attraction with eyes is the first stage.
The similar lines of Gulzar says, the touch of eyes (sight), created slight attraction. The heart started feeling the attraction.
आन्खोने ने कुछ ऐसा छुआ हल्का हल्का उन्स हुआ
हल्का हल्का उन्स हुआ दिल को महसूस हुआ
Powerful lines of Mirza Ghalib has been used here. He compares the feeling of love as uncontrollable fire which is very difficult to be lit and once lit cannot be extinguished.
इश्क कर जोर नहीं है ये वोह आतिश ग़ालिब
जो लगाये न लगे और बुझाये न बने
Second stage of Love is infatuation. What I feel is no one can understand love who has not experienced infatuation. And no one can understand infatuation, no matter how many times he has experienced it. Vividly described by Vairan as
ஆருயிரே என்னுயிரே உள்ளம் கொண்டது ஊர் மயக்கம்
இன்னுயிரே காதலில் இரண்டாம் நிலை தான் பால் மயக்கம்
And Hence people feel this as highly desirable malfunction of the heart which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to wrinkle.
Gulzar Challenges Vairan here saying
छूती है मुझे सरगोशी से
आँखों में घुली खामोशी से
मैं फर्श पे सजदे करता हूँ
कुछ होश में कुछ बेहोशी से
Acme of Life is Love, says Vairan. These lines vividly describes the summit the person shall be reaching in his feeling. Vairan arues with Gulzar stating “Amrith (sacred water) flows thr my veins , my life is experiencing a new kind of pain unique only to me”.
மெய் தீண்டும் நேசம் தொடங்கியதோ
இது காதலின் மூன்றாம் படி நிலையோ
என் உடல் வழி அமிர்தம் வழிகொன்றதோ
என் உயிர் மட்டும் புது வித வழி கொண்டதோ
This stage is most heavenly and zenith of all stages. Post this stage the concept of advaita peeps in. The Feeling of oneness starts to flow and the process of destruction of self is started.
“நாங்கம் நிலை”(Fourth stage) is clearly depicted by Vairan in these lines.
என் நறுமலரே உன்னை தொழுது விட்டேன்
என் சுய நினைவென்பதை இழந்து விட்டேன்
அந்த சூரியன் எழும் திசை மறந்து விட்டேன்
கண்கள் தாண்டி போகதே என் ஆருயிரே என் ஓருயிரே
ஒரு காதலிலே மொத்தம் ஏழு நிலை
நாம் இது வரை கண்டது நான்கு நிலை
Having said that, I have serious questions here. Why does Love between the Genders of Homo sapiens is difficult to reach way point beyond the Stage three unless in seldom cases where the motive is of self-destruction of ego?
This stage crossing beyond third stage can never be possible unless there are so many obsessions having no means of realness and practicality. Satisfied Love can’t be in search of junoon , the பித்து நிலை (Lunatic Stage).
As said, the stages superior to Junoon needs high amount of energy and passion to sustain and reach the atman , prime reason to live. Well interesting point is the amount of power of mind to revert back to normal stage is enormous than to complete this stage thus making the completion of stage possible only if there is passion. The Raag-ic sutras explained in Yoga sutras also accepts this philosophy .
A Combined explanation of these stages is very much needed. Reverence and worship goes hand in hand. With respect Comes worship. Sajda is the right word for the same. Conversion of Dvaita to Advaita starts only when there is complete respect for the Being. This being can always be representation of God, Brahminism, Love, Devotion for anything and everything experienced in nature.
என் உடல் பொறுல் தந்தேன் சரண் புகுந்தேன்
என் உயிரை உனக்குள் ஊற்றி விட்டேன்
இதுதான் காதலில் ஐந்து நிலை , நான் உன் கையில் நீர் திவலை
This Line is my favorite of Vairan. "நான் உன் கையில் நீர் திவலை" meaning I m a vessel in your hands.
मेरा जीना जूनून मेरा मरना जूनून
अब इसके सिवा नहीं कोई सुकून
“I have forget the direction of rising sun,I started worshiping you”. Worshiping your beloved, god etc means complete oneness , “सजदा”. Submission means Sajda.
“என் உடல் பொருள் தந்தேன் ”. I would regard this as complete submission. Sajda. These lines makes me to quick remark on the language and literature are one and same with different script. The Feel is the same.
Here the stage one achieves has everything to do to with the feel of Existence as Oneness. Here the person actually relates the self-living with the breathing of object in question.
All these stages are infallible and these stages are been carried devout bhaktas and fanatic theists.
Till Here, the author(S) maintain(s) the sacred steps of Love. The stages , people experience in their life.
The torturous journey starts here where the Junoon (Mania) starts the final process of destruction. This destruction can lead to self destruction of EGO or in cases where there is unquenchable madness in can lead to destruction.
ஒரு மூகதினால் வரும் பித்து நிலை
இது மூசமில்லை ஒரு முக்தி நிலை
நம் காதலிலே இது ஆறு நிலை
Vairan says this stage as பித்து (Lunatic). And also adds by saying that this stage is a stage of முக்தி Salvation and not dangerous.
The Final Stage of Love is Death. Literal meaning can give raise to obvious reasons of lost and depression and sadness. But universal acceptance of this shall be the destruction of Ego(Fanaa) and Advaita (non Dualism).
இந்த காதலில் மரணம் ஏழு நிலை
இது இல்லை என்றால் அது காதல் இல்லை
உடல் மரிக்கின்ற காதல் மரிப்பதில்லை மரிப்பதில்லை
If a person chooses these stages for a being , I doubt he can really cross the third stage, As the path thereof with a being shall be too torturous and unquenchable. This path shall be only valid for being if he/ she tries the path of Fanaa the self-destruction of Ego. The non-dualism path and its attainment shall be path of self-enlightenment and the process of Kaivilya (Singularity). The saints of these paths reach the Shirasha of Energy chakra.
Yogic process of attaining Kaivaliya can also be an example of these.
Vairan and Gulzar have impressed me to compare their styles right from Dil se days to Ravaan. They are uncomparable so is the Language they write for.
I would really like to recreate Ghalibs verse here… stating
“He compares the feeling of love as uncontrollable fire which is very difficult to be lit and once lit cannot be extinguished.”
Happy Blogging.
PS: Tamil spelling mistakes are inevitable thanks to editor used. Please ignore.
Dedicated this post to all those who sincere any relationship.
