99.2 Pursuance of Salbu

                                                            99.2 Pursuance of Salbu[1]

(சான்றாண்மை)

 

Question:

            What are the essential features of salbu?

Answer:

Love, sense of shame, philanthropic munificence, gracious compassion, and

truthfulness are the five pillars upon which salbu rests.                               (Couplet -983)

Non-killing is the best of penance; so also, perfection

is not talking about others’ faults.                                                                  (Couplet -984)

The strength of men who achieve things lies in their humility. Humility is

the instrument with which perfect men transform their enemies.               (Couplet -985)

The touchstone of salbu is acknowledging defeat, even

at the hands of those who are not one’s equals.                                           (Couplet -986)

What use is salbu if it does not help to do good unto

those who did evil?                                                                                         (Couplet -987)

 

அன்புநாண் ஒப்புரவு கண்ணோட்டம் வாய்மையொடு

ஐந்துசால் ஊன்றிய தூண்.                                                                           (குறள் – 983)

கொல்லா நலத்தது நோன்மை பிறர்தீமை

சொல்லா நலத்தது சால்பு.                                                                   (குறள் – 984)

ஆற்றுவார் ஆற்றல் பணிதல் அதுசான்றோர்

மாற்றாரை மாற்றும் படை.                                                                 (குறள் – 985)

சால்பிற்குக் கட்டளை யாதெனின் தோல்வி

துலையல்லார் கண்ணும் கொளல்.                                               (குறள் – 986)

இன்னாசெய் தார்க்கும் இனியவே செய்யாக்கால்

என்ன பயத்ததோ சால்பு.                                                                    (குறள் – 987)

 

Explanation:

Throughout human history, the quest for perfection in every facet of life has been part of human aspirations. In particular, scholars, philosophers, and sages from various parts of the world have investigated ethical, moral, and philosophical aspects of the nature of man in order to arrive at the ideal characteristics of a perfect man. For example, philosophers like Socrates (468 BC – 399 BC), Plato (427 BC – 347 BC), Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC), Seneca (4 BC – 65 AD), Marcus Aurelius (121 AD - 180 AD), John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801 AD - 1890 AD) and others have delved deep into the ethics and morality of human behavior and have attempted to define all the good qualities a perfect human being should possess. Due to inherent differences in culture and societal norms, it is difficult to enumerate all the good qualities that are considered essential in a perfect man. But the differences seem to be only in the details. Certain fundamental human qualities deemed essential in a perfect man seem to be more or less similar in all cultures. Like other philosophers, Valluvar has also investigated the characteristics of a perfect man. He concludes that the perfect man is the one with salbu.

 

   In Couplet 983, Valluvar mentions that love, sense of shame, philanthropic munificence, gracious compassion, and truthfulness are the five pillars upon which salbu rests. Valluvar emphasizes the significance of these five qualities and has dedicated a chapter to each of these qualities.                                           

Love: According to Valluvar, love implies kind and affectionate behavior towards family, friends, and acquaintances. He considers love as the essence of human life. In Couplet 73, he says that the very reason the body and the soul are bonded together is to love others. In Couplet 72, he says that the people without love keep everything to themselves and the ones with love give even their bones to others. These statements highlight the importance of love in human life. Among the five essential qualities, Valluvar lists love as the first and foremost component of salbu.

Sense of Shame: “sense of shame” means “being ashamed of things that one ought to be ashamed of.”  In Couplet 1013, Valluvar states, “Just like a body being the home for life (soul), sense of shame is the home for perfection.”  In Couplet 1014, he asks, “Is not the sense of shame an ornament for men of perfection? Is not the proud gait of men of perfection without the sense of shame a disease?” From these bold declarations, it is clear that Valluvar attaches extraordinary importance to  sense of shame as part of salbu.

Philanthropic Munificence: Philanthropic munificence refers to the attitude and the practice of true philanthropy without the other person asking for help or assistance. When it comes to helping those in need, Valluvar clearly distinguishes between charity and philanthropy. Charity is very basic and instinctively helps when someone asks for help without expecting anything in return. Philanthropic munificence implies helping others without being asked for help. In Couplet 212, Valluvar says the one who practices philanthropic munificence will consider that the purpose of gathering wealth is to help deserving people. Philanthropic munificence is certainly a component of salbu.

Gracious Compassion: Gracious compassion refers to an indulgent look, benign grace, and consideration for others. This is a profound human emotion prompted by the pain and suffering of others. Ranked as a great virtue in numerous philosophies, compassion is considered among the greatest of virtues in all the major religious traditions. Therefore, it is not surprising to see Valluvar’s inclusion of this quality as one of the pillars upon which salbu rests.

            Truthfulness: Valluvar emphasizes truthfulness as an essential quality for everyone. In Couplet 34, he asserts that a mind without blemishes is the basis of all virtue, and everything else is an empty show. In Couplet 298, he says truthfulness cleanses the mind and keeps it pure. Further, he clarifies in Couplet 299 that the real lamp that illuminates the path of a sanron is truthfulness. Therefore, truthfulness is an essential component of salbu.

In Couplet 984, Valluvar says that just like non-killing is the most important element of an ascetic’s duties, abstaining from speaking ill of others and their faults is the most important virtue, and it is also a part of salbu.  

Humility is highly regarded as a virtue by many philosophers. For example, the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius (121 AD – 180 AD) says, “The best revenge is not to copy him that has wronged you.” The Spanish-born philosopher Seneca (1 BC – 65 AD) says, "Unkindness must be treated with kindness.”  According to the Bible (Luke: 18, 14), “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” In Couplet 985, Valluvar emphasizes humility as a virtue to be possessed by those who pursue salbu because it unites friends and disarms the enemy. In Couplet 986, Valluvar mentions that willingness to accept defeat at the hands of lesser men is one of the qualities included in salbu.

In Couplet 987, Valluvar questions the value of salbu if it does not help to be kind to even those who harm. In the context of gracious compassion, Valluvar’s ideas regarding not harming others either by deed or word deserve special mention. While other philosophers emphasize “not harming others who harm us” as a good quality, Valluvar emphasizes that those who pursue salbu should proactively be kind and compassionate to even those who harm them. This is much more than what others consider a good quality. Valluvar conveys the same idea in Couplet 314, where he states, “The best punishment for those who do evil to you is to shame them by returning good for evil.” The natural human tendency is to take revenge upon somebody who does some harm. It requires extraordinary tolerance, magnanimity, and love to ignore the harm done and not act with a vengeance. It requires much more mental maturity and genuine kindness to return good for evil. The central idea here is that those pursuing salbu should act with kindness and return good for evil.

 

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[1]. In Tamil, the word salbu refers to all the desirable, perfectly good qualities in full measure.  The one with salbu is called a sanron. Since there are no equivalent words in English for the Tamil words salbu and sanron, it is better to use salbu and sanron instead of translating them into many words.