1122. The Spiritual Experience of A Man in Love

"What is this? You have applied kunkum* on your forehead, like a woman!"

"Why? Even pious men wear kunkum on their foreheads!"

"Oh! So, you have become a pious person now!"

"Yes. And you are responsible for this!"

"Me? I was not in town for the past few days. We have not met for nearly a week. How could I have been responsible for your becoming a pious person?"

"Your having been out of station for the past few days was the reason for my turning to religion and spirituality. I will tell you how. For the first two days since you had left this place, I was roaming in the streets, feeling frustrated that I was unable to be with you. While walking near a temple, I heard a part of the speech of a person giving a spiritual discourse in the temple. I heard him mention the word 'love.' That made me curious to listen to the discourse. So, I went inside the temple, sat there and listened to the discourse."

"I am sure you would have been disappointed. In the religious narratives, some people use the word 'love' to refer to devotion to God. Without knowing this, you got lured and felt disappointed, no doubt!"

"Obviously, you are better informed than me. But, I was not totally disappointed."

"Yes, how can you accept that you were disappointed because of your misunderstanding the contextual meaning of the word 'love?' So, to justify your attending a religious discourse, you have turned yourself into a pious man. Am I right?"

"It is true that having gone to the discourse lured by the word 'love,' I was initially disappointed hearing the speaker talk about devotion to God. But after hearing him narrate how Azhwars and Nayanmars**, who had immersed themselves in their devotion to God, considered themselves as God's lover, I thought that when devotees considered love divine, I, a person in love, should respect devotion. That's why I started wearing the kunkum."

"Your story is quite interesting."

"The story is not yet complete. I have still not told you one important thing I have learnt from the spiritual discourse."

"What is that?"

"Because the Vaishnavite saints called Azhwars had understood that we, the human beings, are the body of God, who is our life force or soul, they didn't want to be separated from God even for a second and desired to reunite with God immediately. The body can't exist without the soul inside it, can it?"

"Okay. So?"

"I realized that I can't be separated from you even for a second, because I am the body and you are the soul, the life force that keeps the body alive!"

*kunkum - a small saffron colour mark Hindu women place on their foreheads.

** Azhwars and Nayanmars were Vaishnavite and Saivite saints, respectively, who lived in Tamilnadu, known for their deep devotion to God and the hymns written by them in praise of God.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 113
In Praise of Love

Verse 1122 (in Tamil):
udambodu uyiridai enna maRRanna
madandhaiyodu emmidai natpu.

Meaning:

My relationship with this girl is like the relationship between the body and the soul.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'oru kAdhalanin AnmIga anubavam' by the same author.)

Verse 1123 (Soon)
Verse 1121