Thirukkural Verse 0126

Verse 126

Kural	Shloka
ஒருமையுள் ஆமை போல் ஐந்து அடக்கல் ஆற்றின் எழுமையும் ஏமாப்பு உடைத்து	यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वश: | इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता || Bhagavad Gita 2.58

Comments and Research Notes

The correspondence of the Bhagavad Gita 2.58 is quite close to the kural. ஆமை போல் corresponds to कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव indicating similarity to a tortoise withdrawing its limbs; ஐந்து அடக்கல் corresponds to इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः … संहरते indicating withdrawing the senses from their objects; and ஒருமையுள் corresponds to तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता.

The Gita does connect प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता especially to seven-ness or seven-births. Here we depart from the traditional commentarial interpretation of எழுமையும் as referring to sven births. Instead, எழுமை may be understood as an abstract “sevenfoldness,” with a conceptual parallel in the Yoga Sutra 2.25-2.27:

तदभावात्संयोगाभावो हानं तद्दृशेः कैवल्यम् ॥ २.२५ ॥
विवेकख्यातिरविप्लवा हानोपायः ॥ २.२६ ॥
तस्य सप्तधा प्रान्तभूमिः प्रज्ञा ॥ २.२७ ॥

Here the progression is from कैवल्यम् (அடக்கல் ) , through uninterrupted विवेकख्यातिः, to सप्तधा प्रज्ञा (எழுமையும் ஏமாப்பு), a sevenfold prajna at the culminating stage.

A further coupling of the seven bhumikas with the tortoise metaphor is seen In the Yoga Vasishtha, Nirvana-prakarana 1 and 2 (Chapter 6-7). In 6.56.7, we encounter the tortoise metaphor: स्थिरां संस्थितिमायान्ति कूर्माङ्गानीव सर्वशः | इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यो हृदि यस्य स्वभावतः || A detailed discussion of the seven bhumikas is discussed in the verses following 6.126.1: श्रीराम उवाच | सप्तानां योगभूमीनामभ्यासः क्रियते कथम् | कीदृशानि च चिह्नानि भूमिकां प्रति योगिनः || And the tortoise metaphor is repeated in 7.138.16: सह चित्तेन तास्तस्य समस्तेन्द्रियवृत्तयः हृत्कोशमविशञ्छन्नाः कूर्मस्येवाङ्गसंधयः ||

While both the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Vasishtha both attest that the benefits of yoga are carried across births. Yoga Vāsishṭha 5.42.9 — Upasama-prakarana discusses the sins of seven births: इमां प्रह्रादसंसिद्धिं प्रविचारयता नृणाम् | सप्तजन्मकृतं पापं क्षयमायात्यसंशयम् ||

Overall, in the context of this kural, I consider the seven bhumikas of yoga are a better fit for the concept of seven-foldness than the commentarial tradition of interpreting it as seven births.