Face Reading in Thirukkural (part 1)

Human beings possess THREE bodies. First, there is the physical body, which we can see and is tangible. It is solid and has a shape, a colour and a texture. The second and third bodies are the mental and the spiritual which are intangible and merge with the physical body.

Our true nature begins to take on a physical form on our face which like referred in Tamil proverb as Agathin Azhagu Mugathil Theriyum- The beauty of the soul is in known in the face. Meaning: Face is the index of the mind.

Thiruvalluvar in kural 706 states the same as "Atuththadhu Kaattum Palingupol Nenjam Katuththadhu Kaattum Mukam" which means - As a mirror shows what is in front, so the face reveals the full mind. Meaning Mirror always reflects what is before it. Similarly, the human face is the mirror of what is inside one's mind. By seeing one's face, we would be able to interpret what is happening within.

Face is where our emotions (fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, anger, anticipation, joy, acceptance and neutral emotion) and our state of health are first revealed. Valluvar emphasises face reading through kural 708 where he written Mukamnokki Nirka Amaiyum Akamnokki Utra Thunarvaarp Perin which means Learn to study the face of people. It is a great skill to understanding what lies underneath. This oppose to Shakespeare's idea in his play Macbeth: "There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face". For the face is truly an opened book.

For thousands of years, the philosophers like Thiruvalluvar, Aristotle ,Gui-Gu Tze and others has wondered if our facial features could determine our fate or personality.

Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukkural devoted chapter 71 for this purpose where kural 701 states:

Kooraamai Nokkake Kuripparivaan Egngnaandrum Maaraaneer Vaiyak Ahni

Who knows the sign, and reads unuttered thought, the gem is he,
Of earth round traversed by the changeless sea

This can be interpreted as among the greatest ability in this world is face reading.This ability calls for identifying the visitor's inner intentions by a mere look at his face without the need to talk to him.

In kural 702 he further praises the person with face reading ability with certitude having divine power:

Aiyap Pataaadhu Akaththadhu Unarvaanaith Theyvaththo Oppak Kolal

Take upon that man as God who reads the thought of another man with certitude.

The man who possesses the power to unmistakably discern what lies within another's mind can be considered to possess the divine powers.

Thiruvalluvar recommends one (could be CEO or a minister) to have an associate or advisor who has the ability to face read at any cost; as in kural 703 below:

Kurippir Kurippunar Vaarai Uruppinul Yaadhu Kotuththum Kolal

Behold the men that can judge a man's intentions from his looks; take them into council at whatever cost.

In kural 704, he justifies the above statement by comparing the worth of a face reader with those without the skill.

Kuriththadhu Kooraamaik Kolvaaro Tenai Uruppo Ranaiyaraal Veru

Those who understand one's thoughts without being informed (thereof) and those who do not, may (indeed) resemble one another bodily; but they form class apart.

Also means, the ability of those who can scan another's mind is far superior to the others we may have around us.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article that face reveals ones emotion and state of health which Thiruvalluvar highlighted in kural 708 and explained above. In Kural 707 he concludes:

Mukaththin Mudhukkuraindhadhu Undho Uvappinum Kaayinum Thaanmun Thurum

Human face is the index of both happiness and agony in the mind of the owner.

Tiruvalluvar through kural 824 however warns a hypocrite face would not be able to justifiably understand by face reading.

Mukaththin Iniya Nakaaa Akaththinnaa Vanjarai Anjap Patum

A person having capacity of reading the facial expressions of an individual has no need to converse since the face exhibits the personal feelings and intensity of psyche to the world.

Exercise caution when dealing with deceitful person who may carry smile at their face but guile at their heart.

All the above kural agrees with the first scientific study of non-verbal communication done by Charles Darwin's in his book "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872)" i.e. more than thousand years after Valluvar composed kural 706. Darwin argued that all mammals show emotion reliably in their faces. In 2004 findings by Gerdd I. and Henry H also confirms that most of the human communication is by non-verbal means where 93% of our feelings are expressed in a non-verbal way and our words only convey 7% of what we are saying.

In ancient Greece, Aristotle wrote extensively on physiognomy - the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face. He categorizes his findings into six chapters that included physical characteristics of face, body and voice. The Classical scholars, such as Homer and Hippocrates, wrote of face reading as an ancient method of practical philosophy.

In the Middle Ages physiognomy was combined with astrology and became part of the divination arts. By the 18th & 19th century it was used in Europe as a separate study of criminology where facial features were used to identify potential criminals. In the 20th century it was lost to folklore and superstition. But, face reading has re-emerged in the 21st century as a guide in psychoanalysis or, as a tool for a competitive edge in the executive boardrooms of corporate America. It is no longer a parlour game. The continuous interest in face reading has given credence to an art that the Chinese have always known has been an important guide in human understanding.

In China, the father of face reading is often credited to the philosopher Gui-Gu Tze, who lived during the Warring State Period (481-221 BC). His book Xiang Bian Wei Mang is still in print to this very day and is studied by serious students of physiognomy.

Continues in part 2.