Author : R. Subramani, Ph.D.
Tamil Language has rich traditions and literatures; it possesses social values and universal thoughts. Tirukkural is one such ancient scripture in Tamil, and consists of 1300 couplets (two lines of verse) which are popularly known as Kural. They are grouped into three major sections of Virtue, Wealth and Pleasure.
Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural has exclusively deals two units of couplets on non verbal communication. The importance of the face and the eyes in communication are emphasized in the couplets. Anger, authority, fear, timidity, coyness, confidence, diffidence, etc. can be decoded from one's gaze. They can signal intimacy, concern, naughtiness, joy, surprise, curiosity, affection and love, pleading for mercy, attempts to fake.
Linguistic scholar M.S.Thirumalai has cited many literary references of communication through Eyes. His text reads as ‘Eye as a communicative medium has referred to in many poems and other works of literary art. The expression of emotion via eye attracts special notice in dramatic works also. At the ritual level, eyes are seen as 'a means of expressing feelings, of imposing silence, will, love or reverence, a means also of participating in the essence and nature of the person or object looked at'.
The human face is extremely expressive, and able to exhibit immeasurable emotions without pronouncing a word. Facial expressions are universal and they communicate information about emotions, regulates interpersonal behavior and perceptions. The human face is the most complex and resourceful. It is a rich and versatile instrument in serving many different functions. It serves as a window to display the circumstances of the person. Through the face we can able to make one's behavior more predictable and understandable.
Tiruvalluvar extensively deal with body language in his literary work. In the couplets 701-710, we can find descriptive interpretations on Body language and non verbal communication. One can easily identify the Insight; feelings, thoughts, mindset of the individual through his/her face, and eyes. The encoder (sender) and decoder (receiver) can mutually identify the state of mind and nature of the message through body language. This has been explicitly appeared in the couplets of Tirukkural. Facial expressions, Eye contact, reading the eyes are widely uttered in the literary portions.
As noted above, emotions and feelings can be decoded through facial expressions and gazes. The below uttered couplets encapsulates the active transformation of messages between the senders and receivers. The face can act as a medium for human communication. Tirukkural couplet reads thus:
Who knows the sign, and reads unuttered thought, the gem is he,
Of earth round traversed by the changeless sea. (701)
The English commentator G.U. Pope commented as ‘the minister who by looking (at the king) understands his mind without being told (of it), will be a perpetual ornament to the world which is surrounded by a never-drying sea’. The face is an organ of emotions and, it provides vital clues to our own feelings and those of the people around us.
Our face could be able to offer vivid expressions, and act as a visual display, emotions can appear instantly, and then suddenly vanished and new expressions may appear. Valluvar emphasized that we must have companionship with those who are having the capacity of reading the facial expressions of the individual. His versions read thus:
Who by the sign the signs interpret plain,
Give any member up his aid to gain. (703)
The commentary of the articulated version says that ‘The king should ever give whatever (is asked) of his belongings and secure him who, by the indications (of his own mind) is able to read those of another’. Reading the signs and symbols from the facial expression of the individual is considered as a valuable art in interpersonal communication.
The face is a powerful channel for nonverbal communication. We encode messages through facial expressions; at the same time decode faces around us. It is evident that face can reveal the internal images of the person. In this context valluvar text reads as:
As forms around in crystal mirrored clear we find,
The face will show what's throbbing in the mind. (706)
The commentator said that ‘As the mirror reflects what is near so does the face show what is uppermost in the mind’.
We constantly monitor the face because it provides vital clues to a notable range of possibilities, attraction, whether a person likes or dislikes us. The face has the tendency of reflecting the inner feelings of the person. The face acts as an indicator of the body. In this context valluvar text reads as:
Than speaking countenance hath aught more prescient skill?
Rejoice or burn with rage, 'tis the first herald still! (707)
The commentary interpreted as ‘Is there anything, as full of knowledge as the face? (No) it precedes the mind, whether (the latter is) pleased or vexed’. Human Face may exhibit the personal feelings and the intensity of the psyche to the world.
The face contains influential signs. Our face also plays a significant role in physical attractiveness. If you have a capacity of reading the facial expressions of the individual, no need to have conversation with the person.
The following text of Tiruvalluvar is evidently supporting the theories of nonverbal communication. They are:
To see the face is quite enough, in presence brought,
When men can look within and know the lurking thought. (708)
The meaning interpreted as ‘If the king gets those who by looking into his mind can understand (and remove) what has occurred (to him) it is enough that he stand looking at their face’.
The eyes can able to communicate everything to the world. If a person is not able to make out the meaning from the eyes of others, the encoder eyes may not consider as a useful organ. Valluvar text reads as:
By sign who knows not sings to comprehend, what gain,
'Mid all his members, from his eyes does he obtain? (705)
The commentator interpreted that ‘Of what use are the eyes amongst one's members, if they cannot by their own indications dive those of another?’ According to valluvar, eyes can act as an important medium for non verbal communication.
The eyes can help an individual to identify the nature of relationship with the person. Tiruvalluvar articulates as:
The eye speaks out the hate or friendly soul of man;
To those who know the eye's swift varying moods to scan. (709)
The meaning says ‘If a king gets ministers who can read the movements of the eye, the eyes (of foreign kings) will (themselves) reveal (to him) their hatred or friendship’. Eyes are performing as a diplomat in defining the relationship of the individual with the society.
Eyes are the measurement scale to examine the state of mind of the individual. In this context Tiruvalluvar couplets reads thus:
The men of keen discerning soul no other test apply
(When you their secret ask) than man's revealing eye (710)
The commentary says ‘The measuring-rod of those (ministers) who say we are acute will on inquiry be found to be their (own) eyes and nothing else’.
More interestingly, Tiruvalluvar has written many couplets about nature of love. The lovers can mutually exchanging messages through signs. The following versions have supplied explicit meanings of sign language .The texts read as:
Her painted eyes two glances dart
One hurts and other heals my heart (1091)
G.U. Pope’s commentary says that ‘There are two looks in the dyed eyes of this (fair one); one causes pain, and the other cures. Each eye has different functions in the context of love’.
Another couplet describes the notion of eye sight; it provides meaning for each form of sight. More interestingly, Eye look may exchange different meanings between the lovers. The text reads thus:
The slighting words that anger feign, while eyes their love reveal.
Are signs of those that love, but would their love conceal. (1097)
The commentary is ‘Little words that are harsh and looks that are hateful are (but) the expressions of lovers who wish to act like strangers’. The signs of lovers have different meaning in the public place.
Tiruvalluvar has strongly advocating the potential of non verbal communication. If the lovers have reached mutual agreement through gaze, there are no uses for words. The texts read as:
The words of mouth are of no use
When the eyes to eye agrees the gaze (1100)
The commentary is ‘the words of the mouths are of no use whatever, when there is perfect agreement between the eyes (of lovers)’. Tiruvalluvar points out that eyes are crucial in reading the mind of a person.
Conclusion
Nonverbal communication has strong association with verbal communication and is considered as an accompanying medium. Wordless communication alone speaks volumes. The nonverbal cues which are indicated in the couplets have supply new dimensions for nonverbal communicators. Facial expressions, gaze including eye contact, the posture of the body and gestures convey lot more to the receiver. Tirukkural couplets points out that facial expressions and gazes, eye contacts are dynamically exchanging the messages between the encoder and decoder.
In this process sender and receiver can simultaneously decode the messages. Thereby Valluvar’s nonverbal expressions act as an interactive medium in the communication. Valluvar’s couplets are not only points out the expressions and feelings of the sender and they talk about the receivers as well. More interestingly few couplets have supplied the meaning for gaze of the lovers. Human body is an external vehicle to communicate messages to the world. The analyzed couplets have provides new insight for non verbal communication and further analyses may offer more and more explanations on body language.
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