Articles
திருக்குறளில் செவிவழி அறிவு: மூளை நரம்பியல் மற்றும் வாழ்வியல் பரிமாணங்கள் குறித்த ஓர் விரிவான ஆய்வு
Auditory Knowledge in Thirukkural: A Comprehensive Study on Neurobiological and Lifestyle Dimensions
- Neurologist Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College, Siruvachur and ABC Hospital, Trichy.
Abstract
This research paper presents a detailed analysis of the chapter 'Kelvi' (Listening/Auditory Knowledge - Chapter 42) from the Thirukkural, authored by Thiruvalluvar over two thousand years ago, through the lens of modern Neurobiology, Cognitive Science, and Embryology.
The study compares modern medical data regarding how human learning begins in the womb between the 15th and 18th weeks of gestation, and how the fetal brain perceives the mother's heartbeat and external sounds. Specifically, this research explains—based on neural development and Neuroplasticity—why auditory knowledge is considered superior to knowledge gained through other senses.
Furthermore, the neurological connection between 'food for the ear' and 'food for the stomach' is validated through the modern concept of the 'Auditory-Gut-Brain Axis'. Data from the 'Framingham Heart Study (2025)' confirms the role of auditory learning in managing age-related memory disorders such as Dementia. Finally, this report utilizes Electroencephalography (EEG) studies to establish how the sense of hearing remains functional in a dying person even after other senses have ceased to operate.
Keywords
- Thirukkural
- Kelvi (Chapter on Listening)
- Neurobiology
- Intrauterine Auditory Development
- Auditory-Gut-Brain Axis
- Dementia
- Neuroplasticity
- Hearing at the End of Life
- Electroencephalography (EEG)
How to cite
Prof. Dr. M. A. Aleem (2026). திருக்குறளில் செவிவழி அறிவு: மூளை நரம்பியல் மற்றும் வாழ்வியல் பரிமாணங்கள் குறித்த ஓர் விரிவான ஆய்வு: Auditory Knowledge in Thirukkural: A Comprehensive Study on Neurobiological and Lifestyle Dimensions. Tamilmanam International Research Journal of Tamil Studies, 7(04), 1014-1026. https://doi.org/10.63300/tm07042026.01
References 23
- 1. (PDF) Auditory Development in the Fetus and Infant - ResearchGate, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223253350_Auditory_Development_in_the_Fetus_and_Infant
- 2. Auditory Development in the Fetus and Infant - ResearchGate, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stanley-Graven-2/publication/223253350_Auditory_Development_in_the_Fetus_and_Infant/links/5460ff910cf295b561638373/Auditory-Development-in-the-Fetus-and-Infant
- 3. Auditory Development in the Fetus and Infant - Semantic Scholar, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Auditory-Development-in-the-Fetus-and-Infant-Graven-Browne/b5f8c9512f70c5136be02016b1d32436f310b27e
- 4. A review of the auditory-gut-brain axis - Frontiers, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1183694/full
- 5. A review of the auditory-gut-brain axis - ResearchGate, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372899797_A_review_of_the_auditory-gut-brain_axis
- 6. Hearing Loss, Brain Structure, Cognition, and Dementia Risk in the Framingham Heart Study - PMC, accessed March 27, 2026, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12590305/
- 7. Hearing Loss, Brain Structure, Cognition, and Dementia Risk in the Framingham Heart Study - Scholars @ UT Health San Antonio, accessed March 27, 2026, https://scholars.uthscsa.edu/en/publications/hearing-loss-brain-structure-cognition-and-dementia-risk-in-the-f/
- 8. Electrophysiological evidence of preserved hearing at the end of life, accessed March 27, 2026, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32587364/
- 9. Thirukkural Kelvi Adhikaram in Tamil | திருக்குறள் கேள்வி அதிகாரம் - 42, accessed March 27, 2026, https://tamil.oneindia.com/thirukkural-kelvi-adhikaram-42.html
- 10. அதிகாரம் 42 – கேள்வி - Tamil Heritage, accessed March 27, 2026, https://telibrary.com/chapter-42-hearing-kelvi/
- 11. Auditory Development in Infants - Juniper Publishers, accessed March 27, 2026, https://juniperpublishers.com/gjo/pdf/GJO.MS.ID.555800.pdf
- 12. கேள்வி - அதிகாரம் - திருக்குறள், accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.thirukkural.net/ta/kural/adhigaram-042.html
- 13. A Causal Role for the Hippocampus in Gating Rapid Motor Memory Consolidation | bioRxiv, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.10.693529v1.full-text
- 14. Cingulate and striatal hubs are linked to early skill learning - PMC - NIH, accessed March 27, 2026, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11722315/
- 15. Modulating Fast Motor Memory Consolidation with Target Memory Reactivation – RANGE, accessed March 27, 2026, https://uen.pressbooks.pub/range26i2/chapter/terrill/
- 16. Impaired Online and Enhanced Offline Motor Sequence Learning in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease | Journal of Neuroscience, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/35/e2193242025
- 17. Hearing loss emerges as a key early warning sign for Alzheimer disease, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251123/Hearing-loss-emerges-as-a-key-early-warning-sign-for-Alzheimer-disease.aspx
- 18. Hearing Loss, Brain Structure, Cognition, and Dementia Risk in the Framingham Heart Study - PubMed, accessed March 27, 2026, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41191359/
- 19. Hearing Loss and Dementia Risk: What 2025 Studies Reveal - Waterloo Audiology, accessed March 27, 2026, https://waterlooaudiology.com/blog/does-hearing-care-slow-the-onset-of-dementia-what-2025-research-reveals/
- 20. திருக்குறள் - அதிகாரம் 42 கேள்வி -குறள் 411-420||Thirukkural - Adhikaram 42 Kaelvi @TamilArivu15 - YouTube, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JzKeDz0q7U
- 21. Researchers Find Evidence That Hearing May Continue at End of Life, accessed March 27, 2026, https://hearingreview.com/inside-hearing/research/end-of-life
- 22. Time to loss of brain function and activity during circulatory arrest - ResearchGate, accessed March 27, 2026, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301273923_Time_to_loss_of_brain_function_and_activity_during_circulatory_arrest
- 23. A review of the auditory-gut-brain axis - PMC, accessed March 27, 2026, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10435389/
