திருக்குறளில் குற்றம் தவிர்த்தல் (குற்றங்கடிதல்): ஓர் அதிநவீன மூளைநரம்பியல் மற்றும் அறிவாற்றல் நரம்பியல் ஆய்வு

Avoiding Flaws in Thirukkural (Kutram Kadithal): A State-of-the-Art Neuro-Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuroscience Study

Authors

  • Prof. Dr. M. A. Aleem Neurologist Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College, Siruvachur and ABC Hospital, Tiruchirappalli. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63300/tm12022026.01

Keywords:

Thirukkural, Kutram Kadithal (Avoiding of Flaws), Neurology, Prefrontal Cortex, Amygdala, Preventive Neurology, Neuroethics, Hubris Syndrome, Feedback-Related Negativity (FRN)

Abstract

The section 'Kutram Kadithal' (Chapter 44: The Avoiding of Flaws), which comes under the sub-section of Politics (Arasial) within the Book of Wealth (Porutpal) in the Thirukkural, offers unique principles and vital ethics to enhance human behavior, morality, and leadership skills for the world. This chapter elaborates on the ideal practices for a leader or ruler to eliminate their internal negative traits and flaws, and to carefully guard themselves so that those shortcomings do not return. The primary objective of this comprehensive research report is to analyze these noble ethical principles, formulated by Thiruvalluvar over two thousand years ago, against the backdrop of modern Neurology, Physiology, Neuroethics, and Cognitive Neuroscience.

This study extensively discusses how all ten couplets in this chapter align profoundly with the physiological laws governing various functional networks of the human brain, such as the Prefrontal Cortex, the emotional regulation center (Amygdala), the brain's Reward System, the Default Mode Network, and Cortical Midline Structures. The research thoroughly demonstrates how specific human behaviors and vulnerabilities—namely pride or hubris (Serukku), anger (Sinam), lust or baseness (Sirumai), greed (Peraasai), egotism (Tharperumai), inappropriate mirth (Poruhamatra Magizhchi), and secrecy (Iragasiyam Kaathal)—are determined by changes in neurotransmitters and the functioning of neural circuits. Furthermore, the brain's predictive capacity to anticipate future consequences (the prediction engine) and the core tenets of Preventive Neurology are cross-examined and explained in relation to Valluvar's tenets using the latest medical and scientific evidence.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Prof. Dr. M. A. Aleem, Neurologist Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College, Siruvachur and ABC Hospital, Tiruchirappalli.

    பேரா.மரு.எம். ஏ. அலீம், மூளை நரம்பியல் நிபுணர், தனலட்சுமி ஸ்ரீனிவாசன் மருத்துவக்கல்லூரி, சிறுவாச்சூர் மற்றும் ABC மருத்துவமனை, திருச்சி

    Prof. Dr. M. A. Aleem*Neurologist Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College, Siruvachur and ABC Hospital, Tiruchirappalli.

    Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4556-8826

    *Correspondence: drmaaleem@hotmail.com. Tel: +919944241270

References

[1]. Blair, R. J. R. "Considering Anger from a Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective." Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, vol. 3, no. 1, Jan. 2012, pp. 64–74, https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.54.

[2]. Borysiewicz, Leszek. "Prevention Is Better Than Cure." Clinical Medicine, vol. 9, no. 6, Dec. 2009, pp. 572–583, https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.9-6-572.

[3]. Fuchshuber, Jürgen, et al. "The Affective Neuroscience of Sexuality: Development of a LUST Scale." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 16, Mar. 2022, p. 853706, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.853706.

[4]. Kennedy, Justin James. "The Neurology of Secrets." Psychology Today, July 2024, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-reboot/202407/the-neuroscience-of-secrets.

[5]. Mussel, Patrick, and Johannes Hewig. "A Neural Perspective on When and Why Trait Greed Comes at the Expense of Others." Scientific Reports, vol. 9, no. 1, July 2019, p. 10985, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-47372-5.

[6]. Owen, David, and Jonathan Davidson. "Hubris Syndrome: An Acquired Personality Disorder? A Study of US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers over the Last 100 Years." Brain, vol. 132, no. 5, May 2009, pp. 1396–1406, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awp008.

[7]. Peskin, Sara Manning. "Is It Really a Sin If It's Hardwired In? The Neurological Basis for 'Bad' Behaviour." Nature, vol. 635, no. 8039, Nov. 2024, pp. 543–544, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03759-7.

[8]. Robbins, Trevor W. "Neurobiological and Neuropsychological Perspectives on the Hubris Syndrome." Hubris: Ancient and Modern, edited by Trevor W. Robbins, Cambridge University Press, 2024.

[9]. Sabayan, Behnam, Bernadette Boden-Albala, and Natalia S. Rost. "An Ounce of Prevention: The Growing Need for Preventive Neurologists." Neurology, vol. 105, no. 1, July 2025, p. e213785, https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213785.

[10]. Sabayan, Behnam, et al. "Preventive Neurology: An Emerging Field Toward Brain Health." Neurology, vol. 97, no. 19, Nov. 2021, pp. 916–919.

[11]. Saj, A., et al. "Functional Neuro-Anatomy of Egocentric versus Allocentric Space Representation." Neurophysiologie Clinique, vol. 44, no. 1, 2014, pp. 33–40.

[12]. Slepian, Michael L. "A Process Model of Having and Keeping Secrets." Psychological Review, vol. 129, no. 3, Apr. 2022, pp. 542–563, https://doi.org/10.037/rev0000282.

[13]. Zaehle, T., et al. "The Neural Basis of the Egocentric and Allocentric Spatial Frame." Brain Research, vol. 1137, no. 1, Mar. 2007, pp. 120–130.

Downloads

Published

07/01/2026

How to Cite

திருக்குறளில் குற்றம் தவிர்த்தல் (குற்றங்கடிதல்): ஓர் அதிநவீன மூளைநரம்பியல் மற்றும் அறிவாற்றல் நரம்பியல் ஆய்வு: Avoiding Flaws in Thirukkural (Kutram Kadithal): A State-of-the-Art Neuro-Psychiatry and Cognitive Neuroscience Study. (2026). Tamilmanam International Research Journal of Tamil Studies, 12(02), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.63300/tm12022026.01

Similar Articles

11-20 of 23

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)