The person with a “good mouth”

Greatness of elephant mouth and philosophical meaning

 

There is a special thing in the elephant's mouth. For humans, as well as any animal like goat, and cow the mouth is from one end to another, with lips seen outside. Except for the instrument called the eye, there are lids that can be closed when needed, ears, nose and mouth are all visible outside. Though like eyelids closing the eyes, the lips can cover the teeth and tongue, there is difference between these two. The eyelids have no role in the main function of the eye, which is seeing. It has been made only to hide the vision. But lips are not like that. They participate directly the action called speech. The mouth is machine comprising comprises teeth, and lips- which together make speech. As sounds such as pa, ma are made primarily made using lips, they are called "oshtyam". In English using lips, these sounds are called labial. For us, the lips which are part of the mouth are always visible outside.

 

Only for the elephant, the trunk covers the mouth. Closing the mouth with the hands signifies humility. For us we need to fold our hands, in order to close our mouth. For the elephant, naturally the trunk which serves as the hand is always closing the mouth. Tumbi means elephant. Its hand is the trunk – the tumbikai. Using the truck, when it takes the food and puts in the mouth, or while it is lifting the truck upwards to make its noise—only on these two occasions we can see the elephant's mouth. The ganapathi with this kind of mouth has a philosophical meaning. Whatever talent one may have, not speaking too much and arguing unnecessarily, and keeping quite on all occasions with mouth closed except when needed, is the quality of a real exponent – in order to demonstrate that ganapathi, with the elephant face keeps his mouth closed with his trunk. He demonstrates that the end of all talent is silence.

 

So vigneswarar is truly a "sumukar".