Having been practically brought up on the philosophy that 'It is more important to be seen to be busy than to be busy' and having been told that you 'don't sell the steak, you sell the sizzle', it is sort of odd to be told that what is important IS the steak...or to actually BE busy...after all!
But, then, Tiru did belong to a different millenium, so it is natural that he held such old-fashioned ideas. Like in this Kural of his...
Mazhitthalum Neettalum Vendaa; Ulagam pazhitthadhu ozhitthu vidin - Tirukkural.
It's needless to shave your head or grow long tresses if only you abstain from all condemn-able deeds - Loose Translation
All those coiffure related advice was probably a metaphorical indication of the practice of sages to either completely denude themselves of hair (deliberately, not like losing the dratted things despite every effort to retain them, as in my case) OR growing long tresses tied up in a top knot, long beard, mustache and all. This playing around with hair was intended, I suppose, to indicate the renunciation of all vanity. Though, modern sages...the successful ones...probably have a hair-stylist at their beck and call to take care of all that keratin. Not really a sign of renounced vanity.
Anyway, to get back to the topic, our man Tiru says that all this sort of hair-styling is needless, if you only renounced all those actions which you are supposed to renounce. In other words, if you truly renounced greed, ency, hatred, yada yada, it is unnecessary to also renounce hair. If you do not, renouncing hair is useless.
Now THAT is quite possibly true as far as any spiritual growth is concerned. I mean, really, you do not become a realized soul because you shaved your hair off...it is not as though your hair was blocking realization from entering your head. And if you do have realization, it is not like it is going to be incomplete till you appropriately style your hair.
The problem, though, is that Tiru makes a sweeping assumption. He assumes that what you are keen on is in actually BEING a realized soul; he does not understand that what you want is to be SEEN as a realized soul (or good employee or wise mentor or whatever). He is too naive to understand that you are in it for what you can GET and not what you can BECOME.
And therein lies the tale. IF you want to BECOME, you take Tiru seriously. Like, if you want to cease to be bigoted, you concentrate on changing your thoughts; if you only want to be SEEN as not bigoted, you address only what passes for coiffure in the circumstances viz. you only learn how to SPEAK politically correct terms. And, likewise, for being a great employee (being busy vs being seen to be busy) and so on.
What am I saying? What's the effing point in becoming? What could you get that you'll not get in spades by just being SEEN the way you want to be seen?
Alas! I seem to be becoming as old-fashioned as dear old Tiru!
