TIRUKKURAL BY THIRUVALLUVAR
AN INTRODUCTION
Tirukkural is a text on the art of living. It is cream of the Tamizh
(Tamil) literary works that were available as remnants of left over in the
midst of natural calamities like Tsunamis which occurred during the last three periods
of ‘Sangam’ eras dating back to 300 B.C to 100 B.C. The Tamil language
should have attained perfection much earlier as inferred from the standard of
available texts dating back to 2000 years before the Christ. The ‘Sangam’
is a body of erudite scholars constituted for the purpose of promoting and
controlling the standard and quality of Tamizh literature. It was located in
Madurai of the erstwhile Pandiya regime in the Tamizh Nadu. ‘Silapadhikaram
and Manimekalai’ are the two great epics in Tamizh which contain references
to Kural. The international interest in the study of Kural can be traced to the
second half of the Nineteenth Century.
Thiruvalluvar was a revered sage. His place of birth, background and
faith are all matters of dispute. The word Thiru is akin to the Sanskrit ‘Sri’
used for addressing people with respect. Recently the Kanyakumari Historical
and Cultural Research Centre have claimed that Thiruvalluvar was a king of
Valluva nadu in the hilly tracts of Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu.
Thiruvalluvar is believed to have born about 31 years before Jesus Christ. The Tamil Calendar is dated from that period
and it is referred as Thiruvalluvar Aandu (year). Thirty one (31) years is to
be added to the current calendar year to get the Thiruvalluvar Andu. The
Government of Tamil Nadu brought the usage of Thiruvalluvar Andu into vogue
from 1971 and it was ordered to be used in the Government Offices from
1981.
Tirukkural is composed in Kural Venba – two line meter consisting of
‘seven seers’ peculiar to Tamil language. There are 133 chapters dealing with
the three major aspects of life comprising Aram (virtue), Porul (wealth) and
Kamam (love). Each chapter consists of ten couplets. Each couplet is composed
of two lines consisting of four and three seers in the first and second line respectively.
It was originally written on palm leaves. It is held by the Tamil people as
‘Tamizh Marai (Vedam or Vedic Text)’.
Tirukkural was written in the Tamil language. The author however did not
make a mention of the word ‘Tamil’ in any couplet. Similarly, there is no
specific mention about any particular God by name except to say ‘IRaivan’
meaning God/King/Leader. He did not advocate any particular philosophy as his
religion, except to talk about the comprehensive harmony of the entire human
race in general. Tirukkural was rendered in prose first by the revered Scholar Manakkudavar.
The ethics and values advocated in the Kural are universal in nature. Its
author Thiruvalluvar is claimed as their own saint, by all shades of people.
The couplets consisting of aphorisms and maxims bear testimony to the humane
outlook of Tamils ages back.
There is a monument called Thiruvalluvar Kottam in Chennai. The front
hall corridors display page-like stone slabs inscribed with 1330 Kurals in
Tamil. In 2000 A.D. a statue of Thiruvalluvar, 133 feet tall was erected next
to Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari, the southern-most tip of India as at
present. It is a place of confluence for the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and
the Indian Ocean. Thanks to Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi, an erudite Tamil scholar, who was instrumental for
erection of the above memorials during his tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,
India.
The Tamil scholars and the kings of Chera, Chozha and Pandiya regions -
the three kingdoms in Tamil Nadu have accorded a special place of pride to Tirukkural
among the literary works of the Sangam Age. It is not a scripture or revelation
but a treatise composed by a sage of wisdom on the art of living. It dwells
deep into all aspects of life and the strong foundations of the basic human
values that sustain Indian Heritage down the ages.
Thiruvalluvar’s ideas are pragmatic, socialistic, rationalistic and
universal in character. The modern departments of planning, administration,
management (personnel and financial), business, private enterprises and the
people in different walks of life can find valuable guidance for an effective
and efficient handling of their respective
fields of activities. Tirukkural
is a text of ripe wisdom that shines as a beacon light with an unbiased appeal
to the entire humanity for a virtuous, practical, sensible and useful living to
promote humaneness.
The ideas of Thiruvalluvar - the Tamil sage excel in the fields of Dharmam
(Aram), Artham (Porul) and Kamam (Inbam), the three main aspects of human life.
He advocates reinforcing the quality of humaneness and love, the binding force
of any society. His depiction of the sexual love is of peerless grace. Its
delicacy is idealistic. Its romance carries us to a plane where purity of
emotion, freshness and beauty prevails supreme.
He lays stress on acquisition of the prime and pristine qualities- the
legacy of great men who realised Truth free from the effects of duality viz.,
good or bad and likes or dislikes. He advocated a life of virtue consisting of
truthfulness, righteous means of wealth, and love culminating in an all
encompassing compassion for all living beings on the Earth.
The purpose of life is to realize the Truth essential to lead a peaceful,
happy and a helpful service oriented life. Man’s pursuit of wealth and power
need be encouraged to fulfil the obligations of a householder towards
the needy in society. However, the
wealth and power are not only the highest glory of man. There is something
better and higher than these. That is coming into possession of the knowledge
of highest truth, by giving up personal desires without any reserve and subduing/channelizing
the senses towards positive ends. That makes one to be a balanced person in
pleasure and pain, as also in honour and dishonour; because he would not be
affected by the acts of good or bad arising of ignorance.
The realization of truth is the state of readiness to give up personal
interests and take up to public cause to serve the humanity as a whole. That
stage of maturity frees a man from greed and personal bonds. With no personal
attachments to bind a man; he becomes fearless, dispassionate and kind to
strive for the common good. There is no scope for nurturing either
disappointments or complaints except to shower love and affection on all
beings. Good character, virtuous
conduct, righteous means of earnings, discharge of one`s duties to the family and society with
love and compassion are the core principles that should govern the human life
for leading a praiseworthy useful life of name and fame supposed to sustain for
long time even after one`s demise.
The pure love showered on family members should be extended to all earthly
beings. A sage cannot be assumed to have been divested of the element of love
altogether, His love embraces all
beings deeming the whole world as his family. Our affections are not free from
selfishness, until we realise and look upon our kith and kin only as a part of
the whole. Love, friendship, sympathy and kindness are divine qualities, the
fostering of which brings us nearer to the state of perfection. Detachment
means expansion and cleansing of our affections to encompass every being. Man
shall have wealth, power, enjoyment but he shall not get absorbed absolutely in
any one or more of these by way of accumulation and hoarding which violates the
principle of equity and fair distribution.
An achievement in any part of the world becomes a legacy for the entire
humanity. Thus, the rich Tamil heritage is a fit subject matter for research on
universal plane. The Indian culture absorbs into its culture, the best of all
that is found in modern western and other cultures. Indians should therefore be
conscious of the cultural variances as are prevalent in different parts of
India for bringing about an amiable and long lasting integration among the
people of India, i.e., Unity in Deversity the primary goal of founders of the
Indian Constitution
An educated citizen of India today is mostly ignorant of the values of
his own culture and traditions. The reason being our educational system is cut
off from the currents of our own cultural inheritance. A culture grows and
develops only through communication and transmission. We should be strong in
the knowledge of our own culture/s to analyse and identify the positive points
in other cultures.
Tirukkural is a great ‘mine’ of knowledge about truth realized by many a
pure mind, free from bonds of the senses. Its ideas are capable of inspiring
all of humanity. It calls upon the human race to strive for attaining
perfection by controlling and channelizing one’s senses to be of service to the
entire humanity sans any barrier. One should absorb its ideas to live up to
them.
The couplets must be read again and again to gain better clarity of
thought. The mental clarity and maturity bring us closer to the doctrine of
this great sage. The more we read them, the more we get enlightened. The
couplets capture and communicate the sage’s vision of truth in short and crispy
words. They are a combination of intelligence and courage - the two basic
elements of man’s greatness. It helps to build the highest character of a man,
transforming his power of knowledge into energy of vision.
Tirukkural is more charming and fascinating and probes into the deeper
vistas of truth that would take life to higher levels of expression. A society
dies away like that of Romans, Greeks, etc. when it plunges into sensual
enjoyment and pleasures losing sight of the limitations. Some cultures get
stagnated in the mud of finite values.
To redeem man from such stagnation, the only way is to bring out the
power of indwelling higher qualities to bear upon the Psycho-physical organism,
as also upon the Psycho-social organism. It imparts a new assimilative power, giving fresh energy of
movement.
One should live the life of truth in all its intensity and vastness. One
will realize the purer things only when he goes deeper and deeper into the
Truth. Our children should become conscious of the basic values to realize the
Truth. It is the privilege of every man. Man’s true excellence lies in
attaining perfection on realization of Truth.
The Tamil poet is superb in analyzing the infinite number of moods that
hover around the restless and curious minds of lovers. The secret love had a
role in nurturing a healthy relationship between a man and a woman to culminate
into a marital life. The secret love was socially accepted practice ages ago
between young man and woman, who intend to get wedded for leading a virtuous
family life. It helped understanding each other’s temperaments and goals of
life before entering into a formal wedlock.
The present caste system had no any role during those days in bringing
together men and women into the sacred bond of relationship as husband and wife.
He speaks of only about the nobility and
meanness of people. He laid stress on
making wealth by one’s own serious efforts, if necessary even by crossing the
seas instead of depending upon parents or elders.
The commitments and responsibilities of the married couple stand well
defined towards each other, their families and the community at large. Whenever
the concept of ‘Agam’ (personal feelings) is discussed, the description of
human emotions is depicted in a very deft manner. At the same time, due stress
was laid on the need for caution against such emotional interactions; lest it
should stray away from the domain of a virtuous conduct by laying down set of
moral codes for compliance. Tirukkural verses highlight the need for genuine
commitment between married couples that is glaringly absent in the modern
society.
The scores of divorce cases can be avoided by adhering to the codes of
Kural laying stress on mutual loyalty, respect and understanding between the
couples. KuRaL also highlights the importance of tolerance and compromise to
put up with the minor inconveniences and differences arising due to varying
interests between the young couples, who come from divergent back-grounds and
varied up-bringing standards.
Tirukkural is claimed to be one of those extraordinary outpours of the
human heart and spirit, preaching positive love and forbearance for sustaining
the universal peace among the various races of the humanity. Tirukkural is one
of the most ideal Texts that could be followed to achieve the Indian National
Integration with utmost unity and perfection. It has the necessary moral dictum
to lessen the social and ethical problems arising of clashes between the
different races and religious groups as are found in India.
Thiruvalluvar advocates steadfast adherence to finer human traits that bring out the
divinity dwelling within a man. His message is intended not merely for his own
Age or Country but for all humanity and all times. It is perfect in form, profound in thought,
noble in sentiment and earnest in establishing a virtuous humane society; which
enjoys harmony and peace across the Globe.
K.Padmanabhan.B.com.B.L.
S/o P.R
.Kannappar – Saradambal
(Author – ABC of
SRFAESI & RDDB&FI Acts)
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77/15-1, 7th main Road,
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Nandakumar
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THIRUKKURAL
BY THIRUVALLUVAR
Tributes of Scholars - Extracts
1.
It is a book of
indispensable authority on moral life. The maxims have touched my soul. – Mahatma
Gandhi.
2.
Tirukkural is a treatise par excellence on the
art of living - Dr.K.M.Munshi.
3.
The Tirukkural is
one of the great books of the world – Czech Prof. Dr. Kamil Zvelebil.
4.
On the most varied
questions concerning the conduct of man to himself and to the world, Tirukkural’s
utterances are characterized by nobility and good sense. There hardly exists in
the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find so much
lofty wisdom – Albert Schwietzer.
5.
One of the highest
and purest expressions of human thought. – M.Ariel.
1.
Tamil Nadu gave unto
the world Valluvar and won thereby a great renown – Mahakavi Subramanya
Bharathi.
2.
The poet Thiruvalluvar
in fact stands above all races, caste and sects inculcating a general human
morality and worldly wisdom. Not only the ethical content of the book but skill
with which the author gives his aphorisms, a poetical setting in different
Metre (known as Kural Venba consisting two lines) have evoked admiration – Dr.
A.A.Macdonell.
3.
Writing a commentary
on Tirukkural is akin to an attempt to cover the peak of Himalayas with a silk
shawl. – Dr. Kalaigner M. Karunanidhi.
4.
The contents of a Tirukkural couplet is like
an atom being pierced through to accommodate an expansive knowledge of the vast
world surrounded by seven seas – Auvaiyar (the great poetess of Sangam Age).
5.
It is refreshing to
think that a nation which produced so great a man – Thiruvalluvar and the
philosophical work Kural cannot be a hopeless despicable race. The morality he
preached could not have grown except on an essentially moral soil – Rev.
Dr. J.Lazarus.
6.
The author of the
Kural was a kindly and liberal minded man and his poetry is a kind of synthesis
of the best moral teachings of his age – Fr. Emmons E. White.
7.
Thiruvalluvar was
one of the greatest products of Indian culture. The saint’s idealism, his
philosophy, human practical sense and universal ethical code had mingled into the
main stream of Indian culture and
8.
become part of the
common culture, heritage and philosophies of India – Dr. Zahir Hussain
(former President of India).
9.
Tirukkural is the
perfect and most elaborate work of one master – Thiruvalluvar the Bard of
universal man. - Rev.G.U.Pope.
10.
The knowledge
embedded in a Kural is comparable to a mustard seed being pierced through to
accommodate the essence of all knowledge in the expansive world across the
seven seas. – Idaikkaadar. (Sangam Age Scholar)
11.
No translation can
convey any idea of its charming effect.
It is truly an apple of gold in a network of silver.- Dr. Graul, German Scholar (1854).
12.
Humility, charity
and forgiveness of injuries are not described by Aristotle. “Now these three
are everywhere forcibly inculcated by this Tamil Moralist – Thiruvalluvar.” - Sir A. Grant, British Scholar and
Politician
13.
“Thiruvalluvar’s
Kural is one of the gems of the world literature. He stands above all races, castes, and sects,
and what he teaches is a general human morality and wisdom. No wonder, that the Kural has been read, studied and highly
praised in the land of its origin for centuries, but also found many admirers
in the west, ever since it has become known.”-
Professor M. Winternitz, Germany.
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