Tirukkural
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"The story of Tiruvalluvar's masterpiece" Among the masterpieces of Indian literature, the Tirukkural remains one of the most revered. Written in 1330 couplets, called kurals, the work prescribes a method of living the ideal life.
In this article, we explore the Tirukkural and the life of its creator, Tiruvalluvar. |
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Introduction Throughout the history of Indian literature, poetry has superseded prose as the style of choice. The best of Indian literature can be found in poetic form. The phonetic structure of Indian languages lends itself particularly well to poetry. The Tamil language is no exception. The depth of expression seen in Tamil literature is truly astounding.
One of the most revered works of Indian literature is the Tirukkural, composed by the saint-poet Tiruvalluvar in Tamil, between 100 and 300 A.D.
Consisting of 1330 couplets, or kurals, the Tirukkural prescribes a method of living the ideal life. Despite having been written almost two millennia ago, the Tirukkural is still easily understood by modern speakers of the Tamil language. The relevance of this classical work is such that it has been made a compulsory part of the school curriculum in Tamil Nadu. Without any intensive religious leanings, the Tirukkural is widely regarded as the Gospel of the Tamils. |
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Tiruvalluvar: Weaver, Poet, Thinker, Saint Tiruvalluvar was a poet, thinker and teacher, all rolled into one who lived in ancient Southern India.
The exact period when Tiruvalluvar lived has long been a subject of debate. The generally accepted period of his life is roughly around the 2nd Century A.D. However, the Tamil tradition holds his birth year to be 31 B.C. The name Valluvan, which is derived from his profession of weaving, was probably not his given name. The prefix "tiru" and the suffix "ar" are both added as forms of respect, making the composite name Tiruvalluvar.
A number of theories have also been put forth about where he lived. One legend associates him to Mylapore, in modern Chennai, while another places him in Madurai, the ancient capital of the Pandya rulers. The second legend is thought to have originated due to the fact that a number of Tamil poets were patronized by the Pandyas, and Tiruvalluvar may have been one of them.
Very little is known about his personal life, but it is generally concluded that he was probably happily married. His wife is thought to have been named Vasuki. A great amount of conjecture has been made about his character while he lived, most of it highly respectful. Many scholars have referred to him as a saint. Tiruvalluvar is one of the most revered literary figures in Tamil Nadu as well as the rest of India. On 1st January 2000, the Tamil Nadu Government announced the opening of the colossal statue of Tiruvalluvar at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of peninsular India. The statue is 133 feet high, to commemorate the 133 chapters of the Tirukkural. |
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The Kural writing style The word kural roughly translates to "pithy couplet". The prefix "tiru" meaning "sacred" is added as a mark of respect, in much the same way as "shree" or "srii" is used in Northern India.
The kural style of writing is the South Indian parallel of the doha form prevalent in Hindi literature during the Bhakti period. The writing style employed in the Tirukkural uses couplets consisting of seven words, with four words on the first line and three on the second. For example, the first couplet reads:
அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் ஆதி
பகவன் முதற்றே உலகு The couplet above, translated, means:
All alphabets begin with the letter 'A'
So does the world, with primordial God |
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Organization of the Tirukkural The Tirukkural is divided into 133 chapters of 10 couplets each. The 133 chapters are further grouped under three major books: Arathuppal, Porutpal and Inbathuppal. In Tamil, aram means virtue or justice, porul means material wealth and inbam means love.
Therefore, the three books of the Tirukkural respectively deal with the ideal approaches to virtue, wealth and love, covering all the major aspects of life.
We now consider each of these sections individually. |
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Arathuppal: Virtue and Justice The first book of the Tirukkural consists of 38 chapters and deals with morality and the rights and wrongs of day to day living. In this section, Tiruvalluvar describes the principles that are to be followed by a man in order to live virtuously. The first chapter of the Arathuppal is in praise of God. Tiruvalluvar refers to God as the "Ultimate Reality". He also emphasizes the importance of worship, but does not prescribe a method of worship. This practice, of generalizing without giving any specifics whatsoever, is maintained by Tiruvalluvar throughout the Tirukkural. The concepts put forth by him are typically down to earth and recommend simplicity. For example, with regard to observing religious practices, he says:
No need of a shaven head or bearded face If one abstains from what the wise have condemned
(Kural 280) அருளல்ல தியாதெனின் கொல்லாமை கோறல்
பொருளல்ல தவ்வூன் றினல் Translated this reads:
What is disgraceful? Killing And to eat a thing killed: profitless sin (Kural 254) Some of the other notable issues addressed by this section are; Ascetics, the True Wife and Domestic Life. |
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Porutpal: Material Wealth This section deals with economical and political concepts. The Porutpal consists of 70 chapters, the first of which addresses the qualities and duties of a ruler. Tiruvalluvar then goes on to discuss the other aspects of governance, including taxation, law and defense. After this, he goes on to the concepts of ignorance and learning and the importance of acquisition of knowledge.
He also speaks of the methods of acquisition of wealth and their respective consequences. For example, he says that wealth acquired by proper means, will yield virtues and happiness.
Better the poverty of the wise Than the wealth got with infamy
(Kural 657)
This section employs a number of relevant similes and parallels, which not only add to the beauty of the work, but also make it easy to understand.
This is the largest section of the Tirukkural, and covers almost all the material aspects of life. |
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Inbathuppal: The Division of Love Tiruvalluvar's third book is a poetic exposition of the love between man and woman set in different dramatic situations. The book consists of the last 25 chapters of the Tirukkural, and in these, the teacher and well wisher takes a back seat to the poet within Tiruvalluvar. In these 250 couplets, he expresses the extremes of emotions, both negative and positive experienced by a man and a woman in an intimate relationship. He extols love as an important part of life, and describes the fate of those who do not love during their lives. For example:
Unloved by even a single soul What could such a man imagine he might leave behind.
(Kural 1004) |
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The Tirukkural: A world classic The Tirukkural's tenets have been accepted throughout the world as being the basics of a correct and moral life. The principles outlined by Tiruvalluvar have been compared to the works of Solomon and Confucius, lending further weight to the old adage that great minds think alike.
Even two thousand years later, the Tirukkural's principles still remain as important as the day they were written. Tiruvalluvar has maintained a certain generality throughout the Tirukkural, never limiting his concepts by specifics, thereby ensuring that the relevance of his work will never decline.
Even today, the statue of Tiruvalluvar at Kanyakumari serves as a reminder to all who see it, that whatever else may change, the basic principles of a moral existence remain the same. |
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