THIRUKKURAL AND THIRUVALLUVAR

From Sampath’s Desk:

‘THIRUKKURAL’ DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE U.N. AS ‘INTERNATIONAL LIFE LITERATURE’

 

‘Thirukkural’, the 'magnum opus' of Tamil saint poet ‘Thiruvalluvar’ (4th century BCE-7th century CE) contains 1330 couplets (of just one and a three-quarter line) each imparting life-lessons, assertively yet succinctly. The ‘chef-d'oeuvre’ is a precious practical literature for the entire humanity transcending all natural and man-made divides, gaps and barriers like race, religion, creed, community, caste, language, culture, continent, region, etc., and dwells at length universal truths and the art of robust and righteous living globally relevant to all ages and generations, up to this distant date, and perhaps for all the times to come.

 

Containing three chapters, ‘Aram’ (virtue ) அறம்,  ‘Porul’ (wealth) பொருள், and ‘Inbam’ (love) இன்பம், lauded by many thinkers, philosophers and writers the world over for its universality and all-time relevance, Thirukkural is a treasure of worldly knowledge, ethical guidance and spiritual wisdom. The erudite intellectual giant and a visionary that he was, Thiruvalluvar, through his great insight and foresight, discusses threadbare in his ‘masterwork’ the cosmic laws and pros and cons of every action and reaction. The law of Nature "good actions beget good results and the bad ones bad results" is well articulated here. 

 

Though already translated into all Indian languages including some world languages, it is still to be bestowed with the due universal honour and recognition that it rightly and richly deserves as ‘INTERNATIONAL ETERNAL LIFE LITERATURE’. There is hardly any subject under the sky left untouched in it. None else in the world other than Thiruvalluvar would have perhaps ever attempted to present a quintessential literature in miniature as he did, containing almost all the universal truths, values and codes for all, including best of knowledge, wisdom, sobriety, etc. the mundane life is fraught with. Briefly, it contains everything for everyone, an ‘encyclopedia’ for an ideal life.

 

Though the poet insists on God worship, he never talks of, advocates for or supports any particular religion or God. That shows the secular and fit-for-all nature of this work.

 

The divine inspiration, universal brotherhood, pragmatic idealism, secularism, all-weather conditioning, SWOT analysis even during his times, all-time versatility, and above all, universal wisdom with which he wrote it are rather unmatched, astounding and mind-blowing.

 

The comment of the Tamil saintly poetess Avvaiyar that 'Thiruvalluvar had pierced an atom and injected seven seas and compressed it into what we have today as ‘Kural’  (aphoristic stanzas)' is a conspicuous pointer to the work’s greatness.

 

Tamil National Revolutionary Bard Subramania Bharathi elatedly said, “Tamil Nadu had given Valluvar to the World and thus earned international name and fame.”

 

Father of our Nation Mahatma Gandhi quipped, “A textbook of indispensable authority on moral life. Maxims of Thiruvalluvar have touched my soul. There is none who has given such a treasure of wisdom like him.”

 

Other Indian authors and personalities who had praised the masterpiece were Sri Aurobindo (Philosopher-yogi, 1872–1950), KM Munshi (Freedom fighter-educationist, 1887–1971), Tiruvallam Bhaskaran Nair (Malayalam poet and Malayalam translator of the Kural), Rajaji (1878–1972), Sane Guruji (Marathi author, 1899–1950), and Rabindranath Tagore (Nationalist-poet, 1861–1941), among others.

 

In the galaxy of foreign authors that paid  encomia were Sir A Grant, Charles E. Gover  (English folklorist,1872), W Norman Brown (American Indologist and Sanskritist, 1892–1975), Dr Karl Graul (German Lutheran Missionary and German and Latin translator of the Kural,  1814–1864), Rev John Lazarus (Christian Missionary,1845–1925), John Murdoch (Christian Missionary in Ceylon and India, 1819–1904), Alexander Piatigorsky  (Russian philosopher, 1929–2009), George Uglow Pope (Christian missionary to India, 1820–1908), EJ Robinson (Protestant Missionary to British India), Albert Schweitzer (French-German Theologian-Physician-Philosopher, 1875–1965), Leo Tolstoy (Russian writer, 1828–1910), Yu Hsi  (Taiwanese poet and translator of Tirukkural in Mandarin) and Kamil Zvelebil (Czech scholar in Indian literature and linguistics, 1927–2009), among others.

 

Being the best possible gift to the humankind ‘Thirukkural’ should be recognized by the United Nations as the ‘International Eternal Life Literature/Guide’ for whole humanity. Before that, India should recognize it as the ‘prime national literature’ and move the case with the U.N. for international recognition as it did for ‘Yoga’.

 

In the buses plying in Tamil Nadu, the couplets are displayed verbatim in Tamil. It is better to provide its meaning both in Tamil and English alongside for better understanding by readers. 

 

Needless to say that Thirukkural is ‘eternal global literature’. Demand for international recognition is not just to advance the Tamil or Indian pride but to provide to the human community an eternal and perfect guide on life lessons, science and skills relevant to all times - past, present and future!

 

 

R.SAMPATH