Tirukkuṛaḷ

Thirukkural (Tamil: திருக்குறள் also known as "the Kural") is a classic of couplets or Kurals (1330 rhyming Tamil couplets) or aphorisms [cite journal | last =Blackburn| first =Cutler| authorlink = | coauthors =
title =Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History
journal =Modern Asian Studies | volume =34| issue = | pages =449–482 | year =2000 | url =http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FASS%2FASS34_02%2FS0026749X0000363Xa.pdf&code=3271a95da1f62e5a9a01ec5fab104dcd| doi = | id = | accessdate = 2007-08-20] celebrated by Tamils. [cite book
last =Pillai
first =MS
title =Tamil literature
publisher =Asian Education Service
url =http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=QIeqvcai5XQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=valluvar+Jain&ots=vPCRtwgsEP&sig=mT4smILAzPyREhCDRrya83vy3K0#PPA77,M1
isbn = ISBN 8120609557] It was authored by Thiruvalluvar and is considered by Chellapan K to be the first work to focus on ethics, other than the Buddhist - Jain literature of India [ [http://www.thirukkural2005.org/researchpaper/Chellappan.pdf Chellapan K - ETHICS OF LOVE AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE AFFIRMATION IN THRIUVALLUVAR AND SHAKESPEARE on www.thirukural2005.org] ] Thirukkural expounds various aspects of life and is one of the most important works in Tamil. This is reflected in some of the other names by which the text is known: "tamilmarai" (Tamil Veda); "poyyamozhi" (speech that does not lie); and "teyva nul" (divine text). [cite journal | last =Cutler | first =Norman | authorlink = | coauthors =
title =Interpreting Tirukkural: the role of commentary in the creation of a text | journal =The Journal of the American Oriental Society | volume =122 | issue = | pages = | year =1992 | url =http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=GLvhZT9rv6h6WZXdrVkPGRdXRhfw2Q7BZrnpRXhbddz8YKCfPtZG!644681601?docId=5000163847 | doi = | id = | accessdate = 2007-08-20] It is dated anywhere from the second century BC to the eighth century AD. [cite journal | last =Nagarajan
first =KV | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in "Thirukural" | journal =History of Political Economy | volume =37 | issue =1 | pages =123–132 | year =2005 | url =http://hope.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/123 | doi = | id = | accessdate = 2007-08-20] The book is considered to be a posterior to Arthashastra by some historians and to precede Manimekalai and Silapathikaram since both the latter acknowledge the Kural text. [cite book | last =Aiyangar

However Thirukkural cannot be compared with Arthashastra as it not only deals with Kingship or Statesmanship as in Arthasashtra but also deals with various other aspects of life.

first =SK
title =Some Contributions of South India to Indian Culture
publisher =Asian Educational Services
year =1995
pages =125
url =http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vRcql-QBhRwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=kural+Tamil&ots=n3QJ4exYpS&sig=CcmW-tE8kMVIzrhu658Gr3FMOvI#PPA125,M1
isbn = ISBN 8120609999] The popularity of the Thirukkural is limited to Tamil Nadu and parts of the subcontinent. The most likely reason for the limitation is that it was written in Tamil [cite journal | last =Nagarajan
first =KV | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in "Thirukural" | journal =History of Political Economy | volume =37 | issue =1 | year =2005 | url =http://hope.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/123 | doi = | id = | accessdate = 2007-08-20 | pages =130] .

Thirukkural (or the Kural) is a collection of 1330 Tamil couplets organised into 133 chapters. Each chapter has a specific subject ranging from "ploughing a piece of land" to "ruling a country". According to the LIFCO Tamil-Tamil-English dictionary, the Tamil word "Kural" means "Venpa verse with two lines". Thirukkural comes under one of the four categories of Venpas (Tamil verses) called Kural Venpa. The 1330 couplets are divided into 3 sections and 133 chapters. Each chapter contains 10 couplets. A couplet consists of seven "cirs", with four "cirs" on the first line and three on the second. A "cir" is a single or a combination of more than one Tamil word. For example, "Thirukkural" is a "cir" formed by combining the two words "Thiru" and "Kural", i.e. "Thiru + Kural = Thirukkural".It is has been translated to many languages next only to Bible, Quran and possibly the Gita.Fact|date=August 2008

There are claims and counter claims as to the authorship of the book and to the exact number of couplets written by Thiruvalluvar. The first instance of the author's name mentioned as Thiruvalluvar is found to be several centuries later in a song of praise called "Garland" in Thiruvannamalai. [cite journal | last =Blackburn| first =Cutler| authorlink = | coauthors =
title =Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History
journal =Modern Asian Studies | volume =34| issue = | pages =449–482 | year =2000 | url =http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FASS%2FASS34_02%2FS0026749X0000363Xa.pdf&code=3271a95da1f62e5a9a01ec5fab104dcd| doi = | id = | accessdate = 2007-08-20]

Sections

Thirukkural is organised into three sections "aram"(virtue), "porul" (realities of life) and "inbam"(pleasures experienced by a man and a woman in the course of their relationship).

Chapters 1 to 38 deal with "aram" and are classified as "Arathuppaal". Chapters 39 to 108 address "Porul". Chapters 109 to 133("Inbathuppal") deal with "inbam".

It is claimed that Thirukkural is based on the canonical "dharma", "artha" and "kama" "trivarga" articulated in the Sanskritic classical texts. [cite journal |last =Wright
first =Denis |title = Some reflections on "Tiruvalluvar's" Kural |journal =South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, |volume =19 |issue =1 |pages =161–167 |year =1996 |url =http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a778264704~db=all
doi =10.1080/00856409608723278 |accessdate = 2007-08-20] It is, also, presumed that if one leads life according to ethical principles set out in the text, the fourth "Purushartha" - "moksha" or "veedu"(in Tamil) or salvation will be automatically achieved. [cite journal |last =Nagarajan |first =KV |title =Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in "Thirukural" |journal =History of Political Economy |volume =37 |issue =1 |pages =123–132 |year =2005 |url=http://hope.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/123 |accessdate = 2007-08-20 |doi =10.1215/00182702-37-1-123]

Thirukkural and religion

Parimelazhagar, a 13th century commentator in his celebrated commentary interprets the word "Aadipahavan" in the first kural as "Aadi Bhagavan" or God, It also Aadi=Mother, Bhagavan=Father, which states parents to be given first prefernce. The word "Adibaghavan" in Jain theology is used to refer to "Rishabhadeva", the first Tirthankara. Some kurals also echo the principles of the "middle way" of Buddhism [cite journal |last=Nagarajan |first =KV |authorlink = |coauthors = |title =Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in "Thirukural" | journal =History of Political Economy |volume =37 |issue =1 |pages =123–132 |year =2005 |url=http://hope.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/37/1/123 |accessdate = 2007-08-20|doi =10.1215/00182702-37-1-123] An important point to be noted in this juncture is the attribute of god mentioned in the ninth kural of the first adhikaram (Kadavul vaazhthu).It mentions "... engunathaan thaalai vanangaath thalai" [Ashraf, N.V.K. Tirukkural: Getting close to the original - In Spirit, Content and Style, http://www.geocities.com/nvashraf/kur-eng/close01.htm, accessed on 22 March 2008] . Here he mentions that God has eight qualities. According to Jains, Siddhas have eight specific characteristics or qualities (8 guñas) [Malaiya, Y.K. 1998. Kural: The Tamil Classic and Jainism. A discussion on soc.culture.tamil. In chronological order from Mar 16 1995 to Feb 3 1998. ] . They are described as Ananta jnāna, Ananta darshana, Ananta labdhi, Ananta sukha, Akshaya sthiti, Being vitāraga, Being arupa and Aguruladhutaa. For people who know Tamil language, they are: அனந்த ஞானம், அனந்த வீரியம், கோத்திரமின்மை, அனந்த தரிசனம், அனந்த குணம், அழியா இயல்பு, நாமமின்மை, அவாவின்மை. For English viewers, the eight characteristics of Siddha may be translated as having infinite knowledge, infinite power, infinite vision, infinite discipline, without any change (permanence), impartial and having no name or form.

Latin translation

The Latin translation of Thirukkural made by Constanzo Beschi in 1730 did much to make known to European intellectuals the richness and beauty of Oriental Tamil literature.

References

* Subramaniyam, Ka Naa, "Tiruvalluvar and his Tirukkural." Bharatiya Jnanpith: New Delhi 1987.
* P. S. Sundaram, "The Kural." Penguin Books: London, 1990.
* Blackburn, Stuart. (2000). "Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History". Modern Asian Studies, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 449-82, May 2000.
* Yogi Suddhananda Bharathi(1897), "Thirukkural with English Couplets" - Tamil Chandror Peravai: Chennai.(15 May 1995)
* " Thirukkural with English Couplets" by Tamil Chandror Peravai (Translated by Yogi Suddhananda Bharathi [1897] ), Tamil Chandror Peravai, 26 Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai - 600 020
* Drew, W.H, Translated by John Lazarus, "Thirukkural (Original in Tamil with English Translation)", ISBN 81-206-0400-8

Notes

External links

* [http://dailythirukural.blogspot.com Daily Thirukural In English]
* [http://acharya.iitm.ac.in/tamil/kural/kural_browse.php IIT Madras site]
* [http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/kural/index.htm Thirukural - in Tamil and in English]
* [http://www.bharatadesam.com/literature/thirukkural/tirukkural_english_tamil_pdf.php Thirukkural - An English translation with original Tamil verses]