iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Thirukkural

Enlarge picture
Thiruvalluvar statue at Kanyakumari


Thirukkural (Tamil: திருக்குறள் also known as the Kural) is a compilation of Kurals (1330 rhyming Tamil couplets) or aphorisms [1] celebrated by Tamils (Hindus, Jains, and others alike).[2] It was authored by Thiruvalluvar and is considered to be the first work to focus on ethics, among the Buddhist - Jain literature of India [3] 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); poyyamoli (speech that does not lie); and teyva nul (divine text). [4] It is dated anywhere from the second century BC to the eighth century AD. [5] 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. [6] 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[7] .

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.

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. [8]

Sections

Topics in Sangam literature
Sangam literature
AgattiyamTolkappiyam
Pathinenmaelkanakku
Ettuthokai
AinkurnuruAkananuru
PurananuruKaliththokai
KuruntokaiNatrinai
ParipaatalPathirruppaththu
Pattupattu
TirumurugarruppataiKurincippattu
MalaipatukatamMathuraikkanci
MullaippattuNetunalvatai
PattinappaalaiPerumpanarruppatai
PorunaraatruppadaiCirupanarruppatai
Pathinenkilkanakku
NalatiyarNanmanikkatigai
Inna NarpathuIniyavai Narpathu
Kar NarpathuKalavazhi Narpathu
Ainthinai AimpathuThinaimozhi Aimpathu
Ainthinai EzhupathuThinaimalai Nurru Aimpathu
ThirukkuralThirikatukam
AcharakkovaiPazhamozhi Nanuru
SiruppanchamulamMuthumozhikkanchi
ElathiKainnilai
Tamil people
SangamSangam landscape
Tamil history from Sangam literatureTamil literature
Ancient Tamil musicSangam society
[ edit ]
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.[9] 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.[10]

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. 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 [11]

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

1. ^ Blackburn, Cutler (2000). "Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History". Modern Asian Studies 34: 449-482. Retrieved on 20/08/2007. 
2. ^ Pillai, MS. Tamil literature. Asian Education Service. ISBN ISBN 8120609557. 
3. ^ Chellapan K - ETHICS OF LOVE AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE AFFIRMATION IN THRIUVALLUVAR AND SHAKESPEARE on www.thirukural2005.org
4. ^ Cutler, Norman (1992). "Interpreting Tirukkural: the role of commentary in the creation of a text.". The Journal of the American Oriental Society 122. Retrieved on 20/08/2007. 
5. ^ Nagarajan, KV (2005). "Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in Thirukural". History of Political Economy 37 (1): 123-132. Retrieved on 20/08/2007. 
6. ^ Aiyangar, SK (1995). Some Contributions of South India to Indian Culture. Asian Educational Services, 125. ISBN ISBN 8120609999. 
7. ^ Nagarajan, KV (2005). "Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in Thirukural". History of Political Economy 37 (1). Retrieved on 20/08/2007. 
8. ^ Blackburn, Cutler (2000). "Corruption and Redemption: The Legend of Valluvar and Tamil Literary History". Modern Asian Studies 34: 449-482. Retrieved on 20/08/2007. 
9. ^ Wright, Denis (1996). "Some reflections on Tiruvalluvar's Kural". South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies, 19 (1): 161-167. DOI:10.1080/00856409608723278. Retrieved on 2007-20-08. 
10. ^ Nagarajan, KV (2005). "Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in Thirukural". History of Political Economy 37 (1): 123-132. Retrieved on 2007-20-08. 
11. ^ Nagarajan, KV (2005). "Thiruvalluvar's vission: Polity and Economy in Thirukural". History of Political Economy 37 (1): 123-132. Retrieved on 2007-20-08. 

External links

Tamil}}} 
Writing system: Vatteluttu 
Official status
Official language of:  India,[4][5]

The template is . Please use instead.
This usage is deprecated. Please replace it with .

..... Click the link for more information.
The Kural is one of the most important forms of classical Tamil poetry. It is a very short poetic form, exactly in 2 lines, the first line consisting of 4 words and the second line consisting of 3. It should also conform to the grammar for Venpa.
..... Click the link for more information.
For the Angel episode, see .


A couplet is a pair of lines of verse. Some cultures have decorative traditions associated with them.

Couplets in Western poetry


..... Click the link for more information.
An aphorism (literally distinction or definition, from Greek αφοριζειν "to define") expresses a general truth in a pithy sentence.
..... Click the link for more information.
Tamils  • Telugus  • Tuluvas  • Gonds

Tamil people
..... Click the link for more information.
Hindu ( pronunciation   (help info ) , Devanagari: हिन्दु), as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, and the
..... Click the link for more information.
This page contains Indic text. Without rendering support, you may see irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts. More...
"Jain" and "Jaina" redirect here. For other uses, see Jain (disambiguation) and Jaina (disambiguation).

..... Click the link for more information.
Thiruvalluvar (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவர்) is a celebrated Tamil poet who wrote the Thirukkural, a well known ethical work in Tamil literature.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Arthashastra (more precisely Arthaśāstra) is a treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy which identifies its author by the names Kautilya[1] and Viṣṇugupta,[2]
..... Click the link for more information.
Manimekalai, written by Seethalai Saathanar, is one of the masterpieces of Tamil literature and belongs to The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature. Manimekalai is a sequel to Silapathikaram and tells the story of the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavai.
..... Click the link for more information.
Silappatikaram (Tamil: சிலப்பதிகாரம் ; IPA: [siləppəd̪iɡɑːrəm]),[1]
..... Click the link for more information.
Tamil}}} 
Writing system: Vatteluttu 
Official status
Official language of:  India,[4][5]

The template is . Please use instead.
This usage is deprecated. Please replace it with .

..... Click the link for more information.
The Kural is one of the most important forms of classical Tamil poetry. It is a very short poetic form, exactly in 2 lines, the first line consisting of 4 words and the second line consisting of 3. It should also conform to the grammar for Venpa.
..... Click the link for more information.
Tamil}}} 
Writing system: Vatteluttu 
Official status
Official language of:  India,[4][5]

The template is . Please use instead.
This usage is deprecated. Please replace it with .

..... Click the link for more information.
Venpa ( in Tamil) is a form of classical Tamil poetry. Classical Tamil poetry has been classified based upon the rules of metric prosody. Such rules form a context-free grammar. Every Venpa consists of between two to twelve lines.
..... Click the link for more information.
Venpa ( in Tamil) is a form of classical Tamil poetry. Classical Tamil poetry has been classified based upon the rules of metric prosody. Such rules form a context-free grammar. Every Venpa consists of between two to twelve lines.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Kural is one of the most important forms of classical Tamil poetry. It is a very short poetic form, exactly in 2 lines, the first line consisting of 4 words and the second line consisting of 3. It should also conform to the grammar for Venpa.
..... Click the link for more information.
Thiruvalluvar (Tamil: திருவள்ளுவர்) is a celebrated Tamil poet who wrote the Thirukkural, a well known ethical work in Tamil literature.
..... Click the link for more information.
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years 200 BCE and 300 CE.[1][2] This collection contains 2381 poems written by 473 poets, some 102 of whom are anonymous authors[3].
..... Click the link for more information.
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years 200 BCE and 300 CE.[1][2] This collection contains 2381 poems written by 473 poets, some 102 of whom are anonymous authors[3].
..... Click the link for more information.
Agattiyam(Tamil: அகத்தியம்), according to mentions in Sangam Literature, was the first known book on Tamil grammar. This was supposedly written by the sage Agastya.
..... Click the link for more information.
Pathinenmaelkanakku (Tamil: பதினெண்மேல்கணக்கு) is the collection of the oldest surviving Tamil Poetry.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ettuthokai(Tamil: எட்டுத்தொகை)– 'The Eight Anthologies' - Classical Tamil poetic work - form part of the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology series of the Sangam Literature.
..... Click the link for more information.
Ainkurunooru (Tamil: ஐங்குறுநூறு, a classical Tamil poetic work, containing five hundred short poems and is part of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology.
..... Click the link for more information.
Akananuru (Tamil: அகநானுறு), a classical Tamil poetic work, is the seventh book in the Sangam literature anthology Ettuthokai. It contains 400 Akam (subjective) poems dealing with matters of love and separation.
..... Click the link for more information.
Purananuru (Tamil: புறநானூறு) is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 200 BCE – 100 CE.
..... Click the link for more information.
Kaliththokai (Tamil: கலித்தொகை),a classical Tamil poetic work,is the sixth book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Kaliththokai contains one hundred and fifty poems and were written by various authors.
..... Click the link for more information.
Kuruntokai (Tamil: குறுந்தொகை),a classical Tamil poetic work, is the second book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology.
..... Click the link for more information.
Natrinai (Tamil: நற்றிணை),a classical Tamil poetic work, is a book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Natrinai contains 400 poems dealing with the five landscapes of Sangam poetry – kurinchi, mullai, marutham,
..... Click the link for more information.
Paripaatal (Tamil: பரிபாடல்),a classical Tamil poetic work, is the fifth book in the Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. Paripaatal contains seventy poems on various deities of the Hindu pantheon.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter