Thirukkural
Why in News?
The Thirukkural is in the news because Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a Russian translation of this ancient Tamil classic to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting in New Delhi ahead of the BRICS Summit.
Structure & Composition
- Author: Traditionally attributed to the ancient poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar (also referred to as Valluvar).
- Format: It consists of 1,330 short couplets (known as kurals) categorized into 133 chapters. Each couplet follows a strict structure of exactly seven words spread across two lines.
- Age: Dated widely between 300 BCE and the 5th century CE. While traditional accounts link it to the Third Sangam period, linguistic analysis suggests a post-Sangam origin around 450–500 CE.
The Three Structural Books (Muphaal)
The text is divided into three comprehensive sections mapping out the "entire gamut of human life":
The text is divided into three comprehensive sections mapping out the "entire gamut of human life":
- Aram (Virtue): Focuses on personal ethics, moral conduct, compassion, truthfulness, and responsible domestic life.
- Porul (Wealth/Statecraft): Discusses public life, politics, royal governance, justice, diplomacy, economics, and warfare.
- Inbam or Kamam (Love): Covers human relationships, intimacy, and emotions, split into pre-marital (Kalaviyal) and marital (Karpiyal) love.
Philosophy & Global Appeal
- Strict Secularism: The text lacks any regional, ethnic, or sectarian religious identity. It defines God universally as "pure intelligence" and focuses entirely on humanistic virtues rather than religious dogma.
- Key Virtues: It strongly advocates for non-violence (Ahimsa), moral vegetarianism, charity, gratitude, and self-restraint.
- Global Translations: Due to its universal applicability, it has been translated into more than 60 languages globally. PM Modi has previously released versions in languages ranging from Gujarati to Papua New Guinea’s Tok Pisin.
