Thiruvalluvar, the Eternal and Universal Guide to Mankind
Thiruvalluvar, the Eternal and Universal Guide to Mankind
Dr. R. Prabhakaran
Abstract:
In the past three
thousand years, many scholars have contributed to the development of
philosophical thoughts. Among them, Thiruvalluvar is unique because of his
secular and rational thinking. His book, Thirukkural, was first published in
1812. Since then, it has been translated into more than a hundred languages worldwide,
and there are more than a hundred translations in English alone. It has gained
appreciation and admiration from scholars worldwide. Thiruvalluvar recognizes
the equality of all human beings. He encourages his readers to conduct a rational
inquiry into the nature of things and anything they hear from anyone. His ideas
on nonviolence are of historical importance and have been successfully adopted
by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and others.
He emphasizes the importance of hard work for achieving success in life.
According to him, love is the quintessence of life, and compassion towards all
living beings is a very desirable quality. Compassion should lead to helping
those in need without expecting anything in return. He is convinced that right
conduct is even more important than one’s life itself. According to him, moral
codes are determined by wise people and not by religious values. In view of his
emphasis on rationalism, secularism, and self-reliance, Valluvar can be
regarded as a humanist like the Buddha. Since Valluvar focuses on subject
matters dealing with wisdom rather than knowledge, his ideas remain eternally
valid and have universal applicability. It is now up to mankind to grasp his
teachings and practice them so that there will be peace and prosperity in the
world.
Keywords:
Thirukkural, Equality,
Rationalism, Nonviolence, the Importance of Human Effort, Love, Compassion, Morality,
Humanism, Eternal Validity, Universal Applicability.
Introduction
In
the course of human history, there have been many philosophers, prophets,
sages, and saints who have contributed to the development of philosophical
ideas. Most of these great scholars had a religious bias and were inconsiderate
in matters related to social justice, social equality, and rationalism. For
example, despite his extraordinary ability for dialectical reasoning, Socrates
(469 BC – 399 BC) believed in the infallibility of the Oracle of Delphi and
never rejected the Athenian view of religion. Socrates’s ardent disciple Plato
(428 BC – 348 BC) was proud of the fact that he was an Athenian and not a
barbarian, and he was happy that he was born as a man instead of being born as
a woman. In ancient Greece, which is considered the cradle of democracy,
slavery was an accepted practice. Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), a student of
Plato, says, “Some should rule, and others be ruled is a thing not only
necessary but expedient. From the hour of their birth, some are marked out for
subjection, others for rule.” So, it is apparent that social equality was not
considered the foundation of democracy by the ancient Greek philosophers. The
Chinese philosopher Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) believed that heaven is the
author of all virtue, and he considered heaven itself as a kind of God, and God
created the virtue in us. The religious leaders Mahavira (540 BC – 468 BC) and
the Buddha (563 BC – 483 BC) were more concerned about life after death
than life on earth.
There have been only very few
philosophers who were truly rational and secular in their thinking. Almost five
hundred years after Socrates, Confucius, and the Buddha, in the state of Tamil
Nadu, India, there was an extraordinary man named Thiruvalluvar, also known as
Valluvar. He was a renowned Tamil poet,
philosopher, ethicist, management strategist, humanist, and rationalist. His
famous book is Thirukkural, also known as the Kural. The Kural consists of
three parts and a total of 1330 couplets known as kurals. The first deals with
virtue, the second deals with wealth, and the third is about premarital and
post-marital love. The Kural is a treatise on social life. It is the embodiment
of enlightened wisdom, the hallmark of the ancient Tamil civilization with a
rich heritage, tradition, and culture. It is a literary masterpiece of verses
with poetic excellence, brevity, crispness, rhythm, and syntax that are easy to
grasp and remember. It is a lighthouse guiding the ships of virtue, wealth, and
love; a treasure trove of knowledge based on rational, secular, analytical,
practical, and worldly outlook, molded in the norms of virtue, aesthetics,
love, compassion, hospitality, sociability, generosity, service, etc., cemented
in family life. It is not constrained by the tenets of any religious faith or
dogma but adopts and highlights the virtues in many of them.
Worldwide Appreciation for Thirukkural
Thirukkural was
first printed in 1812. Since then, it has been translated into more than a
hundred languages worldwide, and there are more
than a hundred translations in English alone. The Kural is one of the world's
most widely translated non-religious works. The famous Tamil poet
Mahakavi Subramania Bharathiyar rightly stated that Thiruvalluvar is a gift of
Tamil Nadu to the World. Another famous Tamil poet, Bharathidasan claims that
the whole universe gained fame because of Valluvar. In fact, many scholars and philosophers from various parts of the world have
recognized and admired Valluvar's profound and pragmatic view of human life and
the practical guidelines he has offered for a purposeful life in his
remarkable magnum opus, the Kural. The Kural
is considered a veritable guide for the "Art of Living."
The highly
acclaimed German philosopher and Nobel laureate Dr. Albert Schweitzer says
about Thirukkural that, “There hardly exists in the literature of the world a
collection of maxims in which we find so much lofty wisdom.” Dr. Graul,
a great German scholar, says, “No translation can convey any idea of its
charming effect of the Thirukkural. It is truly an apple of gold in a network
of silver.” M. Ariel, the great French Savant, writes that Thirukkural is a
masterpiece of Tamil literature, one of the highest and purest expressions of
human thought. In the words of Prof. Kamil Zvelebil, a renowned Tamil scholar
from the Czech Republic, “….Thirukkural is a contribution of the Tamil creative
genius to the world’s cultural treasure and should be familiar to the whole
world and admired and beloved by all in the same way as the poems of Homer, the
dramas of Shakespeare, the pictures of Rembrandt, the cathedrals of France and
the sculptures of Greece.” The renowned
British missionary, Rev. Dr. G. U. Pope, hailed Thiruvalluvar as the “Bard of
Universal Man.” The famous Indian poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore stated: "The
ideas of great Saint Thiruvalluvar will apply not only to India but to the
whole world."
Dr. Moriz Winternitz,
an eminent Austrian orientalist, says, "Valluvar's
Kural is one of the gems of the world literature. He (Valluvar) stands above
all races, castes, and sects, and what he teaches is a general human morality
and wisdom. No wonder the Kural has been read, studied, and highly praised in
the land of its origin for centuries, but it has also found many admirers in
the west ever since it has become known." Leo Tolstoy, the
famous Russian novelist, was very impressed by Valluvar's ideas on nonviolence.
Also, Mahatma Gandhi was so fascinated by the Kural that he wanted to learn the
Tamil language so that he could study the original version of the Kural. The
Russians are said to have preserved important books of lasting value in the
Kremlin in an indestructible Tungsten chamber so that they may outlast even a
nuclear attack and be useful to posterity. The Kural is one of the books in
that chamber.
In fact, Valluvar deserves all these
adulations and much more for his outstanding contributions to mankind. He has
analyzed all facets of human life and has devised his own original guidelines
for a purposeful life on earth. The three religions that existed during
Valluvar’s time were Vedic, Buddhism, and Jainism. In the Kural, we see
evidence of Vedic thinking, reflections of the enlightened Buddha, and the
sanctity of nonviolence as emphasized by Jainism. We can also notice Valluvar’s
disagreements with the religions of his time. We can also hear the echoes of
Jesus Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, see the semblance of the Ten Commandments,
and even notice the rationalism of atheists in the Kural. But, despite all
these similarities, his book is strictly original and secular in nature. Yet,
Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and even some Christians try to argue in vain
regarding the religious affiliation of Valluvar. Valluvar’s profound ideas are
universally acceptable and eternally valid contributions to mankind. His
significant contributions are described in the ensuing paragraphs, and the
rationale for their universal applicability and eternal validity are discussed.
Immortality
of the Kural
In
addition to being unique and revolutionary in many aspects, the Kural is also
an immortal masterpiece created by Valluvar. The best-known and most visited
portrait of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 AD– 1519 AD), the
impressive sculpture of David by Michelangelo (1475 AD – 1564 AD), the
enchanting compositions of the musical virtuosos Bach and Beethoven the famous
religious books like the Bible, the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita and other
outstanding pieces of literature in major languages are examples of
masterpieces which have stood the test of time. Their apparent immortality is
because they have an intrinsic value or beauty that appeals to their viewers,
listeners, readers, and followers. The Kural belongs to the same category of
immortal masterpieces. The two factors contributing to the Kural’s immortality
are its subject matter and the generality with which Valluvar has presented the
subject matter.
In the Kural, Valluvar deals with subjects associated with
wisdom instead of knowledge. Knowledge and wisdom are two different things.
Knowledge is the result of learning information that is based on data and the
relationships among them. Wisdom is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. Today’s knowledge may become obsolete
tomorrow. For example, scientific knowledge often becomes obsolete due to new
information based on advances in research. But, the wisdom based on the
collective experience of a community or the human race will remain valid
forever. In the Kural, Valluvar deals with subjects like right conduct,
education, morality, generosity, hospitality, gratitude, love, compassion,
nonviolence, charity, munificence, truthfulness, persistence, friendship,
efficiency in management, effective leadership, familial and conjugal love,
etc., which have always been considered desirable qualities having permanent
appeal to humanity. If Valluvar had attempted to discuss scientific topics in
his book, it is quite likely that his conclusions would have been proved wrong
due to advances in science over the past two millennia.
Another
factor that has contributed to the immortality of his book is the generality
with which he has approached the subject matter of his book. For example, when
he talks about education, in kural 391, he says, “Learn flawlessly whatever
should be learnt. After having learnt, live accordingly. “ If Valluvar had listed the subjects to be
learnt or the books to be read, such a list would be outdated and may not have
any relevance at the present time. Since he did not specifically say what must
be learnt, his statement is still valid and will always be valid. Similarly,
when he discusses the appropriate time for action, he asks, “Is there any task
that is impossible for the one who chooses the right moment and the right tool
(kural 483)?“ Tools for a job vary with respect to time. For example, the tools
used by farmers a hundred years ago are totally different from what farmers use
these days. So also, the weapons used by the warriors have been changing as new
technology produces new weapons. It would have been fallacious on the part of
Valluvar if he had mentioned the details regarding the right time and the right
tool. But he has made his point about the need for selecting the right moment
and right tool to be successful in any chosen task without being specific. This
type of generality in Valluvar’s approach contributes to the eternal validity
of his book.
In twenty-five chapters of the Kural, Valluvar
discusses the necessary characteristics of a king and how he should run his
administration and rule his country. The same characteristics are applicable to
the modern-day leaders of organizations. His ideas regarding hiring employees,
delegating responsibilities to them, supervising them, and rewarding them are
valid today and are being practiced in many organizations. His project
management and time management ideas are consistent with current business
practices. Valluvar’s suggestions for self-improvement are similar to those
recommended by present-day experts on the subject. These similarities point to
the ageless wisdom of Valluvar and prove that his ideas are eternally valid.
The
universal applicability of the Kural
In
addition to immortality, the wisdom-based subject matter and the generality
with which Valluvar has treated them also contribute to the universal
applicability of his book. In his book, there is no mention of anything about
his mother tongue (Tamil) or his native land (Tamil Nadu). Except for a few
kurals where he mentions the names of certain gods of Hindu mythology, there is
no mention of his religion. When he discusses good conduct, he realizes that it
has to depend upon society and the time period in which one lives. Therefore,
in kural 140, he says, “Those who fail to conduct themselves in harmony with
the world are ignorant despite their vast knowledge.”
In Tamil literary tradition, the term “world
“denotes “the wise of the time.” Therefore, in the above kural, Valluvar has
made a very general statement that is applicable in any part of the world at
any given time. There is no worldwide standard for good conduct. For example,
divorce and remarriage are perfectly valid and considered acceptable conduct
for women in the Western world. Divorce and remarriage are not considered good
conduct for women in some Asian countries. Also, the consumption of alcoholic
beverages is prohibited in some countries, while it is perfectly acceptable in
other countries. So, by stating that one should “live in harmony with the world,
“Valluvar maintains his generality, which contributes to his statements'
universal applicability.
Valluvar
on Equality
When
human beings were hunter-gatherers, they lived in small groups and wandered
from place to place. Anthropologists believe that in the hunter-gatherer
society, the members of a group were all considered equal. Men and women worked
together and shared responsibility for raising their children. About 10,000
years ago, hunter-gatherer societies slowly transformed themselves into
agricultural societies. Once people started to depend upon agriculture, they
began to settle down and establish larger communities. Anthropologists are of
the opinion that the egalitarian lifestyle of the hunter-gatherer society began
to disappear as agriculture became more popular. Within each agricultural
community, some people were considered superior and more valuable than others. Inequality
among human beings was even considered the norm and acceptable. When there was
a war, the winners captured the losers and made them serve as slaves. Over the
next few centuries, there was pronounced inequality in human society. Slavery was an accepted practice in ancient
Greece as in other societies at that time. In fact, the famous Greek
philosopher Aristotle said,” The slave is a necessary instrument, like other
kinds of wealth, for moral life[1].”
Ancient Roman society was divided into two
major classes: the Plebeians (the poor) and the Patricians (the rich). In
Ancient Rome, 95% of the citizens lived at or below the poverty level.
Historians believe that slavery existed in Egypt during the Old Kingdom period
(2,700 B.C. – 2.200 B.C.). Also, Chinese
society had a well-defined class structure. In pre-Confucian China, the Chinese population was divided into six
different classes. There were four noble classes with the king at the top, the
dukes, the great men, and the scholars. Below the noble classes were commoners
and slaves. Of course, India was not an exception with regard to inequality.
The Aryan migration into India took place
roughly between 2,000 B. C. and 1,500 B. C. The central tenet of the Aryan’s
Vedic religion was the varnashrama Dharma, which clearly states that the
Lord created four classes of people, the Brahmin, the Kshatriya,
the Vaisya, and the Sudra, from his mouth, arms, thighs, and
feet, respectively. These classes are distinct. The class to which a person
belongs is determined by his birth. Those born to Brahmins are Brahmins;
those born to Kshatriyas are Kshatriyas, and so on. A person has
no way of changing the class to which he belongs. Of these four classes, the
Brahmins were considered the most superior class. The next three classes are Kshatriyas,
Vaisyas, and Sudras. Each class of people had pre-determined
duties. The Brahmins are the priests. The Kshatriyas are the
warriors. The Vaisyas are businessmen and agriculturists. The only duty
assigned to the Sudras was to serve the other three higher classes of
people. In addition to the four classes, there were people belonging to the
fifth class, Panchamas, considered the lowest class of people and the
untouchables. The hierarchical structure proposed by the varnashrama dharma
is strictly based on birth and not based on the division of labor, as the
modern-day pundits claim.
The Aryan migration into Tamil Nadu occurred about 1,000 years
before Valluvar’s period. The Tamil society was a classless and casteless
society before the Aryan infiltration. Since the Aryan infiltration, the idea
of varnashrama dharma began to gain acceptance by the Tamil people. It
was during this critical period that Valluvar made the following revolutionary
statement:
All human beings are equal by birth, but
distinctions arise only because of the different qualities of their actions. (Kural
– 972)
Valluvar’s
statement that all are equal by birth was indeed revolutionary 2000 years ago,
and it still is. The elitist document, “the Declaration of Independence,”
adopted by the Continental Congress of the USA in 1776, declares, "All men
are created equal.” It is obvious that women were not considered equal to men,
and people of color were not considered equal to white people. Women and people
of color had to fight for their equality and obtained equal rights only in the
20th century. Even in the 21st century, we find that
women do not enjoy equality with men in many countries. Therefore, Valluvar’s
declaration regarding equality by birth is undoubtedly revolutionary. It is the
basic philosophy of Valluvar that all people are equal by birth. Acceptance of
the equality of people is a necessary condition for establishing social justice
in the world.
Valluvar
on rationalism
Merriam-Webster’s
dictionary defines rationalism as a theory that reason is in itself a source of knowledge
superior to and independent of sense perceptions. Rationalism refuses to
accept anything that cannot be verified by scientific methods. To a
rationalist, anything that cannot withstand the test of reason should be
ignored as superstition. Valluvar’s ideas are in agreement with those of
rationalists. Valluvar says that one should verify the true nature of things
and should not be misguided by their appearances.
Whatever the
apparent nature of things, it is wise to investigate
their true
nature. (kural – 355)
It is this type of free inquiry that forms the
foundation of science. If Isaac Newton had ignored to investigate why an apple
fell down to the ground instead of going up in the air, we would not have the
laws of Newton. If Thomas Alva Edison did not pursue his investigations
relentlessly, he would not have invented
the incandescent electric bulb and would not have developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, motion pictures,
etc. Valluvar’s suggestion that
one should investigate the true nature of things is quite compatible with
rational thinking and scientific methodologies.
Also, according to Valluvar, one should not
accept others’ statements as true without questioning them. He says that it is
the mark of true wisdom to rationally analyze everything instead of taking them
for granted.
True wisdom is
to discern the truth in whatever is said by whomsoever. (kural – 423)
Questioning and verifying the statements made
by others is a mark of critical thinking, and critical thinking leads to
increased knowledge. For example, if Charles Darwin had not thought critically
and simply accepted religious teachings on creationism, he would not have come
up with his theory of evolution. If Nicholas Copernicus had not doubted
Ptolemy’s theory of geocentricity, he would not have come up with his theory of
heliocentricity which is regarded as the launching point of modern astronomy and the scientific revolution.
A typical
religious person would not be open to questioning his own religious dogmas. The
Buddha, the original rationalist, is supposed to have said, “Believe nothing,
no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless
it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.” Valluvar
does not endorse any religion as the ultimate truth. He is open to the inquiry
of all statements made by anyone. He echoes the Buddha when he says that
individuals should investigate and believe whatever they feel comfortable with
and should not blindly follow any faith. The kurals mentioned above (kurals 355
and 423) are consistent with the rationalist’s philosophy that “No beliefs
should be considered off-limits, and all beliefs should be subjected to
rational scrutiny.”
Valluvar on Nonviolence
Generally,
violence is defined as the use of physical force to injure,
abuse, damage, or destroy another living being. In fact, violence is much more
complicated than that. A more comprehensive definition of violence given by the
Old Testament Scholar, Professor Terence Fretheim, seems more appropriate and comprehensive. He says that
violence may be defined as follows: Violence is any action, verbal or nonverbal, oral or written,
physical or psychical, active or passive, public or private, individual or
institutional/societal, human or divine, in whatever degree of intensity, that
abuses, violates, injures or kills. Since
violence implies a multitude of actions caused by words and deeds, it is
difficult to know which actions should be avoided.
Consistent with Professor
Terrence Fretheim’s definition, violence against other human beings would
include verbal as well as physical violence. Verbal violence refers to the use
of harsh and unkind words, slander, and lies that offend and hurt another human
being’s feelings. Physical violence would include any kind of physical attack
which may cause pain, injury, or death to another person. Valluvar condemns
verbal as well as physical violence. According to him, one should avoid any
type of violence through the use of words or deeds.
There is a rule known as
the Golden Rule, which is also referred to as the Law of Reciprocity. It refers
to the principle of treating others as one would like to be treated. It is a
maxim that is found in many religions and cultures. The Golden Rule is often
attributed to the Chinese philosopher
Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC). This Golden Rule states, “Do not do unto others what you do not want others
to do unto you.” Valluvar has a simple and elegant form of the Golden
Rule, which can provide guidance as to what actions should be avoided.
What one has
realized as causing pain to oneself one should not inflict
on others. (kural
- 316)
Valluvar has another profound idea about what to do with those who harm
us. He says that if someone has harmed you or hurt you in some way or another,
the best thing to do is to return good for evil. That is, do something good for
someone who did evil so that he will be vexed at his own actions. The relevant kural is as follows:
The best punishment for those who do evil to
you is to shame them by returning good for evil, and after doing good in
return, just forget the evil that was done to you as well as the good deed you
did. (kural – 314)
Doing good in return for evil is very difficult for most
people. If someone does good in return for evil, and if he continues to harp on
the evil deed that was done to him and the good deed he did, then the person
who did the evil deed might feel humiliated, and the purpose of doing the good
deed will be lost. That is why Valluvar says that the evil deed, as well as the
good deed, must be forgotten.
In a way, Valluvar’s idea that evil deeds should be reciprocated with
good deeds is somewhat similar to the statement in the Bible, which says, “You resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your
right cheek, turn to him the other (King James 2000 Bible, Luke 6:29).”. The
dictum in kural 314 is far more profound than the statement from the Bible or
the Golden Rule. Therefore, referring to Kural 314 as the Platinum Rule of
Valluvar is appropriate.
In fact, Valluvar’s concept of nonviolence is of historical
importance. When Mahatma Gandhi was involved in fighting for the rights of
Indians in South Africa, he happened to read an article written by the famous
Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, which was published in an Indian newspaper. In
that article, Leo Tolstoy had expressed his deep appreciation for Valluvar’s
ideas on nonviolence. Upon reading that article, Mahatma Gandhi was immensely
impressed with Valluvar’s ideas on nonviolence, and he adopted them as a tool in his fight for the rights of the Indians in
South Africa and later in his successful freedom fight against British rule in
India. Later, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, the American Civil Rights activist,
followed Gandhi’s nonviolent approach in his fight for equality for African
Americans in the USA. Nelson Mandela used the same nonviolent approach to
abolish apartheid and establish a democratic government in South Africa.
The
overarching and pervasive theme of the entire Thirukkural is virtue. Valluvar
emphasizes virtue in all facets of personal, professional, and social life.
Valluvar defines virtue as having a mind without blemishes (Couplet 34). The
blemishes like envy, greed, and anger in people's minds are responsible for
their evil words and deeds (Couplet 35). He claims it is the supreme virtue not
to have a harmful thought about anybody to any degree at any moment (Couplet
317). If one has no blemishes in his mind, then there will be no violence in
his words and deeds. Valluvar concludes that violence in the minds of people is
responsible for all the violence in the world. This assertion made by Valluvar
almost two thousand years before the formation of UNESCO is identical to the
preamble of UNESCO[2],
which states, "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men
that the defenses of peace must be constructed."
Valluvar
on Human Effort
Throughout
history, man has invented remarkable devices to improve his quality of life.
Researchers have been successful in developing medicines for many diseases to
save human life. Thanks to the Wright brothers, we are now able to fly.
Scientists and engineers have successfully sent humans to the moon and brought
them back. The invention of computers has revolutionized the world. There has
been no evidence that these and other similar accomplishments materialized
through the miracles of gods or their agents. These accomplishments have been
made possible purely by human efforts. Lofty ideals, proper goals and
objectives, careful and detailed planning, unfailing determination, and
persistent hard work in executing the plans despite unexpected setbacks have
been responsible for these and other phenomenal achievements of individuals and
organizations. Valluvar is a strong proponent of human effort rather than
prayer. He suggests high ambition, appropriate goals and objectives, and
unceasing hard work will lead to success in human endeavors. The following
kurals illustrate Valluvar’s emphasis on human efforts to succeed in life.
One should not give up by saying, “It is
impossible.” Persistent efforts will
lead to success. (kural – 611)
If those who have planned an
undertaking possess persistence, they will achieve what they desired as they
have desired. (kural – 666)
It is easy to achieve your goal, provided
you keep it in mind persistently. (kural – 540)
Even
if God cannot help you to attain your goal, you will be rewarded in proportion
to
your
efforts and hard work. (kural - 619)
Those who work with ceaseless
industry will overcome
unplanned adverse events. (kural –
620)
In the process of working towards a
goal, there could be unexpected delays, disappointments, and other random
interruptions to progress. Valluvar does not advise his readers to resort to
prayer to overcome these difficulties. First, he suggests that one should be
prepared to meet adversities in the course of a project and should not assume
that everything will go according to plan. In other words, one should
anticipate all kinds of adversities and develop contingency plans to mitigate
the risks that might arise from them. Also, according to Valluvar, the best way
to overcome adversities is to laugh at them. Again, prayer has no place in
Valluvar’s scheme for achieving success.
He who does not crave pleasure and realizes
that adversity in life
is natural is not affected by adversity.
(kural – 628)
Laugh at adversity; there is nothing better
than laughter to
overcome adversity. (kural – 621)
As it can be seen
from the kurals mentioned above, Valluvar places importance on human effort and
hard work rather than prayer.
Valluvar on Love
and Compassion
In the
context of the Kural, the word “love” is used to describe affection, concern,
and kindness for one’s family members, friends, relatives, and acquaintances.
In the Chapter on Love, Valluvar asserts the following:
Love is the quintessence of life; without it,
a man is nothing but a frame of bones covered with skin. (kural – 80)
Love
is the one thing that binds the body with life.
(kural – 73)
The
above two kurals emphasize that love is the essential ingredient that sustains
life in the human body. In other words, one without love is not really alive.
Valluvar reemphasizes in the following kural that even if one has all the parts
of his body functioning properly, if his heart is without love, his external
organs are really useless:
To what avail are his external organs if a
man’s heart is devoid of love? (kural – 79)
Through all the above kurals, Valluvar conveys
that inherently everyone has the innate ability to love. According to him, love
is part of basic human nature. As Mahatma Gandhi says, "Where there is love, there is life.” However, love is often overshadowed by other
emotions such as anger, selfishness, jealousy, etc. The idea is that one should
find love in one’s heart, cherish it, and reflect it in all interactions with
others. The truly happy people are those who love others. Such a life of love
is indeed very rewarding. Again, according to Valluvar,
The
bliss the joyous people enjoy in this world is said to be the fruit of life
with
love towards others. (kural – 75)
While Valluvar uses the word “love”
in a narrow sense to mean the affection, attachment, and kindness among family
members, relatives, friends, and other acquaintances, he defines “compassion”
as the offspring of love (kural – 757). According to Valluvar, compassion is
the extension of love, and one should act with compassion towards all living
beings. Compassion is feeling empathy for
others’ suffering and taking the necessary actions to alleviate their
suffering. Compassion may manifest in the form of charity towards the poor,
inspired by a sense of social responsibility. It may also manifest as
philanthropy. Charity and philanthropy should be practiced because they are the
right thing to do and not because of any anticipated gain in this life or in
the future lives. Valluvar says that even if heaven is denied to the giver,
giving (charity) is still good (kural – 222). Like charity, philanthropy should
also be carried out as a duty to society without expecting anything in return.
In fact, he asks, “Duty to society demands no return; what good could the world
do to recompense the cloud that pours rain (kural – 211)?” When Nobel laureate Albert Schweitzer says, “The purpose of human life is to serve and to show
compassion and the will to help others,” we can hear him echoing
Valluvar’s ideas on love and compassion.
Valluvar on Morality
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines morality as the set of principles
concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.
Religions claim that principles that constitute morality come from God.
According to religions, it is God who determines what is right and wrong and
what is good and bad. The moral codes as determined by God are communicated to
the people through the agents of God. The Ten Commandments, as revealed to
Moses, and the Sermon on the Mount, as delivered by Jesus Christ, are examples
of religious and moral codes. Almost all religions promulgate their own moral
codes as revealed by their gods or their god’s agents.
There are
inherent contradictions among the religious moral mandates. What one religion
approves as moral behavior is condemned by another religion as unacceptable
behavior. For example, one religion prohibits the consumption of alcoholic
beverages. In contrast, another religion considers that acceptable behavior and
even incorporates it in some of the religious ceremonies. One religion
prohibits the killing of animals, whereas another religion considers that
animals can be killed and eaten by human beings. One religion permits a man to
marry up to four women, whereas other religions do not accept that as morally
acceptable behavior. There are other examples of contradictions among religious
beliefs in the case of moral codes. So, morality based on religion is relative,
and the guidelines are not absolute. If an individual does not like the moral
codes of his religion, he can convert to another religion and continue his
immoral behavior.
In addition to
the contradictions and inconsistencies in the moral codes decreed by the
religions, there is another problem. They aim to regulate human behavior by the
promise of rewards and punishments. Those who violate the moral codes are told
that they will be punished, and those who follow the codes of behavior are
promised a good life on earth and in heaven after their death.
It
should be noted that about a billion people do not belong to any organized
religion or do not believe in any religion or supernatural beings. What about
moral codes of behavior for them? Since religious moral codes are relative and
do not apply to all of humanity, they are not the ideal or the right set of
codes that all people can follow. Perhaps that is why the renowned scientist
Albert Einstein said[3],
“There is nothing divine about morality. It
is a purely human affair.” In agreement with Albert Einstein, humanists believe
that moral codes are not to be based on religions, but instead, they should be
based on the scientific methods, compassion, and egalitarianism that guide our
sense of fairness. As philosopher Paul Kurtz said, “The goal of humanistic
morality is the enhancement of the good life, happiness, and well-being for the
widest number of individuals.”
Good
conduct varies with respect to the location and the time period in which one
lives. What is considered good conduct in Western countries may not be regarded
as good in Eastern countries and vice versa. Also, societies change over a
period of time. For example, in the past, same-sex marriage and divorce were
not considered acceptable; nowadays, they are regarded as acceptable behaviors
in many countries. Since good conduct varies with respect to time and location,
Valluvar says good conduct is determined by the wise people of the society
where one lives and not by the religion to which one belongs. Therefore, as
Greg M. Epstein concludes in his book, “Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious
People Do Believe, " there can be good without God, and Valluvar
agrees with that.
Those who fail to conduct themselves in harmony
with the world are ignorant
despite their vast learning. (kural – 140)
Valluvar and Humanism
Rationalism
means that
reason is the source of knowledge superior to and independent of sense
perceptions. Secularism is
defined as the "indifference to, or rejection or exclusion of, religion
and religious considerations."
Rationalism and secularism are the foundations of humanism.
Humanism refuses to accept religious beliefs, supernatural phenomena, the
existence of a soul, reincarnations, the immortality of the soul, etc., because
they are not based on scientific methodologies. To a humanist, anything that
cannot withstand the test of reason should be ignored as superstition. From the
humanist point of view, many religious tenets do not stand the test of reason.
Also, a humanist finds that there are many inherent contradictions among the
various religious beliefs. Therefore, it is not surprising that a humanist
prefers a secular approach to public policies and administration and
self-reliance to succeed in life. Further, humanists believe that human
problems must be solved without expecting any intervention from gods or their
agents.
According to Prof.
Stephen Law, a British philosopher and a senior lecturer at the University of
London, the basic beliefs of humanism are as follows:
·
Humanists believe that science and reason should apply to all
areas of life. No beliefs should be considered off-limits and be protected from
rational scrutiny.
·
Humanists are either atheists or at least agnostics. They are
also skeptical about the existence of angels, demons, and other supernatural
beings.
·
Humanists do not believe in reincarnation. They also reject
the existence of a soul.
·
Humanists strongly believe in the importance of moral values.
They believe that moral and ethical values are derived from human needs and
interests as tested by experience, and they should not be based on religious
values.
·
Life’s
fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane
ideals.
·
Humanists believe
that working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness.
Valluvar’s ideas are in agreement with almost all the above
tenets of humanism. For example, as a rationalist, he is open to inquiry into
the true nature of things and any statements made by anyone. In the 350 kurals
where he discusses management and administration, there is no mention of any
religion. For that matter, Valluvar clearly demonstrates his secular outlook
not only for public policies and administration but throughout his book.
Valluvar strongly advocates moral values which are independent of religions.
Since moral codes change with respect to location and time, he is convinced
that they should be determined by the scholars of society and not by religious
values.
He advocates hard work for success in life rather than
prayer. In fact, he says that even if God cannot help a person achieve what he
desires, he will benefit from hard work. He is convinced that all obstacles to
progress can be overcome by relentless hard work.
He strongly advises
sharing one’s wealth with the less fortunate through charity or philanthropy.
In fact, he says, the purpose of working hard and earning is to share the
wealth with deserving others. According to him, deserving people should be
helped without expecting anything in return. His conviction that deserving
people should be helped at any cost can be seen in the following two kurals:
If benevolence
would result in one’s ruin, it is worth securing that ruin by selling oneself,
if necessary. (kural – 220)
There is
nothing better than philanthropy in this world or heaven. (Kural – 213)
Just
like the humanists, Valluvar believes that human beings should solve human
problems without expecting any help from any superstitious beings. He is in
total agreement with the humanists when he says that the administration and
society should work together to eliminate societal problems.
Based
on Valluvar’s emphasis on rationalism and secularism, his insistence on hard
work, the importance of helping the needy, and his indifference to religion,
one can conclude that Valluvar was one of the original humanists.
Conclusion
The unique, secular, revolutionary, literary masterpiece, the Kural of
Valluvar espouses human equality, rationalism, nonviolence, the importance of
human effort, love, compassion, morality, secularism, and humanism as necessary
elements for the welfare and peaceful existence of mankind and stands as the
beacon light spreading the universally applicable eternal wisdom and guiding mankind.
Prof. V. C. Kulandai Swami, a renowned educationist, poet, scholar, Sahitya
Academy awardee, and former vice chancellor of several Indian Universities,
rightly calls, Valluvar’s magnum opus as “The Immortal Kural.”
Also, the renowned British missionary Rev. Dr. G. U. Pope, a great Tamil
scholar who translated the Kural into English during the 19th
century, expresses his profound admiration for Valluvar by calling him “the
bard of universal man.” Now, it is up to mankind to follow the universally
acceptable eternal guidelines of Valluvar.
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Printing) (1960). The Beacon
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