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PM Gifts Russian President Translated Thirukkural
The Prime Minister of India gifts the Russian President a translated version of the traditional Tamil text Thirukkural during their bilateral meeting. The news highlights key facts about Thirukkural, including its authorship, structure, division into books, and themes.
Thirukkural:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Authorship | Thirukkural is authored by the poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, also known as “Valluvar”. |
| Nature of work | Thirukkural is considered a seminal work of ancient Tamil literature and philosophy and regarded as an influential work on ethics. |
| Composition period | Thirukkural is composed more than two millennia ago, between 300 BCE and 500 BCE. |
| Meaning of title | Thirukkural translates to “sacred verses” or “sacred couplets” in English. |
| Structure | Thirukkural comprises 1,330 stanzas or couplets, each of seven words called “kurals”. |
| Chapters | Thirukkural comprises 133 chapters, with 10 couplets in each chapter. |
| Division into books | Thirukkural is divided into three books: The Book of Virtue (Dharma); The Book of Polity; and The Book of Love. |
| The Book of Virtue | The Book of Virtue (Dharma) deals with morality (aram) and values of an individual, and comprises 38 chapters. |
| The Book of Polity | The Book of Polity provides teachings regarding materialism (porul) and socio-economic values, and comprises 70 chapters. |
| The Book of Love | The Book of Love provides detailed teachings of love (inbam), and comprises 25 chapters. |
| Core emphasis | Thirukkural emphasises moral conduct and speaks of the realities of human life. |
| Social outlook | Thiruvalluvar discourages divisions based on religion, caste, creed, and race, and asserts that morality and kindness are indispensable for a meaningful human life. |
| Virtues listed | To elevate human life and social well-being, Thirukkural outlines virtues such as spirituality, charity, and love. |
| Concept of God | The concept of God is delineated in the first chapter titled Kadavul Vazhthu (The Praise of God), and God is described as “pure intelligence” and omniscient, embodying wisdom, compassion, morality, and love. |
| Love classification | The topic of love (inbam) is categorised into two forms: Kalaviyal and Karpiyal. |
| Kalaviyal | Kalaviyal refers to pre-marital love and is tied to marriage without any ceremony. |
| Karpiyal | Karpiyal refers to traditional marital love. |