It is the ability to think, reason, and understand that helps one to progress with the world
. (Kural 426)A first look at Thirukkural
Thirukkural (or Kural in short) does not belong to any
particular religion or sect and no one owns it. Kural is the compilation of one thousand
three hundred and thirty Tamil maxims. These maxims were written
by Thiruvalluvar (popularly known as Valluvar) who lived about 2000
years ago in Tamil Nadu, India.
During Valluvar’s period, belief-based practices were rampant. Fear, ignorance, and fallacies
dominated people’s lives. Society then believed, for example: people
were not equal because they were born into different castes, there was
rainfall because people performed ritualistic sacrifices, fate was the
reason for people not living good lives, and other such notions. In
short, the society simply performed in ignorance. Kural was a timely
warning.
People who clear their doubts by seeking out facts
will find the sky less mysterious than the earth. (Kural 353)
Kural is common to all. It makes no claim to perfection or to eternity. Its claim is
only to the available light of reason. The more critically one
analyses it the more mature one will become.
There are one hundred and thirty three chapters with each chapter
containing ten maxims.
Each one of the maxims attempts to
enrich a person’s thinking, reasoning and understanding without regards
to his race, religion, language, caste, color, gender or any other such
divisive force.
People are born alike but their self-esteem varies
because of the jobs they do for a living. (Kural 972)
Kural consists of three sections: "Aram" (doing things, with honor, for the good of the less fortunate; "Porul" (realities of life); and "Inbam" (the pleasures that a man and a woman experience in the course of their relationship).
Click FAQ to browse through the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Click Selected Few to glance through the meanings (in simple Tamil ) of some of the key words used in the Kural.
The book "Thirukkural: A Guide to Effective Living" is an interpretation of the Kural in simple English. Click The Book to find out more about it.