Thirukkural By Kothai Ramanathan Standing on the Kanyakumari coast, Indian mainland’s southernmost tip, one cannot miss the statue of Thiruvalluvar erected on an island just off the coast. At 133 ft, the figure is certainly not the tallest in India. Still, it is a tall reminder of the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural that Thiruvalluvar has left behind espousing his views on virtue, wealth and love. In an age where wit and wisdom get packaged in byte-sized tweets of 140 characters, the Thirukkural could be considered a consolidation of tweets that contain timeless wisdom. The Thirukkural is a classic Tamil text consisting of 1330 short couplets or Kurals, which have captivated great thinkers and shaped many minds. Structured as three divisions, the Kural
Timeless Wisdom of Thiruvalluvar
Thiruvalluvar statue off Kanyakumari coast
not only stood the test of time but continues to be a shining light, a beacon, guiding one and all through the vagaries of life. Each kural or couplet contains precisely seven words; four words on the first line and three on the second. With such an economy of words and strictness of structure, can a Kural convey anything worthwhile, one may begin to wonder. But savour this for a thought on controlling one’s speech. In this couplet, Thiruvalluvar talks about the need to guard ourselves regarding what we speak and warns that a loose tongue will lead to misery.
consists of the first 38 chapters that focus on moral and cosmic order (dharma), the next 70 on political and economic matters (artha), and the remaining about pleasure (kama). Estimated to be about 2000 years old, the Thirukkural has
Tarang
We won't be unwise:
