Thiruvalluvar was a poet of unsurpassed
genius who realised that the Tamil society was asking
him to give a text to serve them as law and at the same
time as an oracle. He rose to the occasion and on palm
leaves wrote verses unerasable from human memory. He wrote
not about his beliefs, religions then in vogue or about
systems and practices of life and society as he found
them. He knew the difference between the permanent and
the ephemeral and created a didactic work which deals
only with matters that will remain unchanged for all times
to come.
Thiruvalluvar intended that his writings
must convey his thoughts to even the lay in a metered
tone as any elderly person instructing a youngster. This
in Tamil is known as seppal - to tell. The 'Venba' style
adapted was the most ideally suited for this. Thus we
have Kural. Kural means diminutive, dwarfish or small
verses. Out of respect the honorific Thiru has been added
to give us Thirukkural. As with our poet his verses too
has no specific name and is simply known by what they
actually are.
The poet's great and only work is divided
into three books, namely Virtues, Wealth and Love. There
are a total of 133 Chapters of 10 couplets each thus making
a total of 1330 Kurals. This work is by no means long;
just 2660 lines. But their value far out weigh the entire
remaining Tamil literature.It is remarkable that during
all the stream of ages the text of the Thirukkural has
remained almost uninjured.
The greatest of literary works any where
in the world, Thirukkural has remained solely a pride
of the Tamil people because of the stupendous difficulties
any one will face in translating the couplets. The first
of these difficulties is ellipsis. To compress phenomenal
ideas into just two lines with meters having but seven
feet was possible for Valluvar in Tamil. Thus ellipsis
is Kural's greatest, most astounding beauty; but also
there lies the rub. To capture it in its entirety in any
other language has proved beyond the ability of ordinary
mortals.
The other aspect that defies translation is the construction
of the ideas themselves. It is so extraordinarily marvelous
that it has been described as an 'apple of gold in a network
of silver'. Complete and striking ideas have been intricately
meshed in each couplet with charming effect. It forms
an exquisite mosaic or perhaps a gem of matchless magnificence.
Place one on a pedestal and walk around it. With each
movement, each step you catch a different ray of a different
colour and as your go around you are struck by glint after
unexpected glint of brilliance. And yet you are left admiring
only the outer structure. It is only when you have gone
around it twice or perhaps thrice suddenly, quite unexpectedly
you catch a hint. In a moment you see the heart of the
jewel, and then all is revealed. What you see is unbelievably
graceful and at the same time admirably grotesque, quaint
and also quintessential, common and yet of such rare splendour.
But beware, each viewer sees the core in the light of
his own wisdom and maturity. Such is the nature of this
creation!
Thus on each Kural it is easy to write a
paragraph, page, chapter or even a book. How then is man
to convey its full purport in a couplet? Many have attempted.
Some have translated it into verses and many have ended
up with commentaries and explanations.
Book Divine by Lt Col CR Sundar is perhaps
the first and commendable attempt to translate the entire
Thirukkural into couplets. Some of the couplets capture
the beauty of the original, some others the true meaning
and yet rare few bestow both to give the reader a true
delight.
Heare are some samples:
The ruiner and ruin repairing fount
All is rain the ever paramount. - Kural 15
He that his five senses fastens in wisdom
Shall seed the world in sagedom - Kural 24
Not God; her husband ever who adores
"Rain" she says and it pours. - Kural 55
Thus should act the son it be said,
Of the father, " How sired he this lad?" - Kural 70
True merchandise of merchants is care
Of others concern as their own. - Kural 120
Forces, people, wealth, ministry and fort
gates
And allies make a king lion among potentates - Kural 381
He may be ill fortified and weak of hand
But beware assaulting him on his land - . Kural 498
To the water level grows the lotus
To the visions height the man in us - Kural 595
All men are born the same indeed;
But differ in greatness by their deed. - Kural 972
They only live who live by agronomy;
All others follow in cringing ignominy.- Kural 1033
Her eye-lined looks ever doubly peridicate,
Some cause pain; others medicate. - Kural 1091
My lover, he stole my grace and modesty
And gave in return this grave morbidity . - Kural 1183
In this life no parting for us, I said,
fond
"Next life?", she said; tears welled, eyes a pond.- Kural
1315
BOOK DIVINE costs US$ 5.00 per copy. Cheques
are to be sent to:
Lt Col CR Sundar,
Plot No. 43, 24th Cross Street,
Padmavathy Nagar, Selaiyur,
Chennai - 600 073, India.
Phone: 044-229 0186
Take
all the knowledge about life available on the earth. Divide
it into three segments whichever way you will. Under each
of those list out fifty or so subjects; and on each of
those subjects write ten relevant couplets in such a way
that their inherent wisdom is true today and remains so
two thousand years hence. This is what The Great Saint
Thiruvalluvar did when He created the timeless Tamil Classic
Thirukkural.