THIRUKKURAL

To understand the present study, it is necessary to know

about the literary work, "Thirukkural" in detail. Hence, to
begin with details are given about the author, the nature of
the work, comparison of the work with the psychological
theories, and its need to be applied in the mental health
field.

""Thirukkural" is a collection of couplets, best known, oft

quoted numerously translated Tamil classic, written by
Thiruvalluvar. Thiruvalluvar was a poet and scholar, a sage
and seer, and an idealist and realist at once. He produced
a body of doctrines which are not only matchless as a work
of synthesis in the entire literature of the world, but it
has also acquired a position unique in transcending the time
and space" (Thirunavukkarasu , 1986).

"THIRUKKURAL" - THE WORK

Thirukkural is believed to be written during Sangam period,
post-Sangam period, etc., roughly about the beginning of AD.
There is no concurrence among scholars about the period of
the work. Though it is a very ol d literature, it still
survives and is in vogue, as can be seen i n the way it is
quoted by many in different walks o f life at present. The
statement made by Thirunavukkarasu (1986) that it transcends
time is justified.
The word "Thirukkural" means sacred couplet. The terms

'Thiru'
'
and 'Kura!'
• ♦
make the title "Thirukkural". 'Kural'
* •

means anything short. But in Tamil, the term 'Kural'

* •
is

given par excellence to Thiruvalluvar’s work only. And

'Thiru' is a mark of respect and thus has been given the

place of prefix both for the name of the author as well as

for the work. "Thiru' also means sacred.

The 'Thirukkural' is commented, interpreted and translated

in various ways. The Parimelal^agar Urai

(Markasahayanjettiar & Ramasamy pulavar.1969) is one

commentory which is most often suggested by the Tamil

scholars and even scholars in Thirukkural. However, certain

scholars like Anandan (1986), say that parime 1 a^agar Urai is

not the commentory on Thirukkural but it is Parimelal agar’s

own personal work. Other commentories include Manakkudavar

Urai, and others.

In addition, there are scholars now who deviate totally from

the above said commentators. They have taken Marxist point

of view (Anandan, 1986), and social point of view

(11angumaranar, 1990; karunanidhi, 1981; Nedunjelian, 1991;

Mohanrasu, 1994), to mention a few.

The translations are various in number and languages. In

English Pope, Muthusamy, V.V.S.Iyer (1989)* have given their

translations. It is also translated into other Indian and

foreign 1anguages .
It is interesting to note that each of the commentators and

translators criticise the other commentators and

translators. The variability in the understanding of the

Thirukkural proves its depth and universality.

At this point, Rajasingam (1987) has to be quoted. "No

perfect translation of the 'kural'

• •
is possible. All

person's belief s and dogmas could be said to find

significance in the kural ' as it is of universal

application. In it are found expositions which cou 1 d be

termed principal in every traditional civilisation. Such

translations as have so far attempted to attach a system or

circumscribe a set of theories depending upon the

translators' predispositions".

In the present study, therefore, various commentories and

translations are read. But interpretation of the text as a

whole and the 'adiharam' in particular are done by the

investigator and the guide, the criterion being good

psychological sense and elegance.

This sacred work has three main section - 'a ram',

*
'p o r u 1 ' ,
•

and "inbam’. These can be roughly translated into English

as righteous way of life, socio-political life and way of

love respectively. Usually, these three aspects are equated

with the ' dharjjfma ' , 'artha', and ' klma ' in Sanskrit,

respectively. However, in the present study, Thirukkural is

not compared with any other literature and is considered as

an independent piece of work. Each of these sections is

divided into different chapter's (' i y a 1 1) ; each chapter is

divided into different topics called ' adi haram ' . Each

' ad i haram ‘ consists of ten couplets ( ' kural

« «
') , The

following is the schematic representation of the

quantitative aspect of Thirukkural,

THIRUKKURAL

Righteous way of life Socio-politics Way of love

(38) (70) (25)

"9
v
Introduction (4) Royalty (25) Love before
wedding (7)

Domestic life (20) Ministry (32) Love after

wedding (18)

Ascetic life (13) Miscellaneous

(13)

Fate (1)

(number’ in brackets is the number’ of topics)

In total there are 133 topics consisting of 10 couplets

each, amounting to 1330 couplets. This is the

categorisation followed by most of the scholars. However,

there are scholars like Anandan (1986), who have categorised

the topics in different ways. But in the present study,

 uk

only the main classification, that is the three sections,

' a ram ' , ' p o r u1 ' and ' i nbam ' are considered. Further finer

classifications of chapters and 'adiharams' under each

chapter are not considered, due to the following reasons.

Firstly, the categorisation shown in the figure does not fit

into the current social system, in the sense that, we do not

have the system of kingship, and the like in its active

sense (second section - ' porutpa1 ' ) . Secondly, in

'arattuppal1, the chapter categorisation as domestic life

and ascetic life do not strictly mean that a person who is

in domestic life can only follow domestic virtues and not

ascetic virtues, and' that a person who is ascetic ally

oriented cannot be in domestic life. This has been said by

the author of the work himself in the following 'kura 11 :

"Atrin ol_uki aranil^ukka i 1 va^kkai

NiTrpcfrin nonmal udaitu"
-K.48

'Behold the house holder who

helpeth others in the observance
of their vows and who leadeth a
virtuous life himself: he is a
greater saint than those who
betake themselves to a life of
fasting and prayer'
-V.V.S.Iyer

Also,

"Malittalum mttalum v^nda ulaham

p a 1 i 11 a d u o 1 i 11 u v i d i n "
* “ ‘' -K. 280

'Neither matted hair thou

wantest nor shaven head, if thou
abstain from that which the world
condemneth1.

-V.V.S.Iyer
These give sufficient proof that one can be in domestic life

and yet follow the characteristics of an ascetic. The third

reason for not following the above said categorisation is

that, there is no one universally accepted categorisation

and there are many controversies regarding the

categorisation. If one particular categorisation is used,

there may be bias.

Hence, with the support from the commentaries of

Ilangumaranar (1990), Anandan (1986), Karunanidhi (1981),

Nedunchelian (1991) and others, the investigator assumes

that 'Thirukkural' is reflective of the social aspects

experienced by people in all walks of life. So in the

present study, the three main sections and the couplets

under each ' ad i ha ram '

♦
are considered. Each 'a dih a r a m '
»
is

counted independently. Other details of classification are

not taken into consideration.

Out of the three sections - 'aram1, 'porul' and 'inborn',

only the first two are considered for the present stsdy.

The third section, namely 'inbam' is left out totally,

because, it predominantly deals with the emotion of love

(' k a d a 1 ') ; the description of the woman and her feelings of

love; the description of love between man and woman before

wedding; and the love between man and woman after wedding

('kalaviyal1 and 'karpiyal'). A different type of approach

specifically using this section could be considered by

future researchers.
 46

Out of the two sections considered in the present study -

'aram'
«
and ' p o r u 1» ' , some 'adiharam'
•
are left out, the reason

for which is described in detail hereunder.

'Van Cirappu1: The 'adiharam' 'vaneirappu ' , i e. , In Praise

of Rain concentrates on the profit and loss, pros and cons

of rains and no rains. It mainly talks about how rain

affects the human life, in terms of agriculture and the

system or order in man. Rain is a natural phenomenon and

does not get included in psychology (though rain may affect

man) directly. It cannot be modified or changed. A

psychological interpretation cannot be arrived at. Hence,

this 'adiharam' is not included in the present study.

'Pula! Maruttal': Not Eating Heat, the ' adihHram1 'pula!

unnamai’ is left out. Extending grounds or compassion to

the animal world, Valluvar says that avoiding meat eating is

as important as any other righteous behaviour. However, in

the modern world many people do not subscribe to this view.

Since this aspect is capable of creating a resistance in the

mind of the subject being tested and too much of puritanical

stand from the point of view of nutrition and modern way of

living, this 'adiharam' is not included.

msifctAr.
'Irai matchi ' : In the 'adiharam1 ' i r a i v a n ak k a-ffl 1 (Greatness

of King), Valluvar describes the qualities of a king -

leader. The aspect of leadership is not dealt with in this

study and hence this ' a d i h3 r a m 1 is not included in the

present study.
' Te r i n du
• •
Tel i d a 1 ' :
•> •
In this ' a d i h a*r a m '
*
selection and
confidence, Valluvar deals with the entrepreneurial skills,

where in one has to select and confide in one person who is

appropriate for the job. Since the present study deals with

mental health and entrepreneurial skill is not directly

t
related to mental health, this 'adiharam' is not in/fluded.

'Terindu
• *
Vinaiadal':
•
This 'adiharam'
»
selection and

employment, is a continuation of the previous 'adiharam'.

The same reason as given above holds good for this

'adiharam' also, and hence it is not included in the present

study.

'Cengonmai': In this 'adiharam' righteous rule, the kind

of leadership is described. The righteous leadership is

what is dealt with in this 'adiharam'. This 'adiharam'

also has been interpreted as dealing with entrepreneurial

skill. For the same reas on given for the above two

'adiharam' this 'adiharam' is also not included in the

present study.

'Kodungonmai': Following the above kind of rule tyrannical

rule or leadership is dealt with in this 'adiharam'. For

the reason stated for the above 'adiharam',

#
this 'adiharam'
•

is also not dealt with in the present study.

'Otradal': The nature and importance of spying by the king,
during the periods of kingdoms, is what is dealt with in

this 'adiharam'. Since this is not related to mental

health, it is not included in the present study,

'Amaiccu': the ministry that the king - ruler ought to

have, has been described. Since this is not relevant to

mental health, it is not included in the present study.

'Tudu':
• *
In this 'adiharam', the nature and duties of a spy
*

are dealt with. Since this is not relevant to the present

study, it is not included.

'Nadu': This 'adiharam' deals with the kind of nation one

ought to be. This is not directly related to mental health

and hence not inlcuded in the present study.

'Aran': The natural protection like the hills - mountains,

sea, and such other aspects, for the protection of the

nation from the enemies is what is dealt with in this

'adiharam'. Since this is not directly related to mental

health, it is not inlcuded in the present study,

'Padai Matci1: It means the greatness of military. Since

Li
the present study does not include the mitary or national
A

political scen^e, which this 'adiharam' is dealing with, it

is not included.
 P a d ai Cerukku': It means the pride of military, The

reason for not including in the present study is the same as

the above.

' P a h ai Matci1: In the present study, the war between

nations is not included. Since this 'adiharam' deals with

the greatness of the enemy that one should know of in

kingship, this is not included in the present study.

Pahai Tiranderidal: Same as above and hence not inlcuded.

'Utpahai': The fight within one's own kingdom is dealt with

in this 'adiharam' which is not dealt with in the present

study and hence excluded.

'Marundu': •
The title means medicine. This 'adiharam'
*
deals

with the food habits and the way disease has to be

approached. This is not relevant to psychology directly,

and hence not included in the present study.

'Ul^avu': In this 'adiharam' farming, the importance of

agriculture is included. This is not directly relevant to

mental health, and hence excluded.

'Nalkuravu': Means poverty. In this 'adiharam', the

negative aspects of poverty is included. Since this is not

directly related to mental health, it is not inlcuded.

For the present study each ' ku ra 1 ' is read and analysed.

The central theme for each 'adiharam' is brought out, which

is usually the. title of the 'adiharam'. For this an

interpretation is given. Based on the interpretation the

inventory is developed. The details are dealt with in the

chapter on methodology.

THIRUKKURAL AND PSYCHOLOGY

"Thirukkural1 has many applications in psychology. Scholars

have viewed "Thirukkural' in psychological terras,

Thirunavukkarasu (1988) in his article, has said that

"Thirukkural1 is very useful in the betterment of the

psychology of the people. Narayanan (1986) has said that

"Thirukkural' is the Veda of the South and it is a source in

which one can find psychological concepts being dealt with.

Similar views have been expressed by a few others also

to the investigator during discussions with them.

Dr. Mohanarasu, Thirukkural Chair, University of Madras,

said that he is carrying on activities based on Thirukkural

for the positive personality growth of school children.

They are asked to live the life of one aspect ("adiharam')

of Thirukkural, example., " vayma i ' , i e . , being truthful

according to the " ku ra1 ' in the "adiharam1, for a period of

one month. They are asked to write an introspective report

about the way of life of truthfulness after the prescribed

period. The teachers also are asked to give a report. It

is found that there is a definite positive impact of this

method. Also, the parents voluntarily give a positive

report. He says that one can definitely bring about a

change in society in the positive direction in due course of

time.
Pulavar ITangumaranar, the author of the book 'Thirukkural -

Va].viyal Urai 1 and many others works, retired as a Tamil

teacher runs a voluntary organisation for Thirukkural

called 'Thirukkural Thava Calai1 in Thiruchirapalli. Here

he trains people who go there in developing the mind with

the use of Thirukkural. This is the main aim in addition to

many other aims of running the organisation. According to

him, Thirukkural gives guidance in the way one has to live,

which is reflected in the title of the book quoted above.

He says that Thirukkural aids one to better oneself and

consequently the society at large.

K.S.Anandan, who has keen understanding and great regard

for Thirukkural has written an interpretation of Thirukkural

titled, 'Thirukkural Unmai Porul'. Reading this work one

feels that Anandan has realised that Thiruvalluvar has

contributed a great deal by giving guidance for the

betterment of the society, by way of guidance for better

behaviour of individual members.

Thavathiru Kundrakkudi Adigalar is a well known figure for

his expertise in Tamil in general and Thirukkural in

particular. It is known that he believes and preaches

Thirukkural to the people, for it guides one to lead a

better life.

Late Vela Rajamanickam founded an organisation called-

' Ku ra 1 *£m ' which is predominantly for the propogation of

Thirukkural. A periodical 'Kuraliyam' is being published

from this organisation. Now the charge of the organisation

is taken over by his daughter Vet. Poongodi. Pulavar

Arumuganar, retired Tamil teacher is the editor of the

magazine. The organisation believes that Thirukkural gives

suggestions for better living of individual members and the

society at large. They work for it by holding workshops and

the like for common people.

Pulavar Kamaluddin is another interesting person, a Tamil

teacher, who arranges competitions for school children every

year on Thirukkural - Thirukkural recitation, drawings based

on different themes of Thirukkural, debates on different

issues on Thirukkural and the like, to bring awareness among

children and the public at large about Thirukkural and

consequently utilisation of Thirukkural concepts for

betterment.

D.Kannan, runs a periodical for Thirukkural 'V a 11u

• ,
var

Va]J 1 . discussion with him resulted in the same theme that

Thirukkural guides one to lead a better life. The above

list is not complete. Many people are working in these

lines with the strong faith in Thirukkural giving guidance

for a better life.

Rajasingam has contributed a great lot to the understanding

of Thirukkural and he says that, it contributes to the

psyche in his work 'Thirukkural - the day light of the

psyche' (1987).
 93

Discussions with the experts and the experienced and reading

books on Thirukkural, made the investigator's hunch that
'Thirukkural gives ideal norms for adaptive behaviour1

stronger and made her to conduct a systemmatic investigation

on how Thirukkural can be used. The investigator finds that

Thirukkural has some similarity with that of the concepts in

humanistic psychology, like self-actualisation and the list

of characteristics of self-actualised person given by Maslow

and the concept of full growth of personality. (The list is

given in the fifth chapter). The present investigation is

the result of this understanding.

* * * * -k