Ethical Values(Virtues) from Thirukkural:
Virtues(Part I)

Tiruvalluvar was one of the greatest social philosophers of the ancient world. His writings show thatØ  he was interested not only in the behaviour and conduct and bearing of a person, but also in the harmonious development of society. His advice is valuable to ascetics as well as to householders.  He roundly condemns accumulation of material wealth, but praises it if such wealth is acquired by honest means and used for the common good of society. In the same breath he encourages the growth of intellectual and spiritual development. He wants people to acquire learning and, having learnt, practise it. Yet, spirituality is superior to all else. As early as in the second verse of the Tirukkural, he says:

Ø  "Of what avail is learned scholarship,
If the Lord’s divine feet they do not worship?" (2)

Ø  The great sage has presented his thoughts in verses of extreme beauty and delicacy. The combination of ideas, language and metre is unique. The verses presented in this article are all translations from the original Tamil. Every translator, without exception, has admitted that it is not possible to capture the elegance of Tiruvalluvar's beautiful style and rhythm in a translation. It can, at best, be a pale reflection of the original work.Ø  His teachings have had a warm place in the hearts of the Tamil people for many generations, and have become part of their culture and life. They might not have always followed the saint, but they have loved, cherished and revered him. Ø  There are many translations of the Tirukkural. Maharishi Shuddhananda Bharati’s translation is simple to follow. In his introduction he says: "The Tirukkural is the guiding light to humanity. It leads one to live in moral purity, in eternal wisdom, in spiritual knowledge, and in perfect prosperity, wealth and health. It is a faithful friend to the family man, to the mother, to children, to teachers, artists, scholars, rulers and politicians.”  Valluvar was a philosopher, that is, a man of great wisdom. He gave the world a most wonderful gift in the form of the Tirukkural  The great scholar and statesman, Sri Rajagopalachari said: "Tiruvalluvar was one of those rare and great men whose catholic spirit rose above all kinds of castes and creeds, and whose vision was not clouded by dogma or prejudice of any kind".

Ø   On Virtue :Ø  In a beautifully simple way, Tiruvalluvar wastes no time in talking about what is good and what is not. Goodness is purity of mind, and that which ought to be done. Vice is that which has to be avoided. Ø  In  the Arthuppaal section, Tiruvalluvar makes comments on what is good and what is bad. He describes life and lays down a code of conduct or behaviour, the first ten verses are in praise of God. At the very outset, Valluvar impresses on our mind the supreme aim of human life i.e. the attainment of God. God is the basis of all peace, bliss and knowledge. Likewise, God is the end of all knowledge. The goal of life, which is birth-less-ness and the end of all pain and suffering, can be reached only by those who have surrendered totally at His divine feet.

Ø  There are none so great as those who have renounced the world. They have knowledge of both worlds, the world of trials and hardships, which is the world we live in, as well as the world of peace and eternal bliss.

Ø  The ascetic controls the five senses,( of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste)  is the first step to God-vision. It is the seed, which eventually flowers in heaven. The fully developed Yogi who has mastered the senses is truly a king. The rest of the world, who are slaves to their senses and passions, are obliged to bow to such a sage of wisdom.

Ø  Domestic Virtue: Tiruvalluvar devotes twenty chapters to the important subject of domestic virtue. The advice given in them is useful to practically the whole of humanity. The themes, beginning with married life and the bliss of having children, continue with advice relating to hospitality, kindness, sweet words, gratitude, self-control and good conduct, and conclude with clear guidelines on how the householder can avoid being envious, how he can stop the free flow of vicious gossip and slander, and how he can relate to the society he lives in through charity and other good deeds. Valluvar urges us to perform good action at all times. The Yoga of good action is also a path to God-realisation. Birth and consequent suffering are not for a true Karma Yogi who serves God. The duties of a householder, who earns money and brings home an income, are just as important as those of an ascetic. It is he who supports the renunciate, the students and the needy. He who lives virtuously as a householder, is sure to make progress God-ward. A home in which love and virtue abound is truly heaven on earth.

Ø  A good wife is one who is virtuous and keeps control over the household budget. She is chaste and honourable, is the husband’s helpmate in everything that he does. Children are their parent’s greatest treasures.

Ø  Receiving guests and extending hospitality to them was given great importance during Tiruvalluvar’s time. A householder should serve guests first before partaking of meals himself. Neglect of guests is considered as something mean. On the other hand, the Goddess of Fortune smiles on one who is hospitable.

Ø  The ideal householder is courteous in speech, does not lose his self-control, and is free from envy. He is full of love and gratitude to those who have helped him in any way.

Ø  Self-control is the mark that identifies a wise man. He has perfect control of the senses, and withdraws them just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its body.

Ø   At a rash moment it is possible to do harm which would take time to heal. The tongue is a troublemaker. Valluvar urges its control. One who controls his tongue perfectly is free from anger. Anger is your worst enemy.

Ø  [Note: Swami Shivananda says that of all the spiritual practices the most difficult one in which to succeed is to be able to bear insult and injury. This is called forbearance. The poet (Valluvar) also beseeches us to forgive and forget.]

Ø  Do not return evil for evil. Not even the penance of fasting can compare with the penance of refusing to respond to the hurt caused by the cruel words of others.

Ø  Do not be envious of the success of others. Do not be greedy.

Ø   It is better to confront someone directly; slandering and backbiting are wrong. He who speaks ill of others will find others speaking ill of him. Take stock of yourself for a few days and count the number of times you speak ill of others. You will be amazed how guilty all are of slander.

Ø  Idle, useless talk is the mark of the unwise. Hence, refrain from it at all costs. Gossiping, faultfinding and slandering should not be indulged in.

Ø  Give, give, give. It is a strange truth that the more one gives, the more one receives. You must have heard of this riddle- "The more one takes out, the bigger it grows". What is it? The answer is- a hole! Charity is very much like that. Give to others with a loving heart, and the world will one day be at your feet. Pure, loving charity is one of the greatest purifiers of the heart.

Ø Ascetic  Virtues

Ø  The renunciate or Sannyasin is one who has renounced the world and its pleasures of the senses. Such a person is also called an ascetic. The saint makes a distinction between domestic virtue (good deeds practised by a householder), and ascetic virtue. Even virtues come in degrees! For this to be understood, try to work out the difference in meaning between kindness and compassion. Tiruvalluvar devotes thirteen chapters to the subject of ascetic virtue. He dwells on such subjects as non-killing, mercy, hypocrisy, truthfulness, curbing of desires, and the renunciation of objects.

Ø  Anyone- even the basest of men- can possess money. But only those who are truly kind are wealthy.

Ø  Successful people often forget that they, too, were once weak and sought the compassion of those stronger than themselves. We remember unkind acts done to us for years and years. Those who lack compassion and love have very few friends.

Ø  Be sincere at heart, judge men by their actions, not by their looks; a straight arrow causes pain, yet a bent lute brings joy into the hearts of the listener. Even amongst Sadhus (ascetics), there are some hypocrites- men who pretend to be what they are not.

On Truthfullness

"If you should ask what truth may be,
It’s speech from every evil free". (291)

"If it will yield pure, unmixed good,
Truth may be replaced by falsehood". (292)

 Valluvar  is interested mainly in the welfare of people and the happiness of mankind. He does not want needless misery and suffering for the sake of merely upholding a moral idea. Let us understand the second verse well (292, which is by no means a passport to wide-spread untruthfulness.

 On  Dharma

Ø  There is no great wealth one can acquire than Dharma and no misfortune greater than the forgetting of it. Forgetting Dharma is failing to perform one’s duties according to Dharma.

Ø  Go as far as your strength and resources permit without swerving from the path of Dharma.[Note: This is Tiru-Valluvar’s characteristic way of bringing everything down to the level of practicability without losing hold of the ideal.]

Ø  Keep the mind from evil thoughts. This is the whole of Dharma. The rest is only of the nature of sound and show.

Ø  The key to purity of action is purity of thought. The attainment of a mind free from evil thoughts is the aim of a religious life, and this is a silent process. External observances are sound and show.[Note: The Tamil word Aakulam is sound and show.]

Ø  True religious life consists in the avoidance of four things: envy, the craving for pleasure, anger and harsh speech.

Ø  Do not say to yourself ‘Let me see about it later when I shall be better fitted.’ Live the true religious life now. It will be the one unfailing support when all else will disappear and become of no use.

Ø  Only the joy that comes from right conduct is true happiness. Other pleasures are really sources of pain and causes of shame.Ø  Pleasure will soon become shame and pain, if the act that procured it was unrighteous. Right conduct is therefore not only right but also wise.

ON Good Householder: The householder so-called helps the other orders in the proper fulfillment of their duties.The unmarried student,who gives up active life and goes to the jungle, and the Sannyasin, can carry on as such, only because some others live as good householders. The householders therefore should not be looked upon as selfishly living for pleasures while the others are leading lives of abstinence. The householder works for the others who renounce work.

Ø  Love and right conduct give to the householder’s life its true character and purposefulness.

Ø  Family life is beautiful and purposeful only if it is marked by love and Dharma. Love makes it beautiful and Dharma is fulfillment of its purpose.

Ø  If a man goes through the householder’s life along the way of Dharma, nothing is left for him to attain by becoming a recluse or going to the forest.

Ø  Of all classes of aspirants to Dharma, the householder who lives up to the standard is the most estimable.

Ø  There is more penance in the life of a householder who does what should be done and avoids any lapse from Dharma, than in the privations of hermits.

Ø  He, who leads his life in this world, as he should, ranks with the gods in heaven.

Ø  The Life Partner

Ø  She is a true-life companion who proves equal to the tasks of a householder’s life, adjusting herself to the breadwinner’s resources.

Ø  It is essential for happiness in family life that culturally and economically the wife should fall into line with the family of her adoption. The partnership will not work otherwise.

Ø  There is no true family life where the wife has not the qualities required for helping in the fulfillment of the duties of a good householder. If the mistress of the house has not these qualities, neither wealth nor other circumstances can be of any avail.The husband’s virtues cannot make up for it.

Ø  If the mistress of the house possesses the qualities of a true-life partner, nothing will be wanting. If the mistress of the house does not have those qualities, naught will avail.

                             What possession of greater value can one have than a wife,

                                      if she be firm in her loyalty to her partner in life?

Ø  The true wife thinks not of God when she rises in the morning. She offers her worship to the husband and that is enough. Even the clouds will obey and pour the rain at her command.

Ø  Of what use is that purity which is brought about by physical restrictions and isolation to which women are subjected? Their own senses of a pure life is the best watch.

Ø  Children

Ø  Of all things one may be blessed with, we can think of nothing equal to the joy of having begot children who have grown up to true enlightenment.

Ø  Far sweeter than heavenly ambrosia is the porridge in which one’s child has dabbled with its little hand.

Ø  They speak of the sweet tones of the flute and of the harp, who have not had children and heard them lisp their newly learnt words.

Ø  The best inheritance that a father can provide for his son is an education that will fit him to take an honoured place among cultured men.

Ø  In bringing up sons, fathers should remember that not wealth but education conduces most to their happiness.

Ø  Hearing words of appreciation uttered by people about her son, the mother feels greater joy than what she felt on the day he was born.

Ø  The son’s greatest filial service is so to conduct himself as to make men say in wonderment ‘Great must have been the father’s good deeds to be blessed with such a noble son’.

Ø  A Loving Disposition

Ø  Those who have not the loving disposition, belong wholly to themselves. The tenderhearted belong to others even in their bones.

Ø  The love in their hearts makes them possession of the living world outside of them.The enlightened hold that the saving joy of the soul when burdened with the body is the experience of human affection.

Ø  Human affection is possible only if the soul is clothed in flesh and blood, and it is worthwhile for the sake of the experience of such affection to suffer the miseries of life on earth. The soul would like to be born in flesh and blood for the sake of enjoying this incident of life on earth.

Ø  Affection is atraining for bhakti (devotion), and out of bhakti will come unsought, true enlightenment, the goal of all religious endeavour.

Ø  Strewn with pleasure is the way to heaven, for it can be attained by well ordered family life. This is contrasted by implication to the toilsome path of celibacy and penance.

Ø LOVE

Ø  Men of imperfect understanding think that a tender heart helps one only in the path of good morality. Love inspires the warlike deeds of the brave soldiers too.

Ø  Inflexible law withers the soul of him that has no love in his heart, even as the sun shrivels up the bodies of boneless worms.

Ø  As the spine supports the bodies of vertebrates, love supports the soul. Without it, it shrinks and stops the spirit’s evolution.

Ø  Where there is no tenderness of heart, life is barren of purpose. Can a tree that is dried up in the desert sun put forth leaves?

Ø  Without a tender heart, of what avail are the externals of family life? Just as the outer ear or eye may be there, but it is of no avail to the deaf and the blind, so is the soulless routine of a householder’s life purposeless without tenderness of heart.

Ø  Without tenderness of heart, the body is but bones covered up with skin. In love alone is the secret of life .Life functions really in love and not in the physical activities of the body.

Ø  An Open House/Hospitality

Ø  The only justification for a man to remain in family life and for acquiring and keeping property (without becoming a Sannyasin) is that he may command the means by which help may be given to those who seek help.

Ø  Family life is not a right but a duty arising out of the obligations of the individual to society.

Ø  To seat for a meal by oneself, keeping out those who come expecting hospitality, is a thing to be abhorred even if the food were the elixir of immortality.

Ø  The goddess of prosperity will be gladdened in heart and linger in the house of the man whose smiling face welcomes those who seek hospitality.

Ø  Must he indeed sow seeds in his field, who eats what remains after feeding the guests?

Ø  The gods will look after the affairs of the man who feeds his guest before sitting down himself to eat. Hospitality is itself seed enough for his fields and the crops will rise.

Ø  "What have we gained spending all our lives in toil and care? Nothing avails now. There is nothing to lean upon." Thus on their last day will lament those who have failed to perform the sacrifice of hospitality and look after those who come for help.Hospitality is equivalent to a religious sacrifice.

Ø  How stupid those misers are who fail to practise the law of hospitality! They succeed in being poor in the midst of plenty.

Ø  The delicate flower withers away if you take it to the nose to inhale its fragrance. But the guest who comes for a meal will shrink even at a distant look that indicates unwillingness to receive.

Ø  We should treat poor guests more delicately than the most delicate flower.

Ø  The Soft Word

Ø  The speech of enlightened men consists of truth soaked in affection.Gentleness of speech is not pleasant falsehood, but the truth that is spoken by men who know the whole of the law and are not misled by dry dogmas, who are full of affection for the person to whom the truth is addressed, and therefore find the words that save truth from harshness.

Ø  The kindly word and the glad and loving look accompanying a gift are appreciated even more than the gift itself.

Ø  To give is good. But the sweet manner accompanying the gift touches the heart of the receiver even more than the good gift itself.

Ø  The relief of distress consists in the glad face, the welcome look and speech that is marked by genuine consideration for the feelings of the man who is in distress.

Ø  The gift that is thrown at the distressed without these accompaniments does not really relieve suffering but hurts.

Ø  One need not fear poverty if he has gladdened the hearts of men by kind words.The world will not leave such a man to suffer by reason of adversity.

Ø  Not jewels but courteous deportment and gladness of speech are the things that adorn.

Ø  Truly it is strange that people speak harsh words, when they have themselves felt and experienced the joy that kindly speech begets.

Ø  Every moment we have direct personal experience of the marvellous effect of kind words from others and yet, when we speak, we forget it and indulge in harsh speech.[Note: The Kural technique of carrying conviction can be seen in this.]

Ø  When gentle words are available, why do men choose the words that hurt? Is it not foolish to pick unripe berries when ripe ones can be had for the plucking?

Ø  Gratitude

Ø  The good deed that is done not in return, but in the first instance, is more precious than anything is in this world or beyond. Nothing can repay that act.

Ø  What is done in return for something previously done can never be as great as the deed born out of sheer generosity, be it ever so small by itself. There is therefore nothing that can be considered an adequate repayment. It is above every other kind of goodness.

Ø  By itself the help rendered may be a trifle, but the hour of need when it was given makes it bigger than the whole world.

Ø  It is bad to forget a favour done to you. But if someone does you a wrong, it is good to forget it that very day.

Ø  Painful like death itself may be the evil that you suffer at a man’s hand. But remind yourself of some good thing that he once did for you. It will help you to forget the present pain.[Note: This is another fine instance of Tiru-Valluvar’s characteristic way of giving helpful practical hints to follow what may seem to be a mere counsel of perfection, showing what a great master of psychology Valluvar was.]

Ø  Rectitude

Ø  The acquisition of a man of rectitude goes down to his children without diminution and will protect them against adversity.[Note: This is not a mere superstition invoked for supporting the moral rule. There is practical wisdom in the statement as to the stability of well-earned wealth and the instability of acquisitions got by methods that society condemns. Rectitude of means employed gives stability to what is acquired, whereas what is got by swerving from the straight path stands ever in danger of being lost again or serving as a snare. The most powerful motive for the householder is the desire to see that his children are assured of happiness after him. Upright conduct, says Tiru-Valluvar, ensures this.]

Ø  It may seem that no evil attaches to the acquisition that comes by swerving from the path of rectitude. But do not be tempted. Give up the thought at once.

Ø  Who lived a life of rectitude and who did not can be seen from how the children they have left behind fare.[Note: Your life will impress itself on your child’s character, and if you wish well for your child beware and walk in the path of rectitude, says the poet.]

Ø  The swerving of your mind can be perceived by you before anyone else sees it. Look upon it as an evil portent and beware.

Ø  If the man who walks firmly in the path of rectitude thereby loses his worldly possessions, his poverty does not lower him in the estimation of the world. He retains his status in society as if nothing had happened to him.

Ø  Let businessmen know that it is good business to protect the interests of others exactly as they do their own.[Note: This is the Kural version of the formula that honesty is the best policy. Rectitude is not only Dharma but good economic policy also.]

Ø  Self-Control : Self-control is as necessary a virtue for the householder as for the recluse. ‘Adakkam’ in Tamil may mean either self-control or humility. Self-control, guarding against cupidity, pride and anger, is what is dealt with here.

Ø  Self-control takes one to the gods. Want of it will push one into utter darkness.

Ø  There is no possession more precious than self-control. Watch yourself therefore as you would watch treasure.

Ø  It is well for everyone to be meek, but for those who have wealth meekness is added possession.[Note: Learning, good birth, and wealth are not reduced but enhanced by a becoming humility of deportment. The word used here for humility of deportment is ‘Panidal’ which literally means ‘bowing to show respect’.]

Ø  If a man lives a life of self-control and withdraws the five senses from tempting pleasures as a tortoise , upon sensing danger, draws its head and limbs into its shell, he shall have insured himself against evil in seven births thereafter.

Ø  You may neglect everything else, but be ever vigilant in restraining your tongue. Those who fail to do so meet with great trouble.[Note: Not that in other things one may relax control; but the danger of careless or angry speech is constantly present, and requires special attention.]

Ø  The injury caused by a burn heals, but the pain caused by the thoughtless word is never forgotten by the man who is hurt. It remains forever in his mind like an ugly scar.

Ø  If a man knows how to control the rising anger in his mind and guards himself against losing his temper, all other virtues will seek him out and wait on his pleasure.

Ø  The Regulated Life

Ø  Discipline of life is more precious than life itself, for it is out of that discipline that life derives value.

Ø  One may study many philosophies and clear his doubts but it is the well-regulated life that ultimately avails and nothing else. Therefore, guard it whatever may be the difficulty involved.

Ø  The well-regulated life ennobles every rank of life. Where this fails, good or noble parentage will not save the man.

Ø  The Brahmin can study again what he has forgotten of the scriptures and make up for lost memory. But if he neglects regulation of life he forfeits forever the advantage of his birth.

Ø  A well-regulated life brings honour. Neglect of it will lead to utter disgrace.

Ø  The learned really betray ignorance when in spite of their learning they fail to regulate their lives in accordance with the principle of social cooperation.

Ø  [Note: Learning is worthless if one cannot exercise self-control in conduct and behaviour. Regulation of life and social cooperation are more important than scriptural or philosophical knowledge.]

Ø  Unlawful Love

Ø  It is stupidity to entertain amorous thoughts about one who belongs to another. Any one that knows either the way of Dharma or that of worldly wisdom will avoid this folly.

Ø  Among those who stray from the path of right conduct, there is none so stupid as the man who trespasses into another man’s home.

Ø  It is better for one to be dead than to be tempted by thoughts of sin where one has been received with trust.

Ø  Of no avail will be a man’s importance, however great it may be, if he is thoughtless and lacks the simple wisdom of not violating another’s home.

Ø  It may seem all too easy to err with another’s wife, but the disgrace will be irredeemable for all time.

Ø  Enmity, Sin, Fear and Disgrace will always dog the path of the man who violates the sacredness of another’s home.

Ø  He is not a true householder who lets his amorous thoughts dwell on those who belong to others. He may in conduct be a good husband and a good father and everything else, but the impure thought is enough to make it all unreal.

Ø  Manhood consists in being able to control one’s mind and being proof against amorous thoughts towards one that belongs to another. It is good religion as well as social order.

vedaprakasha
http://www.ethicalvaluesfromtirukkural.blogspot.com/