Ahimsa  and otherVirtues
Ahimsa

"All virtue’s aim is not to kill,
For killing leads to every kind of ill". (321)

"You may lose your life but still,
Another being you should not kill". (327)

[Note: Ahimsa or non-injury of any form is the highest virtue. Sri Swami Shivananda says: "Do not injure any being or creature in thought, word or deed". Valluvar also exhorts man to refrain from killing in any form.]
  Eat No Meat

Ø  How can a man adopt the way of compassion, gorging on the flesh of other beings in order to fatten his own flesh?

Ø  Meat eating is inconsistent with tenderness to life or compassion. Nature cannot work a contrary whatever be the casuistry (clever but false reasoning) about it. If we must eat meat, let us not talk of compassion.

Ø  The butcher with the knife in his hand cannot turn his heart to compassion. It is just the same with one who has trained his mind to find pleasure in the eating of the body of another creature made tasty with condiments.

Ø  [Note: He who likes the taste of meat is a butcher, whose occupation one detests. It is no use distinguishing between meat eating and the slaughtering of animals oneself.]

Ø  Eating the meat that is obtained by killing is gross stupidity. It is the direct opposite of the doctrine of compassion to kill the doctrine of non-killing by eating meat and thereby encouraging others to kill.[Note: To make other people break the law against killing life cannot be consistent with compassion. There is no sense, therefore, in those who would not themselves kill but eating the meat that is necessarily obtained by killing. This is obviously a protest against the eating of meat practised by persons professing to be adherents of the law of non-killing, and an answer to those who argue that dietary rules should not be mixed up with compassion of virtues of the mind.]

Ø  If men will decide not to kill for the sake of eating no one will make a trade or profession of slaughtering living creatures.

Ø  [Note: This is an answer to the argument that people live by selling meat and that if we buy meat already slaughtered there can be no sin in it or want of compassion.]

Ø  What is meat but a cruel and ugly ulcer or wound in the body of another creature? How can one who realises this make it an article of food?

Ø  [Note: It is strange, says the poet, that something so disgusting and so cruel can be regarded as food.]

Ø  More meritorious than a thousand burnt offerings is to give up the practice of killing a living creature and eating its carcass.

Ø  All the creatures of the world offer worship to the man who refrains from killing and abstains from meat.

Ø  [Note: The poet figures to himself the grateful adoration of dumb animals as to a god descended on earth to save them from their relentless enemies.]

Ø  Share you food with the hungry and help life in all forms. Refrain from causing death to any form of life. All the codes enjoin this.

Ø  Life is dear, but even to save your life, do not do that which would deprive another creature of its own dear life.

Transitory  World

Sages have repeatedly spoken of the unreal nature of this world. Can you name anything that will remain exactly the same after a million years? That is why we are told not to place our faith in the objects of this world. They can never give us true happiness. Valluvar says:

"Only the base and ignorant
Hold transient as permanent". (331)

"A day seems real but it is a knife
That daily saws a portion from your life". (384)

"The soul from body any day,
Like bird from egg-shell, flies away".(338)

Reincarnation
Tiruvalluvar deals with the subject of reincarnation. Reincarnation is one of the cardinal tenets of the Hindu religion.

"Death is sinking into slumbers deep
Birth again is waking out of sleep". (339)

Renunciation
The goal of life is the attainment of the state of permanent happiness. For this, renunciation is necessary. Renunciation means giving up all wealth, pleasures of the senses, and the fruits of all actions. It does not mean running away to a cave or to an Ashram. The senses must be subdued and the ego crushed. Birth carries with it the seeds of suffering. Happiness comes only when we realise God and overcome both birth and death.

Desire
It is desire that is the source of all pain and suffering. If one can gain mastery over desire, one experiences true freedom and enjoys lasting peace and bliss. Desires can never be satisfied by fulfilling them. Trying to satisfy them by fulfilling them will be like adding fuel to the fire to extinguish the flame. Desires make the mind restless with all kinds of thoughts whirling about.

Ø  Forbearance: Your forbearance will prove your greater worth and disillusion opponent’s pride. Forbearance is not a negative thing. It is an effective blow delivered to the wrong doer’s pride. It is not a platitude. The incisive rationalist approach is a common characteristic of Tiru-Valluvar .]

Ø  Does not the earth support the man that is engaged in digging it? It is proper that we too bear with those who wrong us.

Ø  If one wrongs you, put up with it. But it is better still to forget it if you can.

Ø  It is not a very great achievement if one inflicts revenge for a wrong done. It is a golden achievement and will remain in the public memory as such, if a strong man shows forbearance in the face of wrongs done to him.

Ø  Retaliation gives but a day’s joy. Forbearance brings glory for all time.

Ø  Arrogance leads a man to do wrong to you. But your pride should be to defeat him by your forbearance.

Ø  The man who shows forbearance in the face of insult has truly practised the discipline of the Sannyasin though he is a householder.

Ø  Ascetics go without food and do penance, but forbearance in the face of the foolish attacks of ignorant men is a greater penance than such fasting.

Ø  Do Not Envy/Greed

Ø  There is no greater wealth than the possession of a mind that is free from envy.

Ø  It is he that cares not for his own spiritual or material well being that allows his mind to entertain envious thoughts instead of feeling happy when he sees the well being of others.

Ø  Envy makes a man lose happiness without having a single enemy in the outer world. His  own envy is enough to do all the mischief.

Ø  The goddess of good luck is impatient with men who cannot bear the sight of other people’s good fortune. She immediately entrusts such men to the charge of her elder sister(Misfortune)
[Note: In the folk mythology of India, which in its own way embodied Vedanta, the elder sister of the goddess of Fortune is Misfortune. Misfortune is the responsibility of the senior goddess, while the younger is in charge of good luck and well being. The two are sisters, and therein we can see the philosophy of Vedanta, which looks on pain and pleasure with indifference.]

Ø  You may be blessed with every good trait and all good fortune. But the one serious blemish of envy is enough to cast you into hell-fire.Envy makes hell for the man who nourishes that feeling in his present life as well hereafter.

Ø  None has grown richer by envying. No one has lost anything by not envying.

Ø  Do Not Covet

Ø  If a man’s mind turns to thoughts of abandoning rectitude and taking by illegitimate means what belongs to others, it will automatically lead him from error to error and bring disgrace on him and his family.

Ø  Those who desire to be happy in the real sense do not turn to what is not legitimate, which at the most can give but transient pleasure.

Ø  Those who have acquired true vision by keeping their senses under control never think of other’s possessions to make up for their want.

Ø  Of no avail is keenness of intellect, of no avail is wide knowledge, if greed seizes a man and leads him to folly.[Note: Greed is a malady, which affects even men of keen intellect and wide learning. Hence this warning.]

Ø  If indeed you live a householder’s life in order ultimately to learn to look upon all beings with the eye of universal love and charity, how ruinous to that plan  to let greedy thoughts enter your mind!

Ø  Do not covet others’ possessions. When you come to possess the things, which you laboured illegitimately to obtain, you will find no true enjoyment therein, such as you had desired. True enjoyment is possible only if the acquisition is lawful.

Ø  Greed is folly. It results only in misery equivalent to death. On the other hand, it should be your pride not to be tempted to look with covetous eyes on other people’s possessions. Cultivate this indifference. It will give you a sense of triumph.

Ø  Speak Not ill of others

Ø  You may sometimes speak the harshest things to a man’s face, but do not indulge in the folly of attacking any one behind his back.

Ø  If men would see their own faults as they see the faults of others, verily evil would come to an end in this world.

Ø  Avoid Worthless Talk

Ø  He who indulges in purposeless talk causing disgust to his company earns universal contempt.

Ø  Indulging in indecent talk in mixed company does great mischief than even wrongs done to friends.

Ø  Conscience:‘Trepidation at the thought of wrongdoing’

Ø  The very thought of wrongdoing frightens good men, although bad men see nothing terrible in wrongdoing.

Ø  From evil springs fresh evil, like fire which regenerates itself. Men should shrink from sin as from a terror even worse than fire.

Ø  The highest and most precious of all arts consists in not returning evil for evil.

Ø  Even by inadvertence do not think of any act that would hurt another. If you plan evil for any one, Dharma will decree your own ruin.

Ø  The evil pursues the evildoer as a man finds his shadow pursuing him wherever his feet may take him. Those who commit evil cannot escape nemesis.

Ø  Do you love yourself? Then do not do to any one what falls in the class of wrongdoing, however small it may be.[Note: The inexorable law will bring injury to one who behaves wrongly towards others.]

Ø  Social Co-operation – Proper Use Of Wealth

Ø  What good did the creatures of the earth do to the clouds that pour the rain? So indeed should you serve society, seeking no return.

Ø  Good men put forth industry and produce wealth, not for themselves but for the use of society.[Note: Wealth is not to be earned for the purpose of self-indulgence or for satisfaction of greed. Wealth should be treated as the citizen’s instrument for helpfulness combined with a sense of duty.]

Ø  There is no pleasure in this or in the other world equal to the joy of being helpful to those around you. Do not lose the opportunity for this rare pleasure.

Ø  Man is born as a social being. He alone truly lives who functions as a social co-operator. He who does not recognize this duty is to be counted as one dead.

Ø  When prosperity comes to a man who has understanding and knows his duty to his fellowmen, it is like the village water tank that is filled by the rain. When the village water tank gets filled by rain it is an occasion for joy for the whole community. The tank keeps the water from running to waste or being dried up, and serves to quench the people’s thirst throughout the year. So should the government feel when a good man prospers.

Ø  When wealth comes to a large hearted man, it is like the village tree coming to be in fruit.

Ø  If wealth comes to one who is blessed with a large heart it becomes the unfailing drug plant for society’s troubles.

Ø  [Note: The village water tank stores the water from running to waste; so the wise citizen acquires and looks after his acquisitions in order to serve all. The village tree bears ripe fruit; so the liberal minded citizen freely gives of his wealth to help all around. The medicinal tree is the precious alchemist of nature. Its leaves, bark, fruit and root take out of the earth those essences, which relieve ailments of all kinds. So does the wealth of the great citizens serve to relieve suffering of all kinds. His knowledge and experience make up the alchemy that is needed to put the wealth to effective use for the benefit of the community.]

Ø  Poverty does not stop the social co-operation of those who have a clear understanding of the duties of life. They continue their social service undeterred by adversity.[Note: It is not necessary to be rich to be helpful. There are ways in which in any position one can help. The essence of social service is in the mind. Under each changed circumstance, a new duty arises and the due fulfillment of it is what should be attended to. When, therefore, a man loses his material resources, he does not need to think that his capacity for social co-operation has ended.]

Ø  The worst misery that poverty brings to the large hearted man is the pain of not having resources enough to serve others in the manner he had been accustomed to.

Ø  If social co-operation appears to ruin you, it is indeed worthwhile to be ruined. You may sell yourself into slavery if that would enable you to serve the people around you.[Note: There is no price too high to pay for being of service to society.]

Ø  Helping The Poor

Ø  That alone is a gift, which is given to the needy. Gifts to others are in the nature of business transactions wherein what is given is expected to be duly returned.

Ø  To depend on and receive charity, even when poverty permits it, invariably hurts. On the other hand, to give to the poor is good, even if there were no future world wherein merit is duly rewarded.[Note: The very act of giving gives joy to the giver and receiving a favour causes pain to the receiver. This is inherent in human nature, apart from any consequences as promised in scriptures. This is a characteristic instance of the Tiru-Valluvar approach. He always reserves for emphasis some aspect, which is not bound up with religious beliefs.

Ø  You may find it unpleasant to be approached for charity. But that is only until you see the radiant face of the man whose distress you have relieved.

Ø  The ascetic’s strength of mind enabled him to bear hunger and out of it arises his power also. But the act of relieving another’s hunger is greater than suffering hunger oneself.

Ø  Fortunate is he who saves men from the devastating curse of hunger, for he has thereby deposited his possessions in a well-guarded vault.

Ø  Have not these men ever experienced the delight of giving? Else, why are they so hard-hearted and refuse to give and at the end of it all disappear from earth, leaving behind what they withheld from the needy?

Ø  Wretched is he whose poverty forces him to beg for alms. But more wretched indeed is he whose narrow heart makes him close the door against the hungry so that he may eat by himself.

Ø  Death is most painful. But even that becomes pleasant to the good man when he finds himself unable to help the wretched.

Ø  Public Esteem

Ø  Poverty is wealth if it is brought about for causes that raise a man in the esteem of the world. Death under certain circumstances is life everlasting. Such poverty, which is not poverty, and such death, which is not death but life, comes only to those who understand true values.

Ø  When men have not lived so as to earn the esteem of good men, why do they not see and grieve over their own fault but blame the world that refuses to esteem them?

Ø  [Note: According to commentators, chapters 25 to 38 of the Kural from which the following selections have been taken, deal with matters of special significance to the order of ascetics and monastic life. When Kural was written, large numbers of people in South India of the Jain and Buddhist denominations were solemnly pledged to a monastic life. There was therefore a place for special chapters dealing with the monastic life in the comprehensive book that Kural was planned to be. But one cannot be certain that these chapters had only this specific purpose. Much of what is said in these chapters is applicable even to men leading family lives. Tiru-Valluvar, like the Bhagavad Gita, definitely takes the view that detachment in conduct is the essence of the principle of renunciation and that monastic life is not necessary for a man’s salvation if he knows how to do his duties in ordinary life with detachment and equanimity.]

Ø  Compassion

Ø  Diverse are the teachings of the religions of the world, but in all will be found that compassion is that which gives men spiritual deliverance. Hold on to it.

Ø  [Note; ‘Arul’ is love for all creatures equal to what is associated with blood relationship.]

Ø  Soul-endangering sin flees from him who looks upon all beings with affection.

Ø  Even as happiness in this world depends on material possessions, compassion is that on which your happiness in the world beyond wholly depends.

Ø  Those who have lost their possessions may flourish once again. But there is no hope for those who have failed in the duty of compassion.

Ø  Can one who has no compassion in his heart practise Dharma through other virtues? It is no more possible than that one who has no understanding can teach the true meaning of things.

Ø  [Note: Men can see easily that clarity of understanding is essential for acquiring knowledge, but they do not see what is equally true, viz., that compassion is essential for goodness.]

Ø  When a man is inclined to be cruel to those over whom he has power, let him think of himself trembling before the cruelty of stronger men.

Ø  Penance

Ø  [Note: When Kural was written, the monastic life was common in South India. Tiru-Valluvar does not oppose it, but brings out the essence of the virtue in such life in a rational manner.]

Ø  Penance really consists in the fortitude with which the pain that falls to one’s lot is borne and in the avoidance of causing pain to sentient beings. This is the substance of penance, nothing else.

Ø  [Note: All notions of supernatural benefits arising out of self-inflicted pain are quietly discounted here, and a rational and catholic doctrine of patiently suffering whatever pain falls to one’s lot is indicated.]

Ø  Blessed is he who is qualified for penance. To those who undertake penance in the form of self-inflicted pain without being truly qualified, penance is mere profitless travail.

Ø  Those who have not renounced the worldly life must have kept out of the order of ascetics only to be able to look after those who undergo penance.

Ø  [Note: there is a delicately expressed warning here that the householder’s life is not to be deemed inferior.]

Ø  The gold in the furnace shines the more it is in the fire. So do they who suffer in order to chasten their spirit; they shine the more resplendently for the pain that they willingly bear.

Ø  He who has acquired mastery over his self is the object of universal worship.

Ø  [Note: i.e. he who holds his life in full possession and who does not let himself be held by his senses. Otherwise, instead of the spirit being master and the body its slave, the soul becomes slave to the body.]

Ø  Impure Life

Ø  If one has falsehood in his heart and secretly breaks the law of celibacy the five elements that watch from inside his body laugh at the futile fraud.

Ø  [Note: Remember that you have within you five witnesses watching your secret and shameful crime. Not God the All-immanent, but even the physical elements laugh in scorn, says the poet.]

Ø  Of what avail are the trappings of purity or sainthood when within him his conscience knows its inescapable guilt?

Ø  The feeble minded wearing the brave trappings of strength is like a miserable cow putting on the skin of a tiger to save itself from being impounded while feeding stealthily on the corn in a stranger’s field.

Ø  If a man hides himself in the externals of a saint and under that cover commits sin, he descends to the life of the mean bird catcher who hides in the bush to trap innocent birds.

Ø  Making public pretensions to purity of life, if you secretly act contrary to the law, soon you will be landed in numberless troubles and you will lament in exceeding measure.

Ø  There are some in this world who, like the kunri seed, are beautifully red all over, but have in their hearts a black spot like that seed.

Ø  [Note: kunri is a very hard and light and beautiful red seed used as the smallest unit in weighing gold. It has a black spot on its ‘nose’.]

Ø  There are many that pass for holy men who keep foulness in their hearts and go through the external ablutions of saints in order to hide their sins.

Ø  Is not the cruel arrow smooth and straight, while the curved lyre makes sweet music? Our judgment must depend not on appearance but on conduct.

Ø  Avoid what the world condemns. If you succeed in this, there is no need for the shaven head or the growing of long beards.

Ø  [Note: Some hermits shave their heads clean and others allow their hair to grow wild, according to the order to which they belong. Purity makes the saint, not these and other externals.]

Ø  Truthfulness

Ø  Truthfulness is attained if one’s speech is such that it harms no being in the world.

Ø  If one could speak an untruth, which brought good without the least blemish of evil, it might be classed with truth.

Ø  Of all things confirmed in our experience, the rule of truthfulness stands out most firmly established. There is nothing more precious than truth.

Ø  If you are truthful in thought and word you are superior to one who undergoes penances and gives gifts.

Ø  Truthfulness earns the esteem of the world besides bringing in its train the merit of every other virtue without the physical privations of penance.

Ø  Water makes external cleanliness. Truthfulness is the detergent of the heart.

Ø  Lamps do not give the light that holy men desire. It is the light of truth that illuminates their path.

Ø  Against Anger

Ø  He truly is without anger who does not give vent to anger when the wrongdoer is under his power. Where his anger cannot hurt, that is when he cannot effectively retaliate, what matters is whether he guards against anger or not.

Ø  Everyone knows that it is bad for oneself to lose temper in dealing with superiors. But where anger is directed against persons in one’s power it is the worst of all offences.

Ø  From anger is born all evil. Let us forget the cause for provocation given by anyone.

Ø  Can there be any greater enemy to mankind than anger, which kills laughter and joy (which indeed are the greatest of blessings on earth)?

Ø  Let him who would save himself guard against anger. The anger that is not held back is disastrous to oneself.

Ø  He who thinks anger is a profitable or worthy thing and yields to it is bound to suffer the evil thereof, even like the fool that hits the ground with his hand.

Ø  Great may the wrong done to you; like many tongued fire it may burn, but it is worthwhile yet to struggle and rein back one’s anger, if at all possible.

Ø  There is nothing lost by not entertaining anger. On the contrary it will be seen that what is sought to be attained comes quicker if the mind is kept free from it.

Ø  Do Not Cause Harm

Ø  The best punishment for those who do evil to you is to shame them by returning good for evil.

Ø  Is there anything in much learning if it does not make a man feel the pain of others as keenly as the pain in his own body and avoid causing it?

Ø  When a man has experienced pain and knows what it is, how can he bring himself wantonly to cause pain to others?

Ø  The pain that a man causes to another in the forenoon returns to him that very afternoon.

Ø  The Fleeting World

Ø  Like the crowd that gathers to see a play comes dazzling wealth. It disappears like the gathering, which melts away when the play is over.

Ø  We imagine the day is something by itself. But to those who can see the truth, the day is in reality nothing but the relentless movement of the saw that unremittingly saws through life.

Ø  Do that which is good without delay, for you must do it before the tongue fails and the last hiccup seizes you.

Ø  Wondrous indeed is this world where one who was here yesterday may not be found today.

Ø  We cannot be certain of living the next minute. But we are not content with even a million plans.

Ø  The soul’s connection with the body is just like that of the bird’s connection with the eggshell. The bird leaves it joyfully to fly in the air.

Ø  The soul is indeed a homeless wanderer. It stays for a brief time in the body, as the homeless wretch who takes shelter under some roof, only to leave it at the earliest call.

Ø  Renunciation

Ø  As one by one you detach yourself from the things of the world you are saved from pain in respect of it.

Ø  The absence of something to that extent makes it easier to give it up wholly, i.e., even the thought of it. Possession tends to hold the mind in delusion and therefore is a hindrance to true knowledge.

Ø  If one’s heart is set on ending the round of births, there is no purpose in keeping any attachments alive. Even the body is a burden to be got rid of soon.

Ø  Pain of all kinds holds him in its relentless grip who fondly holds on to the things of the world.

Ø  Those who renounce wholly, i.e., who give up even the thought of things to be desired, have saved themselves. The rest are deluded and are still in the net.

Ø  Deliverance comes only with the abandonment of attachments. Else the fleeting world must be one’s home again and again.

Ø  [Note: Mere privation enforced on oneself will not help. What is required is the giving up of attachment and desire.]

Ø  Let attachment to the Lord be your one attachment. That attachment will help you to free yourself from other attachments.

On Noble Birth
"Plants reveal the soil from which they grow,
And men of noble birth, their speech will show". (959)
Tiruvalluvar was one of the greatest social philosophers of the ancient world. His writings show that 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:

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

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.

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.

 Maharishi Shuddhananda Bharat , in his  translation ) introduction) of Thirukkural 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."

On Honour

Shun acts that will cast doubts on your honour. Success and failure can be used to advantage; success should make one more respectful and failure strengthen one’s dignity.

On greatness

Greatness is a quality of mind, not of birth. All are equal at birth. Our actions make us different from one another.

"Living beings are all alike at birth,
The difference comes from acts of special worth". (972)

"High born, whose souls are mean, are never great;
The low, of lofty mind, are not of low estate". (973)

On Perfection

While the road to perfection is a long, slippery and very difficult one, the mastery of a few virtues will take one there by leaps and bounds. Do not kill any being or creature. Even loftier than this is not to injure anyone in thought, word and deed. Ahimsa is one of the highest of virtues. Give up the detestable faultfinding habit. Always return good for evil.

"Not killing is the essence of penance;
Not finding fault is virtue’s excellence. (984)

"The strength of the noble ones is humility;
With that, the wise disarm all enmity". (985)

On courtesy

It is wrong to belittle others. Even highly intelligent people lose respect from everyone if they are not courteous.

"Though sharp as file, their intellect is good,
Who are void of courtesy are blocks of wood". (997)

On Wasted Wealth

What is the use of money if it is not used for the common good? Imagine a fruit tree in a busy market place. If it bears tasty fruit, it brings joy to people, but if it bears poisonous fruit, it is of no use; its presence is a source of great pain. A wealthy miser is like such a tree. He has everything, but is in greater need than others, for he is not really happy and peaceful.

"Who neither spend their wealth nor give,
Amidst their millions, in want they live". (1006)

On Modesty

If you desire to attain perfection, you must not be afraid to have a genuine feeling of shame whenever you commit any mistakes. Those who have no feelings of guilt are usually unaware of their faults. Some people consider it a weakness to blush. On the contrary, blushing is not at all a weakness, but a virtue. It reveals a sense of shame and is a sign of modesty and humility.

‘Food, clothing and the rest are common to the race,
But modesty is mankind’s special grace". (1012)

"Those who have no shame at heart, their stance
Is like wooden dolls; when pulled by string, dance". (1020)

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