“There is no greater wealth than Virtue,
And no greater loss than to forget it.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse IV.2
Tirukkural
Quotes from bookTirukkuṛaḷ
ThiruvalluvarOriginal title திருக்குறள் (Tamil, 1812)
The Tirukkural , or shortly the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 couplets or Kurals. The text is divided into three books, each with aphoristic teachings on virtue , wealth and love . Considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality, it is known for its universality and secular nature. Its authorship is traditionally attributed to Valluvar, also known in full as Thiruvalluvar. The text has been dated variously from 300 BCE to 5th century CE. The traditional accounts describe it as the last work of the third Sangam, but linguistic analysis suggests a later date of 450 to 500 CE and that it was composed after the Sangam period.The Kural is traditionally praised with epithets and alternate titles such as "the Tamil Veda" and "the divine book". It emphasizes non-violence and moral vegetarianism as virtues for an individual. In addition, it highlights truthfulness, self-restraint, gratitude, hospitality, kindness, goodness of wife, duty, giving, and so forth, besides covering a wide range of social and political topics such as king, ministers, taxes, justice, forts, war, greatness of army and soldier's honor, death sentence for the wicked, agriculture, education, abstinence from alcohol and intoxicants. It also includes chapters on friendship, love, sexual union, and domestic life.The Kural has been widely admired by scholars and influential leaders over its history. These include Ilango Adigal, Kambar, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Schweitzer, Constantius Joseph Beschi, Karl Graul, George Uglow Pope, Alexander Piatigorsky, and Yu Hsi. The text has been translated into at least 40 Indian and non-Indian languages. The Kural is considered a masterpiece and one of the most important texts of the Tamil Literature. The Tamil people and the government of Tamil Nadu have long celebrated and upheld the text with reverence.
“Real kindness seeks no return;
What return can the world make to rain clouds?”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XXII.1
Tirukkural
“When no food is given to the ear,
Then let a little be given to the stomach.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XLII.2
Tirukkural
“Even the ignorant may appear very worthy,
If they keep silent before the learned.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XLI.3
Tirukkural
“The worth of a wife is a man’s good fortune;
His jewels are his good children.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse VI.10
Tirukkural
“Anger kills both laughter and joy;
What greater foe is there than anger?”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XXXI.4
Tirukkural
“Not every light is a true light;
To the wise the light of truth is light itself.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XXX.9
Tirukkural
“To turn away a guest is poorest poverty;
To bear with fools is mightiest might.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XVI.3
Tirukkural
“To get wealth and security by guile
Is like one who pours water into a pot of unbaked clay.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse LXVI.10
Tirukkural
“When you are about to badger the weak,
Then imagine yourself before a more powerful man.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XXV.10
Tirukkural
“The gruel that children’s little hands have stirred
Is sweeter than nectar.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse VII.2
Tirukkural
“The ignorant are like useless, brackish soil;
They exist and that is all.”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XLI.6
Tirukkural
“How can kindliness rule that man
Who eateth other flesh to increase his own?”
Thiruvalluvar book Tirukkuṛaḷ
Verse XXVI.1
Tirukkural
