Tiruvalluvar: A Tamil icon adored, revered globally

CHENNAI: Of all the Tamil icons celebrated and cherished by social and political movements of all hues in Tamil Nadu, Tiruvalluvar, the author of the timeless literature Tirukkural, was probably the most revered. Many movements have many icons to their credit – Thanthai Periyar for Dravidian movements, Pandit Ayothithasar for Dalit movements and even the occasional Tamil nationalists celebrate slain LTTE chief Prabhakaran.

But, the bearded poet, believed to be an extension of the Sangam age, is undoubtedly an identity the atheistic Dravidian movements, theistic saffron movements and intermixed Tamil nationalists, adore equally in contemporary TN.

In inaugurating the renovated Valluvar Kottam on Saturday, Chief Minister MK Stalin has joined the ranks of Periyar, CN Annadurai and Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, who immortalised the poet in the modern times, perhaps, more than the Sangam age he belonged to or the age of the later kings. If Periyar organised the first conference of Tirukkural in 1949, the same year, Arignar Anna, who adored the universality of literature, founded the DMK. Karunanidhi tirelessly wrote thousands of pages of commentary for the 1,330 couplets before raising the Valluvar Kottam in 1974-75 and eventually erecting a 133-ft statue in Kanniyakumari, which redrew the face of the district on land’s end.

Indeed, the racial purists of the Naam Tamizhar Katchi have now come to stake exclusive claim for the legacy of the boundless literature known for its neutrality and universality of thought for the sole reason that it was written in Tamil. And then came the saffron brigade led by the state BJP and incumbent Governor RN Ravi who sported a pottu, a sacred thread and a saffron robe to a poet whose literature doesn’t show even the remote traces of any religious denomination.

The answer to the enviable adulation or attempted appropriation of the 2,000-old poet in modern Tamil Nadu remains in his seven-word couplets. Unlike other literatures, which mirror the social dynamics and largely eulogize the rulers of their time, Tiruvalluvar’s couplets neither deified any king nor the faith that was popular in his era. In that sense, Tirukkural stood out from even the Tamil classics like Naaladiyar and Silapathikaram, which were alleged to be garnished with traces of graded inequality.

Former history professor and coordinator of Save History Movement, A Karunanandan says: “The stories spun around Tiruvalluvar are fictitious narratives set later by individuals who view him through their prism. A critical assessment of Tiruvalluvar must be done based on Tirukkural, not on claims made by others. People like Parimel Alagar who wrote commentaries later imposed the prejudices of their time in it. Tirukkural is a literature preaching a universal moral. It must be viewed independently.”

He alluded to a wig-clad king (Karikala Pervulathan) in Naaladiyar talking about delivering judgement in consultation with a select few in his court. “Similarly, the story of Nedunchezhia Pandian in Silapathikaram is no different either. He slayed a trader, Kovalan, without a fair trial. Most of the moral-preaching literature of the time had traces of Varnashrama and justified the acts of the rulers of the ages. But, Tirukkural does not specify a land or a king,” he explained. “Tiruvalluvar had an intellectual maturity to talk politics and morals sans any prejudice and without hatred towards anyone.”

V Arasu, retired Tamil professor of University of Madras, stated that between 1 BC and 5-6 AD, Buddhism and Jainism had flourished, and Vedic religion was not popular then. “Tirukkural, which is an extension of Sangam literature, prioritised humanity. Sanskrit had puranic background, but Tirukkural was practical and did not use mythology. It was neutral and secular. It can be accepted by all at all times, and is relevant even today,” he opined. “Manusmriti cannot be contemporarily applied, but Tirukkural transcends the limitations. Since it’s in Tamil, and upheld such values over 2,000 ago, we need to celebrate it. Every literature around the world will have some kind of a religious association. Tirukkural has none.”

Professor Suba Veerapandian of Dravida Iyakka Tamizhar Peravai averred that it was natural for any literary works to reflect its age. “Very few literary works defied their age; it requires some courage to do it. For instance, Sangam literature embraced consumption of meat and toddy. Even Avvaiyar has sung verses on sharing a drink with a king, but Tirukkural defied it,” he stated. “The Parathaiyar Olukkam (solicitation) was sung in Sangam literature too. No literature has Kaamathu Paal (chapters on love). Even Naaladiyar has only 4 songs.”

Highlighting that other literature only preached people not to lie, but Tirukkural proposed that one could lie for a common good, he added: “It questioned knowledge without empathy. Though discreet, Tirukkural prescribed that not killing a life is more important than holding a thousand yagnas. It also preached that hard labour fetched results more than faith in god. There were traces of atheism in it.”

Admitting to having differences with the 2,000-year-old literature, Karunanandan piped in that Tirukkural did not condemn polygamy but only opposed adultery. “However, it proposes a share of the harvest (revenue) for charity. Religions like Islam and a few others prescribed it later. It preached moral without specifying a god or calling it a road to heaven. The irreligious generalisation of morality and democratisation of education and knowledge makes it stand out. Tirukkural doesn’t glorify war and prescribe it as a king’s duty, which most literature of the time did. It prescribed rules for the king.”

He recalled that even Sekkizhar’s Periya Puranam proposed that a man was good if he sported a Thiruneer (holy ash), even if he was not disciplined. “Tirukkural rejected such hypocrisy and prescribed that self-discipline is important. Until the foreigners reached here, not many knew about the literary treasure world over. No king appreciated Tirukkural. Because it was not favourable to them. They adored literature that glorified and deified them,” he said .

Prof Arasu could not stop gushing about Tirukkural’s grammar. “Also, the structure of Tirukkural – just seven words – is a literary wonder. The grammar of the couplet in itself is magical. One cannot replace any word. Structurally and semantically, it’s lively literature and timeless,” he smiled.

At a time when democracy as an idea could not be imagined, Prof Veerapandian argued that Tiruvalluvar had asked a king to embrace the enemy instead of waging war. “In ‘Yeppurol yaar yaar vai ketpinum…’, he preached rationalism. He’s celebrated by those showing commitment towards democracy,” he said He pointed to the difference between celebrating him and appropriating him. “Just because I’m an atheist, I cannot claim that Tiruvalluvar was also an atheist. Likewise, sporting a sacred thread for him just because he mentioned bhakti without a religious identity does not make him a theist. I’ll consider Tirukkural as the beginning of Periyarism,” he stated.