Thiruvalluvar day

Thiruvalluvar day

This year yesterday, 15^th Jan. 2013 ,  was celebrated all over Tamil Nadu as Thiruvalluvar day.

There are several claims regarding where he lived, but none of them have been verified. One legend associates him with Madurai, the ancient capital of the Pandya rulers who vigorously promoted Tamil literature. According to another he was born and not lived in Mylapore, a part of present day Madras, and traveled to Madurai to submit the Thirukural, for approval of the king (Pandian) and his college of poets.

But myself  as well most of the Mylaporeans and Madarasis  believe  that Saint Thiruvalluvar was born in Mylapore , Madras ( now Chennai ). I was blessed to  born , just 100 metres away from his birthplace , in our ancestral house  in the  same street named after the great  Poet( 16,Thiruvalluvar Koil Street ). There is a temple for Saint Thiruvalluvar in our street  and the birth place is ear marked inside the temple. The tree base  , more than 2000 years old , under which he was born , is protected with copper plate and worshipped by all.

Thiruvalluvar Temple,Mylapore,Chennai

In Tamil it is written as Thiruvalluvar's birth place inside the temple

Saint Thiruvalluvar's birth place,Mylapore

Thiruvalluvar statue in Mylapore

A monument for Thiruvalluvar in Chennai

In Kanyakumari

After more than 10 years I happened to visit on Thiruvalluvar’s birthday to that temple , as we moved away from  Mylapore  by the year end 1999. Myself and my wife felt that we were blessed to have a darshan of the Thiruvalluvar in a deity form after many years.

The literal meaning of  all the 1330 Thirukural  gives   us thought for the day , if we read one couplet  with the meaning  daily.  State government run buses  display one Thirukural in each bus  and promotes reading Thirukural by all.

Thirukkural was written by Thiruvalluvar, who is believed to have born 30 years before Jesus Christ.  The Tamil Calendar is dated from that period and referred as Thiruvalluvar Aandu (Year).   We find Thiruvalluvar as a moral philosopher,  political scientist and master of public administration in the first two parts of Thirukkural.   We find him to be a creative artist in the third part,  depicting the fascinating aspects of lovers. 

Thirukkural's immortality and universality are unquestionable.  Its ethics and values are applicable to all religions, countries and time.  It has been translated in over 60 languages of the world.

Thirukkural is the masterpiece of Tamil literature with the highest and purest expressions of human thought.  It is written in the form of couplets (two line poems) expounding various aspects of life.    It contains 1330 couplets, divided into 133 chapters of 10 couplets each. 

Thirukkural has three major parts.  The first part deals with Aram (Virtue), the moral value of human life.  It has 38 chapters.  The second part is on Porul (Wealth), the socio economic values of men in a civilized society.  It has 70 chapters.    The third part is on Kamam or Inbam (Love), the psychological values of life.  It has 25 chapters. 

Many managements thoughts you can find in the couplets and many leaders uses that in teaching and available in book form. 
A couplet  from Thirukural – the very first one is given under: This is a prayer to the almighty.

குறள் 1 அகர முதல எழுத்தெல்லாம் ஆதி பகவன் முதற்றே உலகு

விளக்கம் அகரம் எழுத்துக்களுக்கு முதன்மை; ஆதிபகவன், உலகில் வாழும் உயிர்களுக்கு முதன்மை

Couplet 1 A, as its first of letters, every speech maintains; The "Primal Deity" is first through all the world's domains

Explanation As the letter A is the first of all letters, so the eternal God is first in the world

Transliteration Akara Mudhala Ezhuththellaam Aadhi Pakavan Mudhatre Ulaku

"இறைவன் மனிதனுக்குச் சொன்னது கீதை
மனிதன் மனிதனுக்குச் சொன்னது திருக்குறள்