“Thirukkural” The cream of the Tamil ancient literature

Thirukkural is a well-known work on ethical and moral codes of human life, in Tamil literature written by Thiruvalluvar, the most celebrated Tamil Poet, who lived between the second century BCE and the eight-century CE. Both the Tamils who practice Hinduism and the Tamils who follow Jainism and Buddhism claim him. The utter simplicity of his language his crystal clear utterances, precise and forceful, his brevity, his choice diction, no less his inwardness, his learning, culture and wisdom, his catholicity and eclecticism, his gentle humour and wholesome counsel have made him an object of veneration for all time and Thirukkuarl is considered the Veda of the Tamils.

Thirukkural proved to be the cream of the Tamil ancient literature. Today among the most translated books into various languages the Holy Bible stands the first. Next to the Holy Bible Thirukkural has been translated into most of the world languages.

The book Thirukkural contains 3 main Parts, the first on ARAM means the way or dharma; the second on PORUL means material or artha and third on INBAM means joy or kama. There are 133 chapters in this book and each chapter contains 10 distichs in the meter know as Kural and there are 1330 kurals in total. Each Kural [couplet] consists of four seers in the first line and three seers in the second line. A seer is a single or a combination of more than one Tamil word.

Therefore, it has been said that the poet Thiruvalluvar has pierced the atom and has packed within it the seven seas of the world.

The first Kural:
Ahara Muthala Ezhuthellam Athi;
Pahavan Muthatrey Ulahu.

It means:
A as its first of letters, every speech maintains;The Primal Deity is first through all the world’s domains.