The Proverbs and Tirukkural As “Immortal Pieces of Proverbial Literature”: a Brief Analysis
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[VOLUME 4 I ISSUE 1 I JAN. – MARCH 2017] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138 http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236 The Proverbs and Tirukkural as “Immortal Pieces of Proverbial Literature”: A brief Analysis Dr. S. Chelliah, Professor, Head & Chairperson, School of English, Foreign Languages & School of Indian Languages, Department of English & Comparative Literature, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai - 625 021. (T.N). India. Received Feb. 03, 2017 Accepted March 10, 2017 ABSTRACT This article lays focus on the wisdom which is the subject matter under the value system of life discussed in The Proverbs and The Tirukkural. It also throws light on how these enhance and enable the readers/ lovers of literature to lead a life of morality. Both the works are the quintessence of great wisdom which had crystallized in the social consciousness of the human society/ people. Key words: The Proverbs, The Tirukkural. It is an accepted fact that Comparative on the fundamental rules of morality. These Literature is an academic discipline and a include rules prohibiting persons from killing subject of scholarly investigation. It is other persons, from inflicting injury on them essentially a humanistic education aiming at or from depriving them of freedom and evaluating a work of art with other areas of opportunity. What is true is that human values knowledge and art. As David Malone puts it, change from time to time and culture to “the fullest meaning and the final evaluation of culture. But when the term ‘universality’ is a piece of literature can result only from used with reference to moral values, it comparison”. (P2) Human life is actually a signifies the fact that at least, the basic rules of major theme which includes not only social morality are the same across cultures. For and political issues but also the probing, instance, the rule “thou shell not kill”. (P13) searchings and speculations of philosophy, The universality of moral values also signifies truths and revelations of religion and morality the point that the rules are to be regarded as in its fullest measure. A moral sense is something applying across cultural lines traditionally considered a unique attribute of presumably to every human being. All who are the human personality. The transformation human are members of the moral community from a solely biological organism to a socially and bear the rights and responsibilities of this responsible individual is the hallmark of the status. development of personality and a shared The Proverbs and The Tirukkural social development is necessary for viable present some of the most essential codes of human life. conduct to human beings. The core of the Moral norms are usually interpreted as message presented by these two classics is values of life, regarded high among the most ‘morality’. Though both classics are separated attractive guides to conduct. Philosophers who widely by time and space, they justify truly the profess moral values display wide agreement observation, “Great minds think alike”. Research Paper IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews 17 [ VOLUME 4 I ISSUE 1 I JAN. – MARCH 2017] E ISSN 2348 –1269, PRINT ISSN 2349-5138 The Proverbs is nothing but a collection of prudence, understanding, discretion, topical maxims and a product of the Wisdom knowledge, guidance, competence, correction, school in Isreal. Solomon’s proverbs were counsel and truth from generation to written by 931 B.C and under Solomen, Israel generation as found in Tirukkural. was at its spiritual. According to I kings 4.32, ‘Kural’ means anything short. It is a he spoke 3,000 proverbs. Only about 800 of couplet containing a simple complete idea, his 3000 proverbs are included in the two often expressed in an epigrammatic form. It is solomonic collections in the book of Proverbs. a form that is admirably suited to the No man was better qualified than soloman to expression of ideas and Tiruvalluvar has be the principal contributor. He asked for handled this difficult medium with wisdom and God granted it to him to such a extraordinary skill and felicity. The degree that people from foreign lands came to combination of brevity of expression, grace of hear him speak. His breadth of knowledge, language, metre and highly refined ethical aptitude, skill and perception were found to ideas make Tirukkural a unique literary work. extraordinary. It is likely that Solomon Tirukkural contains 1330 couplets. There are collected and edited proverbs other than his one hundred and thirty-three chapters, each own. According to the Ecclesiastes, “he chapter containing ten couplets. Each is pondered and sought out and set in order headed by one major idea such as ‘friendship’, many proverbs. (P 666) ‘wisdom’, ‘justice’ and so on. The ten verses The Proverbs is one of the few Biblical under each major idea enable the poet to books that clearly spell out their purpose. expound one particular idea and various aspects of that idea in depth under different “That man may know wisdom and circumstances and conditions. Tirukkural is instruction, understand words of insight, considered to be antecedent of Cilappatikaram receive instruction in wise dealing, and Manimekalai because the latter classics righteousness, justice and equity; that quote from Tirukkural. Obvious language prudence may be given to the simple, resemblance could be seen between knowledge and discretion to the youth – Tirukkural and Cankam works quite often. In the- wise man also may hear and increase Tirukkural, the style of structuring the in learning and the man of understanding couplets and the mode of expression of ideas acquire skill, to understand a proverb and belong to one person. The following quotation a figure, the words of the wise and their speaks better for the authorship of the ancient riddles” (The Interpreter’s Bible 97) Tamil classic. It says: The purpose stated here is twofold: i) to “There is considerable internal evidence impart moral discernment and discretion and to show that the whole text belongs to ii) to develop mental clarity and perception. one another. Apart from the prosodic The Proverbs deals with the most fundamental metre which is throughout the same, the skill of all: practical righteousness before God general pattern to which the text is made in every area of life. Chapters 1-9 are designed to conform and certain mannerisms of to create a felt need for wisdom and the expression go to show that the text is proverbs as a whole is designed to prevent an from the pen of one and the same author” ungodly life style. The book proverbs serves as (P xiii) a manual to impart the legacy of wisdom, 18 IJRAR- International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews Research Paper [VOLUME 4 I ISSUE 1 I JAN. – MARCH 2017] e ISSN 2348 –1269, Print ISSN 2349-5138 http://ijrar.com/ Cosmos Impact Factor 4.236 Tirukkural is essentially a book on ethical of sayings in the book of Proverbs has a philosophy. It portrays moralistic way of life universal quality and Tirkkural is the most and lays down a code of conduct. Mr. Gower distinguished example of proverbial literature says that Tirukkural is essentially the highest in the Tamil Language. It is the quintessence of type of verbal and moral excellence among the great wisdom which had crystallized in the Tamil people as ever Homer was among the social consciousness of the people to whom Greeks” (Piii). Tirukkural preaches perfection the author belonged. The observation of in character based on affection, dread of sin, Dr.Subramanian on the form of Tirukkural is benevolence, benignity and truth. To justify apt quoting here: this ancient work of Tamils one can quote the “The Kural is in form and in substance notable scholar scheweitzer who had great proverbial and had better be treated on reverence for it. He wrote: par with Chinese and Hebrew proverbial “With such strokes, the Kural draws the literature of ancient times” (P xxiv) ideal of the simple ethical humanity. On Idaikkadar, the well-known commentator, has the most varied questions concerning the described Tirukkural as “a little mustard seed conduct of man to himself and to the which has been bored to hold all the waters of world, its utterances are characterized by the seven oceans”. nobility and good sense. There hardly exists in the literature of the world a “Kudukait tulaittu elu katali putatti collection of maxims in which we find so Kumkattaritta kural (P 44) much lofty wisdom” (P iv) This commentary speaks well of Tirukkural’s So it is clear that this classic work is a string of terseness of expression and profundity of do’s and don’ts good advice and bland ideas. In short, the Proverbs and Tirukkural statements of proverbial wisdom. The resemble each other not only in their message Proverbs and The Tirukkural belong to the but also in outward framework. In the genre called Proverbial literature. As pieces of proverbs, the lines are arranged almost in proverbial literature, these texts deal with couplets. A certain number of Triplets occur moral values through brief, precise and then and there. The Proverbs may be pointed statements one of the characteristic described as a manual of conduct, or as Bruch, features of such works is to include human an eminent theologician, has said an values like wisdom, righteousness and love. “anthology of gnomes” (Toy xvii). Its observations relate to a number of forms of Wisdom is the subject under values of life, affairs, domestic, agricultural, urban, life discussed in the Proverbs and Tirukkural. commercial, political and military. Many of the Wise knowledge about facts leads a man in the sayings are simply maxims of commonsense, right path just as ignorance leads him to face prudence which need to be practiced with vigil undesirable consequences.