Tirukkural as The Book of The World

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The eleven essays comprising this anthology are no mere assemblage of academic writing on Tirukkural. Contrarily, their making, selection and ordering seem to have been dictated by a particular object and ideal. In the larger scheme of things, they follow the comparatist methodology, within which they (i) study the relationship between Tirukkural and other works of literature, (ii) look at the reputation, penetration, influence and fame of Tirukkural, (iii) study the humanistic manifestations as they are treated in the Tamil classic and another literature, (iv) study the translational endeavours mainly insofar as these endeavours are interpretive models, accretions or deconstructions the processes of growth and enlargement of meaning, and (v) examine Tirukkural as universal literature worthy of being pursued across the five continents.

To Matthew Arnold, "The grand style arises in poetry, when a noble nature, poetically gifted, treats with simplicity or with severity a serious subject." To John Ruskin, "He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas." To Ezra Pound, "Genius is the capacity to see ten things where the ordinary man sees one, and where the man of talent sees two or three, plus the ability to register that multiple perception in the material of his art." To T.S. Eliot, "A classic is the product of a fully developed civilization, reflected in the fully developed mind, having a common style and fully exploiting the possibilities of the language in which it is written." Unfortunately, none of these great critics knew about Valluvar and Tirukkural. If only they had stumbled upon the Tamil work on the art of living, they would have certainly identified it as the greatest example of what they would accept as a world classic.

That this is not a tall claim of an average Tamil scholar but a well-tested truth may be understood by those who have the time and the much-needed intellectual background to compare Tirukkural with any of the best known writings in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Chinese and Sanskrit.

This small book, making liberal use of the pronouncements of acknowledged authorities on the subject, attempts to make known that truth to the common readers the world over.

I am more than grateful to Prof. R. Chandrasekaran, Director, CICT, for having come forward to bring it out as a publication of our prestigious Institute.

The eleven essays comprising this anthology are no mere assemblage of academic writing on Tirukkural. Contrarily, their making, selection and ordering seem to have been dictated by a particular object and ideal. In the larger scheme of things, they follow the comparatist methodology, within which they (i) study the relationship between Tirukkural and other works of literature, (ii) look at the reputation, penetration, influence and fame of Tirukkural, (iii) study the humanistic manifestations as they are treated in the Tamil classic and another literature, (iv) study the translational endeavours mainly insofar as these endeavours are interpretive models, accretions or deconstructions - the processes of growth and enlargement of meaning, and (v) examine Tirukkural as universal literature worthy of being pursued across the five continents. Thus Prof. P. Marudanayagam opens up doors and windows of comparative criticism by which to unfold the expansive spectrum of Tirukkural meaning. Be that as it may, his resourceful pen does not fail to get down to brass tacks as well.