In the history of world literature, Thirukkural, the magnum opus in Tamil, is one work of art that refuses to be tied down to any particular race, religion, land or culture. In an expansive body of 1330 verses that it contains, there is not even a single reference, direct or indirect, to the Tamil language or the Tamil people or the Tamil country that for sure nurtured its author's genius and that provided the milieu for such a work to be composed. It soars above diversities of nation, language, religion, race and culture and speaks for the entirety of humankind. Thirukkural is indeed the miracle of a literary composition where every god, every human trait, every virtue, every emotion, every deed, every relationship is universalized root and branch. Thirukkural by intent steers clear of identification with any particular doctrine, ideology or philosophy.
In essence, Thirukkural is much more than a humanistic document in a metrical garb. It is a masterpiece of world literature in which the poet, through his vast learning, the wisdom of the world and catholicity of temper, has identified things that are abiding and constant in the affairs of humanity and transmuted them into absorbing poetry as not many have accomplished in the history of world literature.
The present volume is a commendable translation of the elaborated book into Odia by Giribala Mohanty.
GIRIBALA MOHANTY (b. 1947) studied Odia at the Master's level and received Ph.D. from Visva- Bharati University, West Bengal. She has served as a Professor and Former Head, the Department of Oida, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. She has authored 20 books of creative and critical nature including one original research work on poetry. She has translated three books for N.B.T., and Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
Tirukkural is perhaps one composition in the entire world that is a perfect exemplification of what can unreservedly be described as a work of world literature. It is sui generis too, for while most classics, Western and Eastern, confine themselves to chosen spheres of life and direct their appeal to particular sections of humanity, here is Valluvar soaring sky-high to be a citizen of the world twenty centuries ago: "The learned person can make every country and every town his/her own." (397) For him, as for no other cross- cultural contemporary of his, "All folks stand alike by birth." (972) Again, Tirukkural stands out unique in its universality of appeal and perspective. While most other books of the world have had their universality in parts, large and small, the Tamil classic's universality is total and absolute, an incomparable honour to the genius of the classical Tamil mind. Being so, Tirukkural truly symbolizes the very concept of world literature. Yet another unique dimension of this magnum opus in Tamil is that it is a unifier par excellence in the pan-Indian milieu. It doggedly refuses to be tied down to any particular race, religion, land or culture. Here is one couplet that proclaims the humanist foundations of the kural: To share one's meal and nurture the myriad life on earth / Stands foremost among virtues seen in the collected lore of the wise.
National Education Policy 2020 has focused on promotion of Indian languages, arts and culture and calls for enhancing translation and interpretation initiatives. We shall develop high-quality resource materials in several Indian languages. I am delighted to see that Central Institute of Classical Tamil is bringing out the translation of Tirukkural in the 22 scheduled languages and other world languages. Tirukkural truly symbolizes the concept of world literature. It stands out unique in its universality of appeal and perspective. It is considered as one of the greatest works written on ethics and morality.
The ideas expressed in Tirukkural are universal and even after almost two millennia they are relevant and revered, which is why it has been called the 'Universal Veda'. Tirukkural has been widely admired by scholars and influential leaders across the ethical, social, political, religious, philosophical, and spiritual thinkers including Leo Tolstoy and Mahatma Gandhi. I urge our present and future generations to study the great classical work and to share with society, the message and the vision of life embodied in them.
I commend the efforts of Central Institute of Classical Tamil and the entire team for the series of Tirukkural translations.
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