M S. Ahluwalia

The sages, philosophers, preachers and founders of all religions, races, and creeds have preached almost same social conduct and basic moral values of life for human contentment and moral strength. In Indian context many common thoughts of the two great saint-seers, Thiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak have been universally accepted as guidelines for moral, material, and spiritual prosperity. Both have been considered as the most honored teachers, guides and philosophers of not only Tamils and the Sikhs but entire mankind. Their writings have been an eternal source of inspiration, delight and enlightenment for one and all

Tamil Nadu and Punjab are isolated from each other by geographical distance but have intimate connection in the field of religious and cultural ideas, which got wide acceptance beyond the Vindhayas. In spite of almost negative mutual contact, there had been much greater interplay of ideas from time to time and it is wrong to say that there existed a great divide between North and the South or that both these parts lived in isolation and developed on separate lines. In fact there was and has been a regular contact and absorption of new ideas in religion and culture between the so-called Aryan North and the Dravidian South.

A careful study of both Thirukkural and Guru Granth Sahib, with a critical and comparative eye, would reveal that both are great treasure houses of human wisdom. The moral teachings contained in both have remained as an embodiment of all that is best in our literary and socio-cultural heritage. Again, both Thiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak's writings (as contained in Thirukkural[1] and Guru Granth Sahib[2] respectively) are held as sacred by Tamils and the Sikhs as is Bible to the Christians, Koran to Muslims, and Torah to the Jews.

Before Islam appeared on the Indian soil, there were two major traditions of thought: Vedic and Non-Vedic. The Vedic tradition, which is called Hinduism in modem terminology, believes in the Ultimate authority of the Vedas. The Vedas, which are the primary testimony in matters related to religion and philosophy in Hinduism, are considered Shruti i.e revealed by God himself. Upanishads are part of the Vedas and the Puranas, Itihasas, Shastras and Bhagwad Gita are considered as Smriti. There were non-Vedic schools also as old as the Vedic traditions. These traditions did not believe in the ultimate authority of the Vedas, rather they opposed it. Sikhism too belongs to non-Vedic tradition, as it does not believe in the ultimate authority of the Vedas. Its ultimate authority lies in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Besides being non-Vedic, Sikhism is also a revealed and an independent religion.

Beginning from the South under the inspiration of the reformers, mystics, and poets, a wave spread throughout India. This has often been called the Bhakti movement, for the promoters of this wave sought to bring change through love and devotion to the Almighty. With protection from fear as a starting point of primitive man's religion, it gradually developed into a combination of love and yielding, which is presently known by the generic name Bhakti.

Bhakti in Hindu context has been conceived as an integral natural development since it has obvious advantages over complicated ritualism of the sacrifices, and the pain inherent in penances and other austerities. Bkakti simple, easily given, and open to all and does not involve any special exertion. However, the major element of Bkakti from a devotee's point of view surely involves surrender to the lord. Its popularity lies in the fact that it is regarded far superior to the sophisticated Vedic worship-forms favored by the Brahmins.

It appears that one major problem in the history of socio-cultural and religious ideas in our own times is to study the inter-relationship between religious and cultural ideas in the North and the South of the Vindhyas, particularly relating to the Tamil and the Sikh Bhakti movements. As pointed out by a number of scholars, the term Bhakti has been used as a blanket term to denote movements, which have different backgrounds and purposes. The powerful and the direct impact of the Tamil and the Sikh movement on the contemporary religion and culture may be considered as an important feature of these two movements. The question therefore, arises as to how these movements originated and developed almost in isolation and to what extent they influenced each other in their own specific ways.

There has been in fact so much of give and take, at least in the field of religion and culture which led to close contact and adjustment between the North and the South. This is more true in the case of Bhakti movement. It is now an established fact that the Bhakti cult of North India had been very much influenced by the saints and philosophers of South, notably of Tamil Nadu. It may be noted that the Aryanisation of the South, particularly of Tamil Nadu was not a one-way phenomenon but resulted in Dravidianisation of Brahamanism to a great extent as can be seen from the Brahmanical devotion to the institution of the temple[2]. During medieval period at least, the country South of the Vindhyas, contributed to the enrichment of the Indian culture as much as it had imbibed from the Norm earlier[3]The overall utility and unique contribution of Thirukkural and Guru Granth Saheb has been acknowledged primarily in the field of their moral well-being.

"From the time the Thirukkural was published", says Justice Subramanyam, "the Tamils have recognized it in their own inner voice speaking to them of righteousness, justice and morality"[4].

The Thirukkural, however, answers and has since been answering the 'inner voice' not only of the Tamils, but also of the entire mankind. The message of Thiruvalluvar, as outlined in it, is a 'message for all humanity'. It contains great truths, most of which are common to all times, places and persons. It is, in fact, a great book of morals which 'deals in extesno with moral values of life that foster neighborliness and love among all men and women to whatever race or community they may belong[5].

The Thirukkural is virtually a universal code of morals, complied by a great humanitarian, who has rightly been honored as "the Prince of Moralists" and the "Bard of Universal Man". Hence said Ariel, who was probably the first to introduce it to the French-speaking people, "that which above all is wonderful in the Thirukkural is the fact that its author addresses himself without regard to castes, peoples or beliefs, to the whole community of mankind; the fact that he formulates sovereign morality and absolute reason, that he proclaims in their very essence, in their internal abstractedness, virtue and truth; that he presents, as it were, in one group the highest laws of domestic and social life" [6]. Its appeal is, thus, universal, its approach fully cosmopolitan, and its object is purely humanitarian.

The Thirukkural contains three parts dealing with the human pursuit, Aram, Porul and Inbam which in Sanskrit language means Dharma, Artha, and Kama and are regarded as purusharthas or human pursuits. Of these Dharma controls both Artha and Kama and makes them acceptable and beneficial to society. The Indian tradition thus refers to Dharma, Arthaand Kama as Thrivarga, or the inseparable group of the three. The fourth, Moksha, is an optional trans-social pursuit which is meant only for those who intend to dive deeper into the spiritual dimensions of reality.

The Thirukkural was written more than two thousand years ago. We are living in an ever-changing world. The world is considered as maya which means illusion. But it has another meaning- impermanence i.e. what exists at a particular moment does not exist the next moment. This is scientific truth. Change is the law of nature and changes have taken place in every field of human activity. Under these circumstances whether what had been enunciated regarding the art of living which is the essence of Thirukkural would be relevant to modern societies or not is a moot point However, one can argue logically and forcefully that most of the pronouncements in the Thirukkural are still valid. The Thirukkural has transcended the limitations of space and time. Herein lies the genius of Thiruvaluvar.

The fundamental human values are expressed in three simple and beautiful words - Satyam, Shivam, and Sundaram i.e. Truth, Love and Beauty which are called tattvas - eternal, never changing values. Many scholars have dived deep into the verses in the Thirukkural and have brought forth this feature in their studies. The main point that emerges is the scientific outlook which Valluvar has exhibited in dealing with various subjects. He could not have been a scientist since science as it is understood today was not developed before seventeenth century. However a scientific outlook is as old as human civilization.

Man is not just an individual He is a social being - a citizen entitled to what we have resolved to secure in the Preamble of our Constitution: "Justice, social, economic and political; liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, Equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all, fraternity assuring the dignity of individual."

The Thirukkural defines the pathways for man to tread to reach these human goals. It is a human document shining as a guideline to humanity to promote happiness, harmony and peace. The Thirukkural is thus a document of universal application[7].

Scriptures, philosophical enquiries, great literary works, and studies that dwell on domain of human wisdom rather than human knowledge itself have the potential to sustain themselves. The bible will endure as long as Christianity lasts, so will the Koran as long as Islam has its followers. However, books on diplomacy or statecraft such as Kautilya's Arthashastra or Machiavelli's Prince can get admiration but will not last long in this ever-changing world in terms of their practical value and validity. Valluvar lived and worked in an age and in a society whose problems, challenges, ambitions, aspirations and even values were vastly different from those of the present.

How can one imagine that a book dealing so intimately with a practical and mundane subject as the 'Art of Living' that involves day to day duties and responsibilities and written two millennia ago is relevant today? If Thirukkural is a treatise on the 'Art of Living' it should not remain confined within the classroom or to be discussed in seminars and forums of the scholars. Since its appeal is secular and that it belongs to Hindus, Christians, Muslims and others, all alike, it must reach the people and form a part of their inheritance. Great works are the creations of the greatest among men and women. These men and women might be considered as divinely inspired; yet their words are those of human beings and are so treated.

The age of science and technology began and brought in its train momentous changes. The development in nuclear science, the invention of computer, the adventures in space, and achievements in life sciences, have almost transformed the world and given itn a new form and numerous new tools for human advancement. Valluvar lived and wrote in the age of the bullock cart whereas we are living in a technologically advanced age. Valluvar lived at a time when monarchy was the only form of civilized government Today monarch, as it existed then, has disappeared and the concept of a welfare state has come to be accepted[8].

Thirukkural is referred to as Tamil Veda but it is a secular book. Thirukkural has no followers based on faith. It is not a scripture. It is a secular book and does not advocate any faith. Its appeal and acceptance are derived from its inherent worth.

During the period of Thiruvalluvar the most popular term used for education was Dharma. However, even the role of education keeps changing with time. The word Dharma was in use then and is in use even today. However, what it signifies today is very different from what it signified in the past. A study of Thirukkural brings out certain characteristics which makes it immortal. These have been listed as: (i) issues which concern wisdom in preference to knowledge; (ii) generalization; (iii) scientific outlook; (iv) extolling human effort and presenting a possible ideal world[9].

Social systems consisting of groups of individuals are infinitely more difficult to understand and are intractable. It is here that human relationship plays a part. Laws and regulations enter governance and control becomes necessary. The sum of human experience bequeathed over generations acquires relevance. It is thus wisdom rather than knowledge that helps and guides in the 'Art of Living': Thiruvalluvar has been extremely careful not to deal with matters of knowledge that grow and change with time. It is here that he demonstrates extraordinary perception of things that shift with the passage of time.

Matters of wisdom do not change perceptibly with time. In the world of knowledge, at the present rate of growth, even a decennium is a significant period; but in domain of wisdom a millennium or two may hardly matter. If what Valluvar said was valid then, it may not be valid now. The passages in the Thirukkural are essentially words of wisdom and the expression of a mature mind that have eternal relevance.

Valluvar thought of human society as a whole, considered its characteristics, its strength, and weaknesses and extracted the essence and essentials that run through the system as the core. Political organizations may change; form of governance may change and these changes may occur in time and space. However, for Thiruvalluvar, deep inside human life are certain relatively un-shifting foundations. Valluvar reached these depths and brings out guidelines and for conducting one's affairs of life as a member of a social system. It is this aspect that makes Thirukkural relevant even today.

Water is basic to life next only to air and any poem in its praise could have eternal value. Therefore, Valluvar has placed this chapter next only to the opening chapter "In praise of God". The ten couplets in this chapter emphasize the importance and indispensability of rains and will be relevant as long as we need water for life. The last couplet reads as follows:

If it be said that the duties of life
Cannot be discharged by any person without water,
So without rain there can not be the flowing water.

It is also translated by Rev. G.U.Pope as:

"When water fails, functions of the nature cease, you say: Thus when rain fails, no men can walk in 'duty's ordered way'"[10].

This statement is definite, categorical, and also true. Valluvar must have made his observation with the definite conviction that this would be eternally true.

Valluvar scrupulously avoids the use of names of places, objects and events in general, and proper nouns to an astonishing degree. For example he devoted a whole chapter to the importance of the power of speech but has not mentioned the name of any language, including his own mother tongue, Tamil. Again there is full chapter on State and the characteristics of a prosperous country, but does not mention the name of any country, place, city or kingdom that existed in the Tamil country or elsewhere.

Thiruvalluvar refers to the necessity of having perennial rivers but does not mention any river. He often speaks of scholarly books and advises his readers to "do as stated in authoritative treatises or as suggested by the acknowledged authors. However, one does not come across the name of any book or author in the Thirukkural. Thiruvalluvar knew that any author or a particular book may become obsolete, but the need to consult acknowledged treatises and great authors will always be there and the advise and stress on such a need will always be there and will remain valid for ever.

Thiruvalluvar uses the word tool in more than one place but never refers to any particular tool You may fill up that place (tool) by eight thousand year-old plough or the most modem tool, the personal computer. Based on the problem at a given point the reader can find the appropriate tool. This was the crux of his message. The tool will change with time and place, but the need to use the “appropriate tool” will ever remain. There is perhaps no book dealing with human virtues that does not insist on'good conduct'. Thiravalluvar too speaks of the need for and greatness and propriety of good conduct in general.

Thiruvalluvar extols the virtues of education: the power of knowledge and the baseness of illiteracy. But in all the thirty stanzas devoted to education he does not make any mention of subjects to be taught or books to study. By laying down the criterion "Learn what has to be learnt", Thiruvalluvar embraces all professions and all periods. He chooses to stress the need to leann, but he would not specify what is to be learnt. This is what each may decide in accordance with the prevailing needs. It is surprising that in three complte chapters that are relevant to learning he does not mention any subject, book, or an author.

In the chapter on "Glory of Defence" he says that military forces should have all components; must not be afraid of suffering of war; and must have the ability to win the war. Although four components of army were well-established then, he does not either mention the number or refer even casually to any of them. He was thus aware that components may vary from country to country and even within the same country from time to time. Thiruvalluvar has devoted a full chapter to “Selection of Personnel for Employment”. He refers to the choice of people to accomplish a task. Many of his observations would fit in extremely well with modern principles of management. Thus in every topic he dealt with he has endeavored to abstract the core of the subject and has succeeded in making the observation so general that they led themselves to interpretations in terms of contemporary development, leaving space for all changes that may take place in human progress.

In any area of activity where one applies knowledge one can see that knowledge utilized has universal components and local components. Science is universal but its application is not The moment Valluvar refers to a language or a country or a dynasty of rulers, he may have to ensure its relevance in a given situation. The fulfillment of this requirement will militate against the universal appeal of thee book. Whatever topic Thiruvalluvar touched upon, he sifted it, analyzed it in innermost details and selected for his discussion only those components that have an enduring value[11].

The final goal and ultimate objective of human endeavor is finding the truth. It is in this pursuit that humanity has involved itself since thee birth of civilization. Whether it is religion or philosophy or science, the final aim is to know what is true, what is real. Among the ancient thinkers there were many who possessed scientific outlook in their pursuit of knowledge. They exhibited extraordinary perception and a combination of reasoning and intuition for understanding reality. They exhibited a capacity to rise for a moment above their own faiths and beliefs to study a problem with an open mind. We certainly find these qualities, characteristic and a truly modern mind in Thiruvalluvar. We do find that from times immemorial, there are instancess when the just suffered and the unjust lived in plenty and prosperity. Valluvar points out this contradiction:

The prosperity of individuals
Who are envious and jealous and
The poverty of the righteous
Need to be pondered over.

Valluvar thus raises a question "Why is this that we find that some among the envious and jealous are very well off and the righteous one suffer? " He does not give an answer bat concludes that this requires investigation. In general believers have established a model within which answers can be found. If no other explanation is available, they have the final answer "It’s God's will”. Since no one has any record what comes under God's will and what falls outside one may accept the answer or reject it. We see this in Thirukkural. There are questions that cannot be answered and therefore, need further study. He aptly concludes that neither our faith, nor our wisdom, nor our knowledge can provide all the answers. There are still many things that lie beyond all systems, human or divine.

In the first chapter "In Praise of God", Valluvar speaks of Him as an eternal being and stresses the need to worship Him, but he does not get involved in any religious discussion or analysis of different religions that existed in his time. The first chapter depicts him as a believer in God who adheres to a religion but there is no reference to a religion that he might have followed. His book transcends the bounds of individual faiths, including his own, and looks at the world with objectivity of a researcher. This makes Thirukkural a truly secular book.

The wealth and prosperity of a nation today does not depend on the area of land, its natural resources or the population. It depends on human resources which represent the skill and the knowledge of the people. The message of the information era is: Those who have knowledge will have all. This precisely and almost verbatim is what Valluvar says in Thirukkural.

The Pan-Indian culture speaks about four purusharthas, namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha or in other words righteousness, wealth, enjoyment and heaven. These were familiar to the Tamils even during the days of Valluvar. However he chose to speak about the first three and did not discuss the fourth explicitly.

It is one’s deeds (and none else)
that form the touchstone
for one’s greatness or smallness.

While there may be other yardsticks to evaluate of one's greatness, finally and decisively on the actions that matter, Thirukkural eulogizes the virtues of human endeavor. It encourages, advocates, and extols whatever it can and in whatever form possible human effort, pursuit, and perseverance. Valluvar's advises that the aim should be to improve upon and perfect what the matter on hand rather than neglect it. It is useless to yearn for something elusive, uncertain, or something that lies hereafter.

Valluvar's Thirukkural is verily the Magna Carta of human effort. Human beings keep evolving; they grow and develop and this process will continue. Thus stressing the world of reason rather than religion, and using the language and grammar of the world, he tried to understand and interpret the path to spiritualism. The main aim of the Thirukkural is to lay down guidelines for living in this world in accordance with the way one should live. His intention is to suggest a way of life. The world of Valluvar has human being as the head and its culture is to:

Aim high whatever is aimed at;

and,

When an opportunity that is rare to come by does come.
Use it to achieve the goal

Also,

One's deeds are the touchstone of one's greatness or smallness.

It is thus the greatness of our goal that lends you individual. We become as great as our objective.

He who on earth has lived
in the conjugal state as be should live,
will be placed among Gods
who dwell in heaven."

A simple and more practical prescription that this is almost impossible.

In every area of human activity, Valluvar establishes the ideal, investigates it and where be sees an inevitable need for exceptions and adjustments considering the paramount importance of the interests of society, he applies corrections to bring the ideal closer to the real world. He makes room for dreams of tomorrow; but takes into account the needs of today. His compromises are not compromises of the opportunist, but the compromises of the wise. It is this rational approach which gives Thirukkural inherent strength and resilience thus making it possible to absorb new impacts and to stretch itself to withstand any stress.

In short Thiruvalluvar is a bard who sings the glory of action, a poet who makes performance the criterion for greatness, and a philosopher who assures heaven on earth. Valluvar did not create in his mind an ideal society of his choice and organized the contents of his treatise to fit that ideal. The Thirukkural is a marvelous synthesis of universal humanism and claimed as their own by the protagonists of a good number of faiths and sects. The Jains for instance, "identify him with a disciple of one of their saints Kuntakuntacharya[13]. Rev. Pope has particularly been struck by the similarity of some of the ideas expressed in it with the teachings of Jesus. Many passages according to him are "strikingly Christian in their spirit" [14].

We find the moral teachings of Thiruvalluvar present at least in the teachings of Guru Nanak (1469-1539) the celebrated founder of a modern universal religion. in northern part of our own subcontinent Guru Nanak. though widely known and respected as a prophet or preceptor, was essentially a man[15]. The man in him was first and foremost, a teacher, a World Teacher, for whom the whole world was a "Classroom" of the Lord and its people the "pupils". His own definition of a teacher is:

He alone is a Teacher who imparts true
instructions to his pupils. [16]

For Guru Nanak the earth is a Dharamsal [17] meant for learning and practicing Dharma. He was an ideal teacher who cherished an implicit faith in the destiny of his pupils and who 'believed that all human beings have goodness, which like the pearl in the oyster, only awaits the opening of the shell to emerge and enrich him. The chief task of the teacher is to 'make his pupil aware of the treasure within him and then help him to unlock the jewel-box' [18].

Guru Nanak did not recognize any distinction between people on the basis of caste, class, race, religion, country or community. The Guru’s first biographer Bhai Gurdas (155 1-1636) rightly called him Zahir Pir Jagat Guru Baba[19]. According to him,

Guru Nanak re-established Dharma,
All castes he merged into one caste of man,
The rich and poor he brought on one level. [20]

His attitude as a teacher, therefore, was humanitarian, his appeal universal, his teaching cosmopolitan, and his lessons common for one and all [21]. Similar was the case with most the teachings of Thiruvalluvar.

Both in the Tamil and the Sikh Bhakti literature, the institution of family gets special treatment. Thiruvalluvar, who has greatly influenced the Tamil religious thought, has devoted a special section to the state of a house-holder in his celebrated work Thirukkural. He states that of all the aspirants to Dharma, the householder who lives up to the standard is most estimable[22]. Guru Nanak too had a positive outlook on life and family, in contradiction to denunciation and renunciation of worldly life as practiced in the earlier religions. With the Guru, Sikhism became a religion of the householders.

Both Guru Nanak and Thiruvalluvar were householders-cum-teachers. Domestic virtue, truth, purity, humility and charity form the favorite themes of some of their finest verses couched in simple and straightforward language. Again, their views about vast variety of themes such as good and bad actions, love, truthfulness, virtue, humility and good conduct etc., have been expressed without entering into dogmatic or doctrinal controversies. While trying to lead men from darkness to light, from evil to righteousness and from mortality to immortality, neither of them posed as a prophet or law-giver[23].

Mysticism however, is not such a striking feature of Guru Nanak's teachings. On the contrary, he presented before the people a very simple form of creed which common man could understand and follow without any difficulty. His concern for life in this world was so large that he was opposed to asceticism. He neither preached nor followed the path of renunciation in order to attain spiritual unity with God. He killed "by example and precept, that old idea that a householder's life was a barrier to spiritual progress" [24].

The opposition to asceticism was given an explicitly social character through a series of measures adopted by the Guru such as institution of Dharamsals (the earlier nomenclature of the Gurdwaras meant for public worship), Langar (public kitchen) and Kirtan (collective singing of hymns) have come down to the Sikhs since the days of Guru Nanak. The cohesive role played by these institutions has done much to hold the family and community together. This has undoubtedly helped to create a new image of a new faith and a new society based on family life, which indeed became one of the pillars of Sikhism and Sikh society[25]. The Sikhs have and are living as fellow members of a common society, united by religious and social ties which have since become stronger with the passage of time[26].

According to Valluvar, universal love, sense of shame, philanthropic munificence, indulgent look, and truthfulness are the five pillars on which perfection of character rests[27]. He even went to the extent of saying that the touchstone of perfection of character is acknowledging defeat even at the hands of those who are not one's equals[28].

Hundreds of gems of moral, spiritual and philosophical content constitute the moral code of both Guru Nanak and Thiruvalluvar as reflected in their hymns, which are fortunately preserved in original and authentic form. Couched in simple language and style both have presented their aspirations in a precise and direct way as these are, and therefore can be understood by rustics and the sophisticated equally well. There is nothing of mystical or mythical, theoretical or ambiguous about them. Both are in fact teachers of the common folk and were at their best while cherishing their aspirations. Both talked in then own idiom and taught what to aspire and how to proceed, what to do and what not to do, in a simple and direct way.

This is not to say that there was no difference between the two. Both differed at many places. However, the difference is evident from their approach to and emphasis on various aspects of one and the same subject. A remarkable example of this sort of difference is evident in their respective attitude towards "Truth" as a towering virtue. According to Thiruvalluvar:

"In all the scriptures we have read, there is no virtue greater than truth'' [29].

And, according to Guru Nanak:

Sachau uche sabh ho, upar sach achar

Truth is highest of all virtues,
But higher still is truthful living. [30]

Thiruvalluvar's and Guru Nanak's teachings are modern and scientific and can easily be accepted universally. Their message to rise above caste, color or creed is another modern idea and should appeal to all persons who believe in equity, justice, and social harmony. Neither Thiruvalluvar nor Guru Nanak passed any stricture against the message of other religions of the past or future. And neither advocates hollow rituals. Instead the basic principle of love of people without discrimination is stressed. ,

Both Thiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak placed individual conduct[36] before the ritualistic, and laid great emphasis on its moral as well as practical aspect, especially on good deeds and cardinal virtues of love and truth, charity and righteousness, self-respect and self-confidence, humility and generosity, courage and sacrifice, purity and honesty, unity and fraternity, loyalty and chastity, integrity and solidarity, benevolence and temperance, justice and fair play, sweetness and tolerance, effort and faith, peace and reconciliation, good company and fellow feeling, dignity of labor and selfless service of mankind.

Lastly their clarion call that the salvation of mankind depends on the performance of noble actions is an inspiration to all those who are groping in the darkness for want of a dependable creed. Judged by most exacting standards, the message of Thinrvalluvar and Guru Nanak strikes us as a sort of new faith propounded by the two prophets, who though are separated geographically and in time span by thousands of miles and several centuries respectively, have left a unique message for mankind. If followed faithfully each human being can play an effective role in our religious and cultural regeneration.

NOTES & REFERENCES

¹ Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural is divided into three parts consisting of 133 chapters, each containing ten couplets. It presents seven ideals containing lofty thoughts in pure Tamil. Thiruvalluvar lived about the first century A.D. and is said to be a weaver by profession.

² Guru Nanak was born at Talwandi Sabo, presently Nankana Sahib in Pakistan in 1469 A.D. His couplets, over 1000, are incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib which was compiled in 1604 A.D.

³ N. Subramanian’s article in S.P. Sen (ed.) North and South in Indian History: Contact and Adjustment, (Calcutta, 1976), p.46.

⁴ G.S. Dikhit’s article in S.P. Sen, op. cit., p.64

⁵ V.R. Ramchandra Dikshitar, Tirukural of Tiruvalluvar (Madras, 1949), p. ix

⁶ M. Ariel, in his letter to Bernouf published in Journal Asiatique, Paris, November-December 1948. Cited in Harnam Singh Shan, ‘Tiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak: Their Moral Teachings’ (Chandigarh, 1974), p.13

⁷ C. Subramaniam. Foreward in V.C. Kuladai, The Immortal Kural (Mumbai, 2002), pp. x-xiv

⁸ Ibid, p.xx

⁹ Ibid, p.8

¹⁰ Rev. G.U. Pope, Tirukkural, tr. (Chennai, 2004), p.9

¹¹ V.C. Kuladai Swamy, op. cit., p.26

¹² Ibid., pp. 23-41

¹³ T.P. Meenakshi Sundaram, A History of Tamil Literature, (Annamalainagar, 1965), p. 47. Cited in H.S. Shan, ‘Tiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak: Their Moral Teachings’ (Chandigarh, 1974), p.13

¹⁴ Rev. G.U. Pope in his introduction to Tirukkural (Oxford, 1886), p. xxii

¹⁵ But what a man the like of whom is yet to be known to the history of mankind. He was a man whose life, according to Sadhu Vaswani, “opened up an era in the history of India and Asia, in ths history of humanity…”. Sadhu T.L. Vaswani, A Prophet of the People (Poona, 1952), pp. 13, 15.

¹⁶ Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Amritsar, 1604), S.G.P.C. Impression, Rag Ramkali, p. 938

¹⁷ Ibid., Jap, p.7

¹⁸ Khushwant Singh, A History of Sikhs, Vol. I

¹⁹ Bhai Gurdas, Varan (Amritsar, 1600), canto no. 24, stanza no. 3

²⁰ Ibid., canto no. 1, stanza no. 23; Puran Singh, The Book of Ten Masters, (London, 1926), p. 28; Randhir Singh, Glimpses of the Divine Masters (New Delhi, 1965), p. 141

²¹ H.S. Shan, op. cit., p. 15

²² See also Thiruvalluvar op. cit. Illara lyal-Athikaram, 5-24, cited in Prema Kasthuri “Advocacy to Strengthening the Family Values in New Millennium”, paper presented at 7th annual conference of Association of Third World Studies, Chennai, 2002 (unpublished).

²³ For critical analysis of the moral teachings of Thiruvalluvar and Guru nanak, see H.S. Shan op. cit., pp. 11-34

²⁴ A.C. Banerjee, Guru Nanak and His Times (Patiala, 1984), p. 161

²⁵ N.R. Ray, “One Message, One Mission: A Study in Social Analysis From Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh”, The Sikh Review, Calcutta, Feb. 1979.

²⁶ Max Arthur Macauliffe, The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, Vol. I (Oxford, 1909), p.60

²⁷ We find the echoes of somewhat similar emphasis on some of the cardinal virtues in the writings of both Thiruvalluvar and Guru Nanak. For instance:

The joy of heaven is but the fruit of righteous life rooted in love. (Thirukkural, ch. 8, no. 5)

The crown of wealth is one’s compassion; all other wealth is found even amongst meanest of men. (ch. 25, no. 241)

Sweet and inoffensive words yield one happiness here and hereafter. (ch. 10, no. 98)

That deed must always be discarded which does not prompt virtue and produce fame. (ch. 66, no. 652)

Now what Guru Nanak says:

sabna ka dar lekha hoi,
karni bajhon tare and koi. (SGGS, p. 952)

Everyone is answerable to God,
No one is saved except through merit of his own deeds.

agni karni kirat wachiye
beh lekha kar samjhaya. (Ibid., Rag Asa, p. 464)

Man has himself to bear the consequences
Of his good and bad actions.

mande change apana,
apa hi keeta pawna. (Ibid., Rag Asa, p. 471)

Man himself reaps the fruit of the good and the bad he does.

phal tehwe paiye, jehwi kar kamaiye. (Ibid., Rag Asa, p. 468)

Man himself reaps the fruit of the good and the bad he does.

wich duniya sew kamaiye,
ta dargeh besain paiye. (Ibid., Rag Siri, p. 26)

If we want to get a seat in the Court of god,
We should dedicate ourselves to the service of the
People in this world.

²⁸ Thiruvalluvar, op. cit., ch. 99, no. 986

²⁹ Ibid., ch. 30, no. 300

³⁰ Sri Guru Granth Sahib, op. cit., Rag Siri, p. 62

³¹ For example:

The noblest revenge is to put the foe to the blush by our ats of kindness. (Thirukkural, op.cit., ch. 32, no. 314)

Hatred is foul disease, that brings discord among men. (Ibid., ch. 86, no. 851)

To pure householders there is no cessation of work.
One’s false prestige leads to the ruins of one’s life. (Ibid., ch. 103, no. 1028)

The world sings in praise of those noble persons
who prefer death to dishonor. (Ibid., ch. 97, no. 970)

The wealth that is not spent on the needy is
As barren as the withering charm of a spinster. (Ibid., ch. 101, no. 1007)

Lack of decorum disgraces a home;
Lack of modesty destroys everything good. (Ibid., ch. 102, no. 1019)

A toiling peasant never begs but gives. (Ibid., ch. 104, no. 1035)

Poverty in itself an evil, is the mother of all ills. (Ibid., ch. 105, no. 1045)

Fear and desire rule the conduct of the base. (Ibid., ch. 108, no. 1075)


Copyright ©2005 M S. Ahluwalia. About the author