Thirukkural as a Secular Identity Text Beyond Sectarian Religion and A Rational Guide for Human Formation

Abstract

The Thirukkural is a unique work of Tamil intellectual history that comes to represent a non-sectarian ethical statement that crosses religious, caste, dynastic and regional lines. This study takes a look at the Thirukkural not only as a classic text of literature but also as a rational and universal text for ethical and social formation which can be applied to the contemporary public arena and to general moral and social formation. The paper examines the role of the Thirukkural as a universal code of ethics among the Tamil society, which has several religion-specific scriptures and a code of ethics. It also charts the historical institutionalization of Thiruvalluvar through the establishment of Thiruvalluvar Day and the Thiruvalluvar Year, as well as the preservation and worldwide translation of the work from the palm-leaf manuscript tradition to the print culture. The study also examines the systematic ethical framework of the Thirukkural, which is composed of a few sentences, but is rational, orderly and models human development through family, education, practical wisdom, ethical wealth, virtue and effort in a particular sequence. Finally, the paper suggests that some of the concepts of 20th century Dravidian ideology and current Tamil Nadu welfare administration such as education access, equality in society, nutrition and capability enhancement can be considered as
re-interpretations of ethical ideals that can be traced to the Thirukkural. The study finds that the Thirukkural is still operating as the memory text of a culture and as a secular set of ethical guidelines for socially responsible living.