Tiruvalluvar Tatha Unka Amar Granth Tirukkural

Here's a comprehensive summary in English of the provided Jain text about Tiruvalluvar and his work, the Tirukkural:

This text, "Tiruvalluvar tatha unka Amar Granth Tirukkural" by Pandit Mahendrakumar Jain, delves into the life and immortal work of the Tamil poet-saint Tiruvalluvar, with a particular focus on establishing the Jain origins and influences within his magnum opus, the Tirukkural.

1. The Tamil Language and Culture:

• The text begins by describing the Tamil Nadu region and the ancient, Dravidian culture that predates the arrival of Aryans in India.
• The Tamil language is highlighted as being as old as Sanskrit and remarkably independent, with very few Sanskrit loanwords, unlike other South Indian languages like Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. This linguistic distinctiveness is seen as a marker of its indigenous origins.
• Ancient Tamil literature is divided into music, drama, and literature, all of which flourished with specialized grammars. These texts, like ancient Sanskrit and Prakrit works, required commentaries for full understanding.

2. The Significant Role of Jain Acharyas in Tamil Literature:

• A crucial point made is the substantial contribution of Jain ascetics to the enrichment of ancient Tamil literature. They integrated with the land and its culture even before the Common Era.
• Jain acharyas propagated Shramana culture and gifted Tamil literature with great epics, lexicons, and grammars. The literature from the first Sangam period, created before the Common Era, has been lost. However, the surviving works from later periods reveal Jain acharyas as prominent poets, grammarians, and lexicographers.
• Jain scholars served Tamil literature extensively until the 7th-8th centuries CE. Subsequent continuous warfare in Tamil Nadu led to the destruction of much literature, with Jain literature suffering the most significant loss.

3. The Tirukkural and its Jain Connection:

• The Tirukkural is presented as an excellent poem from the Sangam period, renowned in South India as the "Tamil Veda." Its author, Tiruvalluvar, is identified as a saint.
• Initially, followers of various religions claimed the Tirukkural as their own sacred text. However, the author asserts that numerous literary evidences now prove Tiruvalluvar to be a Jain.
• Specific evidence is cited:
  • The Neelakeshi commentary explicitly calls the Tirukkural a Jain scripture.
  • The texts Silappadikaram and Manimekhalai, written in the 2nd century CE, also refer to it as a Jain work.
  • Authors of these texts have quoted extensively from the Tirukkural to support their own arguments.
  • Jain acharyas have written commentaries on the Tirukkural.

4. The Life of Tiruvalluvar and his Wife Vasuki:

• Tiruvalluvar lived in Mylapore, near Madras, where a large temple dedicated to Lord Neminath once stood before being replaced by the Kapaleshwar temple.
• The text recounts a poignant story illustrating the profound marital harmony and devotion between Tiruvalluvar and his wife Vasuki. When a sadhu inquired about the secret of their blissful married life, Tiruvalluvar invited him to stay and observe.
• Through a series of seemingly unusual requests (cooking nails, feigning a hot meal, asking for a lamp in midday), Tiruvalluvar demonstrated the absolute trust, obedience, and unity with his wife. Vasuki's unquestioning and devoted responses to these tests revealed the deep bond and understanding between them.
• Tragically, Vasuki passed away before Tiruvalluvar could experience this marital bliss until the end of his life. He deeply mourned her loss, praising her cooking, obedience, care, and simplicity.
• After Vasuki's death, Tiruvalluvar renounced the world, took initiation, and spent his remaining days spreading his teachings.

5. The Structure and Content of the Tirukkural:

• Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural is considered an invaluable gift to the world, translated into most languages.
• It is divided into three parts: Dharma (virtue), Artha (wealth/politics), and Kama (love/desire). It covers the first three of the four Purusharthas.
• The work comprises 133 chapters, each with 10 couplets, totaling 1330 concise yet profound verses.
• The text emphasizes the Tirukkural's boundless, generous, and compassionate nature. The love-related sections are noted for their complete absence of vulgarity, making it unique among world literature for its pure portrayal of love.

6. The Mangalacharan (Invocation) and its Jain Interpretation:

• The first part, Dharma, begins with a four-chapter invocation praising God.
• The author argues that Tiruvalluvar, in his invocation, adopted the Jain tradition of anekantavada (many-sidedness) and the syncretic approach of Jain scholars like Siddhasena Divakara, Haribhadra Suri, Hemchandracharya, and Anandhan.
• The invocation is seen to apply to God in general, but also specifically to Rishabhadeva, Mahavira, and other Tirthankaras, as well as other world pathfinders. This explains why Buddhists, Jains, Shaivites, and Vaishnavites all claim Tiruvalluvar.
• The text provides verbatim Tamil verses from the invocation, highlighting terms like "Adi Bhagavan" (Primordial God), "Kevalajnan" (Omniscience), "Mithyatva" (false belief/ignorance), "Panchindriyanigrahi" (one who controls the five senses), "Ragadvesharahita" (free from attachment and aversion), and "Ashtaguna" (eight qualities).
• The author asserts that these terms are intrinsically linked to Jain philosophy. For instance, "Adi Bhagavan" refers to Rishabhadeva, the first Tirthankara. "Kevalajnan" is a specific Jain term for complete knowledge attained after the destruction of karmic obstacles. "Mithyatva" is the root of ignorance and karma, and its destruction leads to spiritual progress. The control of the five senses and freedom from attachment and aversion are core Jain principles. The "eight qualities" are explained as the qualities of the Siddhas (like infinite knowledge, infinite perception, etc.) attained through the destruction of the four destroying karmas (Jnana-avaraniya, Darshana-avaraniya, Mohaniya, and Antaraya).

7. Content of the Dharma Section:

• The Dharma section discusses Grihastha Dharma (householder's duty) and Yati Dharma (ascetic's duty), aligning with the Jain focus on householder and monastic paths.
• It provides guidance on becoming an excellent wife, father, neighbor, and human being in 16 chapters, and the 24th chapter discusses how humans are motivated by the desire for fame.
• The ascetic's virtues are discussed in 13 chapters, with the final chapter of this section focusing on destiny.
• The text highlights the hopeful outlook on human life in this section, emphasizing the value of a respectable home and fortunate progeny. It praises fatherly duty and the joy of children.
• It underscores duties like compassion towards all beings, hospitality, and sweet speech, while denouncing actions like adultery, envy, greed, falsehood, and harmful thoughts.
• The text discusses the soul's transmigration after death, the impact of past actions (karma), and the importance of self-control, detachment, meditation, and the purification of the mind to overcome vices.
• The concept of karma is explained in detail, reflecting the Jain belief that accumulated actions influence future lives. The importance of penance (tapas) in dissolving karma and the power of firm resolve in overcoming destiny are also mentioned.

8. Content of the Artha Section:

• This section deals with wealth and politics, covering topics like governance, the appointment of ministers, armies, spies, identifying and valuing friends, the consequences of tyranny, and vigilance against enemies.
• It also touches upon agriculture, charity, and fame, highlighting the qualities of a just and compassionate king, skilled farmers, patience, valor, and leadership.

9. Content of the Kama Section:

• The Kama section narrates the love story of a couple, from their first glance to their reunion.
• It describes the subtle ways in which love develops, the coyness of the beloved, and the yearning of the lover.
• The text details their secret marriage and the unconventional, somewhat "barbaric," method used to secure parental consent due to the delay in finding a suitable occasion.
• It recounts the couple's brief period of happiness, followed by the husband's conscription for war, leading to the wife's intense grief and longing, described over eleven chapters.
• The husband's anxiety about his wife's well-being during his absence is also portrayed.
• Upon his return, the wife's feigned anger (maan) and the role of a friend in mediating their reconciliation are depicted, likened to a dramatic play.
• This section is praised for its depiction of a chaste and devoted wife, free from impurity or unchaste behavior, and its pure portrayal of love, far removed from depictions of illicit love in other literary traditions.

10. Overall Message and Legacy:

• The Tirukkural's Dharma section emphasizes love for all beings, compassion, non-violence, and abstaining from meat. It poetically describes love as an overwhelming emotion and highlights the importance of gentle words over harsh ones, drawing parallels to how a friend supports a friend.
• The text quotes various aphorisms from the Tirukkural to illustrate Tiruvalluvar's insightful observations on life, friendship, and perseverance.
• A Jain poet, 150 years after Tiruvalluvar, described the Tirukkural as containing boundless wisdom within its couplets, akin to fitting the vastness of the seven seas into a mustard seed. The poetess Avvaiyar also lauded its ability to convey profound meaning in concise verses.
• The summary concludes by stating that the Tirukkural is not just a treasure of Tamil Nadu but of the entire world. Tiruvalluvar, through this work, gifted world literature with an invaluable asset. The text's ethos is characterized by simple living and high thinking, and its verses are deeply ingrained in the hearts of the Tamil people. It is seen as a work that is simultaneously like the teachings of Shramana saints, a treatise on ethics comparable to Bhishma and Chanakya, and a work of imaginative power akin to Ashvaghosha and Kalidasa. The core message emphasizes the supremacy of virtue, manliness, self-control, a life of hardship, and self-respect, advocating for the abandonment of wickedness and sin for their development.