Thirukkural: The Ancient Tamil Text Modi Gifted to Putin

Why in News?

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a Russian translation of the ancient Tamil text Thirukkural during their bilateral meeting in New Delhi on September 11, 2026, ahead of the BRICS Summit.
• The book highlights India’s rich Tamil literary and cultural heritage and carries universal teachings on morality, governance, education, love and human values.

What Is Thirukkural?

• The word Thirukkural means “sacred couplets” or “sacred verses.”
• The text contains 1,330 couplets, known as Kurals. Each couplet consists of seven words. These couplets are organised into 133 chapters, with 10 couplets in each chapter.
• Thirukkural is widely regarded as an important work on ethics and human values.

What Is the Age of Thirukkural?

• Thirukkural is more than 2,000 years old. It is generally dated to the period between 300 BCE and 500 BCE. 
• Written by the Tamil poet-philosopher Thiruvalluvar, it is considered one of the oldest and most influential works of Tamil literature.

Three Major Sections of Thirukkural

Thirukkural is divided into three main sections:

1. The Book of Virtue – Aram

This section focuses on morality, ethical conduct, and personal values. It contains 38 chapters and explains how individuals should lead a righteous and meaningful life.

2. The Book of Polity – Porul

This section deals with governance, society, economic values, leadership, and public life. It contains 70 chapters and provides guidance on the responsibilities of rulers and citizens.

3. The Book of Love – Inbam

This section focuses on love and human relationships. It contains 25 chapters and explores different emotions and experiences associated with love.

Key Themes of Thirukkural

• Thirukkural places strong emphasis on moral conduct and human values. Thiruvalluvar highlighted the importance of kindness, wisdom, education, charity, love, and compassion.
• The text does not support divisions based on religion, caste, creed, or race. Instead, it gives importance to ethical behaviour and humanity.
• Thiruvalluvar also warned that a life without morality can lead to jealousy, greed, anger, and suffering. According to his teachings, virtues such as love, charity, wisdom, and spirituality can improve both individual life and society.

Thirukkural and the Concept of God

• The first chapter of Thirukkural is titled Kadavul Vazhthu, meaning “The Praise of God.”
• Thiruvalluvar presents God as a symbol of wisdom, compassion, morality, love, and pure intelligence. 
• His approach to spirituality is closely connected with ethical living and human values.

Thirukkural on Love

• The section on love, known as Inbam, is broadly divided into two parts:
• Kalaviyal deals with love before marriage, while Karpiyal deals with love within married life.
• Thiruvalluvar uses poetry and imagery to describe different emotions associated with love. Love is presented not merely as passion but also as a source of joy, emotional connection, and inner peace.

Importance of Education

• Education is another important theme in Thirukkural. Thiruvalluvar considered education, wisdom, and virtue closely connected.
• According to his teachings, true education should help a person develop good character and lead a virtuous life. His ideas on education have often been compared with the thoughts of ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

Thirukkural’s Global Reach

• Thirukkural was first translated into English in 1840. Since then, it has been translated into more than 60 languages, making it one of the most widely translated works of Tamil literature.
• The Russian edition gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Vladimir Putin was translated by Naira Mkrtchyan. It was published in 2026 by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil as part of its Thirukkural translation series.

Why Is Thirukkural Relevant Today?

• Although Thirukkural was composed more than two thousand years ago, its teachings remain relevant in modern society.
• Its focus on ethical leadership, compassion, education, social harmony, responsible governance, and human values makes it significant even today.
• The work offers universal lessons on how individuals and societies can promote a more ethical and harmonious way of life.

Thirukkural and Its Global Recognition

• French scholar E. S. Ariel, who translated Thirukkural into French in the 19th century, famously described it as a “book without a name by an author without a name.”
• Tamil scholar and missionary George Uglow Pope was among the early scholars to study Thiruvalluvar systematically. He referred to him as the “Bard of Universal Man.”

Conclusion

Thirukkural is more than an ancient Tamil literary work. It is a comprehensive text on ethics, governance, society, education, love, and human values. The presentation of its Russian translation to President Vladimir Putin highlights the global significance of Tamil literature and India's rich cultural heritage.

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