Thiruvalluvar

Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari

About Thiruvalluvar

Since no historical evidences exist that describe Thiruvalluvar’s personal life, historians can only theorize about the life of person Thiruvalluvar. The historians agree that Thiruvalluvar should have been a happily married man and perhaps had children of his own. He must have been a virtuous man. Also, judging from his depth of knowledge about kingship, politics and governance as evidenced from the second part of the book, Thiruvalluvar should have held a fairly high position in a king’s court. Also, there are ample evidences to suggest that he must have been a revolutionary thinker advocating rationalism and not subscribing to any religion. The three primary religions of his times were Buddhism, Brahmanism (later became known as Hinduism) and Jainism. He seems to have embraced the common philosophical core elements of the three major religions while ignoring their ritualistic traditions. It is still a matter of speculation among historians as to what religion did he actually belong. Many past and present religious leaders of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism claim that Thiruvalluvar must have belonged only to their religion. The more we study Thirukkural, the more we admire the extraordinary vision and genius of Thiruvalluvar. Dr. G. U. Pope, who translated Thirukkural into English states that Thiruvalluvar is indeed “the universal bard” who belongs to the world and shall remain immortal just like his monumental literary creation.