Some might ask: Should we even be doing this research?
Why try to box Thiruvalluvar into a religious identity? Isn't his work universal, and common for all?
Good question!
The answer to this consists of 2 points.
1. Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic philosopher's work is universal & is followed globally.
But this does not take away his religious beliefs.
Marcus worshipped & prayed to Roman god Jupiter.
Even a universal philosopher has an identity.
What's wrong in researching Thiruvalluvar's?
2. In the foreword of "Is Thiruvalluvar a Chriśtian", M Karunanidhi, the then CM in 1969, wrote:
"Despite my opinion that Valluvar is common for all religions, I welcome research that stimulates thinking"
Inspired by him, let's pursue this research that stimulates thinking!
Full Disclosure:
Nothing about Thirukural is authoritative: starting with its name, its author, its chapter divisions, its time period.
We do not have any indisputable historical primary sources.
All we have are 1330 couplets, that are the highest expression of human thought.
Then how to go about this research?
In a multiple choice exam, if you are not sure of the answer, you eliminate incorrect options.
Whatever remains must be the BEST candidate for the right answer.
We follow the same strategy of elimination to arrive at the BEST possible answer
Option 1: Atheist
Many think Valluvar is purely a virtue ethicist who had no religious faith.
E.g: Lyricist and #MeToo accused Mr. Vairamuthu has claimed that Kural speaks only about Dharma, Artha, Kama & not Moksha.
Such claims are laughable at best & malicious at worst.
It is almost as if Valluvar knew people would distort his beliefs.
In verse 247, he clearly says:
"This world is not for weathless ones,
That world is not for graceless ones"
What is this second world?
Is this a rational thing that can be perceived by eyes or other devices?
He mentions not being born again as a human goal in verses 345, 349, 351, 356, 357 and 358.
Is this not the fourth purushartha - Moksha?
In verse 346, he calls this realm higher than the ones Devas reside in.
He clearly believed in a god, Verses: 43, 50, 55, 388
So:
❌ Atheist
The official state govt date for Valluvar is 31 BCE, as recommended by Maraimalai Adigal, an exponent of Pure Tamil movement.
Thiruvalluvar year is an officially recognized Tamil calendar system.
If today is 2023, Thiruvalluvar year is 2023+31 = 2054
So, Thiruvalluavar: 31 BCE
This puts Thiruvalluvar well ahead of Jeśuś and Prophet Muhammëd's period.
After eliminating these 2 options, we're left with 3 final options: Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism - all these religions prevailed in South India, during Valluvar's period of 31 BCE.
So, which one is it?
Philosophically, both Buddhism & Jainism are agnostic.
They do not believe in God 100%, let alone a god with a physical form.
But in Verse 10, Valluvar says: "Only those who clench the feet of god, can cross the ocean of life"
Implies:
Valluvar believed in a God that has a form
Verse 259 is often quoted to claim that Valluvar rejected Vedic rituals like Yagna, and professes complete ahimsa like a Jain saint.
But is this true?
Valluvar is comparing that:
Not killing an animal is better than doing 1000 Vedic yagnas, pouring havis.
When you compare good things, you only compare-up, not compare-down.
When you say
Kallis = Sachin + Zaheer, it is inherent that Sachin & Zaheer are good players & Kallis is twice as good as them
If someone says 1 Kumble is equivalent to 100 Leverocks, is that even a compliment?
Valluvar also mentions a lot of Hindu concepts (with verse #):
Indran: 25
Yaman: 326, 1050, 1083, 1085
Lakshmi: 84, 167, 179, 617, 920
Moodhevi, goddess of misfortune: 167, 617, 936
These are not mere references, the deities are mentioned exactly as per Puranas
1. Moodhevi as elder sister of Lakshmi
2. Vaamana as Adi Alandhaan - step measurer
3. Devas as Imaiyaar - ones who do not blink (906).Devas do not blink/ sweat/cast shadows according to Hindu myth.
Based on multiple such research data by scholars, it is evident that Thiruvalluvar was a Hindu.
Kannadasan, a former, Dravidian ideologue, concludes his essay in the famous Arthamulla Hindu Madham:
"Valluvar is a Tamil Hindu. The Hindu Valluvar is a Thamizhar."
Since time immemorial, Thiruvalluvar is worshipped as a saint, a Nayanmar in Hindu temples.
His temple in Mylapore comes under Hindu HRCE department.
Till date, On the day of arupathumoovar, 63 nayanmar are taken out in procession including Thiruvalluvar & his consort Vasuki.
It doesn't mean that Valluvar has to be boxed as a saint meant for one religion alone.
Turmeric, Yoga, Ayurveda, Thiruvalluvar etc. are India's gift to the world.
But if someone patents Turmeric & tries to do identity theft, you fight back with data, claiming what's your own.
Rumi is everybody's poet & nobody can take away his Sufi Iślamic identity.
Similarly, Thiruvalluvar is everybody's philosopher guide. His verses have a universal appeal. He is a gift from Bharat to the world.
You must have heard the word 'பன்னாடை' (Pannaadai) as a common insult.
This word is mentioned in 12th century Tamil grammar work 'Nannool' to illustrate the nature of a bad student.
The set of examples for top, mid & bottom tier of students has a life lesson for us all (1/6)
Bhavanandhi Munivar, writer of Nanool classifies students into 3 tiers.
The top tier students are like swan and cow.
The mid tier students are like mud and parrot.
The bottom tier students are like broken pot, goat, buffalo and Pannaadai.
What do these examples mean?
Mythical swans can separate out the water from milk - it has the ability to discern useful things even out of an adulterated product.
Good students can filter out what's unnecessary.
Cows eat fast but chew slowly. A good student must get a quick download of lessons when learning, but recall it at leisure, and absorb the lessons well.
Shouldn't an army Major be remembered for his bravery rather than his caste?
Then, why are some RW handles being "casteist" in demanding an accurate portrayal of Major Mukund's roots in his excellently crafted biopic Amaran?
A thread that offers nuance on biopics (1/10)
First off, members of our forces - be it Indian Army, or Navy, or Air Force, these brave warriors cannot be boxed to the confines of caste, creed or religion.
They are unanimously respected for what they do - their selfless service to the nation. Not for who they're born to.
Then why are some RW handles hellbent on showing the real identity of Mukund Varadarajan - a TamBrahm?
If you're irked by it, consider this - how would Tamils have reacted if he was depicted as Major Mukund Menon - from Kochi?
Boat - a 1940s Dravidian propaganda stage play, masquerading as a Tamil feature film.
A thread that reviews this film with a clear agenda (1/9)
On Oct 11, 1943, Japanese warplanes bombed the Madras presidency in a nighttime raid.
Fearing another attack, 9 random people get on a boat to secure themselves in mid ocean, with one univited British guest who joins them later, with a gun.
'Did they all survive?' is the plot
The 9 characters stuck on a boat are carefully chosen to represent a Mini-India.
The fisherman & his grandma help onboard a pregnant Telugu woman+ her sick son, a Sait, a regular M, a regular H, and the usual villains of Tamil cinema - a c@steist TB mama and her daughter.