A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvars poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance
Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by 2 decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvars work and ideas.
Tiruvalluvars Tirukkural is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Kural is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as
POLITICS:
Harsh rule that brings idiots togethernothing
Burdens the earth more
HOSPITALITY:
The life that cherishes strangers each day
Never falls upon ruin
FRIENDSHIP:
Friendship is not a face smilingfriendship
Is a heart that smiles
GREED:
Those who wont give and enjoyeven with billions
They have nothing
Accompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a Commentary of Notes, in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.
Rich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksmas translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvars poetic intensity to a new generation.
