The Light of KURAL :

Thirukkural – the encapsulated wisdom of the Tamil country contains couplet-poems grouped in ‘adhikaarams’ / chapters of ten-couplets each on a particular topic. The topics are compiled in a logical and connected way and make out a coherent course of meaning. The chapters are classified under three major topics /parts – called ‘Paal’ – the former subjects appear to be the pre-requisites of the later ones. 

The 5^th chapter of the first part speaks about ’இல்வாழ்க்கை’ - ‘household/ family life’. Interestingly this subject is preceded by ‘அறன் வலியுறுதல்’ - ‘emphasize on dharma’ and followed by ‘வாழ்க்கைதுணை நலம்’- ‘wife’. 

Thus spake the third kural in this collection of ten kurals on household life,

       ‘தென்புலத்தார் தெய்வம் விருந்தொக்கல் தான் என்றாங்

       கைம்புலத்தா றோம்பல் தலை.’

Comprehension of the vocabulary meanings is as below;

தென்புலத்தார் – denotes the ‘pithrus’ – i.e. the dead ancestors who belong to the Southern direction

தெய்வம் – the God

விருந்து – guests [ un known / unexpected ]

ஒக்கல் - relatives

தான் –  self i.e. the family

This couplet prescribes the norms of sharing principle of a householder’s earnings in the order of its importance.  

According to the popular exponents of Kural – [உரையாசிரியர்கள்], Parimelalagar, Manakkudavar, Paridhiyaar and Kaalingar who delineate this kural in essence as -  ‘the ancestors, the God, the guests, the relatives and one’s own self – discharging the obligations to these five in that order is the primary duty of a householder.’

In the ancient Tamil land, 1/6^th portion of the produce is called ‘thirai’ or ‘irai’ i.e. tax to the sovereign who protects and maintains the dharmic order of the land [does not mean mere law and order!]. Hence the rest of the portion is shared among the above five. The rulers used to create endowments of ‘இறையிலி நிலம்’ – tax free agro-land for the purpose of sustaining social, religious and cultural institutions.

The self is placed at the last end while the duty towards the unknown guests precedes even the relatives. The order of importance shows the wisdom and the civilizational ethos of this land. However there appears to be no definite ratio prescribed here explicitly. Only the order of priority is implicit.

I have heard about many land owning vellala families of Tirunelveli who in the distant past said to have donated 1/5^th of their ‘property’ to the cause of saivite religious institutions such as Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam. Heirless families also passed on their entire assets to the temples which were once the vibrant social institutions.

The Southern direction is meant for Yama, the God of death as per the ancient system of ‘Ashta thikku’ – denoting the eight directions. Each direction is related to one devaa / Ashtathikku palaas which synchronizes with the principles of vaasthu also. Ancient emperors of our Country had representative vassals in eight directions / regions of their empire - ‘Astapradhans’. Yama rules the direction of south. South is also the place of ‘pithrus’ i.e. our expired ancestors.  

Thiruvalluvar advocates the duty of a family man towards his ancestry.  Rituals towards the ancestry such as 'dharpanam' and 'thidhi-sirardham' are the popular practice and belief system of remembering the expired ancestors.

Valluvar’s advocacy on the duty of a householder to ones passed away ancestors and the God is followed by worldly affairs of receiving guests and taking care of the relatives and finally his self interest i.e. his family.  

The following photos show my friend Ratnam, a goldsmith by profession, though without any formal education, a voracious learner of thevaaram hymns and Tamil musical system of 'pan-isai' and an ardent practicing Saivite, guiding and helping my friend Chidambaram to perform dharpanam ritual to his ancestors on the auspicious day of Thai - Amavasai - new moon day of the Tamil month of 'Thai' at 'Thirupudaimarudhur ghat', an ancient holy spot of 'thriveni sangamam' on the banks of Tamiraparani River; 

Valluvar comes to this sharing principle of one’s earnings, only after emphasizing honesty in one’s means of earnings in his previous chapter.

Curiously his very first subject/chapter in the first part –‘Arathuppaal’ is ‘the God’ followed by ‘importance of rain’, ‘the greatness of ascetics’ and ‘emphasise on dharma’ before the chapter on ‘duty of householder’. While so I am unable to comprehend as to why the duty towards the ancestors is placed even before one’s obligation towards the God. He also elaborates the subjects of ‘receiving the guest’ and ‘relatives’ in different chapters, like  ’விருந்தோம்பல்’, ‘உட்பகை’. Whereas it appears, Kural nowhere mentions about ancestors – ‘Pitrus’ other than this particular ‘kuratpaa’.

There is also no clarity about one’s obligations towards his ancestors. The popular exponents have also almost left this issue without a clear answer as if it is well known and in social practice. Hence we have to presume from the popular practice in the society. In our country, during each new moon day of the almanac, the ancestors of one’s lineage are remembered with offerings like sesame seeds and water by people of ordinary walks of life while the affordable ones also make donations in the remembrance of their dead ones and the rich and benevolent institute endowments of charity in commemoration of their ancestors. We can presume that the Kural emphasizes the above popular practice and custom.

Once, people of same community who were engaged in same / similar profession, requiring similar professional qualities and environs lived together and constituted a living area. Hence the household tradition of inviting / receiving even unknown travelers, pilgrims and ascetics and taking care of their basic needs/ sharing food with them was easier in the olden days. In the front portions of age old houses of Tirunelveli district one can still spot ‘thinnai’ – left out space for the benefit of travelers. In important pilgrim/ tourist centers there were ‘choultries’ for every community – as even now found in Tiruchendur and Courtalam of Tirunelveli District apart from common travelers ‘chatrams’/ inns. Dr. Senthil Selvakumaran, an epigraphy expert and former Tirunelveli District Archaeological Officer who belongs to Tirunelveli Town, when I met him once, told that there were more than 100 such choultries and inns serving the purpose of pilgrims in Tirunelveli Town alone. I know a few are functioning even now while the rest have transformed into commercial complexes. Considering the population of past centuries and the hospitality of families in general these much facilities appear to be abundant. Dr.U.Ve.Sa, the 'grand old man of Tamil literature' - who brought major Tamil literary works into print from palm manuscript forms, in his auto biography, 'en charitham' narrates that when his maternal grandpa was migrating to cauvery delta region, he was so well received by his community people all along his journey.   

In the modern days, hotels – 'the hospitality industry’ is taking care of the travelers’ needs. In the same way, the relatives once lived in proximity and with close interaction are scattered due to myriad reasons. Thus the relatives have reduced to the level of occasional guests. Even within a commune living, requirement of 'privacy' has caused 'raised compound walls' switching away from the 'compounded houses' with common space – a peculiarity [specialty?] of Tirunelveli – Town – even now such compound system could be spotted in many streets of Tirunelveli – Town. As the spirituality is dwindling in to the realm of skepticism and the social fabrics withering away, down the waves of changing time, the individual householder is left with no one else but just 'himself'. Hence the Kural’s principle of sharing can hardly be brought into practice other than the unavoidable tax element. 

Gandhiji, the great Social Scientist of this country, who recapitulated and re-engineered the civilizational ethos of this land and formulated ingenious socio-economic ideas for the emancipation of this land, propounded among other things, ‘Trusteeship principle’ which advocated the surplus wealth beyond ones honourable livelihood be voluntarily used for the welfare of the society - which was later reformulated and put into experiment by the great efforts of his disciple, Vinobabave in his ‘Boodhaan movement’. I consider the Trusteeship principle of Gandhiji as a modern /practical remix of the ideas enshrined in this Kural.