"It was a wonderful experience interacting with you and appreciate the way you have planned and executed the whole publication process within the agreed timelines.”
Subrat SaurabhAuthor of Kuch Woh PalYet another book on Thirukkural?
Yes, but a different one. We do not just study every verse of the book; we give a global view on the whole of Thirukkural. We trace the way the ideas are developed by Thiruvalluvar, giving the reader a complete view of the very purpose of life. It defines happiness and paves way for achieving it. As one attains his goal, he not only succeeds in his life; but he contributes happiness to his neighbors, the society. This is the lesson of Thirukkural.
While discussing these elements through the various verses, we expose the selfish and individual centric approach of Bhagavad-Gita in the appendix that follows.
Visweswaran
Prof. H.V. Visweswaran, M.Sc., M.Phil.is a retired Mathematics professor. After retirement in the year 2000 he started studying in depth the two classics of India: The Bhagavad-Gita and Thirukkural. Bhagavad-Gita follows the Aryan Vedas in explaing the human life. On the other hand, Thirukkural explains the human life and values based on the Tamil culture and thinking. Thus both texts handle the same issues with two different approaches.
In spite of such differences in approach and opinion, there is seen an underlying unity in approach. Such a synthesis was brought out as a research paper "Philosophy of peninsular India". It was accepted for presentation at the international conference on south Asian comparative philosophy, SACP2014, conducted under the auspecies of the Society for Asian Comparative philosophy conference. The article can be read in the blog www.philosophyofkuralta.blogspot.in More than 5000 persons have visited the blog.
This book is on Thirukkural. The verses are interpreted without deviating from Tamil culture and thinking. Manusmirthy divides human life into four asramas, namely, brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sanyasa. We find a parallel in Thirukkural. Yes, Thirukkural divides human life into four stages. There are similarities in the two methods of division, which is brought out in the book.
Instead of looking at each verse as a unit of thought, we take a global view of the book and discuss the verses.
Readers who are familiar with the older interpretations may find it difficult to assimilate the meaning found in this work.
A deeper analysis on their part will convert them to the new views.
It is confidently felt that the Tamil diaspora, spread across the continents, will accept, appreciate and encourage the new work.
