Tirukkural

The Tirukkuṟaḷ (meaning sacred verses in Tamil), or shortly the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets or kurals, of seven words each. The Kural is considered a masterpiece and one of the most important texts of the Tamil Literature The text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth and love. Considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality, it is known for its universality and secular nature. The text has been dated from 300 BCE to 5th century CE.

Written on the foundations of ahimsa, it highlights truthfulness, self-restraint, gratitude, hospitality, kindness, goodness of wife, duty, giving, and so forth, besides covering a wide range of social and political topics such as king, ministers, taxes, justice, forts, war, agriculture, education, abstinence from alcohol and intoxicants. It also includes chapters on friendship, love, sexual unions, and domestic life. It was Periyar EV Ramasamy, the founder of the Dravidian movement, who literally yanked the literary tome out of the shelves of Tamil scholars and pundits, despite the fact that he did not approve of verses that denigrated women. Periyar organised seminars and meeting on Thirukural at various places since 1949 for he saw in it a general universality where there was an emphasis on equality and no praise for god.

The work remains the most translated and the most cited of Tamil literary works. The text has been translated into at least 40 Indian and non-Indian languages, making it one of the most translated ancient works. Among the many commentaries on the Kural, this one by Karunanidhi is easily the best.