Tirukkural is perhaps one composition in the entire world that is a perfect exemplification of what can unreservedly be described as a work of world literature. It is sui generis too, for while most classics, Western and Eastern, confine themselves to chosen spheres of life and direct their appeal to particular sections of humanity, here is Valluvar soaring sky-high to be a citizen of the world twenty centuries ago: "The learned person can make every country and every town his/her own." (397) For him, as for no other cross-cultural contemporary of his, "All folks stand alike by birth." (972) Again, Tirukkural stands out unique in its universality of appeal and perspective. While most other books of the world have had their universality in parts, large and small, the Tamil classic's universality is total and absolute, an incomparable honour to the genius of the classical Tamil mind. Being so, Tirukkural truly symbolizes the very concept of world literature. Yet another unique dimension of this magnum opus in Tamil is that it is a unifier par excellence in the pan-Indian milieu. It doggedly refuses to be tied down to any particular race, religion, land or culture. Here is one couplet that proclaims the humanist foundations of the kural: To share one's meal and nurture the myriad life on earth / Stands foremost among virtues seen in the collected lore of the wise. (332) Tirukkural is indeed the miracle of a literary composition where every god, every human trait, every virtue, every emotion, every deed, every relationship is universalized root and branch.
That the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has proposed to bring out Tirukkural translation in the 22 scheduled languages through the Central Institute of Classical Tamil is most appropriate, befitting the spirit and tone of this masterpiece in Tamil. The translation on hand, Tirukkural in Danish, is twenty two in the line after Punjabi, Manipuri, English (Compendium), Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Vagri boli, Badaga, Saurashtri, Sanskrit, Khmer Kreol (Morisien) and Burmese. The CICT owes a debt of gratitude to the translators Anjaly Ratnam, Keerthana Amirthalingam, Roshana-Jasmin Simon and Sumeka Sriskaran for their exemplary academic commitment to the task, they has been entrusted with.
Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon'ble Minister for Education, has been kind enough to write the foreword to this book. We feel privileged to have his foreword for this volume for which we express our sincere thanks and gratitude.
Tirukkural er måske én komposition i hele verden, der er et perfekt eksempel på, hvad der uforbeholdent kan beskrives som et verdenslitteraturværk. Det er også sui generis,, da de fleste klassikere, vestlige og østlige, begrænser sig til udvalgte livssfærer og retter deres appel mod bestemte dele af menneskeheden. Vaļļuvar er fortaler for at være verdensborger for tyve århundreder siden: "Den lærde person kan gøre hvert land og hver by til sit eget." (397) For ham, som for ingen anden i hans tværkulturelle samtid, "står alle mennesker ens ved fødslen." (972) Igen, skiller Tirukkural sig unikt ud i sin universalitet af appel og perspektiv. Mens de fleste andre bøger i verden har haft deres universalitet i dele, store som små, er den tamilske klassikers universalitet total og absolut, en uforlignelig ære for det klassiske tamilske sinds genialitet. Når det er tilfældet, symboliserer Tirukkuraļ virkelig selve begrebet verdenslitteratur. Endnu en unik dimension af dette magnum opus på tamilsk er, at det er et foreningspunkt i allerhøjeste grad i det pan-indiske miljø. Værket nægter hårdnakket at være bundet til nogen bestemt race, religion, land eller kultur. Her er en kuplet, der forkynder det humanistiske grundlag for kural: At dele sit måltid og nære det utallige liv på jorden / Står fremmest blandt dyder set i de kloges samlede historie. (332) Tirukkural er i sandhed et mirakel af litterær komposition, hvor enhver gud, ethvert menneskeligt træk, enhver dyd, enhver følelse, enhver gerning, ethvert forhold er gjort universelt.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist