Thirukkural with the Times explores real-world lessons from the classic Tamil text ‘Thirukkural’. Written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the Kural consists of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each. This text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth, and love and is considered one of the great works ever on ethics and morality. The Kural has influenced scholars and leaders across social, political, and philosophical spheres.
Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.
At a recent literary festival in Chennai, a celebrated lyricist stirred controversy by interpreting a word from Kambar’s Ramayanam in an unusual way. The verse in question was Vaali’s dialogue to Rama — a moment rich with moral complexity. The wounded king, struck by Rama’s arrow, questions the fairness of being attacked while engaged in combat with his brother. Kambar lets this exchange unfold with grace: Vaali’s probing questions, Rama’s wise answers, and finally, Vaali’s surrender — seeing in Rama not a killer, but his redeemer.
In one line, Vaali addresses Rama as a gem and asks, “Were you in a state of shock because you were separated from your wife?” The word Kambar uses — thigaiththanai — became the fulcrum of the debate. The lyricist claimed it meant ‘being out of one’s senses’, suggesting that Rama would have escaped punishment murder in such a state. The remark, unsurprisingly, drew outrage.
Equally important, however, was the question this episode raised: where should one draw the line when interpreting a poet’s words?
The following day, Kamba Varithi Ilangai Jeyaraj — an eminent scholar and foremost expert in Kamba Ramayanam — offered a profound response: Do not move from the word to the meaning — move from the meaning to the word. First search for the undertone in the poet’s heart; then explore what the chosen word could mean.” He quoted Bharathiyar’s lament that some read epics without ever entering the mind of the creator.
From my teachers, I have learned three lessons in the art of reading poetry .
Realize poems, don’t analyse them.
The finest poems give us gifts — to the head, the heart, or the soul. To read poetry is to embark on a pilgrimage, not to crack a code. It is the journey where a reader is transformed to a seeker who may walk alone, but whose heart is free and unbound.
Poetry is not about dissecting but about integrating.
A poem is not a building where you remove every brick and scaffolding to understand the technicalities. It is a spiritual experience to see how every word and phrase integrate to show us that we are tiny droplets of water in the mighty ocean of life. Poet Billy Collins warns us not to tie poems to chairs and beat them with rubber hoses until they give up their meaning.
You don’t have to agree with the poet’s point of view; It is one thing to disagree with a poet; it is another to drag the poet towards your own point of view, twisting words to fit accordingly. What are words, after all, but a container of the soul? Should we be disposing of the food and eating the container?
Poetry, at its finest, is a mirror. It shows us what we are. It awakens what is unseen, untouched, and unspoken within us. As Thiru. Ilangai Jeyaraj reminded us, the purpose of epics is to lift human beings from the lowest valleys to the highest peaks — not the reverse.
Thiruvalluvar knew well the weight a word can carry. In Thirukkural 712, he cautions:
Idaitherindhu Nangunarndhu Solluga Sollin
Nadaitherindha Nanmai Yavar.
Those who are blessed with eloquence, assess the audience,
Study the words carefully and evaluate the underlying meaning.
Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.
At a recent literary festival in Chennai, a celebrated lyricist stirred controversy by interpreting a word from Kambar’s Ramayanam in an unusual way. The verse in question was Vaali’s dialogue to Rama — a moment rich with moral complexity. The wounded king, struck by Rama’s arrow, questions the fairness of being attacked while engaged in combat with his brother. Kambar lets this exchange unfold with grace: Vaali’s probing questions, Rama’s wise answers, and finally, Vaali’s surrender — seeing in Rama not a killer, but his redeemer.
In one line, Vaali addresses Rama as a gem and asks, “Were you in a state of shock because you were separated from your wife?” The word Kambar uses — thigaiththanai — became the fulcrum of the debate. The lyricist claimed it meant ‘being out of one’s senses’, suggesting that Rama would have escaped punishment murder in such a state. The remark, unsurprisingly, drew outrage.
Equally important, however, was the question this episode raised: where should one draw the line when interpreting a poet’s words?
The following day, Kamba Varithi Ilangai Jeyaraj — an eminent scholar and foremost expert in Kamba Ramayanam — offered a profound response: Do not move from the word to the meaning — move from the meaning to the word. First search for the undertone in the poet’s heart; then explore what the chosen word could mean.” He quoted Bharathiyar’s lament that some read epics without ever entering the mind of the creator.
From my teachers, I have learned three lessons in the art of reading poetry .
Realize poems, don’t analyse them.
The finest poems give us gifts — to the head, the heart, or the soul. To read poetry is to embark on a pilgrimage, not to crack a code. It is the journey where a reader is transformed to a seeker who may walk alone, but whose heart is free and unbound.
Poetry is not about dissecting but about integrating.
A poem is not a building where you remove every brick and scaffolding to understand the technicalities. It is a spiritual experience to see how every word and phrase integrate to show us that we are tiny droplets of water in the mighty ocean of life. Poet Billy Collins warns us not to tie poems to chairs and beat them with rubber hoses until they give up their meaning.
You don’t have to agree with the poet’s point of view; It is one thing to disagree with a poet; it is another to drag the poet towards your own point of view, twisting words to fit accordingly. What are words, after all, but a container of the soul? Should we be disposing of the food and eating the container?
Poetry, at its finest, is a mirror. It shows us what we are. It awakens what is unseen, untouched, and unspoken within us. As Thiru. Ilangai Jeyaraj reminded us, the purpose of epics is to lift human beings from the lowest valleys to the highest peaks — not the reverse.
Thiruvalluvar knew well the weight a word can carry. In Thirukkural 712, he cautions:
Idaitherindhu Nangunarndhu Solluga Sollin
Nadaitherindha Nanmai Yavar.
Those who are blessed with eloquence, assess the audience,
Study the words carefully and evaluate the underlying meaning.
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