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The Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
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The Kural

Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural

Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural

Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan
Preface by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan
Preface by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan
Preface by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
Foreword by Andrew Harvey
Introduction by Archana Venkatesan
Preface by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

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Paperback $16.95

Aug 20, 2024 | ISBN 9780807020555

Hardcover $24.95

Jan 11, 2022 | ISBN 9780807003619

Ebook $12.99

Jan 11, 2022 | ISBN 9780807003626

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    About The Kural

    A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvar’s poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance

    Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by 2 decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar’s work and ideas.

    Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Kural is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as—

    POLITICS:
    Harsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing
    Burdens the earth more

    HOSPITALITY:
    The life that cherishes strangers each day
    Never falls upon ruin

    FRIENDSHIP:
    Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship
    Is a heart that smiles

    GREED:
    Those who won’t give and enjoy—even with billions
    They have nothing

    Accompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a “Commentary of Notes,” in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.

    Rich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksma’s translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar’s poetic intensity to a new generation.

    About The Kural

    A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvar’s poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance

    Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by 2 decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar’s work and ideas.

    Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Kural is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as—

    POLITICS:
    Harsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing
    Burdens the earth more

    HOSPITALITY:
    The life that cherishes strangers each day
    Never falls upon ruin

    FRIENDSHIP:
    Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship
    Is a heart that smiles

    GREED:
    Those who won’t give and enjoy—even with billions
    They have nothing

    Accompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a “Commentary of Notes,” in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.

    Rich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksma’s translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar’s poetic intensity to a new generation.

    About The Kural

    A new translation of the classical Tamil masterpiece on ethics, power, and friendship, bringing Tiruvalluvar’s poetry and philosophy to a new generation seeking practical wisdom and spiritual sustenance

    Drawing on the poetic tradition of W. S. Merwin, Wendell Berry, and William Carlos Williams, and nurtured by 2 decades of study under Tamil scholar Dr. K. V. Ramakoti, this new translation of the Kural by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma brings English readers closer than ever to the brilliant inner and outer music of Tiruvalluvar’s work and ideas.

    Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural is a masterwork of poetry and practical philosophy. On par with other world classics such as the Tao Te Ching, the Kural is a compendium of 1,330 short philosophical verses, or kurals, that together cover a wide range of personal and cosmic experience, such as—

    POLITICS:
    Harsh rule that brings idiots together—nothing
    Burdens the earth more

    HOSPITALITY:
    The life that cherishes strangers each day
    Never falls upon ruin

    FRIENDSHIP:
    Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship
    Is a heart that smiles

    GREED:
    Those who won’t give and enjoy—even with billions
    They have nothing

    Accompanying the translation is a foreword by the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism, Andrew Harvey; an introduction by the translator and scholar Archana Venkatesan; and a “Commentary of Notes,” in which Pruiksma elucidates key words and shares insights from important Tamil commentaries.

    Rich with indelible wordplay, learning, and heart, Pruiksma’s translation transforms the barrier of language into a bridge, bringing the fullness of Tiruvalluvar’s poetic intensity to a new generation.

    Product Details

    Category: Poetry | Asian World History | Religion

    Paperback | $16.95
    Published by Beacon Press
    Aug 20, 2024 | 256 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | ISBN 9780807020555

    Category: Poetry | Asian World History | Religion

    Hardcover | $24.95
    Published by Beacon Press
    Jan 11, 2022 | 256 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 | ISBN 9780807003619

    Category: Poetry | Philosophy | Asian World History

    Ebook | $12.99
    Published by Beacon Press
    Jan 11, 2022 | 256 Pages | ISBN 9780807003626

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    Praise

    “To translate even a single kural couplet, bewitching in its rhythm and packed with meaning, is a formidable task. But we now have Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma’s translation, without doubt the best ever into English.”
    —David Shulman, The New York Review of Books

    “An intriguing new translation of this magnum opus.”
    —Kajal Magazine

    “In the astonishingly fresh and vibrant translations that adorn this book, Tiruvalluvar’s voice can now reach the universal audience that so deeply needs its universal wisdom.”
    —Andrew Harvey, from the Foreword

    “This translation provides a refreshing remembrance and illustration (without the usual reprimands and dire warnings) of how to be a good steward of the planet and what it means to live a good life—a much-needed map of astonishingly humane guidance and care.”
    —Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders

    “[An] exquisite translation . . . To live as the wise Kuṟaḷ advises us to—in a state of chronic, cultivated empathy and in service of others—is indeed to live right and to live well.”
    —Archana Venkatesan, from the Introduction

    Table Of Contents

    Foreword by Andrew Harvey

    Introduction by Archana Venkatesan

    CHERISHING GUESTS
    A Translator’s Preface to Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural

    PART ONE: VIRTUE

    I. INTRODUCTION

    1. In Praise of God
    2. The Glory of Rain
    3. The Greatness of Letting Go
    4. The Imperative of Right Action

    II. HOUSEHOLDING

    5. The Home Life
    6. In Praise of One’s Life Companion
    7. Having Children
    8. Having Love
    9. Hospitality
    10. Sweet Speech
    11. Gratitude
    12. Fairness
    13. Self-Control
    14. The Possession of Conduct
    15. Fidelity
    16. Forbearance
    17. Freedom from Envy
    18. Freedom from Greed
    19. Freedom from Backbiting
    20. Freedom from Fruitless Speech
    21. Fear of Wrongdoing
    22. Knowing What Is Fitting
    23. Giving
    24. Renown

    III. RENUNCIATION

    25. Compassion
    26. Refusing Meat
    27. Tavam
    28. Unworthy Conduct
    29. Freedom from Stealing
    30. Truth
    31. Freedom from Anger
    32. Doing No Harm
    33. Freedom from Killing
    34. Impermanence
    35. Renunciation
    36. Knowing What Is Real
    37. Severing from Desire

    IV. FATE

    38. Fate

    PART TWO: WEALTH

    I. SOVEREIGNTY

    39. The Splendor of Kings
    40. Learning
    41. Lack of Learning
    42. Listening
    43. The Possession of Knowledge
    44. Elimination of Faults
    45. Gaining the Help of the Great
    46. Freedom from Smallness
    47. Clarity Before Action
    48. Knowing Strength
    49. Knowing Time
    50. Knowing Place
    51. Knowing and Trusting
    52. Knowing and Engaging
    53. Kindness to Kindred
    54. Absence of Mind
    55. Good Rule
    56. Harsh Rule
    57. Striking No Fear
    58. Eyes That Are Moved
    59. Espionage
    60. Having Energy
    61. Freedom from Sloth
    62. Mastery of Action
    63. Not Being Defeated by Adversity

    II. THE ARMS OF GOVERNMENT

    64. Ministers
    65. Strength in Speech
    66. Purity of Action
    67. Firmness of Action
    68. Ways of Action
    69. Diplomacy
    70. Moving with Kings
    71. Reading Faces
    72. Knowing an Audience
    73. Not Fearing an Audience
    74. Country
    75. Fortresses
    76. The Making of Wealth
    77. The Splendor of Armies
    78. The Valor of Warriors
    79. Friendship
    80. Examined Friendship
    81. Long Friendship
    82. Harmful Friendship
    83. False Friendship
    84. Folly
    85. Presumption
    86. Discord
    87. Splendor for Enemies
    88. Knowing an Enemy
    89. Enemies Within
    90. Not Scorning the Great
    91. Yielding to Wives
    92. Limitless Women
    93. Not Drinking
    94. Dice
    95. Medicine

    III. ALL ELSE

    96. Lineage
    97. Honor
    98. Greatness
    99. Integrity
    100. Having Kindness
    101. Fruitless Wealth
    102. Having Modesty
    103. Serving Family
    104. Farming
    105. Want
    106. Begging
    107. Dread of Begging
    108. Wickedness

    PART THREE: LOVE

    I. SECRET LOVE

    109. Allure
    110. Knowing Signs
    111. The Joys of Joining
    112. In Praise of Her
    113. In Praise of Love
    114. Down with Decorum
    115. Talk

    II. WEDDED LOVE

    116. Unbearable Absence
    117. Pining Away
    118. The Longings of Eyes
    119. Pallor
    120. The Anguish of Solitude
    121. The Longing of Memory
    122. Talk of Dreams
    123. The Misery of Evening
    124. The Drooping of Limbs
    125. To Her Heart
    126. Loss of Restraint
    127. Longing to Reunite
    128. Making Signs Known
    129. Longing for Union
    130. At Odds with One’s Heart
    131. Sulking
    132. Sulking’s Subtleties
    133. Sulking and Bliss

    A Commentary of Notes

    Acknowledgments

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