Tirukkural-On Virtue-Family Life, Kural 41

llvaalvaan yenpan iyalpudaiya moovarkkum
Nallarrin ninra thunai.

It is really the capable householder who sustains
In his respective way of life, the other three orders.

A good householder alone can support the other three orders in their endeavours to sustain their ordained way of life.

The other three orders according to Parimelalagar are the bachelor student (Brahmachari), the householder who has retired to the jungle but not yet left the married state (vanaprasth), and the confirmed ascetic (sanyasi). This division of four orders including also the householder (grahasth) is based on the Jain line, which is acknowledged by Parimelalagar in his commentary.

These three orders are able to carry out their duties well in their respective state, only because some others live as good householders, working ceaselessly for those who have renounced work too, along with the world and all other aspects of life. Rajaji himself offers this same interpretation, as opposed to M S Poornalingam Pillai"s interpretation of 'Iyalpudaiya moovar" as 'the congenial, the natural and virtuous-three"- which really does not take us very far.

Valluvar"s thinking is capable of quite a rational interpretation too. 'Illvaalvaan" is really a householder, who helps others who are worthy of being supported in the discharge of their duties. These others could be (i) the producer (ii) the distributor and (iii) the ruler or protector. It is the capable householder"s duty to help these persons to perform their own duties efficiently.

In this and other Kurals of this chapter, as in the general undertone of the entire work, Thiruvalluvar gives pride of place to family life. He is the first great philosopher and poet to do so, at a time when renunciation was the only accepted path to greatness and to salvation. In Valluvar"s synthesis between matter and spirit, between life affirmation and life-negation, domestic life is thrown up as the most desirable way of life, provided it is practiced along the path of 'Aram". And that is what is believed to have impressed Albert Schweitzer most about Thiruvalluvar and the Kural.