Tirukkural-On Virtue-An Open House Or Hospitality- Kural 81

Add as a preferred source on Google

Velaanmai seythar poruttu

The only purpose, of a family life of virtue and wealth,

Is to command the means of extending hospitality go guests.

Hospitality obviously is the hall-mark of a good householder. On this Rajaji would comment 'Family Life is not a right but a duty arising out of the obligation of the individual to society. He has similar comments to make in the chapters on 'Suttarandhthalaa al' and 'Opuravu' which take him too surprisingly near the communist doctrine, to come from the mouth of the founder of the Swatantra Party! It only shows that the acknowledged fundamentals of our culture really cut across Western political party lines. The following is the description of a good housewife from the bible:

'she stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea
She reacheth forth her hands to the needy.'

It is because Kannagi was unable to carry out these duties Silapathikaram says:-

Aravoarkku alithalum andhanar ombalum
Thuravoarkku yethirthalum tholoar sirapin
Virunthedhir koadalum ilandha yennai

Similar were the feelings of Sita, incarcerated in distant Ceylon according to Kambaramayanam, which says -

Arundhum meladagu aarida arundhum yendru alungum
Virundhu kandapoadhu yenurumo yendru vimum
Marundhum undukol yaankonda noaikendru mayangum

In both the cases, their unhappiness was substantially accentuated by the fact that they were not in a position to carry out their housewifely duties of hospitality and guest service.

In this context we may recall that Valluvar himself has recorded in Chapte 5 on the good householder that

. Ilvaalvaan yenbaan iyalpudaya moovarkum
Nalaatrin nindra thunai

And in this chapter the householder's duties have been clearly listed out one after the other.