Tirukkural-On Virtue-The Importance Of Virtue-Kural 34

Add as a preferred source on Google

34. Manathukkan maacilan aadhal anaitharan
Aakula neera pira..

A blemishless mind is the basis of all virtue; everything else is empty show'

Valluvar"s supreme commandment for the practice of 'aram" (Aram) is 'Be spotlessly pure at heart". The word 'Maacil" here refers to the impurity of the mind, which has to be eschewed if one is to progress in virtue. This is one of the Kurals that the great Tamil scholar, Rev. G U Pope, liked best. In fact he has recorded that he got over his reservations about studying 'Kamathupal", only by telling himself that a sage, who preached purity of mind as Valluvar has done in this Kural, could not have written anything unclean.

In Porutpal also, Valluvar emphasizes this idea in Kural 823, where he refers to 'Mananalar" (i.e.,) the pure at heart. This Kural actually reminds one of the Sermon on the Mount, which says:

'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God".

The Proverbs say

'He who loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king as his friend".

Christ also amplified this concept of purity of heart in specific terms, for instance, when he said that a man who entertained in his mind lustful thoughts with reference to another woman is already guilty of adultery (Matt. 5:28).

There are lines in Seneca which echo in more detail this same sentiment as under:

'Between good men and the God there exists a friendship brought about by virtue (arising from a pure mind)"/. (Seneca-On Providence 1:4-11)

Seneca and Schweitzer, two great men of different ages, agreed that good must be done for its own sake. Such activity naturally arises from love ad compassion, which leads to Godliness.

But the difference is that Valluvar has sung the glory of a pure mind, even without reference to the inevitable communion with God.

A point of grammatical interest in this Kural is the way Parimelalagar, the most outstanding of all Valluvar"s commentators, has made reference to the verbal noun 'aadhal". He has interpreted the latter word as a finite verb, expressing a wish. This is out of order, considering both the relevance of the grammatical suffix used and the deeper implications of the meaning involved. Valluvar in this couplet emphasizes the universal principle underlying all ethics or the normative limit applicable to all such ethical values. He does not leave the decision on what is pure or impure to the individual concerned, as would be the case if the grammatical ending of 'aakuha" were adopted. Instead, he defines 'aram" as that which results from purging the mind of all impurities or blemishes.