Tirukkural Verses, Interviews, and Reviews

From and about The Kural: Tiruvalluvar's Tirukkural.

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Kural 333: The Tirukkural on Money and What Lasts

February 1, 2022

A verse on wealth, impermanence, and what endures.

From chapter 34, “Impermanence.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Eyes That Are Moved: A Kural Conversation with Andrew Harvey

January 26, 2022

The Eyes of Wonder and of the Heart

Andrew Harvey interviews Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma about his new translation of THE KURAL: Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, a masterpiece of the Tamil language, exploring the work’s profound relevance for the present.

Here are a few highlights from the interview:

A first glimpse of the Kural: 2:03
How did you encounter the Kural? 8:49
How did you pluck up the courage to take on this great masterpiece? 18:26
What is Tamil like to inhabit at the depths you’ve been graced to inhabit it? 28:32
The different parts of the Kural and how they are organized. 32:50
Three verses from the Kural to give a personal taste of the whole. 41:04
A poem from Kuruntokai, a classical Tamil anthology, included in the commentary to this new translation. 1:01:01

Andrew Harvey is Founder & Director of the Institute for Sacred Activism, an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective, and practical agents of institutional and systemic change, in order to create peace and sustainability. He was born in south India in 1952, where he lived until he was nine years old. After becoming the youngest person ever to be awarded a fellowship to All Soul’s College, England’s highest academic honor, Harvey became disillusioned with academic life and returned to his native India, where a series of mystical experiences initiated his spiritual journey. Over the next thirty years he plunged into different mystical traditions to learn their secrets and practices. He has written and edited over 30 books, including “Radical Passion: Sacred Love and Wisdom in Action,” a manifesto for the transformation of the world through the fusion of deep mystical peace with the clarity of radical wisdom.

Learn more about Andrew Harvey on the website of the Institute for Sacred Activism: https://www.andrewharvey.net/

Here are the verses Thomas shared aloud, in both English and Tamil:

71
Is there a latch for love—the fullness of one’s heart
Shows in the tears that well

அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ அடைக்குந்தாழ் ஆர்வலர்
புன்கணீர் பூசல் தரும்

571
The astonishing beauty of eyes that are moved—because
It exists this world exists

கண்ணோட்டம் என்னும் கழிபெருங் காரிகை
உண்மையான் உண்டிவ் வுலகு

1323
Hearts joined like earth and water—what heaven
Transcends their sulking

புலத்தலின் புத்தேள்நா டுண்டோ நிலத்தொடு
நீரியைந் தன்னார் அகத்து

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Kural 667: The Tirukkural on Size and True Importance

January 25, 2022

A verse on never scorning anyone’s size and what it means to be truly essential.

From chapter 67, “Firmness of Action.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Why A New Translation of THE KURAL?

January 22, 2022

Read why I decided to translate the Kural in this excerpt from my preface on Beacon Broadside: A Project of Beacon Press.

How I Embarked on a Literary Translation of The Kural, the Classical Tamil Masterpiece | Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma | Beacon Broadside: A Project of Beacon Press

You can read the essay on the Beacon Broadside website: https://www.beaconbroadside.com/broadside/2022/01/how-i-embarked-on-a-literary-translation-of-the-kural-the-classical-tamil-masterpiece.html

An Interview with Michael Benner of the Ageless Wisdom Mystery School

January 20, 2022

I was honored and delighted to speak about the ancient Tamil wisdom aphorisms in THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural with Michael Benner on his Ageless Wisdom Mystery School Radio Show on KPFK in Southern California.

You can listen to a complete recording below or as a podcast.

MICHAEL BENNER is the author of Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness. He’s also written the breakthrough self-awareness training, Internal Vigilance, commissioned by the Orange County California Sheriffs Academy in Anaheim. He is well known throughout Southern California for his popular human potential talk radio programs on KABC-AM, KLOS-FM, KLSX-FM, KCBS-FM, KRLA-AM, and most recently on KPFK-FM. He has served as the Sports Psychology Consultant for the U.S.C. Womens Tennis Team and the Burbank Burroughs High School Baseball Team.

Michael left broadcasting as a full-time profession in 1987 to begin his own business, Personal Development Strategies. With offices now in La Quinta near Palm Springs, California, he provides counseling and personal development training to individuals and couples, as well as consulting, training, and coaching for business executives, managers, and teams. As presented by Michael, Personal Development Strategies include self-awareness and emotional intelligence, stress management, critical thinking, and relationship management.