Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

author, poet, teacher, and performer

Kural 66: The Kural on Family and the Music of Children

A verse on the sweetness of children’s voices.

66
Those who don’t hear the babble of their children
Call the flute and the lyre sweet

குழலினிது யாழினி தென்பதம் மக்கள்
மழலைச்சொல் கேளா தவர்

From chapter 7, “Having Children.”

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

A Heart That Smiles: A Kural Conversation with Gustavo Esteva

Friendship, Politics, and the Inspiration of Poetry

With my friend Gustavo Esteva I explore the nature of real friendship, its relationship to politics in a time of upheaval, and the necessity of poetry as reflected in chapter 79, “Friendship,” of THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

  • “Friendship is not a face smiling” and the inner smile of real friendship, even in the face of anger or depression: 4:36
  • Friendship as beyond expectations: 14:19
  • The place of friendship in the life of Ivan Illich and in politics: 18:17
  • A question from Gustavo about the meanings of verse 782, “Friendship with wise souls—a moon waxing—fellowship / With fools—a moon waning”: 37:00
  • The great need for the inspiration of poetry in the great desperation of present circumstances: 44:18
  • Where Gustavo’s many writings are being collected and organized to be shared with anyone who wish to read them: 51:00

Gustavo Esteva

Photo Credit: redefineschool.com

Gustavo Esteva
August 20, 1936 – March 17, 2022
Rest in joyful conviviality, queridísimo Gustavo.

Gustavo Esteva can be described as a “deprofessionalized intellectual,” a nomadic storyteller, and the founder of the Universidad de la Tierra (University of the Soil) in the city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. He is also a columnist for La Jornada and The Guardian. Esteva has been actively engaged in initiatives for reclaiming the commons with indigenous peoples, peasants, and those marginalized in urban life.

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

786
Friendship is not a face smiling—friendship
Is a heart that smiles

முகநக நட்பது நட்பன்று நெஞ்சத்
தகநக நட்பது நட்பு

789
What is the throne of friendship—unwavering
Support in all ways

நட்பிற்கு வீற்றிருக்கை யாதெனின் கொட்பின்றி
ஒல்லும்வாய் ஊன்றும் நிலை

872
Friendship with wise souls—a moon waxing—fellowship
With fools—a moon waning

நிறைநீர நீரவர் கேண்மை பிறைமதிப்
பின்னீர பேதையார் நட்பு

From chapter 79, “Friendship.”

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

Kural 731: The Kural on Environment and Country

A verse on what makes a true country.

731
The union of unfailing yields untarnished wealth and people
Of wisdom—that is a country

தள்ளா விளையுளும் தக்காரும் தாழ்விலாச்
செல்வரும் சேர்வது நாடு

From chapter 74, “Country.”

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

Kural 597: The Kural on Perseverance and Never Giving Up

A verse on endurance and having energy.

597
Even stung by arrows the elephant stands tall—even stung
By failure the sturdy do not slacken

சிதைவிடத் தொல்கார் உரவோர் புதையம்பிற்
பட்டுப்பா டூன்றுங் களிறு

From chapter 60, “Having Energy.”

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

Kural 61: The Kural on Children and Family

A verse on how knowledge is passed from generation to generation.

61
Of all we may have we know nothing higher than having
Children with knowledge

பெறுமவற்றுள் யாமறிவது இல்லை அறிவறிந்த
மக்கட்பேறு அல்ல பிற

From chapter 7, “Having Children.”

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

Kural 82: The Kural on Hospitality and Life

A verse on sharing food with guests and the elixir of immortality.

82
With a guest at the door it is not worth eating
Even the nectar of the gods

விருந்து புறத்ததாத் தானுண்டல் சாவா
மருந்தெனினும் வேண்டற்பாற் றன்று

From chapter 9, “Hospitality.”

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

In Service of the Unseen: A Kural Conversation with Michael Meade

Singing One’s Own Song in the World

With storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology Michael Meade, I was delighted to speak about being known well, dying before you die, and the presence of the divine as reflected in THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

  • Being well known versus being known well 3:58
  • Bringing the gift of one’s soul into the world 7:04
  • The earth as the source of generosity and blessing 8:45
  • Funeral as a central community ritual 13:00
  • Glory as a person’s song in the world 19:56

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He combines hypnotic storytelling, street-savvy perceptiveness, and spellbinding interpretations of ancient myths with a deep knowledge of cross-cultural rituals. He has an unusual ability to distill and synthesize these disciplines, tapping into ancestral sources of wisdom and connecting them to the stories we are living today.

He is the author of “Awakening the Soul,” “The Genius Myth,” “Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of The Soul,” “Why the World Doesn’t End,” “The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul;” editor, with James Hillman and Robert Bly, of “Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart”; and the creator of the Living Myth Podcast.

https://www.mosaicvoices.org/

Here are the key verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

236
If you appear appear with renown—better not to appear
Than to appear without it

தோன்றிற் புகழொடு தோன்றுக அஃதிலார்
தோன்றலின் தோன்றாமை நன்று

239
Even the blameless abundance of earth dwindles
Beneath bodies without name

வசையிலா வண்பயன் குன்றும் இசையிலா
யாக்கை பொறுத்த நிலம்

235
Gain in loss—life in death—the discerning alone
Attain them

நத்தம்போற் கேடும் உளதாகும் சாக்காடும்
வித்தகர்க் கல்லால் அரிது

231
Give freely and gain glory—nothing else
Gains a life more

ஈதல் இசைபட வாழ்தல் அதுவல்ல
தூதியம் இல்லை உயிர்க்கு

From chapter 24, “Renown.”

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