The three ‘Ps’ of behaviour pattern , namely, ‘prescribed’, ‘permitted’ and ‘prohibited have received elaborate treatment at the hand of Thiruvalluvar.
The learned people who have not learned to live
in consonance with the world, are really foolish. (14.10)
To be in unison with the functioning of the world
is what is done by a wise understanding mind. (43.6)
Since the
family forms the cornerstone of socialization, Thiruvalluvar’s address is directed towards the performance of role obligations by each role occupant with a view to paving the way for
social order to usher in. The major roles a man and a woman play are as
husband and wife and as father and mother of
son and daughter. According to Thiruvalluvar, a family could be taken to have realized its goals when the couple begin to bestow love and affection on others and lead a righteous way of life.
Love and living virtuously leads family life
its character and utility as nobility and reward. (5.5)
Without being oblivious of what he means by ‘righteousness’, Thiruvalluvar says that an individual has to distance himself from feelings of being jealous, greedy and angry and avoid the use of harsh words so as to thread a ‘righteous’ path.
Envy, desire, anger, harsh words
are avoided in virtuous living. (4.5)
Insofar as the responsibility of the husband as father is concerned, he exhorts that an inalienable duty is cast on such occupants of roles to ensure that their sons have access to knowledge. The knowledge so gained should be capable of keeping them in good stead.
The duty of father is to see that
his offspring occupies the highest seat in the court.(7.7)
Thiruvalluvar’s prescription is a double-edged weapon. Without stopping with what he says as the duty of the father, he considers that a son should prove himself worthy of being so by his exemplary conduct.
The duty of the son to his father is to get the acclaim
‘what penance did his father do to get such a son!’. (7.10)
For the wife, Thiruvalluvar hands down that besides her remaining chaste, she should take upon herself the responsibility of caring for the husband and be in possession of all good qualities that go wit her feminine character.
What is more adorable than a woman
if she is strong minded and chaste? (6.4)
That woman, who untiringly takes care of herself and
her husband earns the appreciation of the society. (6.6)
Thiruvalluvar opines that nothing would give greater pleasure to a mother than to see her son make a mark in life. By implication and with rapidly returning conviction, he means that it is obligatory on the part of a son to measure up to the expectations.
The mother rejoices more to hear her son called ‘great’
than when she gave birth to him with all the strain. (7.9)
‘CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS’ To question as to the existence or otherwise of cultural organizations during the relevant period when Thiruvalluvar was alive is of no consequence, since
culture refers to ideational aspects of social life. Culture points to a society’s adaptation to its needs. The
values which a society cherish are only elements of any cultural complex. It may be said that values become an integral part of the culture. Though an examination as to what extent the integration has reached a state of perfection is not called for, suffice it would be to say that certain minimum internal harmony and functional connection exist between values and culture on the one hand and social solidarity on the other. This link needs to be seen in the context of a threat to the cherished values which is sure to endanger social solidarity.
The discussion here is limiting itself to examine how the various elements of culture are perceived and how these transmissible intellectual aspects of civilization make their entry into
Thirukkural. Thiruvalluvar may be seen to motivate people to win rewards through conformance to values. In the case of those who remain without being motivated, he cautions them that non-conformance will entail forfeiture of the goodwill, respect and esteem of others. In his effort to persuade people to adopt or conform to specified patterns of behaviour, Thiruvalluvar brings into play both positive and negative methods of social control. Each of the positive courses of action pursued is shown to have a fundamental advantage over all the negative ones.
In Chapter 8, Thiruvalluvar makes an attempt to dilate upon the importance of universal love or affection from a disinterested motive. He considers that love provides the springboard to lead a contented life. It is to be appreciated that a contented
life becomes a continual feast.
People who enjoy life and acquire fame
are said to have qualified with a life of love. (8.5)
In driving home the point in regard to hospitality, Thiruvalluvar views that those who are given to the practice of being hospitable will have everything to gain and nothing to lose.
In his house, who treats his worthy guests with pleasure
The Goddess of wealth will reside with all Her treasures.(9.4)
The family man who daily entertains and welcomes guests
Will not be ruined for want of funds. (9.3)
Advocating suavity in speech, he declares that those who are prone to be soft-spoken gain advantage over those known for providing material comforts to others.
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