The Religion of Valluvar

The genius of Tiruvalluvar consists in having produced a treatise on pure ethics which is the common property of all religions in the world. The moral code that has been presented to us contains gems which would serve the world for all time to come. The maxims promulgated are of such (universal application that they have evoked wide appreciation and approval as is seen from English and Latin translations of the book. The Rural which claims an age of 2,000 years and more is still young and will be young, for it has been written for practical application for all time and in all places. The beauty of the work lies in its catering to the needs and desires of all religionists and creeds. Despite any serious and detailed study with regard to the religion of Valluvar, it is difficult to arrive at some definite conclusion. Rather we are compelled to go back to where we started and to remain in a state of doubt as to the personal religion of the celebrated author. For, every religion including Christianity claims him. 

Was he a Christian? 

The followers of Christianity identify, without any justification whatever, Elelasinga with the apostle St. Thomas, and as Elela is said to be the patron of the poet-moralist, it may be that Valluvar also embraced the same creed. European Tamil scholars of the last century like Fr . Beschi and Pope were specially attracted by that incomparable ethical code and rendered it in European languages, Latin and English. It may be noted in passing that these scholars were mainly Christian ecclesiastics. 

Was he a Jaina? 

It is again argued that he was a Jaina. The epithets Malarmisaiyekinan (மலர்மிசையேகினான்), aindavittan (ஐந்தவித்தான்) aravdliyantanan (அறவாழி அந்தணன்) are generally interpreted as denoting the Arhat and the philosophical ideas of the arhats. The references to Indra and the doctrine of ahimsa are also urged in support of the same theory. How slippery is the foundation of this theory can be gauged from the follow- ing. The expression malarmisai yekinan which means, 'He who stands in the human heart is nothing more than the grand idea expressed in the Bhagavadgita that the Lord God is seated in the heart of all creatures. The aindavittan is a common idea of the Hindus that he who conquered his five senses could become a yogin, and attain godhood. The term amvaliyantanan may mean the law-giver, the law-administrator, or the law- maker. Again, the cult of Indra-worship is again common to all sects of Hinduism including Buddhism and Jainism. In fact Indra is one of the principal Vedic deities invoked in the sacred yajnas. The doctrine of ahimsa does not belong only to the Jain cult. It is a fundamental doctrine of the Upanisads, the philosophical sections of the Vedic literature. As Parimelalagar points out, we have to interpret his sayings broadly, and not narrow them down as a sectarian work. At the least it is not possible to make out a strong case for its sectarian character. 

Was he a Buddhist? 

That he was also a votary of Buddhism is again claimed by some scholars whose chief argument is based on the section entitled turavu (துறவு). The Kural (348)

தலைப்பட்டார் தீரத் துறந்தார் மயங்கி
வலைப்பட்டார் மற்றை யவர்



is specially quoted as prescribing renunciation as the cure for all ills (துறவறம்). A corroborative clue is said to be afforded by the expression of the same ideas in the Manimekalai. But renunciation is the ideal preached in all creeds. For example, the same Kural is quoted as ex- pounding a concept of Saiva Siddhanta.

Was he a Vaisnavite? 

That he embraced the Vaisnava creed and was a devotee of Vishnu is proved by the first kural venba which finds a parallel in the Githa where the Lord says that He was the first letter (qr) among the letters. 6 In another informing hural-venba more light is thrown on this topic. There is a distinct reference to the Vaikuntha as the abode of Tamaraik-kannan literally the lotus-eyed. The idea in this kural-venba is that righteous people, after death find their home in the abode of Visnu who is said to be the lotus-eyed. Life after death in Vaikuntha is clearly the Vaisnava idea and this, when compared with the first verse of prayer with which the Kural opens, may lend weight to the view that he was a follower of Vaisnavism. 

Was he a Saiva? 

There are again some kural venbas which go to demonstrate that the author was a Saiva by religion. The phrase Engunathaan (எண்குணத்தான்) is generally quoted to show his adherence to Saivism. It is significant to note that Saiva saints like Appar and Sundaramurti use the very term in their laudatory stanzas on Siva. Engunathaan simply means the God with eight attributes. Again the kttral-venba (359)

சார்புணர்ந்து சார்பு கெடஒழுகின் மற்றழித்துச் 

சார்தரா சார்தரு நோய்.

is believed to be the Saiva idea as it has been utilized in an accredited &aiva Siddhanta work with approval. To this may be added the kural- venba (348) which has been fused in another Saiva Siddhanta work as we have seen already.

Conclusion. 

The examination of the personal religion of Valluvar does not give us any definite lead in the matter. The fact seems to be that the author, whatever his personal religion, did not wish to give his work a sectarian character. If we can hazard a conjecture, Valluvar who was acquainted with different creeds and faiths, took up the best in every creed and thus primarily intended to be a moralist rather than a religious teacher. 

The Rural is like the Bhagavadhgitha which appeals to every faith, and which admits of any interpretation looked at from any point of view. In fact it is the correct estimate of poet Kalladanar who says 'Among the six religious creeds, the followers of one creed will assert that there is only one eternal thing. The follow- ers of a second creed will speak of another thing. The followers of the third creed will speak of yet another. But it is good that the followers of all creeds accept the pronounced prescriptions of Valluvar's muppal. 


ஒன்றே பொருளெனின் வேறென்ப வேறெனின் 
அன்றென்ப ஆறு சமயத்தால் - நன்றென 
எப்பா வலரும் இயைபவே வள்ளுவனார் 
முப்பால் மொழிந்த மொழி - திருவள்ளுவமாலை.


As has been already indicated, if Parimelalagar's views could be adopted, then the author of the Kural must have been familiar with Sanskrit literature and especially the Dharmasastra and the Arthasastra literature. If this position can be accepted, it is reasonable to assume that Tiruvalluvar follows mainly in his Arathuppal the most popular Dharmasastra of Manu, in his Porutpal the well- known Arthasasthra of Kautalya, and in his Kamathuppal the Kamasutra of Vatsyayana. To these may be added portions of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata and other allied literature. Whether Valluvar's muppal is an in- dependent growth or is indebted to Sanskrit literature, it is for future research to determine conclusively. 

As it is, there is a remarkable parallelism between the Kural and the Sanskrit books above referred to. We propose in the following pages to give a list of such of the Kural- venbas which have a striking correspondence with those in the Sanskrit works devoted to subjects like Dharma, Artha and Kama. This list does not, however, pretend to exhaust all the corresponding references.