Thirukkural’s first English translation was a 'de-spiritualised': TN Guv

Ravi accused G U Pope of translating with the colonial objective to 'trivialise' the spiritual wisdom of India

Terming Thirukkural as an epic book holding the wisdom of “eternal spirituality”, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Thursday accused Tamil scholar G U Pope of presenting a “de-spiritualised version” of the book while translating it into English.

He accused G U Pope of translating with the colonial objective to “trivialise” the spiritual wisdom of India.

Unveiling a statue of saint-poet Thiruvalluvar, author of Thirukkural which has remedies for modern-day problems of the world, at the Delhi Tamil Education Association (DTEA) Senior Secondary School in Delhi, Ravi accused the British of attempting to destroy India’s great spirituality by distorting the history, culture and to colonise the people’s mind.

Thiruvalluvar is one of the brightest suns in the galaxy of ancient sages, the Governor said, adding that Aadhi Bhagavan, quoted in the first kural, is found in all the Indian languages and this concept is part of Rig Veda. “It is at the core of Indian spirituality. It is far from ‘Primal Deity’ as translated by colonial apologists. Missionaries like G U Pope who first translated Thirukkural into English presented a de-spiritualised version of it. The translation was done with a colonial objective to trivialise the spiritual wisdom of India,” he said.

He also spoke about the Tamil language and its literature which has given profound and timeless works such as Tholkappiam, Silapathikaram, Manimegalai, and many others.

“Tamil Siddar Tirumoolar’s Thirumanthiram aged of about 3,000 years before the Common Era tells all about spirituality and yoga,” the Governor said and urged everyone to shun the “colonial interpretation” of these books and experience their true essence.

Thirukkural, penned by Thiruvalluvar, offers a remedy or a piece of advice for every issue that the modern world encounters and several politicians, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quoted from this very fine piece of Tamil literature often.