Thiruvalluvar and Lao Tzu | Thirukkural and Tao Te Ching

Thiruvalluvar : He is a South Indian (Tamilian-Tamilnadu) lived in 2500 years ago, approximately 5,6 BCE. "Thirukkural"was written by him.
Lao Tzu : He is a chinese. he is lived about 5,6 BCE - 2500 years ago. He wrote "Tao Te Ching". This is the key book of Taoism.

Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching was about Simple life, Tao, detachment and against for War, power, punishment, weapon. A short book with a total of 81 verses. And Thiruvalluvar's Tirukkural was a first tamil classical literature which was helpful for spiritual life and it has 1330 verses, each one is very short within two lines. This book was not only for family person or sage but both. it has contained Love, Compassion, sex, morality, detachment, meditation, political, war,.. etc,,.

Thiruvalluvar and Lao Tzu are not only great poets, writers, philosophers, but also great sage and wise men. These books are the manifestations of wisdom, the words of the wise. Although different countrie different language, there are some similarities. Let us compare them one by one.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 7:
Heaven is everlasting and earth is enduring.
The reason that they are everlasting is because they do not exist for themselves.
Hence, they are long lived.
Thus, although the saint puts himself last, finds himself in the lead.
Although he is not self-concerned, finds himself accomplished.
It is because he is not focused on self-interests and hence can fulfill his true nature.

Thirukkural - Verse 268:
One, who has given up the thought of
‘I,myself’, will be hailed by all.

Thirukkural - Verse 346:
If you can let go of the egoistic ‘I’ and the materialistic ‘mine’,
you will reach someplace better than paradise.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 8:
The supreme good is like water,
which nourishes all of creation without trying to compete with it.
It gathers in the low places unpopular with men.
Thus it is like the Tao......................

Thirukkural - Verse 11:
The world survives because of the rains and therefore
rain is known to be the nectar of immortality.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 12:
The five colors can blind one’s eyes.
The five tones can deafen one’s ears.
The five flavors can dull one’s taste buds.
The pursuit of pleasures can derange one’s mind.
The hard-to-get valuables can distort one’s behavior.
Therefore, a saint cultivates himself with virtues and does not indulge himself in sensory
pleasures.
He rejects those outer temptations and chooses this True Nature.

Thirukkural - Verse 6:
Those who follow the true moral path of the one,
who has doused the desires of the five senses, will last long.

Thirukkural - Verse 27:
One who has analysed and conquered the urges of
taste, sight, touch, sound and smell, will control this world.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 20:
How much is the difference between a respectful response and an angry response?
How great is the difference between good and evil?
What people naturally fear, one should also fear.
One’s endless desire can result in negligence of the true nature of life.
People like to pursue after excitement as if they were ascending the terrace in spring and
celebrate a sacrificial feast.
But I alone remain quiet and calm like an infant who is pure and innocent.
And I alone appeared to be lost like one who has nowhere to go..........
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..................Everyone thinks of themselves as capable and outstanding while I appeared unlearned.
I am the only one to be different from others for I value highly the Great Tao and joyfully act
accordingly.

Thirukkural - Verse 23:
Their greatness earth transcends, who, way of both worlds weighed,
In this world take their stand, in virtue's robe arrayed.
(The greatness of those who have discovered the properties of both states of being, and renounced the world, shines forth on earth (beyond all others))

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 31:
......................Weapons are instruments of fear; they are not a wise man's tools.
He uses them only when he has no choice.
Peace and quiet are dear to his heart.
And victory no cause for rejoicing.
If you rejoice in victory, then you delight in killing;
If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfill yourself..............................................

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Thirukkural - Verse 327:

Even if one were to sacrifice one’s own life, do not

commit the act of taking another life.

[Not only this one verse but Chapter 33 'NOT KILLING' full of  similar with LaoTzu's thought.]

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 46:

...............................The greatest crime is to have too much desire.

The greatest disaster is not to find contentment.

The greatest mistake is to desire for endless possession.

Hence, when one is gratified with self-contentment,

True contentment can then long endure.

Thirukkural - Verse 368:

Those who are devoid of desire are free from misery;

for others, it keeps piling up

Thirukkural - Verse 369:

When desire, the misery of miseries, is decimated,

unending joy abounds.

Thirukkural - Verse 367:

Fate turns favourable at one’s beckoning,

when desire is destroyed completely.

Thirukkural - Verse 370:

Eternal bliss ensues,

when insatiable desire ends.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 52:

Keep your mouth shut,
Guard your senses,
And life is ever full.
Open your mouth,
Always be busy,
And life is beyond hope.

Thirukkural - Verse 127:

Even if nothing else can be restrained, one must control his tongue; if not,

he will suffer because of the harm inflicted by his words.

Thirukkural - Verse 128:

Even if there is one harm caused by harsh words, all the good

caused by other virtuous deeds will also be seen as evil.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 56:

Those who know do not talk.
Those who talk do not know.
Keep your mouth closed.
Guard your senses.
Temper your sharpness.
Simplify your problems.
Mask your brightness.
Be at one with the dust of the earth.
This is primal union.

He who has achieved this state
Is unconcerned with friends and enemies,
With good and harm, with honour and disgrace.
This therefore is the highest state of man.

Thirukkural - Verse 6:

Those who follow the true moral path of the one,

who has doused the desires of the five senses, will last long.

Thirukkural - Verse 126:

If one can restrain his five senses, like a tortoise that retreats into its single shell,

it will be a protection through seven births.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 67:

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..........Mercy (Love) brings victory in battle and strength in defense.

It is the means by which heaven saves and guards.

Thirukkural - Verse 76:

The ignorant think that love is needed only for righteous deeds;

they know not that love is an ally for bravery too.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 75:

People starved because the ruler taxed too heavily.

People are difficult to be ruled,

Because the ruler governs with personal desire and establishes too many laws to confuse the

people.

Therefore the people are difficult to be ruled.

People take death lightly,

Because the ruler pursues after luxurious life and depletes the people.

Therefore the people take death lightly.................................................

Thirukkural - Verse 552:

The extortion and graft done wielding the sceptre

is no different from robbery done pointing a spear.

Thirukkural - Verse 555:

The tears shed by citizens subjected to intolerable grief

are the weapons that erode the rulers’ wealth.

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Tao Te Ching - Verse 78:

Under heaven nothing is more soft and yielding than water.
Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better;
It has no equal.
The weak can overcome the strong;
The supple can overcome the stiff.
Under heaven everyone knows this,...................................

Thirukkural - Verse 13:

If the skies fail to rain, the world,

though surrounded by sea, will yet suffer of hunger.

Thirukkural - Verse 20:

World can’t survive without water

and morality can’t exist without rains.

Thirukkural - Verse 16:

Unless drops of precious rain fall down,

not even grass will sprout its head.

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©️Davidevilboy

Reference:

Tao Te Ching by LaoTzu

Thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar