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Tirukkural - An Abridgement of Shaastras

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248

248 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

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About the author

R. Nagaswamy

37 books44 followers
Dr. R. Nagaswamy is an Indian historian, archaeologist and epigraphist who is known for his work on temple inscriptions and art history of Tamil Nadu. He served as the founder-Director of the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department. He was also instrumental in starting the annual Chidambaram Natyanjali festival in 1980.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
114 reviews
May 15, 2020
Naman to Nagaswamy jee for writing this book.
1 review1 follower
September 27, 2019
One has to be really competent to understand the author. The author is known for his rich experience and logical sequencing artifacts for Archaeology.

The one who knows the shastras and Thirukural could correlate and appreciate the book.
A must for a every boon and Tamil Hindus.

Thanks
81 reviews2 followers
July 6, 2023
A Great book and a must read by every Indian mainly Indians from the southeren part of India
Profile Image for Prabhu R..
Author 3 books33 followers
January 28, 2024
"Tirukkural: An Abridgement of the Sastras" by Dr. R. Nagaswamy offers a compelling exploration of the ancient Tamil classic, the Tirukkural. As an abridgement of the Sastras, the book condenses the profound wisdom of the Tirukkural, making it accessible to a broader audience.

Dr. Nagaswamy's expertise in Tamil literature and culture shines through in his meticulous examination of the Tirukkural's verses. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the ethical and philosophical insights embedded in this timeless work. The author's scholarly approach ensures that readers, whether familiar with Tamil literature or not, can grasp the essence of the Tirukkural.

Dr. Nagaswamy contextualizes the Tirukkural within the broader scope of Indian philosophy. He delves into the historical background, shedding light on the socio-cultural aspects of this revered text. This contextualization adds depth to the reader's understanding and appreciation of the Tirukkural.

As the quote goes, "A researcher has to turn the pages of half the library to write one book". Dr. Nagaswamy has done deeper research on the Vedas and the Sastras and has made the great effort of bringing them together by comparing it with the Tirukkural; showing how it is the embodiment of the thoughts and discipline inculcated in the Sastras.

He also dispels and disproves a lot of misinformation including agenda driven writings of people like G.U.Pope whose claims had a religious conversion motives. He brings about the theories of Tiruvalluvar being called a Jain/Buddhist and provides facts/proofs to prove them wrong.

The organization of the book is logical and reader-friendly. Dr. Nagaswamy takes a thematic approach, dissecting the Tirukkural's verses based its alignment with the Vedas and Sastras by providing references from various texts like Apastamba, Gauthama, Bodhayana Dharmasūtrams, Sangam texts, Manu Smriti, Yajnavalkya Smriti and more.

Overall, the book is a treasure trove, and everyone must read to understand the most revered text in Tamil - The Tirukkural!
Profile Image for Syed Hassan.
68 reviews1 follower
April 4, 2018
The author (a Padma Bhushan awardee) has done a comparison of Sastras and Tirukkural to support his view that Tirukkural (Aram/Porul/Inbam) has been influenced by the Hindu Sastras (Dharma/Artha/Natya/Kama). A concerted effort has been made to prove his point giving similarities between Sanskrit Vedas/Sastras and Tirukkural regarding the stages of man's life, how to lead one's life etc. The author has also strongly criticized the attempts by a Christian missionary who has attempted to associate Tirukkural with Christianity.
Personally, I would have been appreciative if the author had shown/compared the similarities of Tirukkural, Sastras and the missionary's view point and took a larger perspective/be more magnanimous on how all religions and poets like Tiruvalluvar have stood for the same principles of humanity. Instead, the book left me with a slightly odd taste that he was trying to provide verbatim comparisons between lines in Tirukkural to Sastras and having mild pointers/tint towards superiority of one over another and plagiarism (when the debate on which is more ancient Tamil or Sanskrit is still on !!).
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