Thirukkural in Malayalam (മലയാളം)

     With 21 translations, Malayalam has seen the most number of translations in any Indian language. More and more translations continue to be produced, the most recent one being a translation by Shailaja Ravindran (In 2007; D.C. Books, Kottayam). Malayalam probably has the unique distinction of producing the first ever translation of Tirukkural in any Indian language. An unpublished manuscript of a Malayalam translation done in 1595 A.D. is reported in the Annual Report of the Cochin Archeological Department for the year 1933-34.[2]

Translations are of different types. Some in modern Malayalam and some in ancient Malayalam. Ancient Malayalam is dominated by Tamil words unlike modern Malayalam which is a hybrid of Tamil and Sanskrit. As a result, Malayalam has a rich vocabulary of both Tamil and Sanskrit origin. This is precisely the reason why Malayalees do not find Tamil movies difficult to understand when released in Kerala. Ramesan Nair’s translation of Thirukkural (Trust Publications, Trivandrum) in ancient Malayalam reminds us how close Malayalam was once with Tamil.[3]

     The translation in verse presented here is that of V.V. Abdulla Sahib, first published in 2002. As in the case of the Hindi translation of the Kural, my wife K.T. Shahnaz typed the entire translation. All the 133 chapters have been presented in Acrobat.

imjxnÀy« Zyk¡¯¡l¬

മുഖവുര

അÆõxÃyK ¥RõxZysþxj Zyk¡pסpdjdxª Ak¡nyj Zyk¡¯¡l¬ Hk¡ sxcxkY sxtyZõK£Zyjmø, Ziyo§öMȵny« ¤p¶§ Gl÷p¡I pyqyræixY§ Zyk¡¯¡l¬ F˧ Ahy¹Íxª Ahyöexj¤eðU¡Ë¡. Ziyo§¥pb¤iË AekdxiÀxmxY§ AZlyj¤eðU¡ËZ§.

Zyk¡¯¡l¬ pykPyZixj Kxm¤À¯¡ly¶§ PkyöZKxkÍxª¯yUjy« AhyöexjhyËZj¡½§. öKysë¡pyd§ i¡Ì§ k½xI d¢l÷x½ymxY§ Zyk¡pסpª Rzpy¶yk¡Ë¤Z˧ Pymª Ahyöexj¤eðU¡¥Ìx¬ il÷¡ Pymª öKyös§ZûxgíI dxmxI d¢l÷x½x¤Y˧ elj¡Ë¡. Fµ¤djxjxm¡I Zyk¡¯¡lnyd§ eZydº§ d¢l÷x½ymcyKI eo¯i¡¤½Ë KxkõÀy« sIqjiymø. Zyk¡p×¢pª Hk¡ ¤¤RdiZ¯xkdx¤YËxY§ Pym eY§WyZÍxk¡¤U e±I. BPxkIMs¢öZI, DesxbªqKI FËz ¤¤RdiZöMȵny¤m Bqjµ¬ K¡lnym¡×ZxY§ KxkYI. FËx« K¡lnymxK¤¼ pyqûxsekixj ¤¤pRxZõ¥ix py¥pPd¥ix öeZyfmy¯x¤Z Hk¡ pyqû¤e¦kdxj BÃzje¡k¡rdxjy¼xY§ A¥ÅtI ekymsy¯¡ËZ§.

RxZyiZpªYê¤hZ¤i¥dõ id¡rõK¡mÀyd§ BbkYzjp¡I BPkYzjp¡I py¹xdbxjKp¡ixj K¡l¬ KxmxZypªÀyjxjy dym¤Kxסˡ. AZy« Ai¢mõµnxj ZZûµn¡I De¥bqµn¡I AUµyjy¼¡½§. AZ¡¤Kx½¡Z¤Ë K¡l¬ id¡rõK¡mÀy¤©÷ ¤exZ¡sûÀxjyÀzk¡Kj¡I sªÑ¥mxKÀ¡I öePky¯¡Kj¡I ¤Pjë¡.

A¥dKI ¥mxKhxrKny¥m¯§ K¡l¬ ekxpªÀdI ¤PФeð¼y¼¡¤½Ë§ AZy¤©÷ ¤¤pqyræõI pyny¥¶xZ¡Ë¡½§. AZ§ sIgÊixj Hk¡ ¤Pl¡pypkYI öes°ix¤Y˧ Kk¡Z¡Ë¡.

Zyk¡¯¡l¬- CZkhxrKny«

Zx¤o KxYy¯¡Ë hxkZzj hxrKny¥m¯¡I hxkZz¥jZk hxrKny¥m¯¡I Zyk¡¯¡l¬ pypªÀdI ¤PФeð¼y¼¡½§

hxkZzj hxrK¬

gIMxny, M¡RlxÀy, tyÉy, KËU, ilxÀy, Hxlyj, eºxgy, kxRÓxdy, ¤s¦kxöræ, ¤Zm¡M¡, Dªb¡, sIsÜ£ZI, imjxnI.

Grõ© hxrK¬

AlgyK§, gªizs§, ¤¤Pdzs§, Reðxdzs§, imj, syItxnzs§, fzRyj©

j¢¥lxeõ© hxrK¬

Bª¥idõ©, ¤P¯§, W¶§, CIMøzr§, fyËyr§, öfº§, Rªi©, mxl÷y©, ¥exnyr§, lrõ©, sûzWyr§, Cl÷xmyj©.

imjxn hxrjy« Zyk¡¯¡lny¤©÷ em pypªÀdµn¡I CZydKI e¡lÀylµyjy¼¡½§. FËx« DËZ pybõxhõxsI mhy¶y¼ymøxÀ sxcxkY¯xª¯§ Fn¡eðI ids‏ymx¯À¯ dymjym¡I st£bjª¯§ AZy¥pMI t£byÓix¯x© sxcõixK¡Ë ZkÀym¡I mnyZhxrjy« Kxpõk¢eÀymxY§ C¦ pypªÀdI dyªÑty¯¤eð¼y¼¡×Z§.

C¦ imjxnebõpypªÀdI pyRjKkixjy e¢ªÀyjx¯¡ËZyd§ F¤Ë k½¡ põ°yK¬ AKioy»¡ stxjy¶y¼¢½§. H˧, C¦¥kxU ¤PËyi¤¤m sû¥bqy, §öqzix©§ Z´¥pm¡ixÔª gy.F., gy.Uy.

(ly¼. ¤¤ts§¯¢¬ AÆõxeK©). k½§, imjxnyj¡I C¦¥kxU§ Óykpxsyj¡I ¥Kx¼¯« Bkõ¤¤pbõqxm fysyrõd¡ixj ¥WxKæª ¥ixtd© pky¥¯x¼y«, Wy.F..FI hxrxekixj¡I Bqjekixj¡I il÷¡pycÀym¡I Cpª ¤Pjëy¼¡× ¥spdµ¬¯§ dÉyelj¡px© DPyZixj hxr Fdy¯§ sûxczdimø. AöeKxkI Z¤Ë pypªÀd¥qøxKµ¬ jaxöKiI pxjy¶¡ pymjyk¡Ày Fdy¯§ ¥p½¡Ë dyª¥Åqµ¬ d«Kyj öqzix© FI.sy. kxi© ixÔª FI.F., gy.FW§. ApªKn¡¤U stxjstKkYµ¬¯§ Tx© pn¤k dÉyj¡×pdxY§.

C¦ pypªÀdÀyd§ Fdy¯§ stxjKixjp Zx¤o K¡ly¯¡Ë öMȵnxY§.

1. eky¥imoKk¡¤U Ziyo§ pypªÀdI. 

2. ¥WxKæª i¡d¡sûxiy pkbkxR© ApªKn¡¤U Zyk¡¯¡l¬ ¤Znyp¡¤¤k.

3. C¦¥¯x¼§ shxeZy i¡bmyjxª ApªKn¡¤U Zyk¡¯¡l¬ pyn¯¡p¤¤k.

4. sy. kxR¥MxexmxPxky ApªKn¡¤U ¤Z¤k¤»U¡À K¡l¬ C¦kUyKn¡¤U CIMøzr§ pypªÀdI.

Hk¡ BÃzj öMÈI ¥ex¤m sªÑpõxeKixjy öe¥qxhy¯¡Ë K¡l¬ ¤¤p¹xdyKp¡I ¤¤pKxkyKp¡ixj Zmµnym¢¤U id¡rõ¤d D«K£rædx¯¡Ë¡. imjxnyK¬ C¦ K£Zy sûzKky¶§ AZy¤©÷ De¥hx°x¯nxjyÀzk¡Ë¥Zx¤UxeðI F¤Ë D¥axPyZI ¥öexÄxtyeðy¯¡¤iË pyqûxs¥ÀxU¡K¢Uy Tx© CZ§ gt¡Rdsi±I spydjI siªeðy¶¡¤Kxסˡ.

 (Source: Abdulla Sahib, V.V. 2002. Thirukkural (Malayalam). Printed at Gupta Press, 123, Periyar Street, Erode – 638 001, Tamil Nadu)