YES, THERE ARE SO FEW KINGS LEFT ON OUR PLANET TODAY, BUT THEY ARE STILL HERE, AND THIS SECTION ON GOVERNMENT APPLIES TO THEM. But does it apply to them only? Is it not a course in human resource management, essential for all who aspire to climb the corporate ladder? Is it not a politician’s handbook for those who aspire to the top and wish to remain there? In today’s world, the CEOs of large corporations far outnumber even the subjects of feudal kingdoms of the days in which Valluvar lived. Earth’s population then was only 150 million or more, and now it is nearly six billion—forty times greater.§
Here we learn that right thought, right speech and right action are a total must for right government for the corporation, the political arena, for a president of a large or small nation, or for a king. Indeed, these precepts apply to all of us who aspire to serve without conflict, to think ahead and prepare, to analyze and understand before we act. It is all here: an irrefutable and clear message for success.§
There is no way to calculate how many Hindus have memorized and acted upon these verses and are now top in the computer industries, leaders in political circles, directors of hospitals or highly regarded engineers within their fields. Take, for example, the admonitions on choosing the right people to employ, to associate with and to trust. This is wisdom that needs to be known. Certain men who commanded high esteem failed to comply with what is so clearly outlined here, and the thud of their fall was heard worldwide through the Internet, the television, the radio and the printed word. For this alone, Tirukural is a must, for it is with great effort that one attains to a position of worth, and it is by even greater effort that he maintains this position to fulfill the initial vision of his chosen enterprise. It is for this that information “spies” are needed, that loyal and trusted advisors are needed, that wealth obtained by proper means is needed, that fairness to employees, constituents and the public at large is needed, and most of all the knowledge of exactly what fairness actually is, so as not to earn reproach.§
Valluvar explains how to learn and the importance of learning. He states that life is a continuum of constant learning, keeping up with the times. In today’s world, the times are moving rapidly, and there is a lot of keeping up to do. For leaders, it is a constant demand. The weaver admonishes those who neglect their learning, who are too indolent to tolerate a new idea, absorb a new duty or take on a new responsibility. Skillfully, he divides the intellectual from the wise in chapter 43, for wisdom is the timely application of knowledge. Self-reflection is seen in chapter 44, where the weaver explains that we must be self-reflective, see our own faults and correct them before others see them and complain—a hallmark of good leadership.§
We can do nothing on the way up the corporate ladder, or even beginning a political campaign, unless we gain the support of those in influence. It is in chapter 45 that the weaver explains how this is done and the necessity for it. Yes, of course, there are admonitions that leaders will fall by not following, such as the wisdom that not avoiding low-minded people leads to ruin. Where would CNN, Doordarshan and other news media such as India Today, Newsweek, The Hindu and Wall Street Journal get their stories and their readership if all those in powerful positions heeded this chapter?§
On and on he goes in creating the eminent management manual of all times, so precise are his statements, so true and so meaningful. He encourages all to persevere: “Laugh when troubles come your way. Nothing conquers calamity better than that.”§
