Valluvar
on Learning, Knowledge, and Wisdom
Introduction
In day-to-day conversations, people frequently use the terms ‘learning,’
‘understanding,’ ‘knowledge,’ ‘intelligence,’ and ‘wisdom.’ Although people
intuitively know the meanings of these terms, they ignore the proper
definitions of these terms. Of these terms, ‘learning’ and ‘understanding’ are
often used interchangeably. So also, the terms ‘knowledge’ and ‘wisdom’ are
often used interchangeably. These terms are difficult to define. Their meanings
and definitions may depend upon the context in which they are used. For the
purpose of this essay, these terms can be described as follows:
Learning can be
defined as acquiring knowledge or skills through formal education, self-study,
listening to others, or experience. Understanding is to comprehend the
intended meaning of what is being learnt.
Although
learning is necessary to gain knowledge, it is not sufficient for gaining
knowledge. For the learning to be useful, it should be accompanied by a
thorough understanding of what has been learnt. For example, schoolchildren
learn multiplication by memorizing the ‘times table.’ Although they know that
8x7 = 56, they may not know how to compute the product of two larger numbers
like 1248 times 7865. This is because they have not understood the underlying
principle of multiplication. It is not uncommon for students to memorize their
lessons to regurgitate them in their examinations. Such learning is of limited
use to attain real knowledge or for applying what has been learnt.
Knowledge is the
accumulation of facts and information that is meant to be useful. Knowledge is
generally gained from learning through formal education, listening to others,
reading books and other materials, and experience. Intelligence can be
generally described as the ability to perceive information
and retain it as knowledge to be
applied towards adaptive behaviors within an environment or context. Wisdom is
the ability to make sound
judgments based on one's
knowledge, experience, and understanding.
Just like the
difference between learning and understanding, there is a vast difference
between knowledge and wisdom. To illustrate the difference between knowledge
and wisdom, the British journalist Miles Kington said humorously, "It is
knowledge to know that tomato is a fruit. But it is wisdom not to use it in a
fruit salad." There can be no wisdom without knowledge. But it is not
uncommon for people to have knowledge without wisdom.
Learning
Valluvar
places a strong emphasis on learning for everyone. First, he considers learning
a truly imperishable and flawless treasure to a man, and no other wealth is
comparable to learning (kural- 400). According to him, "Numbers and
letters are like the two eyes of the human beings (kural – 392)." It
should be noted that what one could learn during the days of Valluvar was
limited compared to the plethora of fields of study in modern times.
The diverse knowledge
systems of modern times can be grouped into four categories: physical,
biological, social, and metaphysical systems. The physical systems would
include fields like mathematics, physics, and chemistry, applied sciences like
engineering, and technologies. The subjects in this category fall under what is
referred to as "exact sciences." The biological systems deal with
empirical sciences such as botany and zoology and applied fields like medicine
and agriculture. The third category, social systems, would include economics,
politics, sociology, and other related fields which are not really amenable to
scientific methods like the exact and empirical sciences. The last category,
metaphysical systems, includes philosophy which deals with the first principles
of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance,
cause, identity, time, and space. It is fair to say that knowledge of physical
and biological systems was extremely rudimentary during Valluvar's days. The
knowledge of social systems dealing with human behaviors was somewhat well-developed.
Finally, the knowledge of the metaphysical systems was very well developed. So,
Valluvar's recommended study of numbers and letters would have included basic
mathematics and literature dealing with human relations and philosophical
concepts. However, in modern times the study of "numbers and letters"
can be interpreted as the study of science and humanities.
Valluvar
believes that the more one learns, the more one gains knowledge. He cites the
example of a well in the sand bed where water flow increases with the efforts
to dig deeper and deeper. So also, the more extensive and intensive the
learning, the more knowledge can be gained by the learner.
Water will
flow from a well in the sand in proportion to the depth to which it is dug.
So also, the
more we learn, the more knowledge we acquire. (kural
– 396)
Valluvar
contends that learning should be an ongoing process throughout one's life. He
wonders why some people do not continue their learning throughout their life.
"For the truly learned, every town and every country is their own; when
that is so, why do some people not continue the learning process till their
death (kural – 397)?" This is truly a prophetic statement. Millions of
people have migrated to countries other than their own, and they have been
accepted in foreign lands and recognized for their talents. Those who continue
to learn are often rewarded for their learning and experience.
Valluvar
considers that learning is so important that he has one chapter for learning
(Chapter – 40) and supplemented it with another chapter (Chapter – 42) in which
he discusses learning by listening to others and an additional chapter (Chapter
– 41) where he discusses the consequence of failure to learn. As mentioned
previously, learning can be accomplished by several means. Apart from formal
education and tutelage by scholars, listening to others is also valuable for
obtaining knowledge. Life is too short to learn everything through formal
education, self-study, or from one's own experiences. Another valuable source
of knowledge is listening to others about their experiences and knowledge. For
example, Akbar the Great ascended the throne of the Mogul empire in India at
the tender age of thirteen. He could not read or write. He listened to his
advisors, and with their help, he became one of the most extraordinary emperors
of the Mogul dynasty.
To emphasize
the importance of listening to others, Valluvar says, "Wealth of knowledge
obtained through listening to others is the greatest of all wealth (kural –
411)." The following kurals further emphasize the importance of obtaining
knowledge through listening to others.
When food for
thought is unavailable through instructions from the learned,
the stomach
may be provided some food. (kural
– 412)
Learning is necessary, but even those who are
not formally learned
should listen
to the wise, for such learning acquired through listening
will be a
staff of support in times of need. (kural
– 414)
The
instructions that flow from learned men of righteous conduct
constitute a
firm staff on the slippery ground to the listener. (kural – 415)
Valluvar
expresses his deep contempt for those who do not spend time listening to the
words of wisdom of the learned people. He says that it really does not matter
whether such people live or die. The relevant kural is as follows:
It does not
matter if those have not experienced the delights of
listening to
the expositions of the learned and relish only the tastes
of the mouth,
live or die. (kural
– 420)
Valluvar's
disdain is towards those who do not learn by listening to others and those who
do not use other methods to obtain knowledge. His contempt for those who do not
make the efforts necessary to gain knowledge through learning can be seen in
the following kurals:
The ignorant
people just exist like the barren land, giving no yield to
be considered
fertile. (kural
– 406)
If a man does
not develop his intellect by incisive learning, he is like
a doll made
of clay. (kural
– 407)
There is as
much difference between the learned and the
ignorant as
between human beings and beasts. (kural
– 410)
In condemning
people who neglect to learn and the good counsel of learned people, Valluvar is
in agreement with the Greek poet Hessoid. The following statement is attributed
to the famous Greek poet Hesiod who was generally thought by scholars to have
been active around 700 BC and an authority on Greek mythology and considered
history's first economist.
That man is the best who sees the truth by himself,
Good too is he who listens to wise counsel.
But who is neither wise himself nor willing
To ponder wisdom is not worth a straw.
- Hesiod
The importance of understanding
For learning
to be useful, it should be accompanied by a thorough understanding of what has
been learnt. Otherwise, such learning is of limited use to attain real
knowledge or for applying what has been learnt. Valluvar is particular that one
should clearly and beyond any semblance of doubt, understand what one learns,
and apply what has been learnt.
One should
learn what is worth learning and then act according to it. (kural – 391)
There are two
things worth noting in the above kural. First, Valluvar does not say what one
should learn. Obviously, what one could learn during Valluvar's days was very
limited compared to the vast amount of knowledge and the variety of disciplines
of studies of modern times. If Valluvar had made a list of what one should
learn, such a list would have become obsolete long ago. This type of
generalization makes the Kural immortal and relevant for all ages. The second
thing to note about the kural mentioned above is that Valluvar says that one
should live according to what has been learnt. This can be interpreted as
applying what has been learnt. To apply what has been learnt, one should learn
thoroughly and understand clearly what has been learnt.
Wisdom
To make use
of knowledge and to create new knowledge, one must have the ability to
understand and apply what has been learnt. This ability to understand and apply
the acquired knowledge is nothing but intelligence. This powerful combination
of intelligence, knowledge, and experience becomes wisdom, a formidable tool in
one's arsenal to protect him against destruction.
What exactly
are the characteristics of wisdom? According to the Greek philosopher Plato
(428/427 BC – 348/347 BC), perfect goodness is the ultimate end of all learning[1].
Valluvar is in complete agreement with Plato and says that wisdom helps people achieve
good and useful things.
Wisdom
restrains the wayward mind and leads it from evil to good. (kural – 422)
Valluvar
mentions another characteristic of wisdom. According to him, an essential
aspect of wisdom is rationalism. Rationalism is the practice of
only believing what is based on reason. A rationalist will constantly question
every hypothesis or belief and accept it only if it is based on reason. Also, a
rationalist will come to conclusions by his reasoning ability and will not
depend on beliefs and opinions. As a rationalist, a scientist will not accept a
hypothesis unless it can be logically proven or experimentally verified.
Valluvar emphasizes this idea of rationalism in the following kural:
Wisdom is to
find its true nature, whatever be the thing and whatever be its nature. (kural
– 355)
In the above
kural, Valluvar stresses reasoning as the true method of gaining wisdom. This
rationalistic approach of relentless questioning is the one that has been
responsible for all scientific discoveries. Valluvar also extends this
rationalistic approach to discover the truth in any statement made by anyone.
To discern
the real truth from whatever source it emanates is the true quality of
wisdom. (kural – 423)
The above
kural is reminiscent of the Greek philosopher Socrates' approach to seeking the
truth. This kural encourages individuals to question all belief systems,
including religious beliefs. Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, has told his
followers not to accept anything he said unless they are convinced that his
statements are consistent and logical. More recently, in the twentieth century,
there was a rationalist in Tamil Nadu, the state in India in which Valluvar was
born. His name was E.V. Ramasamy, and he was affectionately called
"Thanthai Periyar," which meant the "revered father-like
person." He challenged the caste system of the Hindus, protested against
the suppression of women, fought against all superstitious beliefs, and in an
iconoclastic fashion, he even smashed the statues of one of the gods of the
Hindu pantheon. His rationalistic reform brought about radical and irreversible
changes in the Tamil society of which he was a part. Although he was a
reformist, his approach was non-violent and compassionate towards everyone. To
recognize E. V. Ramasamy, the United Nations Organization issued a citation that
describes him as "the prophet of the new age, the Socrates of South East
Asia, father of social reform movement and an arch-enemy of ignorance,
superstitions, meaningless customs, and base manners." His life
exemplified the emphasis on rationalism in the kurals mentioned above.
According to
Valluvar, the mark of true wisdom is to conform to society and live in harmony
with society. Of course, this does not mean accepting every belief prevalent in
society and sacrificing one's rational thinking ability. One can be a
rationalist and still be a good neighbor and a good citizen. A good rationalist
can agree to disagree and still live in harmony with society. The idea here is
similar to the proverb, "In Rome, do as Romans do." The following two
kurals convey Valluvar's point of view on the need for conformity with society:
It is part of
wisdom to conform to the ways of the world. (kural
– 426)
Those who
cannot live in harmony with the world will be considered
ignorant even
if they are learned. (kural
– 140)
Valluvar mentions
one more characteristic of real wisdom. That is, it is real wisdom to convey
even complicated subject matter in simple terms and be able to understand even
the subtle nuances of what others say. It is a common observation that those
who have mastery of a subject will be able to explain their ideas and clarify
all doubts of the listeners. Often, it is the confused person who confuses
others. This is the idea conveyed in the following kural:
The wise
express profound thoughts in simple terms and grasp the
subtleties of
what others say. (kural – 424)
Characteristics of people with wisdom
As mentioned
earlier, wisdom is the combination of intelligence, experience, and knowledge.
A man of wisdom will be smart enough to plan ahead and be ready to encounter
any situation. Because of his planning and forethought, he will be aware of
what could happen in the future and be prepared for any eventuality. In a chess
game, a master player exhibits his superior knowledge and experience, plans
several moves ahead, and anticipates his opponent's possible moves. A wise man
behaves in the same manner.
Men of wisdom
know what will happen and are prepared for what is coming;
the unwise
are unaware of what is ahead of them. (kural
– 427)
There is no
terrifying shock to the wise who have the foresight to guard
themselves
against the coming evil. (kural
– 429)
Wisdom is the
ultimate and impregnable defense for protection against
destruction.
It is also the fortress of inner strength against enemy onslaughts. (kural – 421)
Men of wisdom
will be smart to know what type of undertaking will be successful. They will
not venture into risky schemes in business and lose their capital. They
generally know what they should guard against and will act accordingly.
Men of wisdom
will not embark on risky ventures and lose their capital to gain something. (kural – 463)
The truly
wise will fear what is to be feared. Only the ignorant will be foolhardy. (kural
– 428)
Men of wisdom
exhibit a sense of compassion towards all and stay away from harming others with
their words or deeds. They will have no intention of coveting what belongs to
others. They will not indulge in idle talk. Men of wisdom will not hurt even
those who harm them. They will treat others' sufferings as their own. The
following kurals stress these ideas either directly or indirectly.
Deep and vast
knowledge and wisdom are useless if one madly covets another
man's wealth.
(kural
– 175)
Men of wisdom will never utter useless words. (kural – 198)
The best and the most precious wisdom is not to return evil for
evil. (kural – 203)
What good is a man's wisdom if he does not treat others' suffering
as his own? (kural – 315)
Conclusion
Valluvar
emphasizes that lifelong learning is essential for everyone. Also, according to
him, learning should be accompanied by understanding what is being learnt.
Learning, together with understanding, becomes knowledge. Wisdom evolves when
intelligence and experience are combined with knowledge. True wisdom directs
one towards good and useful activities. True wisdom is based on rationalism,
compassion, forethought, conformity with society, and moral values. The
statement "Knowledge is power" is attributed to Sir Francis Bacon
(1561 AD – 1626 AD), an English philosopher and statesman. But according to
Valluvar, "knowledge is power. But wisdom is more powerful and
useful."
