Porul (Kural book)

The Book of Poruḷ, in full Poruṭpāl, also known as the Book of Wealth, Book of Polity, the Second Book or Book Two in translated versions, is the second of the three books or parts of the Kural literature, authored by the ancient Indian philosopher Valluvar. Written in High Tamil distich form, it has 70 chapters each containing 10 kurals or couplets, making a total of 700 couplets all dealing with statecraft. Poruḷ, which means both 'wealth' and 'meaning', correlates with the second of the four ancient Indian values of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. The Book of Poruḷ deals with polity, or virtues of an individual with respect to the surroundings, including the stately qualities of administration, wisdom, prudence, nobility, diplomacy, citizenship, geniality, industry, chastity, sobriety and teetotalism, that is expected of every individual, keeping aṟam or dharma as the base.

Etymology and meanings

Poruḷ is the Tamil word that corresponds to the Sanskrit term 'artha', and pāl refers to 'division'. Similar to its cousins aṟam, inbam, and veedu, poruḷ as a concept includes multiple meanings, rendering it almost impossible to capture its meaning in a single word in any non-Indian language. The term artha, however, is common to all Indian languages.
As one of the four mutually non-exclusive aims of human life in Indian philosophy called the Puruṣārtha, poruḷ literally translates as "meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence" depending on the context. Poruḷ is also a broader concept in the scriptures of Hinduism. As a concept, it has multiple meanings, all implying "means of life", activities and resources that enable one to be in a state one wants to be in.
Poruḷ applies to both an individual and a government. In an individual's context, poruḷ includes wealth, career, activity to make a living, financial security and economic prosperity. At government level, poruḷ includes social, legal, economic and worldly affairs. Proper pursuit of it is considered an important and necessary objective of both the individual and the government.
John Lochtefeld describes artha as the means of life, and includes material prosperity. Karl Potter explains it as an attitude and capability that enables one to make a living, to remain alive, to thrive as a free person. It includes economic prosperity, security and health of oneself and those one feels responsible for. Artha includes everything in one's environment that allows one to live. It is neither an end state nor an endless goal of aimlessly amassing money, claims Karl Potter, rather it is an attitude and necessary requirement of human life. In a different viewpoint, John Koller suggests artha is not an attitude, rather it is one of the necessities of human life. A central premise of Hindu philosophy, claims Koller, is that every person should live a joyous and pleasurable life, that such fulfilling life requires every person's needs and desires be acknowledged and fulfilled, that needs can only be satisfied through activity and when sufficient means for those activities are available. Artha, then, is best described as pursuit of activities and means necessary for a joyous and pleasurable life. Daya Krishna views artha as a subset of kama and karma.
Vatsyayana in Kama Sutra defines artha as the acquisition of arts, land, cattle, wealth, equipages and friends. He explains, artha is also protection of what is already acquired, and the increase of what is protected. Gavin Flood explains artha as "worldly success" without violating dharma, kama and one's journey towards moksha. Flood clarifies that artha in ancient Hindu literature, as well as purushartha, is better understood as a goal of Man. In other words, it is one of the four purposes of human life. The survival and the thriving of humans requires artha—that is, economic activity, wealth and its creation, worldly success, profit, political success and all that is necessary for human existence.
Medieval commentators such as Pariperumal, Ilampooranar, and Nacchinarkkiniyar define porul as essential elements of a state. Pariperumal's definition to porul provides an overall synopsis to the chapters of the Book of Porul. According to S. N. Kandasamy, within the Kural literature the term poruḷ takes various meanings, including asset, meaning, possession, wealth, good result, virtue, quality, reality, deed, importance or essentiality, and good things. Kandasamy further states that despite all the vast variations in meaning, the term poruḷ primarily means the ultimate reality.

The book and its chapters

The Book of Poruḷ talks about the interpersonal skills of an individual that are essential to lead a meaningful life in the society. It covers both political and economic matters. With 70 chapters, the Book of Poruḷ is the largest of the three books of the Kural text. The chapters chiefly deal with polity and administration, including citizenship and social relations, in a manner similar to the Hindu text Arthasastra. According to Czech Indologist Kamil Zvelebil, Valluvar "undoubtedly" bases some of his teachings in the Book of Poruḷ on the then extant Sanskrit works such as the Arthashastra. The text insists on a royalty with ministers bound to a code of ethics and a system of justice rather than democracy. In the words of K. V. Nagarajan, the king, according to Valluvar, is assigned the "role of producing, acquiring, conserving, and dispensing wealth". The king's duty is to provide a just rule, be impartial and have courage in protecting his subjects and in meting out justice and punishment. Valluvar insists that an army has a duty to kill in battle, and a king must execute criminals for justice, but does so only after emphasizing non-killing as every individual's personal virtue in the Book of Aṟam. The book also cautions against tyranny, oppression and nepotism, with the suggestion that such royal behavior ultimately results in disasters, depletes the state's wealth and ultimately results in the loss of power and prosperity. The book, in a social and political context, recommends a death sentence for the wicked only as a means of justice. Valluvar presents his theory of state using six elements: army, subjects, treasure, ministers, allies, and forts, recommending forts and other infrastructure, supplies and food storage in preparation for siege. A king and his army must always be ready for war, and should launch a violent offensive, at the right place and right time, when the situation so demands and particularly against corrupt kingdoms. A good and strong kingdom must be protected with forts made of thick, high and impenetrable walls. The text recommends a hierarchical military organization staffed with fearless soldiers who are willing to die in war.
As with Books I and III of the Kural text, the author did not group the chapters under any subdivisions. However, the ten medieval commentators, who were the first to write commentaries about the Tirukkural, divided the Book of Poruḷ variously between three and six portions. For example, while Parimelalhagar divides the book into three parts, namely, kingship, elements of sovereignty and common duties, other medieval scholars have divided the Book of Poruḷ into five or even six portions.
;Book Two—Wealth

Chapter 39. The Greatness of a King : 381–390
Chapter 40. Learning : 391–400
Chapter 41. Ignorance : 401–410
Chapter 42. Hearing : 411–420
Chapter 43. Knowledge Possession : 421–430
Chapter 44. Error Correction : 431–440
Chapter 45. Seeking the Aid of Great Men : 441–450
Chapter 46. Avoiding Mean Associations : 451–460
Chapter 47. Acting after due Consideration : 461–470
Chapter 48. The Knowledge of Power : 471–480
Chapter 49. Knowledge of Apt Timing : 481–490
Chapter 50. Knowledge of Location : 491–500
Chapter 51. Selection and Confidence : 501–510
Chapter 52. Selection and Employment : 511–520
Chapter 53. Cherishing One's Kindred : 521–530
Chapter 54. Unforgetfulness : 531–540
Chapter 55. The Right Sceptre : 541–550
Chapter 56. The Cruel Sceptre : 551–560
Chapter 57. Absence of Terrorism : 561–570
Chapter 58. Benignity : 571–580
Chapter 59. Detectives : 581–590
Chapter 60. Energetics : 591–600
Chapter 61. Unsluggishness : 601–610
Chapter 62. Manly Effort : 611–620
Chapter 63. Hopefulness in Trouble : 621–630
Chapter 64. Ministry of State : 631–640
Chapter 65. Oratory : 641–650
Chapter 66. Purity in Execution : 651–660
Chapter 67. Power in Execution : 661–670
Chapter 68. The Method of Execution : 671–680
Chapter 69. The Envoy : 681–690
Chapter 70. Conduct in the Presence of the King : 691–700
Chapter 71. The Knowledge of Signals : 701–710
Chapter 72. The Knowledge of the Council Chamber : 711–720
Chapter 73. Dread avoidance : 721–730
Chapter 74. The Land : 731–740
Chapter 75. The Fortification : 741–750
Chapter 76. Wealth Accumulation : 751–760
Chapter 77. The Excellence of an Army : 761–770
Chapter 78. Military Spirit : 771–780
Chapter 79. Friendship : 781–790
Chapter 80. Investigation in Forming Friendships : 791–800
Chapter 81. Familiarity : 801–810
Chapter 82. Evil Friendship : 811–820
Chapter 83. Unreal Friendship : 821–830
Chapter 84. Folly : 831–840
Chapter 85. Ignorance : 841–850
Chapter 86. Hostility : 851–860
Chapter 87. The Might of Hatred : 861–870
Chapter 88. Recognizing the Quality of Enmity : 871–880
Chapter 89. Internal Enmity : 881–890
Chapter 90. Not Offending the Great : 891–900
Chapter 91. Being led by Women : 901–910
Chapter 92. Wanton Women : 911–920
Chapter 93. Abstinence from Liquor : 921–930
Chapter 94. Gaming : 931–940
Chapter 95. Medicine : 941–950
Chapter 96. Lineage : 951–960
Chapter 97. Honour : 961–970
Chapter 98. Greatness : 971–980
Chapter 99. Perfectness : 981–990
Chapter 100. Courtesy : 991–1000
Chapter 101. Wealth without Benefaction : 1001–1010
Chapter 102. Shame : 1011–1020
Chapter 103. Family Maintenance : 1021–1030
Chapter 104. Agriculture : 1031–1040
Chapter 105. Poverty : 1041–1050
Chapter 106. Mendicancy : 1051–1060
Chapter 107. The Dread of Mendicancy : 1061–1070
Chapter 108. Baseness : 1071–1080

In the Book of Poruḷ, the Kural literature appears not only as a book of lofty wisdom, but also as a book of "shrewd cunning," according to Zvelebil, still keeping the moral very empirical and pragmatic as with the rest of the work. The book is less virtuous than the Book of Aram and more diplomatic since it deals with various people in the society. Morals are presented only incidentally and sporadically except in the appendix consisting of the final 13 chapters.
The initial chapters on royalty define the ideal sovereign, such as being well informed; keeping befitting company; not letting opportunities slide; using discretion in the choice of civil and military servants; holding a benign sceptre of gold firm yet popular, rather than of iron; and being ever active without any despair in affliction. The chapters on ministers of state deal with the qualifications of ministers, their conduct in the royal court, and their diplomacy. The chapters on the essentials of the state deal with the necessaries of a kingdom, handling international relationships, and virtuous tactics of warfare. There are also chapters that forbid evil conducts such as uxoriousness, harlotry, intoxication and gambling and a chapter on healthy living. The "appendix" chapters deal with both affirmative morality, such as honour, greatness, perfection, courtesy and self-reprobation, and negative morality, such as dread of poverty, mendicancy, dread of mendicancy and vileness.