The quiet strength of humility

Thirukkural with the Times explores real-world lessons from the classic Tamil text ‘Thirukkural’. Written by Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the Kural consists of 1,330 short couplets of seven words each. This text is divided into three books with teachings on virtue, wealth, and love and is considered one of the great works ever on ethics and morality. The Kural has influenced scholars and leaders across social, political, and philosophical spheres.

Motivational speaker, author and diversity champion Bharathi Bhaskar explores the masterpiece.

A disquieting transformation can be seen unfolding before us if we observe the glittering talk shows, blockbuster films, the viral social media clips - humility 's quiet retreat. In its place, aggressiveness, vanity, and pride reign supreme. Somehow, humility has been misinterpreted as self-deprecation rather than self-awareness.

As C S Lewis, the renowned British author and Anglican theologian, clarified: "Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less."

I wish I had the power to change the tone of the narrative that humility is weakness, forgiveness is cowardice, and snobbery, a form of strength.

Throughout human history , spiritual traditions have exalted humility as the supreme quality that illuminates one's inner journey toward divine connection.

There is a striking commonality among the various demons In Hindu mythology—whether Mahishasur, Surapadma, Hiranyaksha, or Ravana—their inflated self-importance. These characters are dominated by 'Ahankara' or super-ego, which swells until they demand universal submission. When the world refuses to bow, they unleash torment upon humanity, necessitating their ultimate destruction by divine avatars.

The Bible echoes this sentiment: "God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble" while the Quran teaches that the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly.

Donald Grey Barnhouse, a famous preacher, once visited a beach incognito to escape adulation. He met a young girl playing alone who told him that her parents allowed her seaside playtime while they read scriptures at home.

After their pleasant interaction, Barnhouse said: "When you go home, Mary, tell your mother that you were playing with Donald Grey Barnhouse. She will be elated."

Mary reflected briefly before responding: "When you go home, Donald, tell your mother that you were playing with Mary. She will be elated too."

The priest later described this exchange as the most humbling moment of his life.

Einstein once declined the honour of being Israel's prime minister in 1952, while cricketer Rahul Dravid declined an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University, saying he had worked hard at cricket but haven't studied enough to deserve this honour.

These luminaries remind us that humility isn't diminishment—it's expansion. We shrink through unyielding arrogance but grow through humble attempts at self-effacement. The world's strangest paradox may be this: to truly grow, one must become small.

In one of his couplets, Valluvar brings up this paradox, where he declares that modest people tower even more than the colossal mountains.

"Nilayin Thiriyaadhu Adangiyaan Thotram

Malayinum Maanap Peridhu"

The steadfast, self-controlled, humble humans stand aloft,

Taller than the mightiest mountain.

I wondered what made the saint compare humans with great mountains. Symbols of permanence in countless literary and spiritual traditions, mountains stand in silent judgment of our transience. Gazing at their majestic forms, one wonders: Do they look down upon the fleeting human drama with cosmic amusement?