Union Budget 2025: Nirmala Sitharaman and her penchant for Thirukkural

“Vaanokki vaazhum ulagellaam mannavan kolnokki vaazhum kudi - a couplet from Thirukkural marked the beginning of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s direct tax proposals in the budget speech on Saturday in the parliament. 

This is the 542nd couplet from Thirukkural, which loosely translates to - citizens expect good governance like live beings expect rains. The couplet from the Sengonmai (right sceptre) chapter from Thirukkural written by Poet Thiruvalluvar captures the need for good governance, righteousness and how people look up to the king for justice. 

This is the eighth time Sitharaman has presented the budget in the parliament. Every time she has chosen to quote Thirukkural or quotes from any other Tamil literary verses like Purananuru. 

In fact, Thirukkural is not new in any budget speech for the people who hail from the Tamil land. Former union minister P. Chidambaram always quoted the couplets at either the beginning or the end of his budget speech and it had always found a place in every budget speech on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly. 

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sitharaman too is no exception. Quotes from classical literature, Tamil Sangam era literature, and quotes from philosophers and poets have always added strength to every budget speech. 

In 2019, in her maiden budget speech, Sitharaman quoted verses from Purananuru. 

“Kaai nel aruthu kavalang kolinae... arivudai vendhan neriyarindhu kolinae... parivuthaba edukkum pindam nachchin... yaanai pukka pulam pola, thamum unnaan ulagamum kedumae.” Meaning: A few mounds of rice from paddy that is harvested from a small piece of land would suffice for an elephant. But what if the elephant itself enters the field and starts eating? What it eats would be far less than what it would trample over. 

She quoted these verses which were sung by the Sangam era king Arivudai Nambi only to say that a king who goes by the rule of law and governs the kingdom will ensure that the country flourishes. 

And in 2020 during her budget speech, she quoted from Thirukkural and also the verses sung by celebrated Tamil poet Avvaiyar. 

From Thirukkural she quoted the couplet “Piniyinmai selvam vilaivinpam emam aniyenpa naattiv vaindhu,” meaning-- a country’s five jewels are unfailing health, farm productivity, joy, good defence and wealth. 

From Avvaiyar’s Aathichoodi, she quoted saying “Bhumi tiruthi unn” meaning one must first till one’s land and then eat. These quotes were at the time when the country was grappling to come out of the Covid infections and health hazards. 

In 2021, however, it was again about the ruler and governance. She quotes yet another couplet from Thirukkural this time from the chapter Iraimaatchi (greatness of the king). The 385th couplet “Iyatralum eetalum kaathalum kaatha vaguthalum vallaththu arasu translates to - A good king is one who is able to acquire wealth, guard it and distribute it justly.

Again this was to hail the leader and the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

In 2024, in her budget speech, she gave a miss to the couplets. This time the 542nd couplet seems to have been carefully quoted to say that the government always obliges to the moral teachings and the cultural ethos. 

Apparently, the quote from Thirukkural was to say that the Modi government is committed to the welfare of the people and it had its ears to the ground. And Sitharaman quoting the 542nd couplet at the beginning of direct tax proposals, clearly ensured that it covered the economic shortfalls of the budget, the shortcomings in taxation, the struggles faced by the people due to heavy taxation.

Sitharaman had of course strategically used the couplets to make the point that the king was ruling the country with honesty and direct taxes would not affect the people of India.