Revisiting Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural through the Lens of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Existing research reveals a notable gap at the intersection of sustainable development studies and classical ethical thinking. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive global framework for addressing contemporary social, economic, and environmental challenges. This study addresses this gap by reviewing Thirukkural, a classical Tamil ethical text by Thiruvalluvar, and using the SDGs as an interpretive analytical lens. Using thematic analysis, the study conceptually aligns each SDG with the ethical principles articulated in Thirukkural, including justice, moderation, compassion, ethical governance, and collective responsibility. The analysis deliberately avoids anachronism and recognises that Thirukkural does not engage with modern institutional mechanisms or global governance structures. Instead, it offers an ethical framework that reinforces contemporary understandings of sustainability. The study argues that sustainable development cannot be achieved through policy design alone but requires moral reorientation rooted in ethical accountability and social solidarity.