Thirukkural – 419

Thirukkural – 419

 நுணங்கிய கேள்விய ரல்லார் வணங்கிய
வாயின ராதல் அரிது

nuNangiya kELviyar allAr vaNangiya

vAyinar Adhal arithu.

nuNangiya  kELviyar – Attentive listener

allAr – one who is not

vaNangiya vAyinar – a respected speaker

Adhal arithu – (he) rarely becomes

Listening to others is an essential part of any communication. There is a wise saying. God has given us just one mouth but two ears so that we listen more and speak less. Most of our knowledge is acquired by four of our sensory organs whereas mouth helps us in sharing our knowledge with others. In Tamil culture, we denote knowledge as kalvi/kELvi – (i.e.) study and listening. Knowledge acquired by listening to a Guru (Master) is considered supreme. A speaker, who regularly listens to others, inherently maintains a dialogue even when he is delivering a lecture on his own. This inherent dialogue and the ensuing respect for his expressions will be absent in a speaker who neglects listening to others.

An attentive listener, if one is not

A respected speaker, he becomes not

Thirukkural – 370

ஆரா இயற்கை அவாநீப்பின் அந்நிலையே
பேரா இயற்கை தரும்.

AarA iyarkai avA neeppin annilayE

pErA iyarkai tharum

 

 

annilayE -  stand taken          

neepin –  to avoid

avA     -  desire (greed)

Aara iyarkai – of insatiable nature

Tharum -  will bestow

pErA iyarkai – (a mind of) steady nature

 

All desires are not bad. There are some desires (or needs) which can be met and satisfied, totally, like hunger, thirst, love, shelter etc. We cannot say the same thing with desire for money, power, lust etc. Such desires are by nature insatiable. If we do not take care to avoid such desires of insatiable nature at some point, it will keep our mind totally restless and may even lead us to destruction.

 

You may be reminded of a story about a man who was gifted by God, that all the lands he runs over will be his. The man started running, claiming a lot of land under his tiring feet, but poor fellow, he could never stop running, thinking of lands he may ‘lose’, by not continuing his run, ……  , till he finally dropped dead.

 

That is the AarA iyarkai avA (desire of insatiable nature) you should avoid.

 

Desires are by nature insatiable. Avoiding them will bestow peace on you.

 

 

Thirukkural – 377

 

வகுத்தான் வகுத்த வகையல்லால் கோடி
தொகுத்தார்க்கும் துய்த்தல் அரிது.

VahutthAn vahuttha vahai allAl kOdi

ThohutthArkum Thuythal arithu.

 

VahutthAn – The Devisor or the designer

Vahuttha Vahai allAl – away from the ways and means decreed

kOdi ThohutthArkum – Even for those who have earned millions

Thuytthal – to consume and enjoy

Arithu – is next to impossible

 

Here the poet talks of three activities of economics. Thohutthal – collection, Vahutthal – Distribution, Thuytthal – Consumption. One may earn and accumulate wealth. He may even plan and distribute the wealth in his own way. But what he can on his own consume and enjoy, is already decreed by God. Nothing more and nothing less. We may compare this with the present day saying: “Dane dane par likha hai, Khanewalleh ka naam” – (i.e.), in each grain is engraved its eater’s name.

 

Except by the way decreed by the Eternal Designer, even a person who has earned millions cannot enjoy his wealth any more or any less.

 

 

 

 

Thirukkural – 140

Thirukkural – 140

உலகத்தோடு ஒட்ட ஒழுகல் பலகற்றும்
கல்லார் அறிவிலா தார்

ulagatthOdu otta ozhukal palakatrum

kallAr arivilAdhAr

 

 

ulagatthOdu otta       –     to be on par with people

Palakatrum               -     having learnt so much

ozhukal KallAr         –     those, not learning discipline

arivilAdhAr               -     are deemed uneducated

 

ozhukal palakatrum kallAr     -     those learning many things but discipline

 

This verse is from the chapter titled ‘good conduct or discipline’ (Ozhukkam Udaimai). Hence ‘ozhukal’ is given more importance than ‘ulagatthodu ottal’.

 

We may compare it with the present day saying:

If Wealth is lost, nothing is lost

If Health is lost, something is lost

If Character is lost, everything is lost

 

To be on par with other people in the world one may learn many things. But if discipline is not learnt, he will be deemed uneducated. 

Thirukkural – 35

அழுக்காறு அவாவெகுளி இன்னாச்சொல் நான்கும்
இழுக்கா இயன்றது அறம்.                                         (35)

azhukkAru  avA vekuli  innAchol  nAngum

IzhukkA iyandrathu arram

 

azhukkAru  avA vekuli  innAchol – Envy, greed, anger and harsh words

nAngum – these four,  IzhukkA – not committing or not drawing

iyandrathu arram – the conduct of dharma or righteousness.

 

IzhukkA – this word can be interpreted in two ways.

Izhaitthal- Committing or Izhutthal- drawing.

 

Not only one should be away from envy towards others, one should also not draw unto oneself envy of others by one’s flamboyance; one should not be greedy, neither he should provoke greed in others by making empty inducements; one should never be angry and neither he should draw other’s anger by unfit behaviour; one should not speak harsh words neither he should provoke harsh words from others. This is the conduct of people who follow the path of dharma or righteousness.

 

Envy, Greed, Anger and Harsh words are the four things, not to be committed or provoked, if one wants to follow the path dharma or righteousness.

 

 

ThirukkuraL

ThirukkuraL

 

akara mudhala ezhutthellAm – Adhi

Baghavan mudhatrE ulagu

 

ezhutthellAm Akara mudhala : All letters, (all written knowledge), have their start in alphabet A.

ulagu Adhi Baghavan mudhatrE : (In the same way), God is the origin, prime-mover of this world

 

This is the first couplet of the first chapter of Thirukkural, a centuries old masterpiece composed by the sage poet Thiruvalluvar. He is dated earlier than 8^th century AD, earliest being 2^nd century BC. This work details the rules of quality living in 133 chapters, each consisting of ten couplets as above. The work is divided into three parts as,

arratthu pAl     - Path of dharma (or righteousness)

porut pAl         - Path of prosperity

kAmatthu pAl - Path of love

 

The first chapter is an invocation for the whole work. But the work still remains totally secular in approach. Even in this invocation the poet has not referred to a God of any religion. The poet himself is claimed variously to be a Hindu, a Jain or a Buddhist.

 

In this series of write-ups, it is proposed to discuss some of the kurals (couplets), not necessarily in any order.

 

Let us now go straight to the 9^th kural: (Next Page)

 

Thirukkural – 9

 

 

koLil poriyil guNamilavE – eNguNatthAn

thALai vanangA thalai

 

koLil poriyil guNamilavE : Non-functional sensory organs do not serve their purpose and hence useless.

eNguNathhAn – God (with eight attributes)

thALai vanangA thalai – the head that does not bow to God’s feet (is also as useless as above)

 

Here God is referred as eNguNathhan, of eight attributes. This being the 9^th kural it is possible that the poet refers to the God, whom he has already described in his earlier eight couplets. Let us see them:

 

1. mudhatrE ulagu                      - Prime mover of this world
2. vAlarivan                                - Abode of pure and full knowledge
3. malar misai EkinAn                 - Residing in our heart (of lotus)
4. vEnduthal vEndAmai IlAn    - devoid of likes and dislikes
5. iruvinaiyum sErA iraivan        - The leader devoid of the duality of ignorance
6. aindhu avitthAn                      - Who has vanquished all the five senses
7. Thanakku uvamai IllAthAn    - Peerless, incomparable
8. aravAzhi andhaNan                - riding the sea of virtue and dharma

 

The sage poet Thiruvalluvar has described the God, only as a personification of the above eight attributes in this invocation chapter.

 

Sightless eye, soundless ears, nose lacking smell, mouth lacking taste and body lacking sense of touch are useless. Same way the head (i.e., the mind and the knowledge it has acquired through the above sensory organs) will be of no avail unless it bows modestly to God.

 

Another kuraL next time.