Kural #1002
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Tamil text
பொருளானாம் எல்லாமென்று ஈயாது இவறும்
மருளானாம் மாணாப் பிறப்பு
Poruḷāṉām ellāmeṉṟu īyātu ivaṟum
Maruḷāṉām māṇāp piṟappu
English translation
The delusion that money is everything leads to miserliness; this delusion causes worthless rebirths.
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Explanation
Believing that wealth alone brings all good leads to the disease of hoarding. This materialistic delusion (மருள்) creates negative karma that results in ignoble future lives. True wisdom sees wealth as a means, not an end.
விளக்கம்
பொருள் எல்லாமே என்று எண்ணி, உதவி செய்யாமல் கஞ்சத்தனம் செய்வது தவறு. இது ஒரு மயக்கம். நன்றியில் செல்வம் அதிகாரப்படி, இப்படிச் சேர்த்த செல்வம் பயனற்ற பிறவிக்குக் காரணம் ஆகும். பிறருக்குக் கொடுத்து உதவுவதே சிறந்த வாழ்க்கை.
Word meanings
- பொருளால்poruḷālby wealth
- ஆம்āmbecomes
- எல்லாம்ellāmeverything
- என்றுeṉṟuthinking
- ஈயாதுīyātunot giving
- இவறும்ivaṟumhoarding
- மருள்maruḷdelusion
- மாணாmāṇāworthless
- பிறப்புpiṟappubirth/rebirth
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a shimmering river, lived a wealthy merchant named Silas. His warehouses overflowed with silks and spices, yet his heart remained a barren wasteland. Silas believed his riches were the measure of his worth. He built a towering wall around his estate, keeping his wealth locked away. One harsh winter, the river froze, and the villagers faced starvation. They pleaded with Silas for grain, but he refused, fearing his wealth would diminish. He watched from his window as his neighbors suffered, muttering about the value of his gold. As spring arrived, the ice melted, and the river swelled. A great flood swept through the village. Silas’s walls crumbled, and the river devoured his storehouses. While others rebuilt their homes, Silas was left with nothing. He had wealth, but it offered him no shelter, no comfort, no friends. He wandered the muddy streets, a solitary figure, forever haunted by the memory of what he had kept.