Kural #1016
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Tamil text
நாண்வேலி கொள்ளாது மன்னோ
வியன்ஞாலம் பேணலர் மேலா யவர்
Nāṇvēli koḷḷātu maṉṉō
Viyaññālam pēṇalar mēlā yavar
English translation
The great ones would not cherish this vast world if it meant abandoning the protective fence of modesty.
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Explanation
Noble souls would reject the entire world rather than lose their modesty. They treat நாண் as a protective fence (வேலி) around their virtue - a boundary they refuse to cross for any worldly gain.
விளக்கம்
நாணுடைமை அதிகாரத்தில், பெரியோர் நாணத்தை விடமாட்டார்கள். உலகம் முழுவதும் கிடைத்தாலும், அவர்கள் நாணத்தை ஒரு வேலியாகக் காத்துக்கொள்வார்கள். மானம் பெரிதென்று வள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார். அதுவே ஒழுக்கத்தின் அடிப்படை.
Word meanings
- நாண்nāṇmodesty
- வேலிvēlifence/boundary
- கொள்ளாதுkoḷḷātunot accepting
- மன்னோmaṉṉōindeed
- வியன்viyaṉvast
- ஞாலம்ñālamworld
- பேணலர்pēṇalarwill not cherish
- மேலாயவர்mēlāyavarthe great ones
Story behind this kural
In a humble village nestled beside a sprawling kingdom, lived a young farmer named Arul. He toiled tirelessly, his small plot yielding just enough to feed his family. One day, the King’s emissary arrived, offering Arul a vast estate in exchange for a single, small act: publicly discrediting a rival farmer. Arul was offered riches beyond his wildest dreams - servants, fine clothes, and a life of ease. He could provide his family with everything they ever wanted. The emissary stressed the trivial nature of the request, a small price for such great reward. Arul considered the offer. He gazed at his children, imagining their future comfort. He thought of the endless labor he would no longer have to endure. But then, he thought of the rival farmer, a good man wrongly accused. Arul politely declined the King's offer. The emissary, bewildered, left. Arul returned to his fields, his simple life restored. That evening, his children asked him why he refused such a generous offer. He simply smiled, the setting sun painting the sky with colors as vibrant as his conscience.