Kural #1036
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Tamil text
உழவினார் கைம்மடங்கின் இல்லை
விழைவதூஉம் விட்டேம்என் பார்க்கு இல்
Uḻaviṉār kaimmaṭaṅkiṉ illai
Viḻaivatūum viṭṭēmeṉ pārkku il
English translation
If farmers fold their hands in idleness, even ascetics who renounced desires will have nothing.
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Explanation
Even those who claim to have abandoned worldly attachments depend on farmers. If agriculture stops, all society collapses, including spiritual seekers.
விளக்கம்
உழவர்கள் வேலை செய்யாமல் சோம்பேறியாக இருந்தால், துறவிகளுக்கும் உணவு கிடைக்காது. "எதுவும் வேண்டாம்" என்று துறந்தவர்கள்கூட விவசாயத்தை நம்பியே வாழ்கிறார்கள். உழவு இல்லாவிட்டால் யாருக்கும் வாழ்க்கை இல்லை என்பதே இதன் நீதி.
Word meanings
- உழவினார்uḻaviṉārfarmers
- கைkaihands
- மடங்கின்maṭaṅkiṉif fold/idle
- இல்லைillainothing
- விழைவதுviḻaivatudesires
- விட்டேம்viṭṭēmwe abandoned
- என்பார்க்குeṉpārkkufor those who say
- இல்ilnot
Story behind this kural
In a valley nestled between towering mountains, lived two communities. One was a village of farmers, their days filled with planting, tending, and harvesting. The other was a monastery, its inhabitants dedicated to prayer and meditation. The monks, known for their simple lives, relied on the villagers for food. One year, the farmers, weary of their labor, decided to rest. "Why should we toil?" they grumbled. "The monks speak of detachment, of needing nothing. Let us see how they fare without our harvest." Soon, the granaries emptied. The monks, accustomed to a steady supply of rice and vegetables, found their bowls empty. Their prayers grew weaker, their meditations disrupted by hunger. Even the most devout found it hard to focus on spiritual matters when their bellies ached. They, too, had to come to understand the value of work.