Kural #1049
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Tamil text
இன்மையின் இன்னாதது யாதுமில்
இன்மையும் இன்மையால் இன்மை யுடைத்து
Iṉmaiyiṉ iṉṉātatu yātumil
Iṉmaiyum iṉmaiyāl iṉmai yuṭaittu
English translation
There is nothing more painful than poverty; poverty itself lacks even the absence of pain.
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Explanation
Poverty is the ultimate suffering because it denies even the relief of numbness - it keeps one acutely aware of pain at all times.
விளக்கம்
வறுமையைப் போல் துன்பம் தருவது வேறில்லை. வறுமை எல்லா வலியையும் கொடுக்கும்; வலியற்ற நிலையையும் தராது. நல்குரவு அதிகாரத்தில், வறுமையின் கொடுமையை வள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார். பொருள் இல்லாமை எல்லாத் துன்பங்களுக்கும் மூலம்.
Word meanings
- இன்மைiṉmaipoverty
- இன்iṉthan
- இன்னாததுiṉṉātatupainful thing
- யாதும்yātumanything
- இல்ilnot
- இன்மையால்iṉmaiyālbecause of poverty
- உடைத்துuṭaittuhas/possesses
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a parched river, lived a potter named Kumar. He crafted beautiful clay pots, but a relentless drought had withered the land, leaving villagers with no money to buy his wares. Kumar’s children grew thin, their bellies aching with hunger. One day, a wealthy merchant, adorned with jewels, passed through the village. Seeing Kumar’s suffering, he offered a deal: a single gold coin for every pot. Kumar worked tirelessly, his hands raw, but the gold brought only temporary relief. Each coin vanished quickly, swallowed by the unending needs. Then, a sickness swept through the village. Kumar’s youngest child fell ill. The gold could buy medicine, but not enough to truly ease the child's suffering. The fever raged, and the coin, once a symbol of hope, felt like a cruel joke. The child cried in pain, and Kumar felt a deeper agony, a despair that the gold couldn't touch. He realized that true poverty was not just the lack of things, but the relentless, inescapable ache of wanting, of needing, of hurting.