Kural #116
Last reviewed:
Tamil text
கெடுவல்யான் என்பது அறிகதன்
நெஞ்சம் நடுவொரீஇ அல்ல செயின்
Keṭuvalyāṉ eṉpatu aṟikataṉ
Neñcam naṭuvorīi alla ceyiṉ
English translation
Let one know that they will be ruined, if their heart abandons fairness and does injustice.
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Explanation
This is a clear warning: departure from justice leads to certain destruction. When the heart (நெஞ்சம்) leaves the middle path (நடு) and commits unfair acts, ruin is inevitable. Self-awareness of this truth is essential.
விளக்கம்
நடுவுநிலைமை தவறி, அநீதி செய்தால் கெடுதி வரும் என உணர்க. மனசாட்சிக்கு விரோதமாக நடப்பது அழிவுக்கு வழிவகுக்கும். நியாயத்தை விட்டு விலகினால் துன்பம் நிச்சயம். அறம் காப்பதே வாழ்வின் சிறப்பு.
Word meanings
- கெடுவல்keṭuvalI will be ruined
- யான்yāṉI
- என்பதுeṉpatuthat
- அறிகaṟikalet one know
- தன்taṉone's own
- நெஞ்சம்neñcamheart
- நடுnaṭuimpartiality/middle
- ஒரீஇorīihaving abandoned
- அல்லallawrong/injustice
- செயின்ceyiṉif does
Story behind this kural
In a small village nestled beside a whispering river, lived two farmers, Arun and Bala. Arun owned a fertile plot, while Bala's land was less generous. When a dispute arose over a shared irrigation channel, the village elder, known for his wisdom, was called to judge. Arun, knowing the elder's fondness for his sweet mangoes, offered a basket full before the hearing. Bala, with nothing but his honest words, presented his case. The elder, swayed by the bribe, ruled in Arun's favor, diverting water away from Bala's crops. Soon, Arun's mango trees flourished, heavy with fruit. But the river, deprived of its natural course, began to erode Arun's land. The channel collapsed, and the mango orchard, once a symbol of prosperity, was swallowed by the relentless water. Meanwhile, Bala, though his crops were modest, found new, sustainable ways to thrive.