Skip to main content

Not available in the United States yet. Join the waitlist

Kural #145

Virtue· அறம்Not Coveting Another's Wife· பிறனில் விழையாமை

Last reviewed:

Tamil text

எளிதென இல்லிறப்பான் எய்துமெஞ்

ஞான்றும் விளியாது நிற்கும் பழி

Eḷiteṉa illiṟappāṉ eytumēñ

Ñāṉṟum viḷiyātu niṟkum paḻi

English translation

One who thinks it easy to transgress into another's home will gain disgrace that will never perish but stand forever.

Listen

Explanation

If someone thinks adultery is easy and has no consequences, they are terribly mistaken. The பழி (disgrace) earned will never fade (விளியாது) - it will stand forever (நிற்கும்). Shame outlasts the sinner.

விளக்கம்

பிறன் மனைவியை விரும்புவது எளிதென நினைத்தால், அழியாத பழியை அடைவாய். பிறனில் விழையாமை அதிகாரத்தில், இது பெரும் பாவமென வள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார். இழிவான பழிச்சொல் எப்போதும் நிலைத்து நிற்கும்.

Word meanings

  • எளிதுeḷitueasy
  • எனeṉathinking
  • இல்ilhome
  • இறப்பான்iṟappāṉone who transgresses
  • எய்தும்eytumwill attain
  • ஞான்றும்ñāṉṟumalways/forever
  • விளியாதுviḷiyātunot perishing
  • நிற்கும்niṟkumwill stand
  • பழிpaḻidisgrace

Story behind this kural

In a small village nestled beside a whispering river, lived a weaver named Arul. He admired the beauty of Devi, the wife of a potter, and often found himself near her home. He saw her smile, heard her laughter, and his heart yearned for what was not his. He convinced himself that a stolen moment would bring joy without consequence. One moonless night, Arul crept towards Devi's home. But as he reached for the door, the village awoke. Whispers turned to shouts, and soon, his transgression was known to all. Though the years passed, the whispers never ceased. Arul, once respected for his skill, became a pariah. His loom stood idle, his name a stain upon the village. The potter, though he forgave, could not erase the memory. Arul learned that some wounds fester long after the moment of infliction. The village never forgot.