Kural #17
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Tamil text
நெடுங்கடலும் தன்நீர்மை குன்றும்
தடிந்தெழிலி தான்நல்கா தாகி விடின்
Neṭuṅkaṭalum taṉṉīrmai kuṉṟum
Taṭinteḻili tāṉnalkā tāki viṭiṉ
English translation
Even the vast ocean will diminish if the rising clouds do not return the water as rain.
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Explanation
This reveals Thiruvalluvar's understanding of the water cycle over 2000 years ago! Clouds rise from the ocean, carry water inland as rain, and rivers return water to the sea.
விளக்கம்
வானின் சிறப்பை வள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார். மேகங்கள் மழை தராவிட்டால், பெரிய கடல்கூட வற்றிவிடும். மழை நீரே வாழ்வின் ஆதாரம் என்பதை இது காட்டுகிறது. மழை பெய்யாவிட்டால் உலகம் துன்பப்படும்.
Word meanings
- நெடுங்கடலும்neṭuṅkaṭalumeven the vast ocean
- தன்taṉits
- நீர்மைnīrmaiwater content
- குன்றும்kuṉṟumwill diminish
- தடிந்துtaṭinturising
- எழிலிeḻilicloud
- தான்tāṉitself
- நல்காதுnalkātudoes not give
- ஆகிākibecoming
- விடின்viṭiṉif
Story behind this kural
In a sun-baked village nestled beside a shimmering lake, lived two brothers, Arun and Varun. Arun, a fisherman, drew his livelihood from the lake's bounty. Varun, a farmer, depended on the rain to nourish his crops. For years, the rains came regularly, the lake thrived, and both brothers prospered. But one season, the clouds, heavy with moisture drawn from the lake, refused to release their burden. The land cracked, the crops withered, and the lake's water level began to fall. Arun’s nets came up empty, and Varun watched his harvest turn to dust. Arun, worried about his livelihood, questioned the silent clouds. “Why do you take from the lake but give nothing back?” he cried. He watched the vast, indifferent sky, the source of the lake's life, and realized something important. The fisherman and farmer both suffered, and the once-abundant lake began to shrink, mirroring their despair.