Kural #207
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Tamil text
எனைப்பகை யுற்றாரும் உய்வர்
வினைப்பகை வீயாது பின்சென்று அடும்
Eṉaippakai yuṟṟārum uyvar
Viṉaippakai vīyātu piṉceṉṟu aṭum
English translation
One may escape from any enemy, but the enmity born of one's evil deeds will follow and destroy.
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Explanation
External enemies can be defeated or escaped, but karma is inescapable. The consequences of evil follow like a shadow and strike when least expected.
விளக்கம்
எத்தகைய எதிரியிடமிருந்தும் தப்பிக்கலாம். ஆனால், தீவினைப்பயன் விடாது துரத்தி அழிக்கும். தீவினையச்சம் அதிகாரத்தில், கெட்ட செயல்களின் விளைவு உறுதியானது என வள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார். நன்மை செய், தீமையைத் தவிர்த்திடு.
Word meanings
- எனைeṉaiwhatever/any
- பகைpakaienemy
- உற்றாரும்uṟṟārumthose who face
- உய்வர்uyvarwill escape
- வினைப்பகைviṉaippakaienmity of karma
- வீயாதுvīyātuwithout perishing
- பின்சென்றுpiṉceṉṟufollowing after
- அடும்aṭumwill destroy
Story behind this kural
Once, in a village nestled beside a dark forest, lived a woodcutter named Arun. He was known for his sharp axe and sharper temper. One day, enraged by a merchant’s refusal to pay a fair price for his wood, Arun stole the merchant’s finest ox. The merchant, though angered, could not find Arun. He eventually left the village, defeated. Arun, emboldened, continued his life, enjoying the stolen ox and the riches he gained from selling it. Years passed. Arun grew old, his crime a forgotten memory. One stormy night, while Arun slept, a lightning strike ignited his wooden hut. The fire spread rapidly, fueled by the dry wood he had so diligently gathered over his lifetime. He tried to escape, but a burning beam fell, trapping him. As the flames consumed his home, a terrible thought struck him. The ox, the stolen ox, had brought this upon him.