Kural #256
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Tamil text
தினற்பொருட்டால் கொல்லாது உலகெனின்
யாரும் விலைப்பொருட்டால் ஊன்றருவார் இல்
Tiṉaṟporuṭṭāl kollātu ulakeṉiṉ
Yārum vilaiporuṭṭāl ūṉtaruvār il
English translation
If the world did not eat flesh for food, no one would sell meat for money.
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Explanation
Thiruvalluvar addresses the economics of meat-eating. The demand creates the supply. If people stopped consuming meat, there would be no market for it, and no one would kill animals for profit. The consumer shares responsibility with the seller.
விளக்கம்
புலால் மறுத்தல் அதிகாரத்தில், உலகத்தார் இறைச்சி உண்ணாமல் இருந்தால், யாரும் அதை விற்க மாட்டார்கள். உண்பதாலேயே கொலை நடக்கிறது. எனவே, புலால் உண்ணாமை அறம்.
Word meanings
- தினல்tiṉaleating
- பொருட்டால்poruṭṭālfor the sake of
- கொல்லாதுkollātuwould not kill
- உலகுulakuthe world
- எனின்eṉiṉif
- யாரும்yārumanyone
- விலைvilaiprice/sale
- ஊன்ūṉflesh
- தருவார்taruvārwill give/sell
- இல்ilnot/none
Story behind this kural
In a small village nestled beside a lush green forest, lived a butcher named Silas. Every morning, he would set up his stall, displaying cuts of meat from the forest's creatures. The villagers, fond of their stews and roasts, eagerly bought his wares. One day, a wise woman named Elara visited the village. She noticed the animals' cries echoing from the forest and the butcher's thriving business. She spoke to the villagers, not of laws or punishments, but of the creatures' lives and the peace of the forest. She spoke of the joy of fruits and grains. Slowly, villagers began to change their ways. They visited Silas less and less. The butcher's stall, once bustling, began to gather dust. One day, Silas, seeing no customers, closed his stall. He then turned to farming, growing fruits and vegetables, and the village flourished in a new, gentler way.