Kural #257
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Tamil text
உண்ணாமை வேண்டும் புலாஅல்
பிறிதொன்றன் புண்ணது உணர்வார்ப் பெறின்
Uṇṇāmai vēṇṭum pulāal
Piṟitoṉṟaṉ puṇṇatu uṇarvārp peṟiṉ
English translation
One should abstain from flesh if they truly understand that meat is nothing but the wound of another creature.
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Explanation
A vivid and powerful image: meat is the wound (புண்) of a living being. Those with true understanding recognize that what appears as food is actually the injured flesh of a creature that suffered. This realization should naturally lead to abstinence.
விளக்கம்
புலாலை உண்பது, பிற உயிரின் காயத்தை உண்பதற்குச் சமம். புலால் மறுத்தல் அதிகாரத்தில், உயிர்களிடத்தில் கருணை காட்ட வேண்டும் என்பதே இக்குறளின் நீதி. இதை உணர்ந்தால், புலால் உண்ணாமல் இருக்கலாம்.
Word meanings
- உண்ணாமைuṇṇāmainot eating
- வேண்டும்vēṇṭumis necessary/should
- புலால்pulālflesh/meat
- பிறிதுpiṟituanother
- ஒன்றன்oṉṟaṉcreature's
- புண்puṇwound
- அதுatuthat (is)
- உணர்வார்uṇarvārthose who realize
- பெறின்peṟiṉif obtained/found
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a kind butcher named Arul. He provided for the villagers, and his shop always had the freshest meats. One day, a traveling sage arrived. He observed Arul’s work with a sorrowful gaze, noticing the flies buzzing around the cuts of meat. "These were once living beings," the sage said gently. "They felt joy, fear, and pain, just as you do." Arul, though initially unmoved, began to see the animals differently. He started to visualize the sheep grazing, the chickens pecking, and the fish swimming, now lifeless on his table. He dreamed of the animals' fear and their suffering. The next day, he found himself unable to lift his knife. He looked at the meat, no longer seeing food, but wounds. His shop remained closed, and he sought a new way to provide for his village. Soon, his shop became a haven for fruits and vegetables, and he became known as “Arul, the Kind.”