Kural #282
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Tamil text
உள்ளத்தால் உள்ளலும் தீதே
பிறன்பொருளைக் கள்ளத்தால் கள்வேம் எனல்
Uḷḷattāl uḷḷalum tītē
Piṟaṉporuḷaik kaḷḷattāl kaḷvēm eṉal
English translation
Even to think in one's heart "I will steal another's property through deceit" is itself evil.
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Explanation
Theft begins in the mind. The mere thought of stealing through fraud is already a sin, even before any action is taken. This kural addresses the mental origin of wrongdoing.
விளக்கம்
பிறர் பொருளை வஞ்சகமாகத் திருடலாம் என மனதில் நினைப்பது கூடத் தவறு. கள்ளாமை அதிகாரத்தில், எண்ணமே செயலுக்கு மூலம் என்பதை வள்ளுவர் உணர்த்துகிறார். திருட்டு எண்ணம் பாவத்தின் தொடக்கம். நல் எண்ணங்களே சிறந்த அறம்.
Word meanings
- உள்ளத்தால்uḷḷattālin the heart
- உள்ளல்uḷḷalthinking
- தீதேtītēis evil
- பிறன்piṟaṉanother's
- பொருளைporuḷaiproperty
- கள்ளத்தால்kaḷḷattālthrough deceit
- கள்வேம்kaḷvēmI will steal
- எனல்eṉalsaying/thinking
Story behind this kural
In a humble village nestled beside a whispering river, lived two farmers, Arun and Bala. Arun, though kind in appearance, often eyed Bala's thriving fields with envy. He saw Bala's plump mangoes and dreamt of owning them. One day, Arun's mind brewed a wicked plan. He imagined a way to trick Bala, to claim the harvest as his own. He envisioned a forged deed, a fabricated story. He rehearsed the deceit in his mind, relishing the thought of Bala's misfortune. Yet, as the days passed, Arun found himself restless. Sleep evaded him. The joy he once found in his own fields withered. The faces of his children seemed to reflect a growing shadow. Finally, he confessed his thoughts to an old sage. The sage listened patiently and then, without uttering a word of judgment, pointed towards the clear, flowing river. Arun understood. The true loss wasn't in the mangoes; it was in the pollution of his own heart.