Kural #286
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Tamil text
அளவின்கண் நின்றொழுகல் ஆற்றார்
களவின்கண் கன்றிய காத லவர்
Aḷaviṉkaṇ niṉṟoḻukal āṟṟār
Kaḷaviṉkaṇ kaṉṟiya kāta lavar
English translation
Those whose love has grown attached to theft cannot conduct themselves within proper limits.
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Explanation
People who have developed a fondness for stealing lose the ability to live within proper boundaries. Their moral compass becomes corrupted, and they can no longer distinguish right from wrong.
விளக்கம்
கள்ளத்திலே ஆசைப்பட்டால், நேர்மையாக வாழ முடியாது. களவு செய்யும் எண்ணம் வளர்ந்தால், ஒழுக்கம் கெட்டுவிடும். "கள்ளாமை" அதிகாரத்தில் இது முக்கியம். திருடாமல் வாழ்வதே அறம்.
Word meanings
- அளவின்கண்aḷaviṉkaṇwithin limits
- நின்றுniṉṟustanding
- ஒழுகல்oḻukalconducting
- ஆற்றார்āṟṟārare unable
- களவின்கண்kaḷaviṉkaṇin theft
- கன்றியkaṉṟiyaintensified
- காதலவர்kātalavarthose who love
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering river, lived a baker named Arun. He baked the finest bread, his days filled with the warm scent of rising dough. But Arun, lured by the glint of gold, began to skim from the village's communal grain store. At first, it was a handful, then a sack, then more. He built a grander oven, bought finer flour, his loaves became the most sought after. Yet, a shadow fell upon his joy. He eyed his neighbor's thriving garden, his children's playful laughter. He started to covet everything. He saw the village not as a community, but a source of his next gain. One day, accused of theft, he denied it, his voice shaking. The villagers, once his loyal customers, turned away. The bread, once so loved, now tasted of bitterness. His fine oven felt like a cage, his wealth, a burden. He found himself alone, the warmth of the sun and the joy of the village now blocked by the darkness he created.