Kural #320
Last reviewed:
Tamil text
நோயெல்லாம் நோய்செய்தார் மேலவாம்
நோய்செய்யார் நோயின்மை வேண்டு பவர்
Nōyellām nōyceytār mēlavām
Nōyceyyār nōyiṉmai vēṇṭu pavar
English translation
All suffering returns to those who cause suffering; therefore, those who wish to be free from suffering should not cause pain to others.
Listen
Explanation
The chapter concludes by restating the central principle: karmic justice ensures that harm returns to its source. The wise person, desiring freedom from suffering, avoids causing any harm.
விளக்கம்
தீங்கு செய்பவர்க்கே துன்பம் வரும். துன்பம் வேண்டாதவர் பிறருக்குத் தீங்கு செய்யாதீர். இது இன்னா செய்யாமை அதிகாரத்தின் நீதி. பிறருக்குத் துன்பம் தந்தால், அது நமக்கே திரும்பும்.
Word meanings
- நோய்nōysuffering/pain
- எல்லாம்ellāmall
- செய்தார்ceytārthose who caused
- மேலmēlaupon
- ஆம்āmwill be
- செய்யார்ceyyārwill not do
- இன்மைiṉmaiabsence
- வேண்டுபவர்vēṇṭupavarthose who desire
Story behind this kural
In a small village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a baker named Elara. Her bread was the finest, and her heart, usually kind. But when a rival baker, Thomas, opened his shop, jealousy twisted Elara. She spread false rumors, hoping to ruin his business. Soon, Thomas’s shop was empty. Elara rejoiced, but her joy was short-lived. The villagers, hearing the whispers, began to shun her. Her own customers dwindled. Her once warm oven felt cold, mirroring the chill in her heart. One day, a terrible sickness swept through the village. It spared no one, not even Elara. As she lay in her bed, weakened and alone, she understood. The bitterness she had sown had blossomed into a bitter harvest. The pain she inflicted on another had returned, tenfold, to consume her.