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Kural #330

Virtue· அறம்Not Killing· கொல்லாமை

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Tamil text

உயிர்உடம்பின் நீக்கியார் என்ப

செயிர்உடம்பின் செல்லாத்தீ வாழ்க்கை யவர்

Uyiruṭampiṉ nīkkiyār eṉpa

Ceyiruṭampiṉ cellāttī vāḻkkai yavar

English translation

Those who lead a miserable life in a diseased body are said to be those who separated life from body in their previous birth.

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Explanation

Karmic justice explains current suffering as the result of past violence. Those who killed in previous lives now suffer in diseased, unhappy bodies.

விளக்கம்

உயிர்களைக் கொன்றவர்கள், நோயுற்ற உடலில் துன்பமான வாழ்க்கை வாழ்வார்கள். முன் ஜென்மத்தில் செய்த பாவமே இப்பிறவியில் துயரமாகிறது. கொல்லாமை அதிகாரத்தின்படி, எந்த உயிரையும் துன்புறுத்தக் கூடாது என்பதே நீதி.

Word meanings

  • உயிர்uyirlife
  • உடம்பின்uṭampiṉfrom body
  • நீக்கியார்nīkkiyārthose who separated
  • என்பeṉpathey say
  • செயிர்ceyirdisease/defect
  • செல்லாcellānot going/miserable
  • தீbad
  • வாழ்க்கைvāḻkkailife
  • அவர்avarthose

Story behind this kural

In a quiet village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a woodcutter named Tharan. He was known for his quick temper and his axe, which felled trees with brutal efficiency. One day, a small, injured bird fell from its nest near his feet. Instead of helping, Tharan scornfully kicked the bird away, muttering about its uselessness. Years passed. Tharan grew old, his body wracked with aches and pains. He could no longer swing his axe, and the forest, once his livelihood, now seemed to mock his weakness. His days were filled with suffering. One evening, as he sat alone, a wise old woman approached him. She looked at his frail body and shook her head sadly. “The forest remembers,” she whispered, before disappearing into the shadows. Tharan, clutching his aching limbs, finally understood the forest’s silent judgment.