Kural #339
Last reviewed:
Tamil text
உறங்கு வதுபோலும் சாக்காடு
உறங்கி விழிப்பது போலும் பிறப்பு
Uṟaṅku vatupōlum cākkāṭu
Uṟaṅki viḻippatu pōlum piṟappu
English translation
Death is like falling asleep; birth is like waking from sleep.
Listen
Explanation
Death and birth are naturalized through a familiar daily experience. Just as we sleep and wake repeatedly, we die and are reborn. This diminishes death's terror while affirming rebirth.
விளக்கம்
தூக்கம் ஒரு சின்ன மரணம் போல, மரணம் ஒரு நீண்ட தூக்கம் போல. தூங்கி எழுந்திருப்பது பிறப்பு மாதிரி. நிலையாமை அதிகாரத்தில், வாழ்க்கை நிலையற்றது, பிறப்பும் இறப்பும் மாறி மாறி வரும் என்பதை இது உணர்த்துகிறது.
Word meanings
- உறங்குவதுuṟaṅkuvatusleeping
- போலும்pōlumis like
- சாக்காடுcākkāṭudeath
- உறங்கிuṟaṅkihaving slept
- விழிப்பதுviḻippatuwaking
- பிறப்புpiṟappubirth
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a woodcutter named Arul. Each day, he’d venture deep, his axe singing a rhythmic song. One day, a great storm felled a giant oak, crushing Arul beneath its weight. The villagers mourned. But as they prepared his pyre, a tiny seed, nestled in Arul's pocket, sprouted. It grew quickly, reaching for the sun. Years passed. The village changed. New homes rose, and the old ones crumbled. The forest shifted, and new trees emerged where others had fallen. One day, a young boy, exploring the woods, discovered a familiar-looking tree. Carved into its bark were the initials, "A.R." The boy, startled, ran back to the village elder, who smiled. "Arul lives," he said, "in the rustling leaves and the whispering wind." The boy, bewildered, looked back at the forest, understanding dawning in his eyes.