Kural #340
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Tamil text
புக்கில் அமைந்தின்று கொல்லோ
உடம்பினுள் துச்சில் இருந்த உயிர்க்கு
Pukkil amaintiṉṟu kollō
Uṭampiṉuḷ tuccil irunta uyirkku
English translation
Has the soul that lives in the corner of this body not found a permanent home?
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Explanation
The soul is described as a temporary resident, almost a squatter, in the corner of the body. The rhetorical question suggests the soul should seek its true, permanent home - liberation.
விளக்கம்
உடம்புக்குள் மூலையில் ஒண்டிக்கொண்டிருக்கும் உயிருக்கு நிலையான வீடு கிடைக்கவில்லையா? நிலையாமை அதிகாரத்தில் உடல் நிலையற்றது என்பதை உணர்த்துகிறார் வள்ளுவர். வீடுபேறு அடைவதே உயிருக்கு நிரந்தரமான புகலிடம் என்பதை இக்குறள் மூலம் அறியலாம்.
Word meanings
- புக்கில்pukkilentered place/home
- அமைந்ததுamaintatusettled
- இன்றுiṉṟunot
- கொல்kolis it? (question)
- உடம்பினுள்uṭampiṉuḷwithin the body
- துச்சில்tuccilin a corner
- இருந்தiruntaresiding
- உயிர்க்குuyirkkufor the soul
Story behind this kural
In a humble village nestled beside a whispering river, lived a potter named Kumar. He crafted beautiful clay pots, each one unique, each one destined for a fleeting purpose. One day, a wealthy merchant commissioned a magnificent urn, adorned with intricate carvings. Kumar poured his heart into the creation, firing it with care, and marveling at its beauty. The merchant, however, was impatient. He needed the urn for a grand feast, a temporary display of wealth. Once the feast concluded, the urn was discarded, broken into pieces. Kumar, witnessing this, felt a pang of sadness. He understood that the finest creations, like the urn, were merely vessels. Their beauty was borrowed, their existence brief. He returned to his workshop, not to create another fleeting masterpiece, but to refine his skills, focusing on the quality of his work and the joy of creation itself. He realized that true value lay not in the vessel, but in the enduring spirit of the maker.