Kural #406
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Tamil text
உளரென்னும் மாத்திரையர் அல்லால்
பயவாக் களரனையர் கல்லா தவர்
Uḷareṉṉum māttiraiyar allāl
Payavāk kaḷaraṉaiyar kallā tavar
English translation
The unlearned exist merely in name; they are like barren land that yields nothing.
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Explanation
Just as barren, saline land (களர்) cannot produce crops no matter how much you till it, uneducated people cannot contribute meaningfully to society. They exist only physically, not intellectually.
விளக்கம்
கல்லாதவர், வெறுமனே உயிரோடு இருக்கிறார்கள். பயன்படாத களர் நிலம் போல, அவர்களால் யாருக்கும் எந்த நன்மையும் இல்லை. கல்வி கற்காததால், சமுதாயத்திற்குப் பயன் தராத வாழ்க்கையை வாழ்கிறார்கள். கல்லாமை அதிகாரத்தில், கல்வியின் முக்கியத்துவத்தை வள்ளுவர் வலியுறுத்துகிறார்.
Word meanings
- உளர்uḷarthey exist
- என்னும்eṉṉumcalled/said to
- மாத்திரையர்māttiraiyaronly to that extent
- அல்லால்allālexcept/other than
- பயவாpayavānot yielding
- களர்kaḷarbarren land
- அனையர்aṉaiyarare like
- கல்லாதவர்kallātavarthe unlearned
Story behind this kural
In a sun-baked village lived two farmers, Arun and Bala. Arun, though strong, never learned to read the signs of the seasons. He tilled his field with brute force, planting seeds haphazardly. His harvest was meager, barely enough to feed his family. Bala, however, spent his evenings with the village sage, studying the stars and the soil. He understood the rhythm of the land. He planted his seeds with care, knowing when the rains would come. His crops flourished, and his granary overflowed. One year, a great drought struck. Arun’s field cracked and yielded nothing. He watched, disheartened, as Bala’s field, watered by a well he’d dug, produced a bountiful harvest. Arun, despite his strength, was left with empty hands. Bala, through his knowledge, not only survived but helped feed the entire village.