Kural #413
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Tamil text
செவியுணவிற் கேள்வி யுடையார்
அவியுணவின் ஆன்றாரோ டொப்பர் நிலத்து
Ceviyuṇaviṟ kēḷvi yuṭaiyār
Aviyuṇaviṉ āṉṟārō ṭoppar nilattu
English translation
Those who have the feast of learning for their ears are equal to the gods who feast on sacrificial offerings.
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Explanation
Just as the celestial beings are nourished by the smoke of sacrificial offerings (அவி), learned people are nourished by the knowledge they hear. Both exist on elevated planes.
விளக்கம்
செவிக்கு உணவாகும் கேள்வியைப் பெற்றோர், யாகப்புகையால் தேவர்கள் மகிழ்வதுபோல், உலகில் உயர்ந்தவராவர். கேள்வி ஞானம் பெறுவதால் சிறப்பு உண்டாகும். இது கேள்வி அதிகாரத்தின் முக்கிய கருத்தாகும்.
Word meanings
- செவிceviear
- உணவில்uṇavilas food
- கேள்விkēḷvilearning/hearing
- உடையார்uṭaiyārthose who have
- அவிavisacrificial smoke
- உணவின்uṇaviṉas food
- ஆன்றார்āṉṟārthe mature/wise
- ஒப்பர்opparare equal
- நிலத்துnilattuon earth
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived two farmers, Arun and Bala. Arun toiled tirelessly, his days filled with the sweat of the soil. He prospered, his granary overflowing with grain. Bala, however, spent his days listening to the traveling scholars, absorbing their tales and wisdom. He often seemed to have less than Arun. One year, a terrible drought struck. Arun’s crops withered, and his wealth dwindled. Desperate, he sought help from the neighboring villages. Bala, however, calmly advised his neighbors. He remembered the scholars' teachings about water conservation and drought-resistant crops. Following his guidance, they implemented the learned techniques. Their harvest, though modest, sustained them through the hardship. Arun, though wealthy in the past, found himself reliant on the wisdom Bala shared. The villagers saw that Bala, though seemingly less rich, possessed a treasure that even drought could not diminish.