Kural #48
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Tamil text
ஆற்றின் ஒழுக்கி அறனிழுக்கா இல்வாழ்க்கை
நோற்பாரின் நோன்மை உடைத்து
Āṟṟiṉ oḻukki aṟaṉiḻukkā ilvāḻkkai
Nōṟpāriṉ nōṉmai uṭaittu
English translation
The domestic life that is conducted properly and does not deviate from virtue possesses the fortitude of those who practice severe penance.
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Explanation
This kural compares the householder to an ascetic. Managing a household while maintaining virtue requires immense strength and discipline - equal to the தவம் (penance) of renunciates. The phrase அறனிழுக்கா means "not slipping from dharma" - maintaining ethical standards amidst worldly pressures is itself a form of spiritual practice.
விளக்கம்
இக்குறள் இல்லறத்தின் சிறப்பைச் சொல்கிறது. அறவழியில் குடும்பத்தை நடத்தி, தர்மத்திலிருந்து விலகாமல் வாழ்வது, துறவிகள் செய்யும் தவத்திற்கு இணையானது. இல்லற வாழ்வில் அறம் காப்பதே பெரிய வலிமை.
Word meanings
- ஆற்றின்āṟṟiṉin the proper path
- ஒழுக்கிoḻukkiconducting/guiding
- அறன்aṟaṉvirtue
- இழுக்காiḻukkānot slipping from
- இல்வாழ்க்கைilvāḻkkaidomestic life
- நோற்பாரின்nōṟpāriṉthan those who perform penance
- நோன்மைnōṉmaifortitude/strength
- உடைத்துuṭaittupossesses
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest lived a potter named Kumar. His hands shaped clay into vessels of beauty, but his heart faced a daily test. Merchants offered him quick riches for imperfect pots, shortcuts that would fill his purse but diminish his craft. His neighbor, Meena, struggled to feed her children, and often Kumar found himself tempted to inflate prices. One day, a wealthy merchant, eager for a grand feast, offered Kumar a fortune for flawed, quickly-made pots. Kumar hesitated. He remembered the honest faces of his customers, the joy they took in his well-made creations. He thought of Meena’s hungry children. He declined the offer, choosing instead to spend the extra time and care required to create perfect vessels, and he sold them at a fair price. He even gave Meena a pot to sell to help her family. The merchant scoffed and left. Kumar, though poorer in coin, felt a strength surge through him. The village thrived, and Kumar, the potter, was content.