Kural #523
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Tamil text
அளவளா வில்லாதான் வாழ்க்கை
குளவளாக் கோடின்றி நீர்நிறைந் தற்று
Aḷavaḷā villātāṉ vāḻkkai
Kuḷavaḷāk kōṭiṉṟi nīrniṟain taṟṟu
English translation
The life of one who lacks intimate fellowship is like a tank full of water but without banks.
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Explanation
Prosperity without kinsmen to share it is like a tank without retaining walls - the water simply flows away uselessly. Wealth needs the structure of relationships to be meaningful and sustainable.
விளக்கம்
சுற்றம் இல்லாத வாழ்க்கை, கரை இல்லாத குளம் போலாகும். குளத்தில் நீர் இருந்தாலும், கரை இல்லாவிட்டால் நீர் வீணாகிவிடும். உறவுகளோடு பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளாத செல்வம் பயனற்றது. சுற்றத்தாரை அரவணைப்பதே பொருள் உள்ள வாழ்க்கை.
Word meanings
- அளவளாவுaḷavaḷāvuintimate fellowship
- இல்லாதான்illātāṉone who lacks
- வாழ்க்கைvāḻkkailife
- குளம்kuḷamtank/pond
- வளாக்குvaḷākkuexpanse
- கோடுkōṭubanks/walls
- இன்றிiṉṟiwithout
- நீர்nīrwater
- நிறைந்துniṟaintufilled
- அற்றுaṟṟulike
Story behind this kural
In a prosperous village nestled beside a shimmering lake lived a wealthy merchant named Arul. His granaries overflowed, his coffers clinked with gold, and his ships sailed to distant lands, returning laden with treasures. Yet, Arul was a solitary man. He preferred the company of his ledgers to his neighbors, and his feasts were enjoyed in silence. One season, a great storm raged. The lake, swollen with rain, burst its banks. The floodwaters surged through the village, washing away homes and fields. Arul’s granaries stood firm, but the waters seeped in. His gold, though plentiful, could not buy back the lost harvests or rebuild the ravaged homes. The villagers, however, though their own stores were diminished, helped each other. They shared what little they had, rebuilding their lives together. Arul watched them, his wealth a useless mountain amidst the shared struggle. His granaries remained full, yet he felt a hollowness he had never known before. He realized the true value of life was not in what he possessed but in the bonds he had neglected.