Kural #55
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Tamil text
தெய்வம் தொழாஅள் கொழுநன் தொழுதெழுவாள்
பெய்யெனப் பெய்யும் மழை
Teyvam toḻāaḷ koḻunaṉ toḻuteḻuvāḷ
Peyyeṉap peyyum maḻai
English translation
If she who worships no god but her husband rises and says "Rain!", the rain will fall.
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Explanation
This is one of the most famous kurals, describing the spiritual power of a devoted wife. Thiruvalluvar suggests that a wife who dedicates herself completely to her husband attains such moral power that even nature obeys her command. The imagery of commanding rain is powerful in an agricultural society.
விளக்கம்
இக்குறள், வாழ்க்கைத் துணைநலம் அதிகாரத்தில் உள்ளது. கணவனையே தெய்வமாக மதித்து வணங்கும் மனைவி, மழை பெய்யச் சொன்னால் பெய்யும். அவளுடைய பக்தியே அவளுக்கு அந்த சக்தியைத் தருகிறது. மனைவி அன்போடும் பக்தியோடும் இருந்தால், எல்லாம் நன்மையே நடக்கும்.
Word meanings
- தெய்வம்teyvamgod/deity
- தொழாஅள்toḻāaḷshe who does not worship
- கொழுநன்koḻunaṉhusband
- தொழுதுtoḻutuworshipping
- எழுவாள்eḻuvāḷshe who rises
- பெய்peyrain/pour
- எனeṉasaying
- பெய்யும்peyyumwill rain
- மழைmaḻairain
Story behind this kural
The village of Aravan was parched. The sun beat down relentlessly, and the riverbed cracked under the heat. The farmers, their faces etched with worry, watched their crops wither. They prayed to the gods, but still, the sky remained a cruel, unbroken blue. One woman, Kamala, tended to her husband, who was gravely ill. She nursed him, speaking words of comfort and strength. Every morning, she offered a silent prayer, her devotion unwavering. One afternoon, as her husband slept, Kamala walked to the parched fields. Gazing at the cracked earth, she whispered, "Let the rain come, so that life may flourish." As the last word left her lips, a single cloud appeared, a dark smudge against the endless blue. It grew, and soon, the heavens opened. A gentle rain began, soaking the thirsty land. The villagers, astonished, watched as the rain fell, bringing hope back to their village.