Kural #557
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Tamil text
துளியின்மை ஞாலத்திற்கு எற்றற்றே
வேந்தன் அளியின்மை வாழும் உயிர்க்கு
Tuḷiyiṉmai ñālattirku eṟṟaṟṟē
Vēntaṉ aḷiyiṉmai vāḻum uyirkku
English translation
Just as lack of rain is ruinous to the earth, so is a ruler's lack of compassion to living beings.
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Explanation
This kural connects back to the earlier chapter on rain (வான்சிறப்பு). As rain sustains all earthly life, a compassionate ruler sustains his subjects. A merciless king causes the same devastation as drought.
விளக்கம்
மழை இல்லாவிட்டால் பூமி வாடி வறண்டு போவது போல, இரக்கமில்லாத அரசன் மக்களை வாட்டி வதைப்பான். கருணையே இல்லாத ஆட்சி கொடுங்கோன்மை ஆகும். நல்லாட்சிக்கு அன்பு மிக முக்கியம்.
Word meanings
- துளிtuḷirain drop
- இன்மைiṉmaiabsence/lack
- ஞாலம்ñālamearth/world
- எற்றுeṟṟuwhat/how
- அற்றேaṟṟēlike that
- வேந்தன்vēntaṉking
- அளிaḷicompassion/grace
- வாழும்vāḻumliving
- உயிர்uyirbeings/life
Story behind this kural
In a sun-baked land, King Theron ruled. His granaries overflowed, yet his heart remained barren. He demanded the highest taxes, caring little for the villagers’ struggles. Fields withered, and the river trickled to a halt. Old Elara, a farmer, pleaded with the king. "Your Majesty, our crops fail without water. We starve without harvest!" Theron scoffed. "The treasury demands. Your suffering is your own." As weeks turned into months, the land cracked. Animals dropped. Children cried. Finally, a single, desperate crow landed on the king's balcony, its beak empty. It looked at Theron, then at the parched earth, and let out a weak, mournful caw. Theron, used to grand feasts, found his own food bitter. The silence of the dying village was a heavy weight. The treasures in the vaults lost their luster. He realized then, in the emptiness, that a king's wealth meant nothing if his people perished.