Kural #636
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Tamil text
மதிநுட்பம் நூலோடு உடையார்க்கு
அதிநுட்பம் யாவுள முன்நிற்பவை
Matinuṭpam nūlōṭu uṭaiyārkku
Atinuṭpam yāvuḷa munniṟpavai
English translation
For those who possess sharp intellect combined with learning, what subtlety can stand before them as a challenge?
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Explanation
When natural intelligence (மதிநுட்பம்) combines with formal learning (நூல்), no problem is too complex. This is a rhetorical question emphasizing that nothing can confound such a person.
விளக்கம்
அமைச்சு அதிகாரத்தில், ஒரு நல்ல அமைச்சருக்கு அறிவு கூர்மையும், படிப்பு அறிவும் முக்கியம். அப்படிப்பட்டவர்களுக்கு எந்த சிக்கலும் எதிரில் நிற்க முடியாது. நல்ல அறிவும் கல்வியும் இருந்தால் எதையும் வெல்லலாம் என்பதே நீதி.
Word meanings
- மதிmatiintellect/mind
- நுட்பம்nuṭpamsubtlety/sharpness
- நூல்nūllearning/texts
- ஓடுōṭuwith
- உடையார்க்குuṭaiyārkkufor those who possess
- அதிநுட்பம்atinuṭpamgreater subtlety
- யாவுளyāvuḷawhat exists
- முன்muṉbefore
- நிற்பவைniṟpavaithose that stand
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived two merchants: Kumar, known for his shrewdness, and Bala, renowned for his vast knowledge of ancient texts. When a drought struck, the villagers faced starvation. Kumar, seeing an opportunity, hoarded the remaining grain, intending to sell it at exorbitant prices. Bala, however, remembered an obscure passage in a forgotten scroll. It spoke of a hidden spring deep within the forest, capable of irrigating the barren fields. Kumar scoffed, calling it foolishness. Yet, Bala, using his understanding of the text and his keen observation of the terrain, located the spring. He then devised a simple irrigation system, using the villagers’ combined efforts. The fields blossomed, and the villagers had food. Kumar, with his grain still locked away, watched his fortune wither as the villagers thrived. Soon, his grain rotted. He learned a valuable lesson that day, as the villagers celebrated their good fortune.