Kural #757
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Tamil text
இன்மையின் இன்னாதது யாதெனின்
இன்மையின் இன்மையே இன்னா தது
Iṉmaiyiṉ iṉṉātatu yāteṉiṉ
Iṉmaiyiṉ iṉmaiyē iṉṉā tatu
English translation
What is more painful than poverty? Nothing but poverty itself is more painful than poverty.
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Explanation
This emphatic kural declares that no suffering exceeds the misery of destitution. Poverty compounds upon itself, creating layers of pain that no other hardship can match.
விளக்கம்
வறுமையைப் போல் துன்பம் தருவது வேறில்லை. வறுமை தன்னைத்தானே பெருக்கி அதிக துயரத்தை அளிக்கும். பொருள் செயல் வகையில், வறுமையின் கொடுமையை வள்ளுவர் உணர்த்துகிறார். சேமித்து வாழ்வதே சிறப்பு.
Word meanings
- இன்மைiṉmaipoverty/lack
- இன்iṉthan
- இன்னாததுiṉṉātatupainful/sorrowful
- யாதுyātuwhat
- எனின்eṉiṉif asked
- இன்மையேiṉmaiyēpoverty itself
- அதுatuthat
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a parched riverbed, lived a farmer named Arul. Once, his fields overflowed with rice. But a relentless drought withered his crops, leaving him with nothing. First, his roof leaked, and he couldn't afford to mend it. Then, his children’s clothes wore thin. He was forced to sell his tools, then his few remaining animals. Each day, Arul felt the weight of his empty granary. He was ashamed to face his neighbors. His children, once lively, grew quiet with hunger. Desperate, he borrowed from the moneylender, promising to repay with the next harvest. But the rains never came. His debts mounted, and his spirit crumbled. He lost his home, his dignity, and finally, his hope. One day, a wealthy merchant, passing through, saw Arul, gaunt and broken. The merchant offered him work, but Arul could barely lift a finger. He had become a shadow of his former self, a man consumed by the unending burden of his lack.