Kural #761
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Tamil text
ஆற்றாள் ஒருவன் கொலையாற்றல் யார்க்கும்
மாற்றாரை யில்லாய் வலி
Āṟṟāḷ oruvaṉ kolaiyāṟṟal yārkkum
Māṟṟārai yillāy vali
English translation
The strength to kill one capable warrior surpasses the power to destroy many who lack opposing force.
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Explanation
True military excellence is measured not by massacring the defenseless but by the skill to defeat a single formidable, well-equipped adversary in honorable combat.
விளக்கம்
ஆற்றல் மிக்க ஒரு வீரனை வெல்வது, பலவீனமான எதிரிகளை வெல்வதை விட மேலானது. படைமாட்சி என்பது வீரத்தில் உள்ளது, எண்ணிக்கையில் இல்லை. எதிரியை வீழ்த்தும் திறனே உண்மையான வலிமை. இது படைவலிமையின் சிறப்பை கூறுகிறது.
Word meanings
- ஆற்றாள்āṟṟāḷcapable/skillful warrior
- ஒருவன்oruvaṉone person
- கொலைkolaikilling/defeating
- ஆற்றல்āṟṟalability/strength
- யார்க்கும்yārkkumto anyone
- மாற்றாரைmāṟṟāraiopposers/enemies
- இல்லாய்illāywithout
- வலிvalistrength/power
Story behind this kural
The King’s army marched upon the neighboring kingdom, confident in their numbers. Before them stood a lone knight, Sir Kaelen, renowned for his skill. The King scoffed, ordering a charge. Hundreds of soldiers surged forward, overwhelming the knight with their sheer mass. Yet, Kaelen, with practiced ease, deflected their clumsy blows, his sword a silver dance of parries and thrusts. Many fell, but he remained. The King, enraged, ordered archers to rain arrows. Kaelen, however, was too quick. His shield, though battered, held. Hours passed. The sun began to set. Finally, exhausted, the soldiers retreated, leaving a path of fallen comrades. Sir Kaelen, unyielding, stood victorious, a single warrior against a defeated army. The King, witnessing the knight's resilience, realized his victory was empty, and that true strength lay not in numbers, but in the heart of a single, skilled warrior.