Kural #771
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Tamil text
என்னைமுன் நில்லன்மின் தெவ்விர்
பலரென்னை முன்னின்று கல்நின் றவர்
Eṉṉaimuṉ nillaṉmiṉ tevvir
Palareṉṉai muṉṉiṉṟu kalniṉ ṟavar
English translation
O enemies, do not stand before me! Many who stood before me now stand as stone monuments.
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Explanation
A warrior speaks with fierce pride: those who dared to face him in battle became memorial stones (நடுகல் - hero stones). This opening kural establishes the theme of military pride and valor.
விளக்கம்
பொருள்: பகைவர்களே, எனக்கு எதிரே நிற்க வேண்டாம். என்னோடு போரிட்டு இறந்த பலர், இப்போது நடுகற்களாக நிற்கிறார்கள். இது படைச் செருக்கு அதிகாரத்தில் வீரனின் பெருமையைக் காட்டுகிறது. எதிரிகளை வெல்லும் திறனே வீரம்.
Word meanings
- என்னைeṉṉaime
- முன்muṉbefore
- நில்லன்மின்nillaṉmiṉdo not stand
- தெவ்விர்tevvirO enemies
- பலர்palarmany
- முன்னின்றுmuṉṉiṉṟuhaving stood before
- கல்kalstone
- நின்றவர்niṉṟavarthose who stand
Story behind this kural
The aging farmer, Elumalai, was known throughout the valley for his gentle hands. He coaxed life from the dry earth, and his fields yielded bountiful harvests. One day, a boastful merchant, Karuppan, arrived. "Your crops are nothing," he sneered. "My wealth is greater, my influence vast!" He demanded Elumalai till a portion of his own land. Elumalai simply nodded, and the merchant laughed, assuming victory. But the next season, Karuppan's land lay barren. He had demanded the best seeds and fastest ploughs, but the soil rejected his harsh methods. Meanwhile, Elumalai's fields, tended with care, overflowed with grain. The merchant, humbled, watched as the villagers celebrated the harvest. He had sought to dominate, but found only emptiness. His arrogance had withered his own success. He was now just another passerby in the history of the valley.