Kural #781
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Tamil text
செயற்கரிய யாவுள நட்பின்
அதுபோல் வினைக்கரிய யாவுள காப்பு
Ceyaṟkariya yāvuḷa naṭpiṉ
Atupōl viṉaikkariya yāvuḷa kāppu
English translation
What is harder to acquire than friendship? What protection is harder to breach than friendship?
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Explanation
Thiruvalluvar opens this chapter on நட்பு (friendship) with a rhetorical question: friendship is both the hardest thing to acquire (செயற்கு அரிய) and the most impenetrable protection (வினைக்கு அரிய காப்பு).
விளக்கம்
நட்பு கிடைப்பது அரிது; அதைவிடப் பெரிய பாதுகாப்பு இல்லை. நட்பு கிடைத்தால், அதைவிடச் சிறந்த செல்வம் வேறில்லை. இது நட்பு அதிகாரத்தில் வள்ளுவர் கூறும் முக்கிய நீதி. நல்ல நண்பர்கள் ஆபத்தில் உதவுவார்கள்.
Word meanings
- செயற்குceyaṟkuto accomplish
- அரியariyadifficult
- யாவுளyāvuḷawhat is there
- நட்பின்naṭpiṉthan friendship
- அதுபோல்atupōllike that
- வினைக்குviṉaikkuto action/breach
- காப்புkāppuprotection
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived two merchants, Elias and Thomas. Elias, shrewd and calculating, hoarded his wealth, building tall walls around his home. Thomas, generous and kind, shared his fortune, building strong friendships throughout the village. One harsh winter, a ruthless bandit gang descended upon the village. They easily breached Elias's fortified home, seizing his treasures. But when they approached Thomas’s humble dwelling, they found the villagers, armed with whatever they could find, ready to defend him. The bandits, outnumbered and facing determined resistance, retreated. Elias, stripped of his wealth, watched from afar. He saw Thomas, surrounded by his friends, safe and sound. He understood then that the walls built of stone were no match for the bonds woven with kindness. The truest riches lay not in possessions, but in the hearts of those you call friend.