Kural #799
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Tamil text
கெடுங்காலைக் கைவிடுவார் கேண்மை
அடுங்காலை உள்ளினும் உள்ளஞ் சுடும்
Keṭuṅkālaik kaiviṭuvār kēṇmai
Aṭuṅkālai uḷḷiṉum uḷḷañ cuṭum
English translation
The memory of friends who abandoned during ruin will burn the heart even at the hour of death.
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Explanation
Friends who abandon you in times of ruin (கெடுங்காலை கைவிடுவார்) leave lasting pain. Even at death (அடுங்காலை), remembering them (உள்ளினும்) will burn (சுடும்) the heart.
விளக்கம்
கெடுநேரத்தில் கைவிடும் நண்பரின் நட்பு, சாகும்போதும் மனதை சுடும். "நட்பாராய்தல்" அதிகாரத்தில், உண்மையான நண்பரை சோதித்து அறிய வேண்டும் என்கிறார் வள்ளுவர். ஆபத்தில் உதவுபவரே சிறந்த நண்பர் என்பதை குறள் உணர்த்துகிறது.
Word meanings
- கெடுங்காலைkeṭuṅkālaitime of ruin
- கைவிடுவார்kaiviṭuvārthose who abandon
- கேண்மைkēṇmaifriendship
- அடுங்காலைaṭuṅkālaitime of death
- உள்ளினும்uḷḷiṉumeven if remembering
- உள்ளம்uḷḷamheart
- சுடும்cuṭumwill burn
Story behind this kural
In a bustling village nestled beside a shimmering river, lived two merchants, Arun and Bala. They prospered together, sharing profits and celebrating successes. When Arun faced a devastating flood that wiped out his stores, Bala, though wealthy, offered only empty words of sympathy. He spoke of risks and losses, but offered no aid. Arun, heartbroken and ruined, struggled to rebuild. Years passed. Arun, through sheer grit, slowly regained his footing. One day, Bala, now old and frail, fell gravely ill. As he lay on his deathbed, surrounded by his family, his thoughts drifted back to the flood. He remembered Arun's desperate pleas and his own refusal to help. A pang of regret, sharp and bitter, pierced his heart. He felt a deep, lingering ache, a wound that time had never healed. In his final moments, the memory of his past actions burned brighter than any fever.