Kural #925
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Tamil text
கையறி யாமை உடைத்தே
பொருள்கொடுத்து மெய்யறி யாமை கொளல்
Kaiyaṟi yāmai uṭaittē
Poruḷkoṭuttu meyyaṟi yāmai koḷal
English translation
It is the height of foolishness to pay money to lose awareness of one's own body.
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Explanation
A brilliant observation: paying money (பொருள் கொடுத்து) to become unconscious (மெய்யறியாமை) is கையறியாமை (utter foolishness). One pays to lose both wealth and awareness - double loss.
விளக்கம்
மதுவிலக்கைப் பற்றி வள்ளுவர் கூறும் குறள் இது. பணம் கொடுத்து உடல் உணர்வை இழப்பது பேதைமை. கள்ளுண்ணாமை அதிகாரத்தில், போதை உடலுக்கும் உயிருக்கும் தீங்கு என்பதை உணர்த்துகிறார். இது அறிவீனத்தின் உச்சம்.
Word meanings
- கையறியாமைkaiyaṟiyāmaifoolishness/helplessness
- உடைத்துuṭaittupossesses/is
- ஏēindeed (emphatic)
- பொருள்poruḷmoney/wealth
- கொடுத்துkoṭuttugiving
- மெய்meybody
- அறியாமைaṟiyāmaiunconsciousness/ignorance
- கொளல்koḷalacquiring
Story behind this kural
In a village nestled beside a whispering river, lived a farmer named Arul. He toiled from dawn till dusk, his days filled with the honest work of the land. One day, a traveling merchant arrived, hawking a potent drink. He promised Arul it would wash away his worries and bring endless joy. Arul, weary from his labors, traded a portion of his hard-earned harvest for the tempting beverage. At first, he felt a pleasant warmth spread through him, and his cares seemed to fade. But as the hours passed, his vision blurred, his tongue grew heavy, and his control slipped away. The next morning, Arul awoke with a throbbing head and a heavy heart. He found his coins gone and his fields untended. The merchant had vanished, and the joy he sought had turned to ashes. He realized he had traded his well-being and his livelihood for a fleeting moment of oblivion.