Kural #940
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Tamil text
இழத்தொறூஉம் காதலிக்கும் சூதேபோல்
துன்பம் உழத்தொறூஉம் காதற்று உயிர்
Iḻattoṟūum kātalikkum cūtēpōl
Tuṉpam uḻattoṟūum kātaṟṟu uyir
English translation
Just as gamblers love gambling more with each loss, the soul clings to life despite increasing suffering.
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Explanation
A profound psychological insight: gamblers perversely love gambling more with each loss (இழத்தொறூஉம் காதலிக்கும்). Similarly, the soul clings to life despite suffering. Addiction defies reason.
விளக்கம்
சூதாடுபவர் தோற்றால் மேலும் ஆசைப்படுவதுபோல், உயிர் துன்பம் வந்தாலும் வாழ விரும்பும். சூது கெட்ட பழக்கம், அதுபோலவே துன்பம் நிறைந்த வாழ்வையும் விட மனம் தயங்குகிறது. ஆசையே துன்பத்திற்கு காரணம் என்பதை இது காட்டுகிறது.
Word meanings
- இழத்தொறூஉம்iḻattoṟūumwith each loss
- காதலிக்கும்kātalikkumloves more
- சூதுcūtugambling
- போல்pōllike
- துன்பம்tuṉpamsuffering
- உழத்தொறூஉம்uḻattoṟūumwith each suffering
- காதற்றுkātaṟṟuloves
- உயிர்uyirlife/soul
Story behind this kural
In a small village nestled beside a whispering forest, lived a woodcutter named Thiru. He loved the thrill of chance and spent his days at the market, wagering his earnings on dice. Initially, fortune smiled upon him. His hut filled with grain, and his children had new clothes. Then, the dice turned cold. He lost his savings, his tools, even the roof over his head. Yet, with each loss, a strange fire ignited within him. He borrowed from neighbors, promising to repay tenfold, just to roll the dice again. Each failure brought deeper despair, but also a stronger pull to gamble. One day, his neighbors, seeing his emaciated frame and hollow eyes, tried to dissuade him. "Thiru, you have nothing left!" they cried. But he just smiled, a haunted look in his eyes, and said, "Just one more roll... I feel it, this time I will win." He picked up the dice, his last hope, and cast them. The numbers turned against him. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back, still, he felt a strange, inexplicable desire to play again.