~ ThirukuraL ~

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Begging

Verse 1051
If you meet a man of means, you may beg his help.
If he refuses, the fault is his, not yours.

Verse 1052
Even begging can prove pleasurable
When what is begged for comes without a sense of burden.

Verse 1053
Begging has its own beauty if one supplicates
Before dutiful men whose hearts never say no.

Verse 1054
There are men who never deny a request even in a dream.
Begging from such men is as good as giving.

Verse 1055
Because men do exist on earth who never begrudge giving,
Others dare to plead before men's gaze.

Verse 1056
The evils of begging will flee at the mere sight
Of those who are free from the evil of refusal.

Verse 1057
There is rejoicing in a jubilant heart
Upon seeing those who give without scoffing or scorning.

Verse 1058
Deprived of its beggars, this vast and verdant (I think) earth
Would be reduced to a sphere for the wooden play of puppets.

Verse 1059
What glory would generous men have
If there were none to beg and receive their gifts?

Verse 1060
One who begs and is refused should not be angry
For his own poverty is sufficient proof.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Dread of Begging

Verse 1061
It is ten millions better not to beg, even from those
Precious few who find joy in generosity and thus never refuse.

Verse 1062
Were it the world's Creator who wished men to live by begging,
Men might well wish that He Himself also die a wanderer.

Verse 1063
There is no greater foolhardiness than saying to oneself,
"I shall end the pains of poverty by begging."

Verse 1064
The entire world is too small to contain the dignity of men
Who stoop not to beg even in the midst of destitution.

Verse 1065
Though it is only gruel thin as water, nothing is more savory
Than the food that is earned by the labor of one's hands.

Verse 1066
The tongue finds nothing more distasteful than begging
Even to simply plead for the cow's drinking water.

Verse 1067
This I beg of all beggers,
"If beg you must, beg not from (of) misers."

Verse 1068
The unsturdy ship called begging will break apart
The moment it crashes against the rock of refusal.

Verse 1069
Thoughts of the beggar's plight must melt one's heart,
But thoughts of refusals he receives crushes it completely.

Verse 1070
Is there any place a miser can safely hide
When inside him resounds the word "no" which slays beggars?

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Baseness

Verse 1071
Outwardly, vile men resemble human beings.
Never have we witnessed such a remarkable likeness.

Verse 1072
The low-minded are happier than men who know the good,
For they are never troubled by the pains of conscience.

Verse 1073
Wicked rogues resemble the gods,
For they, too, live doing whatever they want.

Verse 1074
When the vile meets the wicked he will outdo him
In his vices and pride himself on the achievement.

Verse 1075
Fear is the primary motive force of base men.
Apart from that, the desire for gain may motivate them, but only a little.

Verse 1076
Base men are like a bass drum,
For they sound off to others every secret they happen to hear.

Verse 1077
The wretched are too inhospitable to even shake the moisture from their
Just-washed hands, unless the visitor can shatter their jaw with clenched fist.

Verse 1078
The worthy yield their gifts when told of the need,
But, like the sugar cane, the low will yield theirs only by a deathly crushing.

Verse 1079
Let a low man see others well clothed and fed
And instantly their faults assail his sight.

Verse 1080
Is there anything for which ignoble men are suited?
Well, whenever crisis comes no one sells themselves more swiftly!