~ ThirukuraL ~

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Possession  of Forbearance

Verse 151
Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her,
It is best to bear with those who despise us.

Verse 152
It is always good to endure injuries done to you,
But to forget them is even better.

Verse 153
It is impoverished poverty to be inhospitable to guests.
It is stalwart strength to be patient with fools.

Verse 154
Desiring that his greatness should never cease,
Let a man's conduct foster forbearance.

Verse 155
Worthless are those who injure others vengefully,
While those who stoically endure are like stored gold.

Verse 156
The gratification of the vengeful lasts only for a day,
But the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.

Verse 157
Though unjustly aggrieved, it is best to suffer the suffering
And refrain from unrighteous retaliation.

Verse 158
Let a man conquer by forbearance
Those who in their arrogance have wronged him.

Verse 159
Those who patiently endure the rude remarks of the insolent
Possess the ascetic's rare purity.

Verse 160
Great are those who suffer fasting's hardships;
Yet they are surpassed by those who suffer hard words spoken.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Avoidance of Envy

Verse 161
The unenvious heart is to be valued
No less than virtuous conduct itself.

Verse 162
Among the profuse precious things a man may acquire,
None surpasses a nature free from envy toward all.

Verse 163
He who is jealous instead of joyous of another's wealth
Does not desire, they say, wealth and virtue of his own.

Verse 164
Envy will never cause one to commit wrongful deeds
Who rightly fathoms the disgrace which follows.

Verse 165
A man's own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin,
Even though he has no other enemies.

Verse 166
He who begrudges another's bounty
Will behold the death of his naked and starving kindred.

Verse 167
Fortune's Goddess, intolerant of men who cannot tolerate other's success,
Introduces them to her sister Misfortune and goes away.

Verse 168
The wicked one called envy consumes this world's wealth
Then consigns men to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169
It is worth pondering that good men may be poor
While the envious in heart prosper.

Verse 170
There are no envious men who have risen to prosperity.
There are no men free from envy who have fallen from it.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Avoidance of Covetousness

Verse 171
In the very attempt to wrongly gain another's wealth,
A man loses his family's future and his own faultlessness.

Verse 172
Those who deem injustice shameful never commit
Guilt-yielding deeds driven by money-yielding desires.

Verse 173
Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb
To immoral deeds which follow desire for fleeting delights.

Verse 174
With senses conquered and sight unclouded by depravity,
One will not covet others' wealth, even in destitution.

Verse 175
What avails a man's subtle and comprehensive learning,
If, in a covetous delirium, he still exploits others?

Verse 176
Desiring grace and doing his duty, a man who desires wealth
And contrives to acquire it wrongly is destroyed nevertheless.

Verse 177
Do not seek the fortune that greed gathers,
For its fruit is bitter in the day of enjoyment.

Verse 178
To protect his own prosperity from decline
One must not crave the property held by others.

Verse 179
Just as wise men know the goodness of non-coveting,
So Fortune herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Verse 180
There is a desire for another's possessions which is thoughtlessly destructive.
There is a pride which, refusing to covet, is mindfully triumphant.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Avoidance of Backbiting

Verse 181
Silent about virtue and swift to act wrongly,
A man who does not slander others may still be called good.

Verse 182
More vile than violating virtue and committing crime
Is slanderously sabotaging a man, then smiling to his face.

Verse 183
Virtue declares that dying, not living, will bring better rewards
To defamers who dissemble and deceive.

Verse 184
Though you speak unkind words to a man's face,
Do not speak words behind his back heedless of consequent harm.

Verse 185
Though every word is full of kindly virtue,
A man's mean back-biting will betray his empty heart.

Verse 186
If a man spreads tales of others' faults,
His own worst faults will be exposed and spread.

Verse 187
Not knowing the companionable art of cheerful conversation,
Men estrange even friends by their divisive discourse.

Verse 188
If men are disposed to spread the faults of friends,
What deadly harm might they do to strangers?

Verse 189
Only because she weighs duty well does Earth bear the weight
Of those who wait for a man's departure to defame him.

Verse 190
If men perceived their own faults as they do the faults of others,
Could misfortune ever come to them?

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Avoidance of Pointless  Speech

Verse 191
Everyone is disgusted by a man
Who offends one and all with meaningless chatter.

Verse 192
Uttering useless words to crowds is worse
Than committing unkindnesses toward companions.

Verse 193
A long and pointless discourse itself declares
To all the speaker's lack of worth.

Verse 194
Worthless words are doubly unprofitable: the listeners'
Enjoyment is lost, and the speaker's own virtues vanish.

Verse 195
Prestige and popularity flee the best of men
The moment they speak inane and useless words.

Verse 196
Do not call him a man who enjoys displaying
His own empty words. Call him rather the chaff of men.

Verse 197
Let the wise, if they deem it necessary, speak even unpleasant words,
But it is good if they always refrain from pointless speech.

Verse 198
In search of extraordinary gains, the wise
Will never speak trivial or ungainful words.

Verse 199
The wise, faultless and free from ignorance,
Never utter pointless words, even forgetfully.

Verse 200
In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful.
Never utter words which lack purpose.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Dread of Sinful Deeds

Verse 201
Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread,
The arrogance of sinful deeds.

Verse 202
From evil springs forth more evil.
Therefore, evil is to be feared even more than fire.

Verse 203
To commit no wrong, even against one's enemies,
Is said to be supreme wisdom.

Verse 204
Only the forgetful plot another's ruin; others remember
That virtue itself devises a plotter's downfall.

Verse 205
Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor.
For such deeds only cause one to be poorer still.

Verse 206
Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain
Avoid inflicting harm on others.

Verse 207
One can escape from hate-filled enemies,
But one's own hateful acts will relentlessly pursue and destroy him.

Verse 208
As a man's shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes,
Even so will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.

Verse 209
If a man feels fond affection for himself,
Let him not indulge in immoral deeds, however insignificant.

Verse 210
Know that a man will be defended against destruction
If he does not deviate from Right and act iniquitously.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Understanding One's Duty to Society

Verse 211
The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving.
How can the world ever repay the rain cloud?

Verse 212
It is to meet the needs of the deserving
That the worthy labor arduously to acquire wealth.

Verse 213
Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world,
And even in celestial realms.

Verse 214
He who understands his duty to society truly lives.
All others shall be counted among the dead.

Verse 215
The wealth of the world-loving wise man
May be likened to a well-stocked village water tank.

Verse 216
Riches retained by generous men
Resemble a fruit tree ripening in the heart of a village.

Verse 217
In the hands of a benevolent man,
Wealth is like a medicinal tree whose healing gifts help all.

Verse 218
Those who deeply know duty do not neglect giving,
Even in their own unprosperous season.

Verse 219
The benevolent man considers himself poor only
When he is unable to render his accustomed service to humanity.

Verse 220
Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of benevolence,
Such loss is worth selling one's self to procure.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Charity

Verse 221
Giving to the poor is true charity.
All other giving expects a recompense.

Verse 222
Though men may declare it a good path, gathering gifts is bad.
Though they decree it denies one heaven, giving gifts is good.

Verse 223
Men of good birth graciously give,
Never uttering the wretched excuse, "I have nothing."

Verse 224
How unpleasant a beggar's pleading can become,
Until one sees his face, so sweetly pleased.

Verse 225
Great indeed is the power acquired through austerity to endure hunger.
But greater still is the power of those who relieve the hunger of others.

Verse 226
Relieving the ravaging hunger of the poor
Is the most secure use of a rich man's wealth.

Verse 227
The fiery scourge called hunger never touches
The man who shares his daily meal with others.

Verse 228
Is it because they are unaware of the joys of giving
That hard-hearted men waste their wealth by hoarding it?

Verse 229
More bitter than even a beggar's bread is the
Meal of the miser who hoards wealth and eats alone.

Verse 230
There is nothing more bitter than death;
Yet even death is sweet when charitable giving is impossible.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Glory

Verse 231
Give to the poor, and life will be richly graced.
There is no greater profit for a man than this.

Verse 232
All who speak will proclaim abiding praise
For those who give alms to the poor.

Verse 233
Except for exalted glory which endures forever,
Everything on earth perishes.

Verse 234
So great is glory gained by men in this world
That celestials cease praising ascended sages.

Verse 235
The loss that is gain and the death that is life of immortal glory
Are attained only by the wise.

Verse 236
If you are born, be born for glory,
For those born without it would be better off without birth.

Verse 237
Why do those whose life is devoid of renown
Blame despising rivals, when they have themselves to blame?

Verse 238
Just as it is disgraceful to bear no children,
All men on earth deem it disgraceful to not beget fame.

Verse 239
When forced to bear the body of a man without eminence,
Even faultless, fruitful lands will lessen their yields.

Verse 240
Those who live without blame truly live.
Those who live without glory live not.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Possession  of Compassion

Verse 241
Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,
For material wealth is possessed by even contemptible men.

Verse 242
Find and follow the good path and be ruled by compassion. For if the
Various ways are examined, compassion will prove the means to liberation.

Verse 243
Those whose hearts are drawn toward compassion
Will never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.

Verse 244
Evil deeds dreaded by the soul will not afflict
The compassionate who foster and protect all life.

Verse 245
This wide and wind-swept fertile earth is witness to the truth
That misery is not for men who keep compassion.

Verse 246
They say those who act cruelly by forsaking compassion
Must have forgotten what it means to forsake morality.

Verse 247
As this world is not for the penniless,
So is that world not for the pitiless!

Verse 248
Those without wealth may one day prosper, but those without
Kindness are utterly destitute, and their fortunes never change.

Verse 249
Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable
As realizing Truth without clarity of mind.

Verse 250
Before advancing against men weaker than yourself,
Ponder when you stood before those more powerful.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Abstaining from Eating Meat

Verse 251
How can he practice true compassion
Who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?

Verse 252
Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless,
Nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat.

Verse 253
Goodness is never one with the minds of these two:
One who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creatures' flesh.

Verse 254
If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkind?"
It is not killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.

Verse 255
Life is perpetuated by not eating meat.
The clenched jaws of hell hold those who do.

Verse 256
If the world did not purchase and consume meat,
There would be none to slaughter and offer meat for sale.

Verse 257
When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh
Of another creature, he must abstain from eating it.

Verse 258
Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion
Will not feed on flesh abandoned by life.

Verse 259
Greater then a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial fires
Do not do sacrifice and consume any living creature.

Verse 260
All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration
Of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Austerity

Verse 261
It is the nature of asceticism to patiently endure
Hardship and not to harm living creatures.

Verse 262
Austerity belongs to the naturally austere.
Others may attempt it, but to no avail.

Verse 263
Is it because they must provide for renunciates
That others forget to do penance?

Verse 264
Should he but wish it, an ascetics' austerities
Will ruin his foes and reward his friends.

Verse 265
In this world men do austerities assiduously,
Assured of the fulfillment of desired desires.

Verse 266
Those who perform austerities are fulfilling their destiny. All others
Are ensnared by desire and unknowingly work their own destruction.

Verse 267
As the intense fire of the furnace refines gold to brilliancy, so does
The burning suffering of austerity purify the soul to resplendence.

Verse 268
He who has realized by himself his souls' Self
Will be worshiped by all other souls.

Verse 269
So potent is the power acquired through austerity
That those who attain it may even stay the moment of death.

Verse 270
Few people perform penance, while the majority do not.
For this reason the needy multitudes suffer deprivation.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Ascetic Pretense

Verse 271
Undeceived by a deceiver's duplicity,
His own five elements silently mock him.

Verse 272
Of what avail is an outer appearance of saintliness,
If the mind suffers inwardly from knowledge of its iniquity?

Verse 273
He who has not attained the power yet wears the garb of saints
Is like a cow that grazes about wearing a tiger's skin.

Verse 274
He who conceals himself beneath saintly robes and commits sins
Is like the hunter who hides in the bushes to snare unwary birds.

Verse 275
When those who claim dispassion act deceitfully,
The day will come when they exclaim,"Alas! Alas! What have I done?"

Verse 276
None is so heartless as he who, without renunciation in his heart,
Poses as a renunciate and lives fraudulently.

Verse 277
Like the poisonous jequirity seed, with its bright and black sides,
There are outwardly dazzling men whose insides are dark.

Verse 278
Many are the men who piously bath in purifying waters,
While in their dark hearts impure conduct lies concealed.

Verse 279
The arrow is straight but cruel; the lute is crooked but sweet.
Therefore, judge men by their acts, not their appearance.

Verse 280
Neither shaven head nor long locks are required,
Provided one refrains from conduct condemned by the world.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Avoidance of Fraud

Verse 281
If a man wishes not to be scorned by others,
He will secure his own mind against the merest thought of fraud.

Verse 282
The mere thought of sin is sin. Therefore,
Avoid even the thought of stealing from another.

Verse 283
The fortune that is amassed by fraud may appear to prosper
But it will soon perish altogether.

Verse 284
Finding delight in defrauding others yields the fruit
Of undying suffering when those delights ripen.

Verse 285
Benevolent thoughts and affectionate feelings flee from those
Who watch for another's' unwatchfulness to swindle his property.

Verse 286
They who follow deceit's desirous path
Cannot hope to work wisdom's measured way.

Verse 287
The dark deceits of fraud cannot be found
In the hearts of those who desire the greatness called virtue.

Verse 288
As righteousness resides in the hearts of the virtuous,
So does deceit dwell in the hearts of thieves.

Verse 289
Knowing nothing but deviousness,
Men die each time they contrive their corrupt deeds.

Verse 290
Even the life in his body will abandon him who defrauds others,
But heaven itself never forsakes those who are honest.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Truthfulness

Verse 291
What is truthfulness? It is the speaking of words
Which are entirely free from harmful effects.

Verse 292
Even falsehood is of the nature of truth,
If it gives good results free from fault.

Verse 293
Let a man not speak as truth what he knows to be false,
For his conscience will scorch him when he has lied.

Verse 294
He who lives truly in his own heart,
Truly lives in the hearts of all people.

Verse 295
Those who speak only truth from the heart
Surpass even penitents and philanthropists.

Verse 296
No prestige surpasses the absence of falsehood;
All other virtues flow from it effortlessly.

Verse 297
Not lying, and merely not lying, is beneficial
For those who can't practice and won't practice other virtues.

Verse 298
Water is sufficient to cleanse the body,
But only truthfulness will purify the mind.

Verse 299
Not all lamps are effective lamps.
The lamp of nonlying is the wise man's lamp.

Verse 300
Among all great truths which we have ever beheld,
Not one can equal the goodness of veracity