~ ThirukuraL ~

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



The Ways of Acquiring Wealth

Verse 751
There is nothing like wealth for lending consequence
To an inconsequential man.

Verse 752
Wealth is a dependable lamp whose light,
Reaching every imaginable land, dispels darkness.

Verse 753
Wealth is a dependable lamp whose light,
Reaching every imaginable land, dispels darkness.

Verse 754
Wealth that is acquired by proper means in a manner
That harms none will yield both virtue and happiness.

Verse 755
Do not embrace but rather eschew wealth
That is acquired without compassion and love.

Verse 756
Wealth with no owner, wealth of defeated foes,
Wealth from tax and customs - these are the royal revenues.

Verse 757
Compassion, which is the child of Love,
requires for its care the bountiful nurse called Wealth.

Verse 758
To undertake an enterprise with sufficient wealth in hand
Is like watching an elephants fight from the top of a hill.

Verse 759
Make money-that is the sharpest blade scalpel
For paring down an enemy's pride.

Verse 760
Having acquired well abundant wealth, acquisition of two
Other treasurers - duty and delight - is effortless.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Merits of the Army

Verse 761
An army which is complete and conquers fearlessly
Is foremost among all a king's possessions.

Verse 762
Only seasoned soldiers can confront the desperate adversity
Of decimating attacks with intrepid tenacity.

Verse 763
So what if an army of rats roars like the raging sea?
The mere hiss of a cobra will deaden their din.

Verse 764
A true army is one which has a long tradition of valor
And knows neither defeat nor desertion.

Verse 765
That is unquestionably truly an army which stands together,
Even when faced with death's fury.

Verse 766
Valor, honor, trustworthiness, and a tradition nobly upheld -
These four are an army's protective armor.

Verse 767
The well-trained army will withstand every onslaught,
Then outflank and storm the foe.

Verse 768
Even without a winning offense and defense,
A well-appointed army may win renown acclaim.

Verse 769
An army will prevail as long as there is
No attrition, no animosity and no afflictions.

Verse 770
Even with an abundance though it enlists legions of troops,
An army cannot endure without commanders.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Military Pride

Verse 771
O enemies, stand not against my monarch!
Many who did now stand as stone monuments.

Verse 772
There is greater fulfillment in carrying a lance which missed an
Elephant than an arrow which pierced a forest-dwelling rabbit.

Verse 773
Fierce courage is what they call valor,
And chivalry to the fallen forms its sharp edge.

Verse 774
Having hurled his spear at a huge bull elephant,
The hero finds another piercing his body and grabs it with glee.

Verse 775
Is it not a disgraceful defeat to the courageous warrior
If his glaring eyes so much as blink when the lance is hurled at him?

Verse 776
When recounting his days, the hero considers all days
On which no battle wounds scars were sustained as squandered.

Verse 777
To fasten the warrior's anklet to one who wants glory
More than life is adorning to adorn greatness with beauty.

Verse 778
Men of courage who do not fear their lives in battle do not
forfeit their ardor even if the king prohibits their fighting.

Verse 779
Who dares deride as defeated
Men who die fulfilling valor's vow?

Verse 780
Heroic death which fills with tears the emperor's eyes
Is death worth begging and then dying for.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Friendship

Verse 781
What is as difficult to secure as friendship?
And what greater security is there against foes?

Verse 782
Among wise men, friendship waxes like the crescent moon;
Among fools it wanes as surely as the full moon must.

Verse 783
The bonds that good men share, like good bound books,
Reveal new enjoyments at each new encounter.

Verse 784
The object of friendship is not merrymaking
But a stern rebuking when friends go astray.

Verse 785
It is not constant meeting and companionship
But mutual sensibilities that confer the alliance of friendship.

Verse 786
Friendship is not seen on a friendly face,
But felt deep within a friendly heart.

Verse 787
To divert a man from wrong, direct him toward the right
And share his sorrow in misfortune is friendship.

Verse 788
As swiftly as the hand moves to seize a slipping garment,
Friendship acts to assuage a friend's distress.

Verse 789
Where does Friendship hold her court? It is where friends
May find constant support in every possible circumstance.

Verse 790
To boast, "He means so much to me and I to him,"
Merely belittles a friendship.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Testing Fitness for Friendship

Verse 791
There is no greater harm than forming a friendship without first
Testing, for once formed, it cannot be abandoned by the faithful.

Verse 792
Unless it begins with testing and proving,
Friendship may end in mortal sorrow.

Verse 793
Consider a man's character, family background, faults
And loyal associates and then befriend him.

Verse 794
Pay any price to possess the friendship
Of well-born men who cannot bear rebuke and blame.

Verse 795
Seek out and befriend those who speak and move you to repent,
Reprove your wrong-doing and teach you the right ways.

Verse 796
There is a benefit even in misfortune, for it is the rod
With which a man can measure the loyalty of friends.

Verse 797
To give up friendship with fools and quit their company -
Such loss is said to be the greatest gain.

Verse 798
Don't dwell on thoughts that dim your spirit,
Don't befriend those who flee you in affliction.

Verse 799
Even in the hour of death, the thoughts of friends
Who left you in your hour of need will hurt the heart.

Verse 800
Hold tight to friendship with pure men;
Let go of those who lack propriety, even by paying them off.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Old  Friendship

Verse 801
What is old friendship? It is when neither friend objects
To the liberties taken by the other.

Verse 802
Liberties taken by a friend are friendship's rightful
Possession, and to accept them is the duty of wise men.

Verse 803
Of what purpose is longstanding fellowship
If friends' familiar actions are not accepted as one's own?

Verse 804
Familiar with familiarity, the wise are not annoyed
When friends do things without asking.

Verse 805
When friends do things that hurt you, attribute it either
To unawareness or to the privileges of friendship.

Verse 806
Bound by friendship, true friends never break the bond
With an old comrade, even if he brings them loss.

Verse 807
Old friends do not abandon loving friendships,
Even when those they cherish happen to do them harm.

Verse 808
A strong, close friend will not listen to a friends' faults,
And on the day a friend offends, he celebrates his silence.

Verse 809
The world will cherish those faithful men
Who never forsake old, unbroken friendships.

Verse 810
Even ill-wishers will wish them well
Who never abandon affection for old friends.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Harmful Friendship

Verse 811
Though unscrupulous men will seem to consume you in friendship,
Their companionship grows more delightful as it declines.

Verse 812
What does it matter if one gains or loses the friendship
Of manipulators who gainfully befriend and otherwise forsake?

Verse 813
Prostitutes, theives and those who make friends
To make money are all alike.

Verse 814
Loneliness is far better than friendship with men who are like
The untrained horse which throws its rider on the battlefield.

Verse 815
Far better to forfeit than to obtain the friendship
Of inferior men who stay away when they should stay and help.

Verse 816
The enmity of the wise is ten million times
Better than the intimate friendship of fools.

Verse 817
An enemy's enmity is 100 million times more worthwhile
Than the company of companions who always clown around.

Verse 818
If friends feign inability to perform possible tasks,
Remain silent and gradually give up their friendship.

Verse 819
The fellowship of men whose acts
Belie their spoken words is bitter, even in dreams.

Verse 820
There are men who will cherish you at home but censure you
In public - avoid their every befriending approach

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



False Friendship

Verse 821
The friendship of those who feign affection is an anvil
On which to hammer you when the opportunity arises.

Verse 822
The friendship of those who act like friends but are not,
Will fluctuate like the mind of a fickle woman.

Verse 823
Though their scholarship is good and abundant,
Ignoble men rarely learn goodness of heart.

Verse 824
Fear the cunning friend who smiles sweetly to your face
But conceals wickedness in his heart.

Verse 825
Distrust whatever words may come from
Men whose hearts are not in harmony with your own.

Verse 826
While sounding like a good friend's words,
A rival's words are readily revealed.

Verse 827
Do not trust an enemy though he bends low in his speech,
For the bending of the bow forebodes nothing but harm.

Verse 828
Folded in respect, a foe's hands may hide a dagger.
So too, his tears dare not be trusted.

Verse 829
Men may amply aid you, yet hate you in their heart;
Make them laugh, but let feigned friendship die.

Verse 830
When the time comes that foes pose as friends,
Keep a friendly face but banish their brotherhood from your heart.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Folly

Verse 831
What is folly? It is holding on to that which is harmful
And throwing away that which is beneficial.

Verse 832
The folly of all follies is to enjoy doing
What one is forbidden to do.

Verse 833
To be shameless, uninquisitive, loveless and uncaring
Are the fool's four failings.

Verse 834
No fool is more foolish than one who eagerly expounds
His learning to others while failing to follow it himself.

Verse 835
In a single birth a fool may earn by his efforts
A mire of hellish suffering in the subsequent seven.

Verse 836
If a fool who knows not how to act undertakes an enterprise
He will not only fail, he will shackle himself in chains.

Verse 837
When a fool falls upon a great fortune,
Strangers will feast while his family starves.

Verse 838
If a fool happens to acquire something of value,
He will act like a madman who is intoxicated.

Verse 839
Friendship among fools is profoundly sweet,
For at their parting there is not the slightest pain.

Verse 840
A fool stepping into a saintly council
Is like entering a clean bed with filthy feet.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Ignorance

Verse 841
Dearth of wisdom is dire destitution.
Other forms of poverty the world deems less impoverishing.

Verse 842
All merit for a gift given gladly by an ignoramus
Is nothing but the goodness gained by the recipient's past penance.

Verse 843
The suffering that ignorant men inflict upon themselves
Can hardly be caused even by their enemies.

Verse 844
What is stupidity? It is that vanity
Which dares to declare, "I am wise."

Verse 845
He who pretends to knowledge that he does not possess
Raises doubts as to those things that he really knows.

Verse 846
Fools follow a wayward path, clothing a well-formed, naked body
But failing to conceal their deformed mind.

Verse 847
The ignorant man who neglects valuable advice
Will cause himself himself his own great misery.

Verse 848
Neither following another's orders nor fathoming himself what to do -
Such a creature causes only pain until he leaves this life.

Verse 849
He who tries to open the eyes of those who will not see is himself
Blind, for the unseeing man sees only the ways of his own mind.

Verse 850
He is deemed an earthly demon who denies as false
What that which the world declares to be true.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Hatred

Verse 851
It is said that hatred is the disease that spreads
The plague of discord among all living creatures.

Verse 852
Though men plot disunity and deliberately harm you,
The highest path is not to plan hateful retribution.

Verse 853
Removing the incurable cancer called hatred
Reveals one's undying, undiminishing radiance.

Verse 854
The destruction of hatred, that sorrow of sorrows,
Yields to man the joy of joys.

Verse 855
Who is there who could conquer those
Who keep themselves free of all hostilities?

Verse 856
To those who claim they take delight in hatred,
Failure and life's ruin are quite near.

Verse 857
Men immersed in animosities, knowingly causing harm,
Can never see that triumph comes from noble truths.

Verse 858
Wealth waxes when a man walks away from confrontation
And wanes whenever he encourages it.

Verse 859
Seeing a prosperous season approach, men neglect hatred.
In times of ruin, they nurture it to profusion.

Verse 860
From hatred springs all suffering,
But cheerful friendship yields good fortune's joys.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Merits of Enmity

Verse 861
Rein in antagonism against the strong,
But unleash animosity against weak adversaries.

Verse 862
How can the man who is unloving and who has neither powerful allies
Nor the strength to stand alone overcome his mighty enemies?

Verse 863
He who is fearful, ignorant, unfriendly and uncharitable
Is an easy prey to his enemies.

Verse 864
Letting go of his secrets but not his anger,
A man becomes easy prey to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

Verse 865
Even one who is lacking character, conscience
Piety and propriety can be delightful - to his enemies!

Verse 866
Hatred is a desireable thing when it comes from
Scoundrels siezed by blinding rage and addictive lust.

Verse 867
Some men undertake a task then undermine it unawares.
Acquire their hatred - indeed, pay money for it.

Verse 868
If a man has no virtues and many vices, he will have no allies,
And this will be an advantage to his enemies.

Verse 869
If the foe is ignorant and afraid to fight,
The victor's joy cannot be far away.

Verse 870
Fame will escape the grasp of those who fail to grasp
The wealth of fools who failed to learn.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Understanding the Nature of Enmity

Verse 871
One should never wish for the accursed thing
Called enmity - even in jest.

Verse 872
Though you may incur the enmity of those who reap a livelihood by their
Bow do not provoke the hatred of those who sow and reap with their words.

Verse 873
A solitary man who provokes hatred from many
Is more of an idiot than lunatics are.

Verse 874
The world abides beneath the greatness
Of noble natured rulers who befriend their enemies.

Verse 875
Finding he faces two foes with no allies,
A lone man lures one to side with him.

Verse 876
When distress dawns, neither draw near nor depart from
New friends and foes - rather, leave them alone.

Verse 877
Never reveal your troubles to those who cannot comprehend them,
Nor expose your weaknesses to your enemies.

Verse 878
Engineer a plan, execute that plan well and ensure your security -
Thus is the vanity of foes forever vanquished.

Verse 879
Chop down a thorny tree while it is young.
Left to grow mature, it will cut the cutter's hand.

Verse 880
Those who fail to quell an acrimonious rival's conceits
Will be blown away by the mere fact he still breathes.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Internal Enmity

Verse 881
Even shade and water are unpleasant if they breed disease.
So too may relatives be unpleasant if they cause harm.

Verse 882
Do not fear the foe who is like the drawn sword,
But fear the friendship of the enemy who poses as kinsman.

Verse 883
Dread hatred from within and defend against it.
In calamitous times it will cut deeper than a potter's knife.

Verse 884
Hidden hatreds may lurk only in the mind,
Yet they can manifest myriad miseries among kin.

Verse 885
Hate hidden in a kinsman's heart will cause
More than many miseries - it will kill a man.

Verse 886
When hatred arises, dissention destroys unity,
And men fall inescapably toward every-ready death.

Verse 887
A house that harbors hatred will never form a united whole though,
Like a vessel and its lid, it may appear to be united.

Verse 888
As iron is worn away by frequent filing,
A family's strength is eroded by inner frictions.

Verse 889
Internal dissention may be minute as a divided sesame seed,
Yet it maintains the sufficient power to destroy.

Verse 890
Living with those who cannot dwell in harmony
Is like living in a hut with a cobra.

[MysteRy]

ThirukuraL



Not Offending the Great

Verse 891
The greatest way to guard oneself is to not belittle
The powers of men of prowess.

Verse 892
If a man by his conduct offends the great ones,
Through them he will bring on himself immeasurable miseries.

Verse 893
If you desire destruction, don't heed the rules -
Simply provoke those who, if they desire, can destroy.

Verse 894
For the powerless to wreak harm upon the powerful
Is to summon Death with the hand.

Verse 895
Having incured a stalwart king's withering wrath,
One is doomed, wherever he wanders, whatever he does.

Verse 896
Though burned by a fire one may survive;
But there is no survival for those who offend the great.

Verse 897
Of what avail is a man's many gloried life and splendorous wealth
If he incurs the wrath of great and righteous men?

Verse 898
When men of mountainous stature are meagerly esteemed,
Men who seemed enduring as the earth will die, as will their kin.

Verse 899
The most kingly king will tumble from his throne midway
And die, should he arouse an avowed sage's righteous wrath.

Verse 900
Though a king commands peerless powers of protection,
He cannot survive the anger of sages with powers of spirit.