The Greatness of Ascetics
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
andhaṇar eṉpōr aṟavōrmaṟ ṟevvuyirkkuñ / sendhaṇmai pūṇḍozhuka lāṉ
“Towards all that breathe, with seemly graciousness adorned they live; And thus to virtue's sons the name of 'Anthanar' men give.”
“It is saintly men that are to be called Brahmans: for it is they that have compassion on all life.”
The virtuous rightly called Anthanar are those who live embracing gracious compassion toward all living beings.
Ask about this Kural
Answers are drawn only from this Kural's sourced text and named commentary, and always cite what they used.
Choose a section
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
எவ்வுயிர்க்கும் செந்தண்மை பூண்டு ஒழுகலான் = எல்லா உயிர்கள்மேலும் செவ்விய தண்ணளியைப் பூண்டு ஒழுகலான்; அந்தணர் என்போர் அறவோர் = அந்தணர் என்று சொல்லப்படுவார் துறவறத்தின் நின்றவர். ('பூணுதல்' விரதமாகக் கோடல்; உயிர்கள்மாட்டு அருளுடையார் என்பது இதனால் கூறப்பட்டது.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those rightly hailed as virtuous Anthanar are ascetics who embrace gracious compassion toward every living creature as an unwavering, vowed way of life.