Learning
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kaṇṇuṭaiya reṉpavar kaṟṟōr mukattiraṇṭu / puṇṇuṭaiyar kallā tavar
“Men who learning gain have eyes, men say; / Blockheads' faces pairs of sores display.”
“The learned alone can be said to possess eyes: the unlettered have but two sores in their head.”
The learned alone are truly endowed with eyes; the unlearned have merely two wounds upon their face.
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.
கண் உடையர் என்பவர் கற்றோர்= கண்ணுடையர் என்று உயர்த்துச் சொல்லப்படுவார் கற்றவரே; கல்லாதவர் முகத்து இரண்டு புண் உடையர்= மற்றைக் கல்லாதவர் முகத்தின்கண் இரண்டு புண்ணுடையர், கண்ணிலர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Only the learned can truly be said to possess seeing eyes; those who refuse to learn have merely two open sores upon their faces.