Avoiding Faults
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
varumuṉṉark kāvātāṉ vāḻkkai yerimuṉṉar / vaittūṟu pōlak keṭum
“His joy who guards not 'gainst the coming evil day, / Like straw before the fire shall swift consume away.”
“Behold the man who provideth not beforehand against surprise: he will be destroyed even like a stack of straw before a spark of fire.”
The life of one who does not guard before a fault arrives will perish like a heap of dry straw before fire.
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.
வரு முன்னர்க் காவாதான் வாழ்க்கை= குற்றம் வரக் கடவதாகின்ற முற்காலத்திலே அதனைக் காவாத அரசன் வாழ்க்கை; எரிமுன்னர் வைத்தூறு போலக் கெடும்= அது வந்தால் எரி முகத்து நின்ற வைக்குவை போல அழிந்துவிடும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The life of a ruler who does not anticipate and prevent flaws before they arrive will be consumed as swiftly as a haystack standing before a roaring fire.