Testing and Trusting People
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ariyakaṟ ṟācaṟṟār kaṇṇun teriyuṅkā / liṉmai yaritē veḷiṟu.
“Though deeply learned, unflecked by fault, 'tis rare to see, / When closely scanned, a man from all unwisdom free.”
“Even men of rare learning and of pure hearts will not be found, when thou dost test them, to be absolutely exempt from all ignorance.”
Even among those who have mastered rare learning and are free from fault, close examination rarely finds a complete absence of ignorance.
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.
அரிய கற்று ஆசு அற்றார் கண்ணும்= கற்றற்கு அரிய நூல்களைக் கற்று மேற்சொல்லிய குற்றங்கள் அற்றார் மாட்டும்; தெரியுங்கால் வெளிறு இன்மை அரிது= நுண்ணிதாக ஆராயும் இடத்து வெண்மை இல்லாமை அரிது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even among scholars who have mastered profound learning and live without glaring faults, minute examination will reveal that complete freedom from ignorance is exceedingly rare.