Choosing People for Responsibilities
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aṟintāṟṟic ceykiṟpāṟ kallāl viṉaitāṉ / ciṟantāṉeṉ ṟēvaṟpāṟ ṟaṉṟu.
“No specious fav'rite should the king's commission bear, / But he that knows, and work performs with patient care.”
“Work should be entrusted to men in consideration of their expert knowledge and capacity for patient exertion, and not of their love towards thy person.”
A task should be assigned only to one who knows how to do it, can endure the difficulties caused by the work and its obstacles, and can bring it to completion—not to someone merely because they are personally dear.
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.
அறிந்து ஆற்றிச் செய்கிற்பாற்கு அல்லால்= செய்யும் உபாயங்களை அறிந்து செயலானும் இடையூறுகளானும் வரும் துன்பங்களைப் பொறுத்து முடிவுசெய்ய வல்லானை அல்லது; வினைதான் சிறந்தான் என்று ஏவற்பாற்று அன்று= வினைதான் இவன்நம்மாட்டு அன்புடையன் என்று பிறன்ஒருவனை ஏவும் இயல்புடைத்துஅன்று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
A responsibility should only be assigned to one who knows the means and possesses the endurance to finish it; no one should be entrusted with work merely out of personal fondness.