The Excellence of an Army
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kūṟṟuṭaṉṟu mēlvariṉuṅ kūṭi yetirniṟku / māṟṟa latuvē paṭai.
“That is a 'host' that joins its ranks, and mightily withstands, / Though death with sudden wrath should fall upon its bands.”
“That alone deserveth the name of army which can face valiantly even the God of Death if he should advance against it in all his fury.”
That alone is an army which can join ranks and stand together even if Death itself advances enraged.
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.
கூற்று உடன்று மேல் வரினும்= கூற்றுவன் தானே வெகுண்டு மேல்வந்தாலும்; கூடி எதிர் நிற்கும் ஆற்றலதுவே படை= நெஞ்சொத்து எதிர்நின்று தாங்கும் ஆற்றலை உடையதே படையாவது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Only that force which stands united and fearlessly confronts even the wrath of Death itself advancing upon the field deserves the name of an army.