Assessing Enmity
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
tēṟiṉun tēṟā viṭiṉu maḻiviṉkaṭ / ṭēṟāṉ pakāaṉ viṭal.
“Whether you trust or not, in time of sore distress, / Questions of diff'rence or agreement cease to press.”
“Whether thou hast decided to make a neighbour thy friend or thine enemy, do not make him either when thou art embarrassed, but leave him alone.”
Whether the enemy was previously understood or not, at a moment of ruin leave the relationship unresolved—neither fully join nor fully separate.
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.
தேறினும் தேறாவிடினும்= பகைவனை முன் தெளிந்தான் ஆயினும் தெளிந்திலன் ஆயினும்; அழிவின்கண் தேறான் பகாஅன் விடல்= தனக்குப் புறத்தொரு வினையால் தாழ்வு வந்துழிக் கூடாது நீங்காது இடையே விட்டுவைக்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Whether an adversary's nature is previously understood or not, during a severe crisis one should neither fully unite with them nor completely break away, keeping the relationship in careful abeyance.