Not Offending the Great and Powerful
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kūṟṟattaik kaiyāl viḷittaṟṟā lāṟṟuvārk / kāṟṟātā riṉṉā ceyal.
“When powerless man 'gainst men of power will evil deeds essay, / Tis beck'ning with the hand for Death to seize them for its prey.”
“Behold the weak man slighting men of might and power: it is as if he beckoneth to the God of Death to come to him.”
For the powerless to do harm to the powerful is like beckoning death with one's own hand.
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.
ஆற்றுவார்க்கு ஆற்றாதார் இன்னா செயல்= மூவகை ஆற்றலும் உடையார்க்கு அவை இல்லாதார் தாம் முற்பட்டு இன்னாதவற்றைச் செய்தல்; கூற்றத்தைக் கையால் விளித்தற்றால்= தானேயும் வரற்பாலனாய கூற்றுவனை அதற்கு முன்னே கைகாட்டி அழைத்தால்ஒக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
For the weak and powerless to inflict harm on the mighty is like beckoning the God of Death with one's own hand to invite immediate destruction.