Nobility of Character
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kuṭippiṟantār kaṇviḷaṅkuṅ kuṟṟam vicumpiṉ / matikkaṇ maṟuppō luyarntu.
“The faults of men of noble race are seen by every eye, / As spots on her bright orb that walks sublime the evening sky.”
“The fault of a man of noble family will show conspicuously even as the spot in the body of the moon.”
A fault in the noble-born stands out visibly to all, like the dark spot upon the radiant moon.
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.
குடிப்பிறந்தார்கண் குற்றம்= உயர்ந்த குடியின்கண் பிறந்தார்மாட்டு உளதாம் குற்றம்; விசும்பின் மதிக்கண் மறுப்போல் உயர்ந்து விளங்கும்= தான் சிறிதேயாயினும் விசும்பின்கண் மதியிடத்து மறுப்போல ஓங்கித் தோன்றும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
A flaw appearing in those of noble heritage stands out visibly to all, like the dark blemish prominently seen on the radiant moon.