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Kural 996

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paṇpuṭaiyārp paṭṭuṇ ṭulaka matuviṉṟēṉ / maṇpukku māyvatu maṉ.

🎬 குறள் கதை · Story
G.U. Pope1886

“The world abides; for 'worthy' men its weight sustain. / Were it not so, 'twould fall to dust again.”

V.V.S. Aiyar1916

“The world goeth on smoothly because of the men of good-breeding: verily, but for them all this harmony would be dead and buried in the dust.”

Modern readingAI draft

The world endures because noble character sustains it; without that, it would sink into the earth and perish.

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Parimelazhagar’s commentary

13th century · public domain

Parimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.

பண்பு உடையார்ப் பட்டு உலகம் உண்டு= பண்பு உடையார்கண்ணே படுதலால், உலகியல் எஞ்ஞான்றும் உண்டாய் வாராநின்றது; இன்றேல், அது மண்புக்கு மாய்வது மன்= ஆண்டுப் படுதல் இல்லையாயின், அது மண்ணின்கண் புக்கு மாய்ந்து போவதாம்.

Source: Tamil Wikisource

In plain EnglishAI draft · pending review

The orderly flow of human society continues only because it is sustained by people of noble character; without them, this world would sink into the dust and perish.