Section III: The Way of The Renunciate

Chapter 25: Possession of Compassion

Verse 242
A road through the fields and groves splits. To the left is the path of darkness. To the right is the golden path of compassion where we see everyone helping one another and showing kindness.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 241

Among the wealthy, compassionate men claim the richest wealth,
for material wealth is possessed even by contemptible men.

Verse 242

Find and follow the good path, ruled by compassion.
Of the many ways, that one leads to liberation.

Verse 243

Those whose hearts are drawn toward mercy
will never be drawn into the dark and woeful world.

Verse 244

Kindly ones who lovingly protect all life
need never dread hurt from the actions of their own life.

Verse 245

This wide and wind-swept fertile Earth is witness to the truth
that misery is not for kind-hearted men.

Verse 246

They say those who act cruelly by forsaking kindness
must have forgotten what it means to forsake virtue.

Verse 247

As this world is not for the penniless,
so is that world not for the pitiless!

Verse 248

Those without wealth may one day prosper,
but those without kindness are utterly and incurably poor.

Verse 249

Practicing charity without compassion is as inconceivable
as realizing God without clarity of mind.

Verse 250

Before proceeding against men weaker than yourself,
ponder when you stood before those more powerful.

Chapter 24: Glory

Verse 234
By their good deeds, feeding and clothing the indigent, this couple has earned the abundant blessings of the celestials. So valued is this simple and selfless act, that the devas ignore the sages and yogis below.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 231

Give to the poor and become praiseworthy.
Life offers no greater reward than this.

Verse 232

Those who expound will always praise
people who bestow alms on the imploring poor.

Verse 233

Nothing on Earth is imperishable,
except exalted glory, which endures forever.

Verse 234

So great is glory gained by men in this world
that celestials cease praising ascended sages.

Verse 235

Loss that is gain and death that is life of
immortal glory are attained only by the wise.

Verse 236

If you must be born, be born for glory.
Those born without it would be better off without birth.

Verse 237

Why do those whose life is devoid of renown blame enemies
who hate them, when they have themselves to blame?

Verse 238

Barren are they and deemed a disgrace by all men on Earth
who fail to beget the offspring called fame.

Verse 239

Even flawlessly fruitful lands will lessen their yields
when forced to support the body of one who lacks illustriousness.

Verse 240

Those who live without reproach truly live.
Those who live without renown don’t live at all.

Chapter 23: Charity

Verse 226
A rich family is seen personally feeding the poor in their home, a temple and the marketplace. They have learned that to relieve the hunger of the less fortunate is the right use of their wealth. They receive the blessings of the inner plane deities.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 221

Giving to the poor is true charity.
All other giving expects some return.

Verse 222

Though some may declare it a good path, garnering gifts is bad.
Even if they say it denies one Heaven, giving gifts is good.

Verse 223

Men of good birth graciously give,
never uttering the wretched excuse, “I have nothing.”

Verse 224

How unpleasant a beggar’s pleading can become,
until one sees his face so sweetly pleased.

Verse 225

Great, indeed, is the power to endure hunger.
Greater still is the power to relieve others’ hunger.

Verse 226

Relieving the ravaging hunger of the poor
is a right use for wealth men have obtained.

Verse 227

The fiery scourge called hunger never touches
the man who shares his daily meal with others.

Verse 228

Is it because they are unaware of the joys of giving
that hard-hearted men waste their wealth by hoarding it?

Verse 229

More bitter than even a beggar’s bread is the meal
of the miser who hoards wealth and eats alone.

Verse 230

There is nothing more bitter than death;
yet even death seems sweet when giving is impossible.

Chapter 22: Understanding One’s Duty to Give

Verse 211
A man and woman are distributing food and clothing to impoverished people in the marketplace. Elsewhere they feed the hungry. Above, rain clouds gather at the distance and citizens offer their gratitude for the life-giving waters.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 211

The benevolent expect no return for their dutiful giving.
How can the world ever repay the rain cloud?

Verse 212

It is to meet the needs of the deserving
that the worthy work so hard to acquire wealth.

Verse 213

Of all duties, none is better than benevolence,
whether in this world or that of the Gods.

Verse 214

He who understands the duty of giving truly lives.
All others shall be counted among the dead.

Verse 215

The wealth of a community-loving wise man
may be likened to a well-filled village water tank.

Verse 216

Riches retained by the big-hearted resemble fruits
ripening on a tree in the heart of a village.

Verse 217

In the hands of a generous man,
wealth is like a medicinal tree whose healing gifts help all.

Verse 218

Those who know duty deeply never neglect giving,
even in their own unprosperous season.

Verse 219

The benevolent man considers himself poor only
when he is unable to render his accustomed duty to humanity.

Verse 220

Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of generosity,
such loss would be worth selling one’s self to acquire.

Chapter 21: Dread of Sinful Deeds

Verse 206
A woman offers a gift to an older relative. Below, the older woman remembers that she herself hit the younger girl earlier and regrets the act, and her hurtful attack brings great suffering.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 201

Wicked men do not fear, but worthy men dread,
the arrogance of sinful deeds.

Verse 202

From evil springs forth more evil.
Hence evil is to be feared even more than fire.

Verse 203

To commit no wrong, even against one’s enemies,
is said to be supreme wisdom.

Verse 204

Only the forgetful plot another’s ruin; others remember
that virtue itself devises every plotter’s downfall.

Verse 205

Do not commit wrongful deeds, claiming to be poor.
Such deeds only cause one to be poorer still.

Verse 206

Let one who hopes for freedom from afflictions’ pain
avoid inflicting harm on others.

Verse 207

One can escape from hate-filled enemies,
but his own hateful acts will pursue and destroy him.

Verse 208

As a man’s shadow follows his footsteps wherever he goes,
even so will destruction pursue those who commit sinful deeds.

Verse 209

If a man feels any fond affection for himself,
let him not indulge in immoral deeds, however trifling.

Verse 210

If men neither deviate from right nor act wrongly,
they will be defended against destruction.

Chapter 20: Avoidance of Pointless Speech

Verse 193
A man tires his friends with an overly long discourse. The sun crosses the sky, telling us he has talked endlessly from morning to night. His friends are showing signs of boredom. One slips away, another yawns while yet another goes to sleep.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 191

Everyone is disgusted by a man
who offends one and all with meaningless chatter.

Verse 192

Uttering useless words to crowds is worse
than committing unkindnesses toward companions.

Verse 193

A long and pointless discourse itself declares
to all the speaker’s lack of worth.

Verse 194

Worthless words are doubly unprofitable: the listeners’
enjoyment is lost, and the speaker’s own virtues vanish.

Verse 195

Prestige and popularity flee the best of men
the moment they speak inane and useless words.

Verse 196

Do not call him a man who enjoys displaying
his own empty words. Rather, call him the chaff of men.

Verse 197

Let the wise, if they deem it necessary, speak even unpleasant
words, but it is good if they always refrain from pointless speech.

Verse 198

Even in search of extraordinary gains, the wise
will never speak trivial or ungainful words.

Verse 199

The wise, faultless and free from ignorance,
never utter pointless words, even forgetfully.

Verse 200

In your speaking, say only that which is purposeful.
Never utter words that lack purpose.

Chapter 19: Avoidance of Backbiting

Verse 189
Mother Earth is weeping as she watches a woman malign others who are leaving her company and cannot hear her criticisms.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 181

Silent about virtue and swift to act wrongly,
one who does not slander others may still be called good.

Verse 182

More vile than violating virtue and committing crime
is slandering a man, then smiling to his face.

Verse 183

Virtue declares that dying, not living, will bring
better rewards to deceiving backbiters.

Verse 184

Though you speak unkind words to a man’s face,
do not talk behind his back heedless of consequent harm.

Verse 185

Though his every word is full of kindly virtue,
a man’s mean backbiting will betray an empty heart.

Verse 186

If a man spreads tales of others’ faults,
his own worst faults will be exposed and spread.

Verse 187

Not knowing the companionable art of cheerful conversation,
men estrange even friends by divisive discourse.

Verse 188

If men are disposed to spread the faults of friends,
what deadly harm might they do to strangers?

Verse 189

Only because she weighs duty well does Earth bear the weight
of those who wait for a man’s departure to defame him.

Verse 190

If men perceived their own faults as they do the faults of others,
could misfortune ever come to them?

Chapter 18: Avoidance of Covetousness

A beggar has come to the door of a woman who brings him a savory bowl of food. Though impoverished, he points out a valuable necklace she has dropped, showing he does not wish another’s wealth to be his. A tortoise rests nearby, his limbs withdrawn into his shell, a metaphor for withdrawing the senses of desire.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 171

In the very attempt to wrongly gain another’s wealth,
a man forfeits his family’s future and his own faultlessness.

Verse 172

Those who deem injustice shameful never commit
guilt-yielding deeds driven by money-yielding desires.

Verse 173

Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb
to immoral deeds that follow desire for fleeting delights.

Verse 174

With senses conquered and sight unclouded by depravity,
one will not wish for others’ wealth, even in destitution.

Verse 175

What avails a man’s subtle and comprehensive learning,
if, crazed by covetousness, he treats others insensibly?

Verse 176

Desiring grace and doing his duty, a man who desires wealth
but acquires it wrongly is destroyed nevertheless.

Verse 177

Do not seek the fortune that greed gathers,
for its fruit is bitter on the day of enjoyment.

Verse 178

To protect one’s own prosperity from decline,
one must not crave the property held by others.

Verse 179

Just as wise men know the goodness of noncoveting,
so Fortune Herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Verse 180

There is a thoughtless desire for others’ things that is destructive.
There is a mindful pride that, in refusing to covet, is triumphant.

Chapter 17: Avoidance of Envy

Verse 166
There is a room filled with beautiful objects and in it a family finds contentment. In the adjoining apartment an impoverished woman is hiding behind the curtain, envious of her neighbors. Her husband has his hand on his head to indicate suffering and the children are pulling at her clothes.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 161

The unenvious heart is to be valued
no less than virtuous conduct itself.

Verse 162

Among the many precious things a man may acquire,
none surpasses a nature free from envy toward all.

Verse 163

They say he who is jealous instead of joyous of another’s wealth
clearly desires no wealth or virtue of his own.

Verse 164

Envy will never cause one to commit wrongful deeds
who rightly fathoms the disgrace that follows.

Verse 165

A man’s own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin,
even if he has no other enemies.

Verse 166

Whoever begrudges another’s bounty will watch
his kindred die in poverty, naked and starving.

Verse 167

Goddess Fortune, intolerant of those who cannot tolerate others’
success, introduces them to her sister, Misfortune, and goes away.

Verse 168

The wicked one called Envy consumes this world’s wealth,
then consigns sinners to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169

It is worth pondering why good men may be poor
while the envious in heart can prosper.

Verse 170

There are no envious men who have risen to prosperity.
There are no men free from envy who have fallen from it.