Tirukural – Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Possession of Forbearance
Verse 155
An angry man, surrounded by filth, is about to strike another man who remains calm. The victim, refusing to retaliate, is sitting on a pile of gold bricks.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 151
Just as the Earth bears those who dig into her,
it is best to bear with those who despise us.
Verse 152
It is always good to endure injuries done to you,
but to forget them is even better.
Verse 153
It is impoverished poverty to be inhospitable to guests.
It is stalwart strength to be patient with fools.
Verse 154
Desiring that greatness should never cease,
let one’s conduct foster forbearance.
Verse 155
Worthless are those who injure others vengefully,
while those who stoically endure are like stored gold.
Verse 156
The joy of the vengeful lasts only for a day,
but the glory of the forbearing lasts until the end of time.
Verse 157
Though unjustly aggrieved, it is best to suffer the suffering
and refrain from unrighteous retaliation.
Verse 158
Let a man conquer by forbearance
those who in their arrogance have wronged him.
Verse 159
Those who patiently endure rude remarks
possess the rare purity of an ascetic.
Verse 160
Great are those who suffer fasting’s hardships; yet they
are surpassed by those who suffer hard words.
Tirukural – Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Not Coveting Another’s Wife
Verse 148
A man is talking to a friend who is seated on the porch of their house with his wife. In order to be proper and not covet her, he is casting his gaze at her feet and not into her eyes. The clear light of his aura reflects his purity of thought.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 141
Those who know virtue’s laws and marital rights
never indulge in the folly of desiring another man’s wife.
Verse 142
Among those who stand outside virtue, there is no greater fool
than he who stands with a lustful heart outside another’s gate.
Verse 143
No different from the dead are those who
wickedly desire the wife of a friend.
Verse 144
Though a man’s measure be mountainous, what good is it
if, without the minutest concern, he takes another’s wife?
Verse 145
A man who seduces another man’s wife, knowing she is easy,
suffers a shame that neither dies nor diminishes.
Verse 146
Hatred, sin, fear and disgrace–these four
never forsake the man who commits adultery.
Verse 147
He is decreed a worthy householder who holds
no desire for the womanly charms of another’s wife.
Verse 148
The chivalry that does not look upon another’s wife
is not mere virtue–it is saintly conduct.
Verse 149
In a world encircled by the awesome sea, to whom do good things
belong? To men never impassioned to caress a married woman.
Verse 150
Though a man deserts virtue and indulges in vice, he keeps
some decency by not wanting another’s wife’s womanliness.
Tirukural – Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Possession of Virtuous Conduct
Verse 131
It is said that men grow bigger by acts of goodness. Here a small boy is feeding and petting a cat. A second youth is bathing his elderly father. Below a devotee is offering his wages to help build his favorite temple.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 131
Virtuous conduct leads a man to eminent greatness.
Therefore, it should be guarded as more precious than life itself.
Verse 132
In your striving, be mindful to preserve good conduct.
In your deliberations, discover it is your staunchest ally.
Verse 133
Morality is the birthright of high families,
while immoral conduct’s legacy is lowly birth.
Verse 134
If a priest forgets the Vedas, he can relearn them.
But if he falls from virtue, his high birth is forever lost.
Verse 135
Prosperity is not for the envious,
nor is greatness for men of impure conduct.
Verse 136
The firm-minded never slacken in upholding virtuous conduct,
for they know the miseries brought on by such neglect.
Verse 137
By honest conduct one achieves honorable eminence,
while corrupt conduct brings one nothing but blame.
Verse 138
Good conduct is the seed in virtue’s field;
wicked conduct’s harvest is never-ending sorrow.
Verse 139
Men who conduct themselves virtuously
are incapable of voicing harmful words, even forgetfully.
Verse 140
Those who cannot live in harmony with the world,
though they have learned many things, are still ignorant.
Tirukural – Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Possession of Self-Control
Verse 124
With a massive mountain behind him, a man sits before trays of delicious food. Others are gathered around, gossiping, drinking and otherwise indulging themselves, as he sits detached from such temptations.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 121
Self-control will place one among the Gods,
while lack of it will lead to deepest darkness.
Verse 122
Guard your self-control as a precious treasure,
for there is no greater wealth in life than this.
Verse 123
Comprehending and acquiring self-control
confers upon one the esteem of wise men.
Verse 124
More imposing than a mountain is the greatness of a man who,
steadfast in domestic life, has mastered self-control.
Verse 125
Humility is a precious quality in all people,
but it has a rare richness in the rich.
Verse 126
Like a tortoise withdrawing five limbs into its shell, those who
restrain the five senses in one life will find safe shelter for seven.
Verse 127
Whatever you may fail to guard, guard well your tongue,
for flawed speech unfailingly invokes anguish and affliction.
Verse 128
The goodness of all one’s virtues can be lost
by speaking even a single word of injury.
Verse 129
The wound caused by fire heals in its time;
the burn inflicted by an inflamed tongue never heals.
Verse 130
Virtue will wait in the streets to meet a man
possessed of learning and self-discipline, his anger subdued.
New Art Collections on HAMSA
Aum Namah Sivaya
You can now enjoy two more collections of artwork available on the Himalayan Academy Museum of Spiritual Art. The first is an informative collection of the traditional 32 forms of Ganesha as found in the Mudgala Purana. These pieces of art are joined by their scriptural description found in the Purana’s Dhyana Slokas.
The second collection consists of the entirety of the black and white artwork found in our Saivite Hindu Religion Course, books 1, 2 and 3. The art includes the english captions from the books and would be perfect for children to color in. Feel free to download them and print them.
Tirukural – Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Impartiality
Verse 118
A man is sitting with two others, one on each side. He is there to make a judgment, to balance things fairly. From above, a deva places a crown on the central figure to acknowledge his fairness.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 111
Justice may be called good when it acts impartially
toward enemies, strangers and friends.
Verse 112
The wealth of those who possess justice will not perish;
rather it will be their posterity’s soothing security.
Verse 113
However prosperous it may seem, all wealth gained
by loss of rightness must be relinquished that very day.
Verse 114
In their offspring one may doubtlessly discern
who are the just and who are the unjust.
Verse 115
Adversity and prosperity never cease to exist. The adornment
of great men’s minds is to remain unswervingly just under both.
Verse 116
When his heart forsakes fairness and his deeds turn depraved,
a man realizes deep within himself, “I am ruined.”
Verse 117
Though a man is profoundly impoverished,
if he remains just, the world will not regard him as poor.
Verse 118
To incline to neither side, like a balance scale’s level beam,
and thus weigh impartially is the wise one’s ornament.
Verse 119
Speech uttered without bias is integrity,
if no unspoken bias lurks in the heart.
Verse 120
Those businessmen will prosper whose business
protects as their own the interests of others.
Tirukural – Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Gratitude
Verse 108
Standing in the golden footstep of God Siva with his arms raised high above his head in thanks for the magnificence of creation, a devotee exudes gratitude for all the things he never asked for but were given to him.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 101
The bounty of Heaven and Earth are scant repayment
for help rendered though no help was received.
Verse 102
A kindness done in the hour of need may itself be small,
but in worth it exceeds the whole world.
Verse 103
When help is given by weighing the recipient’s need
and not the donor’s reward, its goodness is greater than the sea.
Verse 104
While aid may outwardly seem as puny as a mustard seed,
those who know will deem it as imposing as a towering palm.
Verse 105
Help rendered another cannot be measured by the extent of
assistance given. Its real measure is the recipient’s worthiness.
Verse 106
Never forget fellowship with pure souls,
nor forsake friendship with those who aided you in adversity.
Verse 107
For seven lives in seven bodies the grateful will remember
friends who relieved their anguish and affliction.
Verse 108
It is improper to ever forget a kindness,
but good to forget at once an injury received.
Verse 109
The deadliest injury is effaced the moment
the mind recalls a single kindness received from the injurer.
Verse 110
Having killed every kind of goodness, one may yet be saved,
but there is no redemption for those who let gratitude die.
Tirukural – Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Speaking Pleasant Words
Verse 93
An old lady is sitting on the bed. Her granddaughter holds her hand, smiles and offers encouraging words. Above, the devas see the young one’s goodness and offer heavenly blessings.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 91
Pleasant words, full of tenderness and devoid of deceit,
fall from the lips of virtuous men.
Verse 92
Better than a gift given with a joyous heart
are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.
Verse 93
A kindly countenance and sweet words
spoken from the heart are virtue’s way.
Verse 94
Poverty-provoking sorrow will not pursue
those who speak joy-producing words to all they meet.
Verse 95
Humility and pleasant words are the jewels
that adorn a man; there are none other.
Verse 96
If a man seeks to do good while speaking sweet words,
his virtues will wax and his vices will wane.
Verse 97
Words yield spiritual rewards and moral excellence
when they do not wander far from usefulness and agreeableness.
Verse 98
Sweet speech that is a stranger to pettiness
imparts pleasure not only in this life, but in the next.
Verse 99
Why would anyone speak cruel words,
having observed the happiness that kind words confer?
Verse 100
To utter harsh words when sweet ones would serve
is like eating unripe fruits when ripe ones are at hand.
Tirukural – Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Hospitality
Verse 84
Here the wife is preparing banana leaves upon which the meal will be set for eating. The daughter fills cups with water. Behind their happy guests enjoy conversation as they wait for lunch to be ready.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 81
The whole purpose of earning wealth and maintaining
a home is to provide hospitality to guests.
Verse 82
When a guest is in the home, it is improper to hoard one’s meal,
even if it happens to be the nectar of immortality.
Verse 83
If a man cares daily for those who come to him,
his life will never suffer the grievous ruin of poverty.
Verse 84
Wealth’s Goddess dwells in the hospitable home
of those who host guests with a smiling face.
Verse 85
If a man eats only after attending to guests’ needs,
what further sowing will his fertile fields require?
Verse 86
The host who, caring for guests, watches hopefully for more,
will himself be a welcomed guest of those whose home is Heaven.
Verse 87
Charity’s merit cannot be measured by gifts given.
It is measured by measuring the receiver’s merits.
Verse 88
Those who never sacrifice to care for guests will later lament:
“We hoarded wealth, estranged ourselves, now none will care for us.”
Verse 89
The poverty of poverties is having plenty yet shunning guests.
Such senselessness is only found in senseless fools.
Verse 90
The delicate anicham flower withers when merely smelled,
but an unwelcome look is enough to wither a guest’s heart.
Tirukural – Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Possessing Love
Verse 74
A boy and a girl play at the beach. Their friendship grows with age as they study and share meals together. Their love grows from that friendship. They live happily the rest of their lives.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 71
Can any lock keep love confined within,
when the loving heart’s tiny tears escape and confess it?
Verse 72
The unloving belong only to themselves,
but the loving belong to others to their very bones.
Verse 73
They say it is to know union with love
that the soul takes union with the body.
Verse 74
Love makes one affectionate toward all,
and affection affords the priceless treasure of friendship.
Verse 75
They say love’s greatness is this: it yields to good families
worldly happiness here and heavenly bliss hereafter.
Verse 76
The uninformed say love abides with virtuous souls,
unaware that love is also friend to those immersed in vice.
Verse 77
As the blazing sun dries up a boneless worm,
so does virtue scorch a loveless being.
Verse 78
Life without love in the heart
is like a sapless tree in a barren desert.
Verse 79
What good is a body perfect in outer ways,
if inwardly it is impaired by lack of love?
Verse 80
With love enshrined in the heart, one truly lives.
Without it, the body is but bones encased in skin.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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