Tirukural – Chapter 82
Chapter 82: Harmful Friendship
Verse 816
A knowledgeable scholar is seated on the floor at his desk. He is looking sternly at and correcting his young prodigy, who hangs his head in shame for some shortcomings. Still the youth values the teacher’s friendship more than those outside the compound who are indolent and foolish.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 811
Though unscrupulous men may seem to consume you in friendship,
their companionship grows more delightful as it declines.
Verse 812
What does it matter if one gains or loses the friendship
of manipulators who befriend to gain and otherwise forsake?
Verse 813
Prostitutes, thieves and people who make friends
to make money are all alike.
Verse 814
Some men are like an untrained horse that throws its rider
on the battlefield. Loneliness is better than their friendship.
Verse 815
Better to give up than to gain the friendship of inferior men
who stay away when they should stay and help.
Verse 816
The enmity of the wise is ten million times
better than intimate friendship with fools.
Verse 817
An enemy’s rancor is a hundred million times more worthwhile
than companionship with fellows who always clown around.
Verse 818
If friends feign inability to discharge reasonable tasks,
remain silent and gradually give up their friendship.
Verse 819
The fellowship of men whose acts
belie their spoken words is bitter, even in dreams.
Verse 820
There are men who will cherish you in private but censure you
in public–avoid their every befriending approach.
Tirukural – Chapter 81
Chapter 81: Old Familiarity
Verse 807
A limb, fallen from a large tree, has broken the chariot and injured the passengers. In the foreground the maker of the chariot apologizes to the charioteer, who assures the man that it was not his fault.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 801
What is old familiarity? It is when neither friend
objects to liberties taken by the other.
Verse 802
Liberties taken by a friend are friendship’s rightful possession;
to allow them is the willing duty of wise men.
Verse 803
What is the purpose of long-standing fellowship
if friends’ familiar actions are not accepted as one’s own?
Verse 804
Familiar with familiarity, the wise are never annoyed
when friends do things without asking.
Verse 805
When friends do things that hurt you, attribute it
to unawareness or to the privileges of friendship.
Verse 806
Bound by brotherhood, true friends never break their bond
with an old comrade, even if he brings them loss.
Verse 807
Old friends do not forsake loving fellowships,
even when those they cherish happen to do them harm.
Verse 808
An intimate of any strength will never listen to faults said of friends;
and on the day a friend offends, he is content to keep silent.
Verse 809
The world cherishes faithful men who never forsake
old friendships, worn by time but unbroken.
Verse 810
Even ill-wishers will wish those well
who never abandon affection for old friends.
Tirukural – Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Testing Fitness for Friendship
Verse 800
A man is conversing with his wife when he notices a suspicious looking man outside surveilling them. Going outside, he offers the stranger a few coins to go away.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 791
Nothing is more grievous than friendship formed without first
testing, for once adopted, it cannot be abandoned by the faithful.
Verse 792
Unless it begins with testing and proving,
friendship may end in mortal sorrow.
Verse 793
Before you befriend him, consider a man’s character,
family background, faults and faithful allies.
Verse 794
Pay any price to possess the friendship
of well-born men who cannot bear rebuke and shame.
Verse 795
Seek out and befriend those who, speaking out, move you to repent,
reprove your wrongdoing and teach you the right ways.
Verse 796
There is a benefit even in misfortune, for it is the rod
with which a man may measure the loyalty of friends.
Verse 797
To give up friendship with fools and quit their company–
such loss is said to be a man’s greatest gain.
Verse 798
Don’t dwell on thoughts that dim your spirit.
Don’t befriend those who flee you in affliction.
Verse 799
Even in the hour of death, the thoughts of friends
who left you in your hour of need will hurt the heart.
Verse 800
Hold tight to friendship with pure men;
let go of unfit fellows, even by paying them off.
Tirukural – Chapter 79
Chapter 79: Friendship
Verse 786
Three friends have come to the courtyard of a fourth. Two of them have a smile on their face and also in their heart. The third is smiling outwardly, but not within.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 781
What is as difficult to secure as friendship?
And what greater security is there against foes?
Verse 782
With wise men, friendship waxes like the crescent moon;
with fools, it wanes as surely as the full moon must.
Verse 783
The bonds that good men share are like good bound books,
revealing new enchantments at each new encounter.
Verse 784
What matters in making friends is not merrymaking,
but a stern rebuking when friends go astray.
Verse 785
It is not constant meeting and companionship,
but shared sensibilities that confer the alliance of friendship.
Verse 786
A smiling face is no sure sign of friendship.
Friendship is found deep within a smiling heart.
Verse 787
To divert a man from wrong, direct him toward right
and share his sorrow in misfortune is comradeship.
Verse 788
As swiftly as the hand moves to seize a slipping garment,
friendship acts to assuage a friend’s distress.
Verse 789
Where does Friendship hold her court? It is where friends
find constant support in every possible circumstance.
Verse 790
To boast, “He means so much to me, and I to him,”
merely belittles a friendship.
Tirukural – Chapter 78
Chapter 78: Military Pride
Verse 780
The King is on the battlefield, holding a dying soldier in his lap. He is deeply moved by the bravery of this fallen warrior and a tear falls down his cheek. Around him his commanders appreciate the king’s compassion for their difficult and dangerous task.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 771
Dare you not, my enemies, to stand against my monarch!
Many who did now stand as stone monuments.
Verse 772
It is more gratifying to carry a lance that missed an elephant
than to hold an arrow that hit a thicket-dwelling rabbit.
Verse 773
Intrepid courage is what they call valor,
and clemency toward the defeated is its sharp edge.
Verse 774
Having hurled his spear at a battlefield elephant,
the hero found another piercing his side and grasped it with glee.
Verse 775
Is it not a disgraceful defeat to the courageous warrior
if his defiant eyes so much as blink when a lance is hurled at him?
Verse 776
When recounting his days, the heroic soldier regards all those
on which no battle scars were sustained as squandered.
Verse 777
To fasten the warrior’s anklet on one who desires glory
more than life is to decorate heroism with distinction.
Verse 778
Men of courage who do not fear for their lives in battle do not
forfeit soldierly ardor, even if the king prohibits their fighting.
Verse 779
Who would dare deride as defeated
men who die fulfilling valor’s vow?
Verse 780
Heroic death that fills the sovereign’s eyes with tears
is worth begging for and then dying for.
Tirukural – Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Merits of the Army
Verse 767
The commander-in-chief of an army directs his soldiers to storm the fallen foes who are attempting to run away.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 761
Foremost among a monarch’s possessions stands
a conquering army, complete and fearless.
Verse 762
Only seasoned soldiers remain bravely determined
when onslaughts decimate them and threaten defeat.
Verse 763
So what if a legion of rats roars like the raging sea?
The mere hiss of a cobra will deaden their din.
Verse 764
Commanding a long tradition of valor, acquainted
with neither defeat nor desertion–that defines an army.
Verse 765
That indeed is an army which stands together,
even when faced with death’s grim fury.
Verse 766
Valor, honor, trustworthiness and a tradition nobly upheld–
these four are an army’s protective armor.
Verse 767
Well-trained armed forces will withstand every attack,
then outflank and storm the foe.
Verse 768
Even without a winning offense and defense,
an army of splendid appearance may still win acclaim.
Verse 769
An army will prevail as long as there is
no desertion, no privation and no contention.
Verse 770
Though courageous troops abound,
there can be no army without commanders.
The Great Path to Siva
Today we share another of the new works of art being prepared in Kerala to adorn Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami's Yoga Sutras book, to be published later this year (we hope).
It depicts what Gurudeva loved to call the Straight Path to God. His hands held worshipfully above his head, a yogi follows the Sivaneri, unaware of the distractions of nature or village life. Our artist, Suresh Muthukulam, is working on the final, tenth canvas today.
Tirukural – Chapter 76
Chapter 76: The Ways of Acquiring Wealth
Verse 760
A wealthy man has gathered in the family puja room with his wife and son, all worshiping the Lord. Outside his servants wait with the carriage to take them on an afternoon picnic. Their good life has manifested security and comforts.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 751
There is nothing like wealth for lending consequence
to an inconsequential man.
Verse 752
Those who have nothing have everyone's contempt,
while the rich are exalted by one and all.
Verse 753
Wealth is an unfailing lamp whose light
reaches every imaginable land, dispelling darkness.
Verse 754
Riches acquired by mindful means, in a manner
that harms no one, will bring both piety and pleasure.
Verse 755
Wealth acquired without compassion and love
is to be cast off, not embraced.
Verse 756
Wealth with no owner, wealth of defeated foes, wealth from
tax and customs--these constitute the royal revenues.
Verse 757
Compassion, which is the child of Love,
requires for its care the bountiful nurse called Wealth.
Verse 758
Undertaking an enterprise with sufficient resources in hand
is like standing on a hilltop watching elephants fight below.
Verse 759
Make money--that is the sharpest scalpel
for paring down an enemy's pride.
Verse 760
Having acquired affluence, the acquisition of two
other treasures--duty and delight--is effortless.
Tirukural – Chapter 75
Chapter 75: Fortresses
Verse 749
A fortress sits at the top of the hill. Outside its walls the attacking army has been discouraged and defeated by the siege. Inside the fort all are well, for it is rich with fields, fruit groves and water wells—all needed to sustain life during a long siege.
You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver's Wisdom
Verse 741
A fortress is a strategic asset both to aggressors
and to those in fear who seek defense.
Verse 742
An effective fort has crystal-clear water, arable lands,
a hill and lovely shaded woods.
Verse 743
The expert texts ordain four features for a fort's barricades:
that they be high, thick, solid and impregnable.
Verse 744
The ideal fortress is spacious, vulnerable in very few places
and, of itself, defies a determined foe's designs to storm it.
Verse 745
A good garrison is hard to assail, amply provisioned
and accommodates inmates well.
Verse 746
The most formidable fortress, stocked with all needed goods,
still needs men of good stock to fend off attack.
Verse 747
Whether by hurling artillery, tunneling beneath or encircling
to lay siege, it is impossible to capture a strong fort.
Verse 748
However forcefully assailants may press,
a secure fortress promises allies defense and foes defeat.
Verse 749
A fortress earns greatness by enabling courageous defenders
to gloriously defeat the enemy at the battle's very onset.
Verse 750
Whatever excellent qualities a fortress may possess,
it will be of no avail without men of excellent action.
Dharma Megha Samadhi
This masterpiece recently arrived from Kerala, the ninth in the series destined to illustrate Bodhinatha's book on the Yoga Sutras. This will without doubt be the most beautifully ornate of the hundreds of such commentaries published around the world. This canvas describes a little-known gem in Patanjali's text--the Dharma Cloud, and the samadhi associated with it. Our yogi in the artwork has reached this advanced state. The artist gives creative expression to the attainment of kaivalya, spiritual liberation, and to the all-pervasive presence of Dharma Megha, the Dharma Cloud which is the ever-flowing presence of Siva's grace and love surrounding the yogi. Patanjali speaks of the cloud as "a cloud of virtue raining goodness," shown as the various blessings from the devas--flowers, bilva leaves, light, music and water. Above, Siva as the fierce Bhairava with His vahana, a dog. Siva's dasanadigal, ten strands of hair, flail across the sky. On each is a devata showering goodness and blessings upon the scene below. In His hands Bhairava holds a trisula and a sword with which he just severed the yogi's bonds. Siva's hands are held apart, acknowledging the yogi's own gesture. Above Bhairava the radiant Central Sun blazes to represent Savikalpa Samadhi, and at the center is the Great Nothingness called Sunya, Parasiva beyond the beyond, the source and final destiny of all form. The yogi is seen to slowly merge toward this timeless, formless, causeless Self, propelled by the power of the Siva temples below, north and south, which are the powerhouses of Siva's Shakti.
Dharma Megha Samadhi arises when you have lost even the desire for enlightenment. It comes not by effort, but reveals itself when all effort has subsided. It is a divine gift from Siva. It brings perfect bliss as seen in the yogi's expression.
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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