TIRUKKURAL

Holy Kural: Scripture of Saivite Hinduism

INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY KURAL PART ONE

Today is an auspicious day. It is the Guru Puja Day of Saint Tiruvalluvar, one of the most venerated of the saints of Saivism. A few of us have just returned from the Guru Puja where a black granite statue of Saint Tiruvalluvar was given abhishekam and deepam in the traditional Hindu form of worship. Saint Tirumular's statue was also there. These great sages of Saivism both lived over two thousand years ago. It seemed appropriate to us today that Saint Tiruvalluvar is seated, composing his scripture on the archaic ola leaves with a sharpened stylus. This is how writing was done in India and throughout Asia before paper and ink were invented. The words were scribed into the surface of the dried leaves. Some of the verses composed by the saint have endured more than twenty centruies and exist today. Saint Tirumular's black grantite statue also adorns our monastery, Kauai Aadheenam in Hawaii. Appropriately, he is seated in the traditional lotus posture, absorbed in deep contemplation. Now, the reason this seemed fitting to us as we sat in silent reverence during the puja is that there are in Hinduism four legitmate goals of human life - virtue, wealth, love and spiritual liberation. In the Holy Kural Saint Tiruvalluvar spoke in depth on the first three, but did not discuss moksha or enlightenment, whereas Saint Tirumular's Tirumantiram is dedicated almost entirely to the means and the nature of liberation. Taken together, they represent the whole path of Saivism. Saint Tiruvalluvar gave us the laws of living a good life, a virtuous life. He described to us how to live in the world so the highest dharma could be fulfilled. Saint Tirumular, through the Tirumantiram, gave us the laws for liberation.

The Tirukural, as this scripture is known in the Tamil language in which it was originally written, is one of the most revered scriptures of Hinduism. In fact, other religions also claim it as their own. The Jains claim it, saying that it expresses precisely their ideals of ahimsa, or non-violence, of dharma, of asceticism and other aspects of Jainism. Even the Christinas have argued that the Kural is so profound and filled with such compassion that it must have been influenced by the early Christian missionaries who came to South India in the first century AD., though they arrived two hundred years later. For Saivites, the Holy Kural is not unlike the Christian Bible, the Torah of the Jews, or the Koran of the Muslims. It is sworn upon in the courts of law in Tamil Nadu, South India, and puja or sanctified cerremony is offered to this scripture in the temples and home shrines of the devout. Even Albert Schweitzer considered it one of the grandest achievements of the human mind.

Many years ago when I was in Sri Lanka - that was in 1949 - I made a vow to bring together the best of the East and the best of the West. I was first introduced to the Holy Kural in those early days. To me it is one of the most important scriptures of the East. It is very practical. It contains wonderful insights into life and really teaches us how to deal with the various feelings and circumstances that come to us in our interactions with others. In this sense the Kural is the most relevant sacred text I know, applying to everyday matters and common concerns.

Although it has been translated into English by many scholars, the Holy Kural has never been widely known in the Western world. There is a similar work, written in modern times by the mystic Kahil Gibran, called The Prophet which has been widely distributed. Everyone knows and loves this great work. The Holy Kural parallels The Prophet in many ways. Both books speak in profound yet useful terms of love and friendship, of health and death, of joy and sorrow. It is my hope that the Holy Kural will soon find its place beside The Prophet and be known by the world for the gem that it is.

The Holy Kural was written by a weaver who lived with his wife, Vasuki, in what is today a part of madras in South India in the first century before the birth of Christ. Details of his life are meager. It is known that his wife was the perfect example of devotion and obedience to her husband, and several stories are told depicting the harmony in their marriage. This was Tiruvalluvar's only work, and though it is relatively short, it was sufficient to bring renown to a humble weaver, making him a venerated sage and lawgiver of the Tamil Dravidian people.

In the Tamil language, "tiru" means "holy" or "sacred", and "kural" means anything that is brief or short. In this case it describes the very difficult and disciplined venpa meter in which the verses were written. Each verse is extremely short, containing only two lines of fourteen syllables. In fact, it is the shortest form of stanza in the Tamil language. In many ways these couplets are similar to the Sanskrit sloka. The entire scripture consists of 133 chapters with each chapter elucidating a different aspect of human virtue or human fault. There are ten kural couplets per chapter, making a total of 1330 couplets in the entire scripture. In his work Tiruvalluvar chose a topic - such as children, friendship or avoidance of anger - and gave us ten different couplets on the one subject. To properly understand his perspective on a subject, each of the ten couplets must be read, for they are like facets of a gem - all reflecting the light of his understanding slightly differently and adding to the richness of his comprehension. It has been explained to me that the saint spent the fullness of his life quietly observing, simply observing the human condition. Then, toward the end of his life, he was asked to speak out and share the wisdom others in the community knew he possessed. The Holy Kural is his response.

Holy Kural: Scripture of Saivite Hinduism

INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY KURAL PART TWO

This edition of the Holy Kural has been several years in the preparation. It was during a pilgrimage in 1975 to pay respects at my Satguru's mahasamadhi in Sri Lanka that the decision was made to bring the Tirukural to the West. I instructed one of the sannyasins of our Order traveling with me to bring into American English the essential meaning of the verses.

There had never been a translation in modenrn American English. He studied the various translations. Later he returned to the monastery here in Hawaii and with another Sannyasin worked in the hours before dawn for many months. There were five objectives in their work - to be faithful to the original Tamil in meaning and style, to be clear and understandable, to be brief whenever possible so as to capture the saint's succinct style, to be subtle and profound, and finally to have the verses as graceful and refined in English as they are in Tamil. This was not an easy task, as you can imagine. It was further complicated by the fact that the text was written twenty centuries ago in a classical form of Tamil that is difficult to understand today. It is like trying to read the Old English works of Chaucer. They had to reflect on exactly what the saint meant, for often his verses are obscure and subtle. They had to catch the same meaning, the same insight, to discover the same area of consciousness which the saint held as he wrote. And then they had to speak out that perception in the vernacular of our day. Realizing that much meaning would be lost if the attempt was made to use rhyming verse in the translation, I asked the Sannyasins to not attempt that, but to work in prose instead.

Of the 133 chapters in the original work, 108 are included in this present abridged edition, comprising the sections on virtue and wealth but not the final 25 chapters on marital love. Each chapter consists of ten verses.

The Total scripture is divided into four sections: the Preface, Virtue, Wealth and Love. In not speaking of the fourth and final objective of human existence, moksha or spiritual liberation, Saint Tiruvalluvar was able to reach out with his message of goodness and touch the lives of many generations. Certainly he knew that in speaking of virtue and love he was leading the soul to the liberation which he perhaps held too sacred, or too advanced, to openly discuss. That is why it was aswesome to be at the puja today and to see the two larger -than-life black granite statues made for us in South India sitting totgether - the one who spoke on virtue, wealth and love and the other who spoke so potently on liberation in his great work, The Tirumantiram. The whole of the way of Saivite Hinduism is contained in the works of these two eminent saints.

The Holy Kural should be used in everyday life - its verses commited to memory and meditated upon, to quote freely as your very own. You will sound wise if you do remember and share these jewels. One of the greatest benefits of this scripture is to guide our actions and our thoughts, to direct our purpose in life and refine our intereactinos with our fellow man. Problems can be resolved in the light of the saint's wisdom. If something is going along wrong in your life, bring the forces of life back into harmony by studying the Holy Kural and applying its knowledge. That is perhaps its main function - to perfect and protect our lives in the everyday world by preventing mistakes which can cause an unhappy karma, by preventing erroneous attitudes which can bring unnecessary sorrow into our experience. Yet, there is nothng in the Kural that has to be obeyed. Each of the couplets contains such insight, however, that we are drawn to it and want to obey.

Use the verses in this scripture to provide guidelines for effective and virtuous action in your life. It can be our refuge in times of confusion, a source of inspriation when we feel less than inspired, a central hub around which the endless play of Lord Siva's maya revolves. Of course, it can be studied so as to comprehend the nature of virtue and the difficulties caused by transgressing virtue's natural laws. It does not contain a single concept or expression that would offend another faith, and thus it is a fine introduction to the scriptures of the East. The Holy Kural may well be the meeting ground, the common ground, of all religions. It could be called a Common Creed for the modern world. But above all it is to be used by the individual to bring the wisdom of the ages, the wisdom of Saivite Hinduism, into our lives. I hope you will all allow Saint Tiruvalluvar's insights to spark your own intuition and reveal from within yourself the laws which he too discovered within himself. Do not look upon this scripture as something "out there." Meditation and rflection will reveal that its knowledge lies within, vibrantly alive, dynamically real. It is impossible to not be moved by the grand compassion and the direct discernment of the Kural. Let it enrich your life as your journey along this Eternal Path, the Sanatana Dharma.

I would suggest that you commit to memory as many stanzas as you can. Many have done this, keeping them on the tip of their tongue and in the forefront of their mind. Impress them on the subconscious mind and thereby make a gridwork for living that takes you swiftly to the goal and brings joy in the process, for Hinduism is a joyous religion.

I would also suggest that you teach these gems to the children. This advice and admonition, coming from the world's most ancient faith and culture, will enrich every child's understanding of goodness, right conduct and right thought. It is one of the most astute scriptures in the world today. It should be memorized, especially by small children. It will create a positive conscience for their inner decision, guiding how they will conduct themsevles through life. Small children all through South India memorize the Holy Kural in order to be able to chant it verse after verse - many can recite the entire 1,330 verses by heart. This gives them a code of living that remains with them the rest of their lives. It is crucial that children be given the benefit of strong principles from an early age, especially in these times when television and the stories, plots and scenes that children see on television which form the code of living for their lives provide opposite and obscure values. The Holy Kural is therefore most important. It is essential that the values which are the substance of the Holy Kural - the do's as well as the don'ts - be carried over into the next generatation with courage and persistence and fortitude so that our descendants, the heirs of a future which we are even now in the process of creating, are benefited by these age-old insights into universal laws, humanitarian laws and plain common sense.

This is the responsibility of all parents and those who teach our children. They may use this translaton freely, drawing upon its storehouse of virtuous living. Quote from these verses freely. Use them as your very own.

In Saiviate Hinduism we believe that the soul, man's soul created by Siva, is returning to the Source which it already is, and this maturation is effected and directed by karma, through experience, through a succession of lives that provide experience from which inner knowledge is attained. This passage through one life and then another brings the soul ever closer to its true, effulgent being. Saivites believe that the soul can and does ultimately merge with Siva, with God, with Absolute Reality. It becomes one with God, united in an ultimate experience, or non-experience, called Self-realization, which in turn leads to moksha or liberation from the necessity for further incarnation. This is the final goal, and the Holy Kural provides a foundation upon which the quest for that goal may proceed with confidence and stability.

In Praise of God

Verse 1

"A" is the first and source of all the letters. Even so is God Primordial the first and source of all the world.

Verse 2

What has learning profited a man, if it has not led him To worship the Good Feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?

Verse 3

The Supreme dwells within the lotus of the heart. Those who reach His Splendid Feet dwell endearingly within unearthly realms. Than he who stands with a lustful heart outside another's gate.

Draw near the Feet of Him who is free of desire and aversion. And live forever free of suffering.

Those who delight in praising the immutable, worshipful One.

Verse 6

A long and joyous life rewards those who remain firmly On the faultless path of Him who controls the five senses.

Who take refuge at the Feet of the Incomparable One.

Verse 8

They alone can cross life's other oceans who take refuge At the Feet of the Gracious One, Himself an ocean of virtue.

Verse 9

The head which cannot bow before the Feet of the Possessor Of eight infinite powers is like the senses lacking the power to perceive.

Verse 10

The boundless ocean of births can be crossed, But not without intimate union with Infinity's Holy Feet.

Verse 13

Though oceanic waters surround it, the world will be deluged By hunger's hardships if the billowing clouds betray us.

Verse 14

When clouds withhold their watery wealth, Farmers cease to pull their ploughs.

Verse 15

It is rain that ruins, and it is rain again That raises up those it has ruined.

Verse 19

Unless the heavens grant their gifts, neither the giver's generosity Nor the ascetic's aloofness will grace this wide world.

Verse 20

No life on earth can exist without water, And the ceaseless flow of that water cannot exist without rain.

Greatness of Renunciates

Verse 21

The scriptures exalt above every other good The greatness of virtuous renunciates.

Verse 22

Attempting to speak of the renunciate's magnitude Is akin to measuring the human multitudes who have ever died.

Verse 23

Behold those who have weighed the dual nature of things and followed The renunciate's way. Their greatness illumines the world.

Verse 24

He whose firm will, wisdom's goading hook, controls his five senses Is a seed that will flourish in the fields of heaven.

Verse 25

Such is the power of those who subdue the five senses that even Indra, Sovereign of spacious heaven's celestials, suffered their curse.

Verse 26

The magnificent ones are they who can dispatch the most Difficult tasks; the insignificant ones are they who cannot.

Verse 27

Touch, taste, sight, smell and hearingHe who controls these five magically controls the world.

Verse 28

Their own secret sayings reveal to the world The greatness of men whose words prove prophetic.

Verse 29

It is impossible to endure even a moment's wrath of those Who have scaled and stand upon the mountain called virtue.

Verse 30

Renunciates are called the priestly ones For they are clothed in robes of compassion for all life.

Verse 33

Be unremitting in the doing of good deeds. Do them with all your might and by every possible means.

Verse 34

Keep the mind free of impurity. That alone is the practice of virtue. All else is nothing but empty display.

Verse 35

Virtue is living in such a way that one does not fall into these fourEnvy, anger, greed and unsavory speech.

Verse 36

Don't tell yourself tomorrow you'll be wise enough to practice virtue. Do it now, for it will be your deathless companion when you die.

Verse 37

It is decidedly unnecessary to inquire about virtue's benefits, So evident in the difference between the palanquin's rider and bearer.

Verse 38

Allowing not a day to pass without doing some good Is a boulder that will block your passage on the path to rebirth.

Verse 45

When family life possesses love and virtue, That is both its essence and fruition.

Verse 46

If a man masters the duties of married life, What further merits could monkhood offer him?

Verse 53

What does a man lack if his wife is worthy? And what does he possess if she is lacking worth?

Verse 54

What is more majestic than a women
Who preserves the prodigious strength of chastity?

Verse 55

Even the rains will fall at her command Who upon rising worships not God, but her husband.

Verse 56

A woman is one who vigilantly guards herself, Cares for her husband and protects their unblemished reputation.

Verse 57

Why do guardians protect women by confinement? Her own resolute chastity is a women's paramount protection.

Verse 58

A women deeply devoted to the man who wed her Will be worthy of great rewards in the world where Gods delight

Verse 59

Unless the wife pursues praiseworthy purity, The husband cannot prance like a proud lion before his critics.

Verse 60

A worthy wife is the blessing of a home, And good children are its precious ornament.

The Blessing of Children

Verse 61

Of all a man's blessings we know of none greater than The begetting of children endowed with intelligence.

Verse 62

Those who bear children of blameless character Will themselves be born seven times, untouched by evil.

Verse 63

It is said that children are a man's real wealth, And that this wealth is determined by his deeds.

Verse 64

Far sweeter than divine nectar is simple boiled rice Stirred by the small hands of one's own child.

Possessing Love

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 a man 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 there.

The Importance of Rain

Verse 11

It is the unfailing fall of rain that sustains the world. Therefore, look upon rain as the nectar of life.

Verse 12

Rain produces man's wholesome food;
And rain itself forms part of his food besides.

Verse 76

The uninformed say love stands by virtuous souls, Unaware that love is also friend to all immersed in vice.

Verse 77

As the blazing sun dries up a boneless worm, So does virtue scorch a loveless being.

Verse 78

Without love in the heart,
Life 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 lives. Without it, the body is but bone encased in skin.

Anyone aware of what Valluvar is talking about in the verse below?

>Verse 76
>
>The uninformed say love stands by virtuous souls, >Unaware that love is also friend to all immersed in vice. >
Kishore Krshna

krshna@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu

Hospitality

Verse 81

The whole purpose of maintaining a home And earning wealth is to provide hospitality to guests.

Verse 82

To hoard one's meal when a guest is in the home is improper, Even if it happens to be the nectar of immortality.

Verse 83

The life of the man who daily cares for those who Come to him will never suffer poverty's painful ruin.

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 poorest penury 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 the heart of a guest.

C->Subject: REXX

C->> > heard that some version of Unix uses REXX too. As for upgrading to C->> > C++, just
C->>
C->> That wouldn't happen to be AIX, would it? Reply-To: TAMIL-L Tamil Studies Sender: TAMIL-L Tamil Studies

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.

Pleasant words fall from the lips of virtuous men, Full of tenderness and free from deceit.

Verse 92

Better than a gift given with a joyous heart Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.

Verse 96

If a man seeks good works while speaking sweet words, His virtues will wax and his vices wane.

Verse 97

Words yield spiritual rewards and moral excellence When they do not wander far from usefulness and agreeableness.

Verse 98

Sweet speech which is 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.

Verse 107

For seven lives in seven bodies the grateful will remember Friends who nullified 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 massacred every breed of goodness, one may yet escape, But there is no escape for those who let gratitude die.

Impartiality

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 posterity's soothing security.

ers. Although
their titles tend to cover nearly everything you ever want to know about compute r graphics
they always illustrate their work with "C"ish (if not actual C) code.

Chris Cradock
cradockc@oup.co.uk

You can do this with a counter and the ping command, but unless all the hosts ar e active or
willing to respond or are not blocked by some networking equipment somewhere you will not catch
all machines.

Given a network number, simply issue ping for each node number. If a machine exi To: Multiple recipients of list TAMIL-L Status: RO

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 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.

Gratitude

Verse 101

Heaven and earth are scant repayment
For help rendered where none 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 rendered by weighing the receiver's need And not the donor's reward, its goodness grows greater than the sea.

Verse 104

While aid may outwardly seem as puny as a mustard seed, The knowing will deem it as imposing as a towering palm.

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 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.

Possession of Virtuous Conduct

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 brahmin forgets the Vedas, he can relearn them. But if he falls from virtue, his high birth is forever effaced.

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.

Not Coveting Another's Wife

Verse 141

Those who know virtue's laws and property's 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 is 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 which 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 womanliness 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 imperiled by the fearsome sea, to whom do good things belong? To men never impassioned to caress a married women.

Verse 150

Though a man deserts virtue and indulges in vice, He keeps some decency by not wanting another's wife's womanliness.

Verse 153

It is impoverished poverty to be inhospitable to guests. It is stalwart strength to be patient with fools.

Verse 154

Desiring that his greatness should never cease, Let a man's conduct foster forbearance.

Verse 155

Worthless are those who injure others vengefully, While those who stoically endure are like stored gold.

Possession of Forbearance

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.

Avoidance of Envy

Verse 161

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

Verse 162

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

Verse 163

He who is jealous instead of joyous of another's wealth Does not desire, they say, wealth and virtue of his own.

Verse 164

Envy will never cause one to commit wrongful deeds Who rightly fathoms the disgrace which follows.

Verse 165

A man's own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin, Even though he has no other enemies.

Verse 166

He who begrudges another's bounty
Will behold the death of his naked and starving kindred.

Verse 167

Fortune's Goddess, intolerant of men who cannot tolerate other's success, Introduces them to her sister Misfortune and goes away.

Verse 168

The wicked one called envy consumes this world's wealth Then consigns men to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169

It is worth pondering that good men may be poor While the envious in heart 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.

Verse 173

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

Verse 174

With senses conquered and sight unclouded by depravity, One will not covet others' wealth, even in destitution.

Verse 175

What avails a man's subtle and comprehensive learning, If, in a covetous delirium, he still exploits others?

Avoidance of Covetousness

Verse 171

In the very attempt to wrongly gain another's wealth, A man loses 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 176

Desiring grace and doing his duty, a man who desires wealth And contrives to acquire it wrongly is destroyed nevertheless.

Verse 177

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

Verse 178

To protect his own prosperity from decline One must not crave the property held by others.

Verse 179

Just as wise men know the goodness of non-coveting, So Fortune herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Verse 180

There is a desire for another's possessions which is thoughtlessly destructive. There is a pride which, refusing to covet, is mindfully triumphant.

Verse 185

Though every word is full of kindly virtue, A man's mean back-biting will betray his 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 their 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?

Avoidance of Pointless Speech

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 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 which lack purpose.

Dread of Sinful Deeds

Verse 201

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

Verse 202

Therefore, 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 a plotter's downfall.

Verse 205

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

Verse 206

Let him who wishes to be free from afflictions' pain Avoid inflicting harm on others.

Verse 207

One can escape from hate-filled enemies, But one's own hateful acts will relentlessly 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 fond affection for himself, Let him not indulge in immoral deeds, however insignificant.

Verse 210

Know that a man will be defended against destruction If he does not deviate from Right and act iniquitously.

Understanding One's Duty to Society

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 labor arduously to acquire wealth.

Verse 213

Of all duties, benevolence is unequaled in this world, And even in celestial realms.

Verse 214

He who understands his duty to society truly lives. All others shall be counted among the dead.

Verse 215

The wealth of the world-loving wise man May be likened to a well-stocked village water tank.

Verse 216

Riches retained by generous men
Resemble a fruit tree ripening in the heart of a village.

Verse 217

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

Verse 218

Those who deeply know duty do not 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 service to humanity.

Verse 220

Were it said that loss of wealth is the price of benevolence, Such loss is worth selling one's self to procure.

Charity

Verse 221

Giving to the poor is true charity.
All other giving expects a recompense.

Verse 222

Though men may declare it a good path, gathering gifts is bad. Though they decree 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 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 is sweet when charitable giving is impossible.

Glory

Verse 231

Give to the poor, and life will be richly graced. There is no greater profit for a man than this.

Verse 232

All who speak will proclaim abiding praise For those who give alms to the poor.

Verse 233

Except for exalted glory which endures forever, Everything on earth perishes.

Verse 234

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

Verse 235

The loss that is gain and the death that is life of immortal glory Are attained only by the wise.

Verse 239

When forced to bear the body of a man without eminence, Even faultless, fruitful lands will lessen their yields.

Verse 156

The gratification 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 the rude remarks of the insolent Possess the ascetic's rare purity.

Verse 160

Great are those who suffer fasting's hardships; Yet they are surpassed by those who suffer hard words spoken.

Verse 240

Those who live without blame truly live. Those who live without glory live not.

Verse 236

If you are born, be born for glory,
For those born without it would be better off without birth.

Verse 237

Why do those whose life is devoid of renown Blame despising rivals, when they have themselves to blame?

Verse 238

Just as it is disgraceful to bear no children, All men on earth deem it disgraceful to not beget fame.

Verse 1039

If the lord of the land fails to visit his fields, They will sulk as surely as a neglected wife.

Verse 1040

Mother Earth laughs to herself when she sees the slothful Pleading poverty and crying, "Alas, I have nothing to eat."

Verse 1036

When those who plough the fields stand idly with folded arms, Even completely desireless ascetics will not subsist.

Verse 1037

If soil is dried so one ounce become one-quarter ounce, Abundant yields will not require a single handful of fertilizer.

Verse 1038

It's better to fertilize than to furrow a field. Having weeded, it's better to watch a field than to water it.

Verse 1045

This one affliction called poverty
Brings in its train a multitude of miseries.

Verse 1046

The poor may perceive profoundly and speak skillfully, Yet their meaningful words are always forgotten.

Verse 1047

Poverty, destitute of all virtue, estranges a man Even from the mother who bore him.

Verse 1048

Will wretched poverty which is kiling me so Come again today as of yesterday?

Verse 1049

Men may slumber eben in the midst of fire, But none can find repose in poverty's presence.

Verse 1050

Having become fatilly impoverished, let a man fully renounce, Lest he fatally exhaust his neighbor's vinegar and salt.

Begging

Verse 1051

If you meet a man of means, you may beg his help. If he refuses, the fault is his, not yours.

Verse 1052

Even begging can prove pleasurable
When what is begged for comes without a sense of burden.

Verse 1053

Beffing has its own beauty if one supplicates Before dutiful men whose hearts never say no.

Verse 1054

There are men who never deny a request even in a dream. Begging from such men is as good as giving.

Verse 1055

Because men do exist on earth who never begrudge giving, Others dare to plead before men's gaze.

Verse 1056

The evils of begging will flee at the mere sight Of those who are free from the evil of refusal.

Verse 1057

There is rejoicing in a jubilant heart
Upon seeing those who give without scoffing or scorning.

Verse 1058

Deprived of its beggars, this vast and verdant earth Would be reduced to a sphere for the wooden play of puppets.

Verse 1059

What glory would generous men have
If there were none to beg and receive their gifts?

Verse 1060

One who begs and is refused should not be angry For his own poverty is sufficient proof.