THE TIRUKKURAL OF TIRUVALLUVAR

SECTION - 102 -

VERSES 1011 TO 1020

åèÑéìéë Sensitivity to Shame
 
æÕëêÐêèùª åèÑêùª åèÑêÐ ê¨ÕÅêùª 1011
åùªùôõÐ åèÑçª ç¨÷

æÕëêÐêèùª   due to shameful acts
åèÑêùª   being ashamed of
åèÑ   is real sensitivity to bad conduct
ê¨Õ Åêùª   a beautiful forehead
åùªùôõР  women of noble birth
åèÑ   sense of abashment
ç¨÷  other variety

Sensitivity to shame in men refers to (avoidance of) shameful  acts. In women of beautiful features,the sense of abashment is of a different variety (1011).

ÃÑéì öòÐòëª ãá¨õÐæÐâæùªùèëª îô÷ùªù 1012
åèÑéìéë ëèåÐêõÐ ò¨÷窵

Ãúª   food
ãéì   clothes
öòÐò몠  and other things
ãá¨õÐæÐÆ   to living beings
öùªùè몠  all
îô× íùªù   not different, i.e. the same
åèúª ãéìéë   possessing sensitivity to shame
ëèåÐêõР ò¨÷窵  is the special feature of the noble

Food, clothing and other things are common to all men.Sensitivity to shame is the one that marks men of nobility (1012).  


ÃéäæÐ Æ÷¨êÐê ãá¨âõùªùèëª åèúªöäªÄëª 1013
åäªéë Æ÷¨êÐêÊ òèùªµ

Ãéä   the body
Æ÷¨êÐê   the residence
ãá¨õÐ öùªùè몠  to all living creatures
åèúª öäªÄ몠  sensitivity to shame
åäªéë Æ÷¨êÐêÊ   the locus of all good attributes
òèùªµ   is the mark of the noble

The desire to live is common to all, but sensitivity
to shame is the mark of the noble (1013).

íú¨íäªî÷èåèÑéìéëòèäªî÷èõÐæÐÆíþê¨äªî÷ùª1014
ç¨ú¨íäªî÷è ç©Ì åéì

íú¨ íäªî÷è   ornament is it not ?
åèúª   sensitivity to shame
ãéìéë   having
òèäªî÷èõÐæÐÆ   for the good
íþÊ  that
¬äªî÷ùª   if not there
ç¨ú¨íäªî÷è   disease, is it not ?
ç©Ì åéì   (the empty) bearing

Sensitivity to shame is like an ornament; without that empty pride is like a disease (1014).

ç¨÷õÐçȨ±ëª êëªçȨ±ëª åèÑôèõÐ åèÑæÐÆ 1015
ãé÷çê¨ öäªÄëª ãùÆ

ç¨÷õР çȨ±ëª  the misconduct of one's own people (others)
êëªçȨ±ëª   one's own misconduct
åèÑôèõР  will feel ashamed
åèÑæÐÆ   `for sensitivity to shame
ãé÷çꨠ  the abode'
öäªÄ몠  will say
ãùÆ   the world
 


Those who see no difference in their own misconduct
and the misconduct of others attached to them will be regarded as `the abode of modesty' (1015).
 
åèúªîôù¨ âæèóªóèÊ ëäªîäè ô¨á䪢èùëª 1016
îçúùõÐ îëùè áôõÐ

åèúª   sensitivity to shame
îôù¨ âæèóªóèÊ   not considering as the boundary
ëäª Ø   O!
ô¨áäª ¢èù몠  the wide world
îçúùõР  will not willingly accept
îëùèáôõР  the noble

Those who do not preserve the bounds of sensitivity to shame will not be willingly accepted by the world as noble (1016).

åèúèùª ãá¨éõêÐ Ê÷çªçõÐ ãá¨õÐçªâçèÕìªìèùª 1017
åèúªÊ÷ôèõÐ åèúªÍóª çôõÐ

åèúèùª   for th sake of honour
ãá¨éõêР Ê÷çªçõÐ  give up one's life
ãá¨õÐçªâçèÕìªìèùª   for the sake of existence
åèúªÊ÷ôèõР  will not forego sensitivity to shame
åèúªÍóª  çôõÐ  one who cherishes honour

Men who value sensitivity to shame will foregolife for the sake of honour, not honourfor the sake of life (1017).

ç¨÷õÐåèúêÐ êæÐæÊ êèäªåèúè äèá¨äª 1018
í÷ëªåèúêÐ êæÐæÊ ãéìêÐÊ

ç¨÷õР  others
åèúêР êæÐæÊ  consider shameful
êèäª   oneself
åèúè䪠 Íá¨äª  does not think so
í÷ëª   righteousness
åèúêР êæÐæÊ  will be ashamed of him
ãéìêÐÊ   of that nature

When a person thinks it no shame to engage in acts that others consider shameful, he will lose all claim to righteousness (1018).

Æù¢ªàÌëª âæèóªéæ ç¨éÈçªç¨äª åù¢ªàÌëª 1019
åèú¨äªéë å¨äª÷æÐ æéì

Æùëª àÌ몠  will destroy his family honour
âæèóªéæ   principles
ç¨éÈçªç¨äª   if one deviates from
åùëª àÌ몠  all virtue will be lost
åèúª ¬äªéë   lack of sense of shame (shameful act)
å¨äª÷æР æéì  if one engages in
 


Wrong doing will cause offence to his family repute, but a shameful act will deprive him ofallvirtue1019).

åèúªíæêÐ ê¨ùªùèõÐ ¬áæÐæëª ëõçªçèéô 1020
åèúèùª ãá¨õÐëÕìªï á÷ª×

åèúª íæêÐÊ  ¬ùªùèõÐ  those without inward sensitivity to shame
¬áæÐæ몠  moving about (in the world)
ëõçªçèéô   wooden puppet
åèúèùª   with a string
ãá¨õÐ   as if living
ëÕìªï   moves and shown by deception
í÷ª×   is like

Men who are not sensitive to shame are like wooden
dolls manipulated by strings (1020).

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