THE TIRUKKURAL OF TIRUVALLUVAR

SECTION - 2

VERSES 11 TO 20

ôè䊠  ò¨÷燵           In   praise   of   Rain

 
ôèäŠå¨äŠ×    ãùæëŠ    ôȧ‡æ¨    ôÕêùèùŠ             11
êèäŠíë¨ÈŠêëŠ    öäŠ×Úõ÷Š    çè÷Š×
 
ôèäŠ   Rain
å¨äŠ×   always
ãùæëŠ   in this world
ôȧ‡æ¨  ôÕêùèùŠ   brings water
êèäŠ   this (rain)
íë¨ÈŠêëŠ  öäŠ×   is Nectar (life giving food)
ãÚõùŠ  çè÷Š×   is understood by all
 
The   water   that   rain   brings   to   this   world   is   surely   understood
as   the   cause   of   life-giving   food.
   
Êç‡çèõ‡æ‡Æê‡    Êç‡çèá    Êç‡çèæ‡æ¨ê‡    Êç‡çèõ‡æ‡Æê‡        12
Êç‡çèá    ­ãëŠ    ëéÈ
 
Êç‡çèõ‡æ‡Æê‡   those who eat
Êç‡çèá   beneficial
Êç‡çèæ‡æ¨ê‡   creating food
Êç‡çèõ‡æ‡Æê‡   which people eat
Ê燵  Í±êè  ã늠         is itself food
ëéÈ   rain
   
The   beneficial   rain   which   brings   food   for   people   to   eat   is
itself a   food.    

ô¨Úˆ¬äŠ×    âçèáŠç‡ç¨äŠ    ô¨õ¨å©õ‡    ô¨áÄùæê‡Ê      13
ãóŠå¨äŠ×    ãì÷Š×ëŠ    çò¨
 
ô¨Úˆ¬äŠ×   without rain
âçèáŠç‡ç¨äŠ   drought
ô¨õ¨å©õ‡   oceanfilled
ô¨áÄùæê‡Ê   in this world
ãóŠå¨äŠ×   always
ãì÷Š×ëŠ   harmful to life
çò¨   hunger

Despite   so   much   water   in   the   world's   oceans,   absence   of   rain
will   cause   drought   and   bring   hunger   and   harm   to   the   people.    

Öõ¨äŠ    ãÈèíõ‡    ãÈôõ‡    µáâùäŠÄëŠ               14
ôèõ¨    ôó§‡ÆäŠ÷¨æ‡    æèùŠ
 
Öõ¨äŠ  ãÈèíõ‡   ploughing is not possible
ãÈôõ‡   farmer
µáâùäŠÄëŠ   rain
ôèõ¨   income
ôó§‡   wealth
ÆäŠ÷¨æ‡æèùŠ   if it decreases
 
If   there   is   no   rain   that   brings   wealth   the   farmer   will   not
plough   his   land.    

âæÌç‡ç­ã§‡ âæì‡ìèõ‡æ‡Æò‹ òèõ‡ôèáŠë÷Š    ÷觇îæ    15
öÌç‡ç­ãëŠ    öùŠùèëŠ    ëéÈ  
âæÌç‡ç­ã§‡   causes distress
âæì‡ìèõ‡æ‡Æò‹   affected people
òèõ‡ôèአ  helpful
ë÷Š÷觇îæ   instead
öÌç‡ç­ãëŠ   uplift them
öùŠùèëŠ  ëéÈ   all by rain

Rain   causes   distress   by   its   absence.   But   a   helpful   rain,   when
it   comes, uplifts   the   affected   people.
   
ô¨àëŠç¨äŠ    Êó¨ô©È¨äŠ    íùŠùèùŠë÷Š    ÷觇îæ         16
çà늵ùŠ    êéùæèÚˆµ    íõ¨Ê  
ô¨àëŠç¨äŠ   clouds
Êó¨   raindrops
ô©È¨äŠ   when they fall
íùŠùèùŠ   instead (one can see the green grass)
ë÷Š÷觇îæ   if it doesn't rain
çà늵ùŠ  êéù   the blade of the green grass
æèÚˆµ  íõ¨Ê   cannot be seen

Not   a   blade   can   be   seen   if   it   doesn't   rain   where   otherwise   the
rains   bring   plenty   of   grass.
   
âå̧‡æìÙëŠ    êäŠå©õ‡éë    ÆäŠ×ëŠ    êïå‡âêȨù¨       17
êèäŠåùŠæè    êèæ¨    ô¨ïäŠ  
âå̧‡æìÙëŠ   The vast ocean
êäŠå©õ‡éë   itself
ÆäŠ×ëŠ   will decrease
êïå‡Ê   decreases
öȨù¨êèäŠ   clouds
åùŠæèêèæ¨  ô¨ïäŠ   if it doesn't rain over the sea
 
The   vast   ocean   will   itself   shrink   if   the   water   it   loses   to   the
clouds   (by   evaporation)   does   not   return   as   rain.
   
ò¨÷ç‡îçèÌ    ·òéä    âòùŠùèÊ    ôèäëŠ             18
ô÷æ‡ÆîëùŠ    ôèîäèõ‡æ‡ÆëŠ    ¼ÚˆÌ
 
ò¨÷ç‡îçèÌ   Festivals
·òéä   daily prayers
âòùŠùèÊ   will not be performed
ôèäëŠ  ô÷æ‡ÆîëùŠ   If it doesn't rain
ôèîäèõ‡æ‡ÆëŠ   For the Gods
¼ÚˆÌ   in this world
 
If   it   does   not   rain,   there   will   be   no   festivals   or   daily
prayers   performed   in   this   world   for   the   Gods.
 
 
êèäëŠ    êô늬õÚˆÌëŠ    ꧇æè    ô¨áäŠãùæëŠ      19
ôèäëŠ    ôȧ‡æè    âêä¨äŠ  
 
êèäëŠ   charity
êôëŠ   penance
¬õÚˆÌëŠ   both the above
꧇æè   will not exist
ô¨áäŠãùæëŠ   in this wide world
ôèäëŠ   clouds
ôȧ‡æè  âêä¨äŠ   don't give rain
 
Charity   and   Penance   will   cease   in   this   wide   world   if   the
clouds   do   not   give   rain.
 
å©õ‡¬äŠ×   íéëáèÊ   ãùâæä¨äŠ   áèõ‡áèõ‡æ‡ÆëŠ    20
ôè䊬äŠ×    íéëáèÊ    øÇæ‡Æ  
 
å©õ‡¬äŠ×   without rain
íéëáèÊ   will not function
ãùâæä¨äŠ   life
áèõ‡áèõ‡æ‡ÆëŠ   for one and all
ôè䊬äŠ×   without rain
íéëáèÊ   will not exist
øÇæ‡Æ   virtue
 
Without   rain   life   will   not   function.   Without   rain   virtue
will   cease   to   exist.

 

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