THE TIRUKKURAL OF TIRUVALLUVAR

SECTION - 8

VERSES 71 TO 80

                                                        
í䊵éìéë     The role of Love  

íäŠç¨÷ŠÆëŠ    ãÚˆîìè    íéìæ‡Æå‡êèÈŠ    Íõ‡ôùõ‡    71
µÚˆæÚˆå©õ‡    ·òùŠ    êÕëŠ
 
íäŠç¨÷ŠÆëŠ   for love
ãÚˆîìè   is there
íéìæ‡ÆëŠ   to keep it unseen
êèÈŠ   a lock
Íõ‡ôùõ‡   a loving person
µÚˆæÚˆå©õ‡   tears
·òùŠ  êÕëŠ   will show
 
The tears that a person keeps back will show his true love for others.  

íäŠç¨ùèõ‡    öùŠùèå‡    êëæ‡Æõ¨áõ‡    í䊵éìáèõ‡      72
öäŠµëŠ    ãõ¨áõ‡    ç¨÷õ‡æ‡Æ  
 
íäŠç¨ùèõ‡   he who doesn't love
öùŠùèå‡   all that he has
êëæ‡Æõ¨áõ‡   keeps to himself
í䊵éìáèõ‡   he who is loving
öäŠµëŠ   even himself
ãõ¨áõ‡  ç¨÷õ‡æ‡Æ   as belonging to others
 
 He who has no love is concerned only with his possessions but he who
is loving regards even himself as belonging to others.

íäŠîçèÌ   ¬éáå‡ê    ôÈæ‡âæäŠç    ÍÕá¨õ‡æ‡Æ      73
öäŠîçèÌ    ¬éáå‡ê    âêèìõ‡µ  

íäŠîçèÌ  ¬éáå‡ê   that which is accompanied by love
ôÈæ‡Æ   purpose of life
öäŠç   is said
ãá¨õ‡æ‡Æ   precious life
¬éáå‡ê   accompanied
âêèìõ‡µ   connection
 
The purpose of a body invested with life is a life invested with love.      

í䊵¼ÄëŠ    Íõ‡ôëŠ    ãéìéë    íʼÄëŠ      74
åÚˆâçäŠÄëŠ    åèìèò‹    ò¨÷燵  

í䊵   love
¼ÄëŠ   creates
Íõ‡ôëŠ  ãéìéë   attachment for others
íÊ   this feeling
¼ÄëŠ   gives
åÚˆµ   friendship
öäŠÄëŠ   so called
åèìè   immeasurable
ò¨÷燵   excellence
 
 Love leads to attachment and attachment leads to friendship of high excellence.

 
í䊵÷Š×    íëõ‡å‡ê    ôÈæ‡âæäŠç    éôáæê‡Ê      75
¬äŠç÷Š÷èõ‡    öáŠÊ¢‰    ò¨÷燵  

í䊵   love
íëõ‡å‡ê  ôÈæ‡Æ   experience
öäŠç   is said
éôáæê‡Ê   in this world
¬äŠµ   happiness
ã÷Š÷èõ‡   those experiencing
öáŠÊ¢‰  ò¨÷燵   conferring importance
 
Living happily in this world shows the importance of love as the main
purpose of life.    
í÷ê‡ê¨÷Šîæ    í䊵òèõ‡    âçäŠç    í÷¨áèõ‡         76
ë÷ê‡ê¨÷ŠÆëŠ    íþîê    ÊéÚ  

í÷ê‡ê¨÷Šîæ   for virtue only
í䊵   love
òèõ‡µ   is the ally
öäŠç   say
í÷¨áèõ‡   the ignorant
ë÷ê‡ê¨÷ŠÆëŠ   against sin
íþîê   the same love
ÊéÚ   helps
 
 The ignorant say that love is the ally of virtue alone but love is also a help against sin.    
öäŠç¨    ùêéä    âôá¨ùŠîçèùæ‡    æè±îë          77
íäŠç¨    ùêéä    í÷ëŠ
 
ö䊵   bones
¬ùêéä   beings without (worms)
âôá¨ùŠ   heat
îçèù   as it burns
æè±îë   burns
í䊵   love
¬ùêéä   beings without
í÷ëŠ   virtue
 
Just as the Sun burns up the boneless worm so too will the law of nature
burn up beings without love.      

íäŠçæê‡    ê¨ùŠùè    ãá¨õ‡ôèÈŠæ‡éæ    ôäŠçè÷ŠæÚˆ    78
ô÷Š÷ùŠ    ëõå‡êó¨õ‡ê‡    ê÷Š×  

í䊵   love
íæê‡Ê   in oneself
¬ùŠùè   without
ãá¨õ‡ôèÈŠæ‡éæ   life
ôäŠçè÷ŠæÚˆ   desert
ô÷Š÷ùŠëõëŠ   like a dead tree
êó¨õ‡ê‡Ê  í÷Š×   growing
                       
A life without love is like a dead tree growing in a desert.

   
µ÷ê‡Ê÷ç‡    âçùŠùèëŠ    öôäŠâòáŠ±ëŠ    áèæ‡éæ       79
íæê‡Ê×燵    íäŠç¨    ùôõ‡æ‡Æ  

µ÷ê‡Ê  ã÷ç‡   with the external limbs
öùŠùèëŠ   with all
öôäŠâòáŠ±ëŠ   of what help
áèæ‡éæ   the body
íæê‡Ê   inner self
ã×燵   part
í䊵   love
¬ùŠ  íôõ‡æ‡Æ   those who don't
 
 Of what help are the external limbs to the body  when no part
of his inner self has love .      

íäŠç¨äŠ    ôȨáÊ    ãá¨õ‡å¨éù    íþê¨ùèõ‡æ‡Æ      80
ö䊵îêèùŠ    îçèõ‡ê‡ê    ãì늵  

íäŠç¨äŠ   lovingly
ôȨáÊ   who lives
ãá¨õ‡å¨éù   is full of life
íþê¨   that
¬ùèõ‡æ‡Æ   if one does not possess
ö䊵   is like bones
îêèùŠ  îçèõ‡ê‡ê   covered by skin
ãì늵   one
 
That is a full life which is filled with love, a life without love  is no more than  bones covered by a skin.     


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