Kural Chronicles

KURAL 69

ARATHUPAAL

ILLARAVIYAL

ADHIKAARAM 7: MAKKATPERU/PUTHALVARAI PERUTHAL – THE WEALTH OF CHILDREN

ஈன்ற பொழுதின் பெரிதுவக்கும் தன்மகனைச்
சான்றோன் எனக்கேட்ட தாய்.

Eenra pozhuthir perithuvakkum thanmaganai

Saanroan enakkaetta thaai

When a mother hears her son being spoken of as a great man, wise and noble, the joy and happiness she feels is greater than what she felt at his birth.

Eenra: giving birth; Pozhuthu: time;  Perithu: bigger, greater;  Uvakkum: feeling happiness;  Than: my;  Magan: son;  Saanroan: great man;  Kaetta: heard;  Thaai: mother.

One of the greatest joys in a woman’s life is when she first becomes a mother. They say pregnancy and childbirth is a penance. A woman willingly undergoes this penance for nearly ten months, with anticipation and care. When comes the time for the birth of the child, she risks her own life to bring another life into this world. The moment she sets eyes on the child and holds him or her in her arms, she is said to forget all the hardships and pain of the preceding months. What she feels is sheer joy, pure and unadulterated. Can any happiness in life be greater than this?

‘Yes, it can’ says Valluvar. Years later, when she hears the same child praised as a learned and noble person, the joy she feels eclipses what she felt when she first bore him.

I have first hand seen and felt this. My grandmother used to live in our native village all her life. My dad is a renowned oncologist, famed for his acumen and his temperament. When my dad went to visit my grandmother in the village, all the villagers used to come in huge numbers to consult him for their ailments big and small. My grandma said “Every time I step out onto the street, all the people I come across put their palms together and bow before me in greeting.” I could feel the pride and contentment and joy in her voice and heart.

I myself being a mother of three, I can now relate to that sublime feeling. Just as, at the end of nine months of pain and hardship, the little bundle placed in your arm gives joy and contentment, so too when your grown up child is praised to be a good person, you feel happy and proud; Happiness for your child and pride about your child of course; but along with that there is that  satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment at a job well done. No parent is born a parent. We learn as we go along. We do our best always wondering if our best is good enough. Such moments are confirmation that we have indeed done something right.

I would say to all of you out there, give your mother that happiness, joy and pride. It is the least you can do. You don’t have to achieve something out of your reach, you don’t have to be wealthy, you don’t have to buy her jewels and valuables. Be a good human being, be respectful of her and others, be kind and compassionate. Be productive. Do well what you like to do. With her blessing, you will do well in life.