Kural Chronicles

KURAL 254

ARATHUPAAL

THURAVARAVIYAL

ADHIKAARAM 26: PULAAL MARUTHTHAL – NOT EATING FLESH

அருளல்ல தியாதெனிற் கொல்லாமை கோறல்
பொருளல்ல தவ்வூன் தினல்.

Arulalla thiyaathenir kollaamai koaral

Porullalla thavvoon thinal

Meaning

 Unkindness or Lack of compassion is to kill or destroy life. Eating the flesh so obtained is meaningless and cruel.

Glossary

Arul alla: not kind or compassionate; Yaathu enin: if you ask what it is;  Kollaamai: not killing;  Koaral: killing;  Porul alla: meaningless;  Avvoon: that flesh;  Thinal: the act of eating.

Understanding the kural.

Valluvar asks a seemingly simple question. What is kindness and what is not?

If we were asked to describe kindness, we would probably say ‘helping others’. Valluvar is more unequivocal. Very basically he says, Kindness is refraining from killing or destroying, rather moving towards preserving something. Lack of kindness is killing life.

 Given Valluvar’s take, our interpretation seems pretty tame; of what use is helping someone if you are capable of killing? We would think, ‘why would we kill?’. Remember man is not the only life form on earth. Killing any life form is killing, it is unkindness.  Eating the flesh so obtained is cruel.