ஒப்புரவறிதல்
Duty to Society
Read all ten original Tamil couplets from this chapter with clear, modern interpretations for everyday learning.
Kurals
211–220
Reading
10 couplets
Section
அறத்துப்பால்
A simple reading path
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Tamil + modern meaning
Kural 211
1 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
கைம்மாறு வேண்டா கடப்பாடு மாரிமாட்டு
என் ஆற்றுங் கொல்லோ உலகு.
Modern interpretation
Real generosity doesn't wait around for anything in return, the same way rain doesn't ask the earth to pay it back. Giving with strings attached isn't really giving. For example, helping a stranger move house or donating blood works the same way, the point is the act itself, not what comes back from it.
Read Kural 211 in full
Kural 212
2 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
தாளாற்றித் தந்த பொருளெல்லாம் தக்கார்க்கு
வேளாண்மை செய்தற் பொருட்டு.
Modern interpretation
Everything you earn through hard work is ultimately meant to help the people who genuinely deserve support. Wealth earns its purpose only when it's shared well. For example, someone who works overtime and later helps fund a sibling's education is putting their effort exactly where it belongs.
Read Kural 212 in full
Kural 213
3 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
புத்தே ளுலகத்தும் ஈண்டும் பெறலரிதே
ஒப்புரவின் நல்ல பிற.
Modern interpretation
Nothing else compares to the value of genuinely helping others, not even something as grand as a perfect world beyond this one. It stands above every other kind of goodness. For example, no personal achievement feels quite like the satisfaction of showing up for someone who truly needed it.
Read Kural 213 in full
Kural 214
4 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
ஒத்த தறவோன் உயிர்வாழ்வான் மற்றையான்
செத்தாருள் வைக்கப் படும்.
Modern interpretation
Someone who lives by genuinely helping others is the only one really living; everyone else is just going through the motions. A life spent only on yourself barely counts as lived. For example, a neighbor who's always the first to help during a crisis leaves behind something a purely self-focused life never could.
Read Kural 214 in full
Kural 215
5 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
ஊருணி நீர்நிறைந் தற்றே உலகவாம்
பேரறி வாளன் திரு.
Modern interpretation
The wealth of a truly generous, wise person works like a village pond full of water, everyone in the community gets to draw from it. Their success ends up shared, not hoarded. For example, a successful business owner who funds scholarships and local projects turns personal wealth into something the whole neighborhood benefits from.
Read Kural 215 in full
Kural 216
6 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
பயன்மரம் உள்ளூர்ப் பழுத்தற்றால் செல்வம்
நயனுடை யான்கண் படின்.
Modern interpretation
When wealth ends up with a kind-hearted person, it works like a fruit tree ripening in the middle of town, open for anyone to enjoy. Good fortune in the right hands becomes everyone's good fortune. For example, a generous relative's home often becomes the place where the whole family gathers and is looked after.
Read Kural 216 in full
Kural 217
7 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
மருந்தாகித் தப்பா மரத்தற்றால் செல்வம்
பெருந்தகை யான்கண் படின்.
Modern interpretation
Wealth in the hands of a genuinely noble person becomes like a tree whose every part turns out to be useful, even medicinal. Nothing about their success goes to waste. For example, a wealthy doctor who quietly funds free clinics turns money into something that heals people far beyond their own life.
Read Kural 217 in full
Kural 218
8 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
இடனில் பருவத்தும் ஒப்புரவிற்கு ஒல்கார்
கடனறி காட்சி யவர்.
Modern interpretation
People who truly understand their duty to others don't stop helping just because their own resources are running low. Real commitment to others doesn't depend on convenience. For example, a family going through a tough financial patch might still find a way to share a meal with someone who has even less.
Read Kural 218 in full
Kural 219
9 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
நயனுடையான் நல்கூர்ந்தா னாதல் செயும்நீர
செய்யாது அமைகலா வாறு.
Modern interpretation
For a genuinely kind person, real poverty isn't about lacking money, it's the frustration of not being able to help the way they want to. That inability is what actually hurts them. For example, someone who used to donate regularly but suddenly can't afford to feels that loss far more than losing the money itself.
Read Kural 219 in full
Kural 220
10 of 10Tamil original · தமிழ்
ஒப்புரவி னால்வரும் கேடெனின் அஃதொருவன்
விற்றுக்கோள் தக்க துடைத்து.
Modern interpretation
Even if helping others somehow costs you dearly, that cost is worth paying, because that's how valuable genuine generosity really is. Some sacrifices are worth making without hesitation. For example, someone who takes on real hardship to support a friend through a crisis rarely regrets it, even when it means going without themselves.
Read Kural 220 in full