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Tirukural – Chapter 17


Chapter 17: Avoidance of Envy


Verse 166
There is a room filled with beautiful objects and in it a family finds contentment. In the adjoining apartment an impoverished woman is hiding behind the curtain, envious of her neighbors. Her husband has his hand on his head to indicate suffering and the children are pulling at her clothes.


TAKA Presents the Tirukural

You can access the entire text, in Tamil and English here:
Weaver’s Wisdom




Verse 161

The unenvious heart is to be valued
no less than virtuous conduct itself.

Verse 162

Among the many precious things a man may acquire,
none surpasses a nature free from envy toward all.

Verse 163

They say he who is jealous instead of joyous of another’s wealth
clearly desires no wealth or virtue of his own.

Verse 164

Envy will never cause one to commit wrongful deeds
who rightly fathoms the disgrace that follows.

Verse 165

A man’s own envy is foe enough to forge his ruin,
even if he has no other enemies.

Verse 166

Whoever begrudges another’s bounty will watch
his kindred die in poverty, naked and starving.

Verse 167

Goddess Fortune, intolerant of those who cannot tolerate others’
success, introduces them to her sister, Misfortune, and goes away.

Verse 168

The wicked one called Envy consumes this world’s wealth,
then consigns sinners to those worlds of hellish fire.

Verse 169

It is worth pondering why good men may be poor
while the envious in heart can prosper.

Verse 170

There are no envious men who have risen to prosperity.
There are no men free from envy who have fallen from it.


One Response to “Tirukural – Chapter 17”

  1. Pethuraja says:

    “AUM”!.

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