Tirukural – Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Guarding Against Faults
Verse king
stands before mirror, humbly checking himself for possible faults. Only after removing his own flaws will he turn to examine the weaknesses in his ministers who wait outside.
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Weaver’s Wisdom
Verse 431
Those who are free from vanity, vulgarity and venomousness
will prosper in deserving dignity.
Verse 432
Avarice, arrogance and crude amusements are flaws
in the character of an unfit king.
Verse 433
Though their fault be as small as a millet seed,
to those who dread disgrace it will appear as large as a palm tree.
Verse 434
One’s own faults are one’s mortal enemies.
It follows that to guard against them is life’s gravest concern.
Verse 435
The good fortune of a man who does not guard against failings
before they manifest will perish like a stack of straw before a fire.
Verse 436
What fault remains in a king who expunges his own faults
before examining the faults in others?
Verse 437
The wealth of him who, out of avarice, fails to do what
should be done will vanish without the slightest vestige.
Verse 438
When all faults are reckoned, one remains unrivaled:
the greedy grasping known as avarice.
Verse 439
Never indulge in admiring yourself.
Never be drawn toward deeds that do not benefit others.
Verse 440
Delighting in life’s pleasures in guarded privacy
nullifies the conspiring schemes of enemies.
One Response to “Tirukural – Chapter 44”
From Our Gurus' Teachings
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July 13th, 2021 at 3:28 am
“AUM”!.