Chapter 106: Begging

Verse 1057
At the bottom of the painting a man and his wife are traveling through the town in their bullock cart. They are smiling and taking great joy in seeing that the suffering of others is being relieved by generous people who, like themselves, give coins to the poor, clothes to the indigent and food to the hungry.

TAKA Presents the Tirukural

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Weaver’s Wisdom

Verse 1051

If you meet a man of means, by all means beg his help.
If he refuses, the fault is his, not yours.

Verse 1052

Even begging can prove pleasurable
when what is begged for comes with no sense of burden.

Verse 1053

Begging has its own beauty when one supplicates
before dutiful men whose hearts never say no.

Verse 1054

There are men who never deny a request, even in their dreams.
Begging from them is the same as giving.

Verse 1055

Because men do exist on Earth who never begrudge giving,
others dare to plead their needs before men’s gaze.

Verse 1056

The miseries of begging will flee at the mere sight
of those who are free from refusal’s miserable manners.

Verse 1057

A jubilant heart rejoices upon seeing
those who give without scoffing or scorning.

Verse 1058

Deprived of beggars, this vast and verdant Earth would
become uncharitable, a ball for the play of wooden puppets.

Verse 1059

What glory would generous men enjoy
if there were none to beg for and receive their gifts?

Verse 1060

One who begs and is refused should not be angry,
for his own poverty is sufficient proof of giving’s limits.