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Section 1 · அறத்துப்பால் (Virtue) · Chapter 12 / 133

Impartiality

நடுவு நிலைமை
Kural 117

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keṭuvāka vaiyātu ulakam naṭuvāka / naṉṟikkaṇ taṅkiyāṉ tāḻvu

Modern readingAI draft

The wise never look down on the poverty of one who stood firm in fairness and goodness.

▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
G.U. Pope1886

“The man who justly lives, tenacious of the right, / In low estate is never low to wise man's sight.”

V.V.S. Aiyar1916

“The world looketh not down on the poverty of the upright and virtuous man.”

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Parimelazhagar’s commentary

13th century · public domain

Parimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.

நடுவாக நன்றிக்கண் தங்கியான் தாழ்வு = நடுவாக நின்று அறத்தின்கண்ணே தங்கினவனது வறுமையை; கெடுவாக வையாது உலகு = வறுமை என்று கருதார் உயர்ந்தோர். (செல்வம் என்று கொள்ளுவர் என்பது குறிப்பெச்சம்.)

Source: Tamil Wikisource

In plain EnglishAI draft · pending review

The wise of the world do not count as 'ruin' the poverty of someone who stood firm in fairness and goodness; such want is no disgrace in their eyes — they reckon it wealth.

This verse is in tension

Resolves against Kural 1046
The upright man's poverty is no loss — and the poor man's words count for nothing
நேர்மையாளனின் வறுமை கேடு அல்ல; வறியவனின் சொல்லோ பயனற்றுப் போகிறது

Though they have understood sound doctrine well and spoken it well, the sense of poor men's words comes to nothing.

AI draft · pending scholar review