Very few in the world outside of the Tamil country have heard the name of the poet whose work is presented here in a new English garb. And yet he is one of those seers whose message is intended not me...

We know very little about the life of our poet. As in the case of so many of the world’s greatest men of the past, we have only to make our own conjectures even as to the time at which he flourished. ...

Now as regards the work of the Master. It is divided into three parts, the first of which is devoted to Righteousness, the second to Politics, and the third to Love. These three things together with H...

Under the title of Righteousness our author treats of the life of the householder and of the life of the ascetic. Every virtue that goes to make a good husband and a good father, a good neighbour and ...

The author takes up the question of Politics in the second Part of the book. The fact that this part is about twice the size of the first and thrice that of the third shows what importance the sage gi...

After considering the subject of Politics which claims such a large portion of the activities of man, the poet comes to treat of the third of the four great objectives of life, namely Love. The whole ...

A few words on the verse of the Kural will not be deemed out of place here though this book is mainly intended for readers who are unacquainted with Tamil. The title of the book itself indicates to th...

No man that writes or speaks about the Kural can forget to refer to its greatest commentator Parimêlajahar. Parimêlajahar was a Brahman scholar who lived and taught at Kânchi about 600 years ago. Nine...

A is the starting-point of the world of sound: even so is the Great Original the starting-point of all that exists. Of what avail is all thy learning if thou worship not the holy feet of Him of the pe...

A is the starting-point of the world of sound: even so is the Great Original the starting-point of all that exists. Of what avail is all thy learning if thou worship not the holy feet of Him of the pe...

It is by the unfailing fall of rain that the earth sustaineth itself: therefore is the rain called the immortal drink. Every food that is sweet to the taste is given to man by Rain: and itself formeth...

Behold the men who have renounced sense-enjoyments and live a life of discipline: the scriptures exalt their glory above every other good. Thou canst not measure the greatness of ascetics: thou canst ...

Righteousness leadeth unto heaven and it bringeth wealth also: what is there that is more profitable than Righteousness? There is no greater good than Righteousness, nor no greater ill than the forget...

The householder is the mainstay of all who follow the three other paths of life.10 The householder is the friend of the orphan and the pauper and the helpless dead.11 Five are the duties of the househ...

The householder is the mainstay of all who follow the three other paths of life.10 The householder is the friend of the orphan and the pauper and the helpless dead.11 Five are the duties of the househ...

The householder is the mainstay of all who follow the three other paths of life.10 The householder is the friend of the orphan and the pauper and the helpless dead.11 Five are the duties of the househ...

She is the good helpmate who possesseth every wifely virtue and spendeth not above her husband’s means. All other blessings turn to nought if the wife faileth in wifely virtues. Where is indigence if ...

We know of no blessing so great as the begetting of children that are endowed with understanding. Behold the man whose children bear an unstained character: no evil will touch him in any of his seven ...

Where is the bar that can close in the gates of love? The gentle teardrops of lovers’ eyes are sure to proclaim its presence. Those that love not live only for themselves: as to those that love, their...

What for do the wise toil and set up homes? It is to feed the guest and help the pilgrim. Were it even the draught of immortality, it shall not be tasted alone when the guest is in the hall. No evil b...

The speech that is truly kind is the speech of the righteous men which is full of tenderness and free from dissimulation. Better even than a generous gift is sweet speech and a kind and gracious look....

Behold the kindness done without any obligation: even the heavens and the earth are too poor to repay it. A kindness done in the hour of need may look small: but it outweigheth the whole world. Behold...

The just and the fair that giveth each man his due whether he is friend or foe, that is the good: nought else. The prosperity of the just groweth not less: it endureth even unto their remotest posteri...

Self-control leadeth unto heaven, but uncontrolled passion is the royal road to endless darkness. Guard thy self-control as a very treasure: life hath no richer wealth here below. Behold the man who c...

The man whose conduct is pure is honoured by all: purity of conduct is therefore to be prized even above life. Watch anxiously over thy conduct: for wheresoever thou mayest search thou canst not find ...

Behold the men whose eyes are turned towards righteousness and towards wealth: they commit not the folly of desiring another man’s wife. Among those that have fallen from virtue there is no greater fo...

The earth supporteth even those that dig into her: even so bear thou with those that traduce thee; for that is greatness. Forgive thou always the injuries that others may do thee: but if thou forget t...

Guard thyself from envious thoughts: for freedom from envy is a part of virtuous conduct. No blessing is so great as a nature that is free from all envy. It is he that careth not for virtue or for wea...

Behold the man who leaveth the right way and coveteth another man’s wealth: his wickednesses will increase and his family will decline. Behold the men that turn away from evil: they covet not, neither...

Behold the man who doeth iniquity and who speaketh not so much as the name of righteousness: it is sweet even unto him if men say, Lo, here is one who backbiteth not. It is wrong to turn away from goo...

Behold the man that angereth the public by the speaking of vain words: he will be despised of all men. Worse even than injuring one’s friends is the speaking of vain words before many. He that multipl...

The evil fear not the folly called sin: but the worthy flee from it. Evil bringeth forth evil: evil therefore shall be feared even more than fire. The chiefest wisdom, they say, is to abstain from inj...

The gracious expect no return when they oblige: how ever can the world repay the rain-cloud? The substance gathered in by the worthy by the labour of their hands is all for others’ use. A better thing...

Giving to the poor is alone charity: all other giving is of the nature of loan. Though it lead unto heaven, receiving is bad: and though heaven should be denied to the giver, giving alms is a virtue. ...

Give to the poor and add glory unto thy name: there is no greater profit for man than this. The one theme in the mouth of all that praise is the glory of those that give unto the poor. Everything else...

The chiefest wealth is a heart that is rich in mercy: for material wealth is found even in the hands of vile men. Reason by the right method and take up Mercy: and if thou inquire of all religions als...

The chiefest wealth is a heart that is rich in mercy: for material wealth is found even in the hands of vile men. Reason by the right method and take up Mercy: and if thou inquire of all religions als...

The chiefest wealth is a heart that is rich in mercy: for material wealth is found even in the hands of vile men. Reason by the right method and take up Mercy: and if thou inquire of all religions als...

How can he feel pity, who eateth other flesh in order to fatten his own? Riches are not for the thriftless: even so pity is not for those that eat meat. The heart of the man that tasteth flesh turneth...

Patient endurance of suffering and non-injuring of life, in these is contained the whole of tapas. Austerities are for the austere of heart: it is profitless for others to take them up. Is it because ...

The five17 principles of his own body smile within themselves when they see the imposture of the hypocrite. Of what avail is an imposing presence when evil is in the heart and the heart is conscious t...

Whoso wanteth not to be held in contempt, let him guard himself against every thought of fraud. It is a sin even to say in one’s heart, I shall cheat my neighbour of his substance. The fortune that is...

What is truthfulness? It is the speaking of that which is free from even the slightest taint of evil. Even falsehood is of the nature of truth if it bringeth forth unmixed good.18 Bear not false witne...

He alone can be said to forbear who hath the power to strike: as to him that hath not the power, what mattereth it whether he forbeareth or forbeareth not? It is wrong to get angry even when thou art ...

The pure in heart injure not others even for the sake of the wealth that glorifieth a man: for that is their way. Even when another hath injured them in his hate, the pure in heart return not the inju...

The greatest of virtues is non-killing: killing bringeth in its train every other sin. To divide one’s bread with the needy and to abstain from killing: this is the greatest of all the commandments of...

There is no greater folly than the infatuation that looketh upon the transient as if it were everlasting. The crowd that assembleth to witness a village show, that is the symbol of great riches flowin...

There is no greater folly than the infatuation that looketh upon the transient as if it were everlasting. The crowd that assembleth to witness a village show, that is the symbol of great riches flowin...

Whatsoever thing a man hath renounced, from the grief arising from that thing hath he liberated himself. If thou want joy, renounce early: for many are the delights that thou shalt enjoy after renounc...

From the delusion of taking vanities for the Reality a man cometh by a life of sorrow. Behold the man who is freed from delusion and who hath an unclouded vision: darkness ceaseth for him and joy come...

Desire is the seed that yieldeth unto every soul, and always, a never-failing crop of births. If thou must needs long for anything, long for freedom from reincarnation: and that freedom shall come to ...

Resolution cometh to a man when Fortune is about to smile on him; but Indolence appeareth when Fortune is about to leave. Evil fate dulleth the faculties: but when Fortune is about to smile she first ...

He is a lion among princes who is well endowed in respect of the six things: troops, population, substance, council, alliances, and fortifications. Four qualities should never be wanting in the prince...

He is a lion among princes who is well endowed in respect of the six things: troops, population, substance, council, alliances, and fortifications. Four qualities should never be wanting in the prince...

He is a lion among princes who is well endowed in respect of the six things: troops, population, substance, council, alliances, and fortifications. Four qualities should never be wanting in the prince...

Acquire thoroughly the knowledge that is worth acquiring and after acquiring it walk thou in accordance therewith. Two are the eyes of living kind: the one is called Numbers, and the other, Letters. T...

Ascending the rostrum without abundant knowledge is like the playing of dice without the chequered board.19 Behold the man without learning who desireth to be called eloquent: he is like unto a woman ...

The most precious of treasures is the treasure of the ear: verily it is the crown of all kinds of wealth. Even unto the stomach some food will be offered when there is no more food to be offered to th...

The understanding is an armour against all surprise: it is a fortress which even enemies cannot storm. It is the understanding that curbeth the senses from roving about, keepeth them from evil, and di...

Behold the man who is free from haughtiness and anger and the vulgar passion:21 there is a dignity about him that adorneth his prosperity. Parsimony, overconfidence, and excessive amour propre are fau...

Esteem thou the men that have grown old in righteousness, and acquire their friendship. Behold the men who can cure the evils that have already befallen thee and who can guard thee from future ones: c...

Men of worth fear vulgar company: but little-minded men mix with it as if they made one family with it. Water altereth and taketh the character of the soil through which it floweth: even so the mind t...

Take into thy consideration the output and the wastage and the profit that the undertaking will yield: and then put thy hand to it. Behold the prince who decideth upon action only after consulting wit...

Weigh justly the difficulty of the enterprise, thy own strength and the strength of thy enemy, and the strength also of your22 allies; and then enter thou upon it. Behold the prince who knoweth his ow...

The crow triumpheth over the owl when it is day: so opportunity is a great thing to the prince who would vanquish his enemy. To follow closely on the pace of Time: that is the cord that will bind Fort...

Provoke no war and begin no operation except after making a thorough reconnaissance of the theatre of operations. It is an immense advantage even to the powerful and the strong to be based on fortifie...

Love of the right, gold, pleasure, and fear of life, these four are the tests of a man: give thy confidence therefore to men that satisfy all these tests.27 Behold the man who is born of a good family...

Behold the man that seeth the good and seeth the evil also and chooseth only that which is good: employ thou him in thy service. Behold the man that is able to develop the resources of thy kingdom and...

Constancy of attachment even in adversity belongeth only unto kindred. If a man is blessed with kindred whose love for him bateth not, his fortunes will never cease to grow. The man who rejoiceth not ...

Worse than excessive rage is the unguardedness that cometh of self-complacency. A false sense of security killeth glory even as indigence crusheth the understanding. Glory is not for the unwatchful: t...

Deliberate well and lean not to either side: be impartial and consult with the men of law: that is the way to administer justice. The world looketh up to the rain-cloud for life: even so do men look u...

Behold the prince who oppresseth his subjects and doth iniquity: he is worse than an assassin. A request from him who holdeth the sceptre is like the stand and deliver of the highway robber. Behold th...

The prince shall measure the guilt of the offender and punish him so that he offend not again: but the punishment shall not be excessive. Those that desire that their power shall last, let them brandi...

Behold that ravishing Beauty called Considerateness: the world cannot go on smoothly without her. In considerateness have the amenities of life their existence: those who possess it not are a burden u...

Let the prince understand that Political Science and his Intelligence Corps are the eyes wherewith he seeth. It is the duty of the prince to learn betimes everything that befalleth every man and every...

Those that possess energy are alone to be called rich: as to those that possess it not, do they really possess what they own? Energy is the veritable possession of a man: for wealth endureth not forev...

The perennial light called Family will be extinguished if it is invaded by the foul vapour of sloth. Let them call sloth by its real name and avoid it, those who desire to establish their family on a ...

Shrink not from any work saying, It is impossible: for labour will give thee the strength to achieve everything. Beware of leaving any work unfinished: for the world careth not for those that do not c...

When thou meetest with misfortune face it with thy best smile: for there is nothing like a smile to enable a man to hold his own against it. A whole sea of troubles will abase themselves the moment a ...

Behold the man who judgeth aright the ways and means of achieving great enterprises and the proper season to commence them: he is the proper man for the Council. Study, resolution, manly exertion, and...

Behold the man who judgeth aright the ways and means of achieving great enterprises and the proper season to commence them: he is the proper man for the Council. Study, resolution, manly exertion, and...

The blessing of the tongue is a blessing indeed: for it is a blessing apart and formeth not part of other blessings. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: guard thou therefore against imprude...

Alliances bring success unto a man: but purity of action fulfilleth his every desire. Always turn thy face away from those deeds that bring not glory as well as profit. Those that desire to rise in th...

Greatness of achievement is nought else but the greatness of the will that striveth therefor: all other things come not near the mark. To avoid all action that is bound to fail and not to turn away fr...

The end of all deliberation is to arrive at a decision: and when a decision is come to, it is wrong to delay the execution thereof. Do with deliberation those things that ought to be done in a leisure...

A kind heart, high birth, and manners that captivate princes, these are the qualifications of the ambassador. A loving nature, a wise understanding, and skill in speech, these three are indispensable ...

Whoever desireth to move with princes, let him be like unto the men that warm themselves at a fire: let him not approach too near nor stand too far away. Not to itch for those things that the prince d...

Behold the man who divineth what is in the mind before the voice uttereth it: he is an ornament unto all the world. Look upon that man as a God who divineth with certitude that which is in the heart. ...

O ye that know how to weigh your words! study well your audience and suit your speech to it. O ye that have the gift of eloquence! ascertain the mood of your audience first and then speak after carefu...

Behold the men that know how to weigh their words: they will also know how to order their discourse and will not fail before a wise audience. Behold the man who can sustain his conclusions in the cong...

That is the great country which never faileth in its yield of harvests, and which is the abode of sages and of rich men that are worthy. That is the great country which attracteth men to itself by the...

Fortresses are helpful to the weak who are thinking only of their defence: but they are also no less helpful to the strong and powerful. Watercourses, deserts, mountains, and thick jungles, all these ...

There is nothing like wealth to lend so much consequence to men of no consequence. The indigent are decried by all: but everyone exalteth the man of substance. The unflickering light called wealth lig...

A well-organised and puissant army that feareth not danger is the first among the possessions of the prince. It is only veterans that can hold out in desperate situations with grim determination, rega...

Face not my master in battle, O ye foes! for many are the men that challenged him and are now lying in stone-marked graves. The javelin that is aimed at a tusker but misseth bringeth more glory than t...

What is there in the world that is so difficult to acquire as friendship? and what other armour equalleth it as a defence against the machinations of foes? Like unto the waxing of the moon is the frie...

There is no greater ill than making a friend without first testing him: for, once a friendship is formed, there is no giving it up for the man of heart. Behold the man that maketh men his friends with...

That friendship is called intimacy which submitteth without resenting to all the freedoms taken by the beloved one. To be free and easy with each other, that is the heart of true friendship: and it is...

Behold the men who look as if they would eat thee up for very love, but who love thee not in their hearts: their friendship is sweeter in the waning than in the waxing. Behold the unworthy wretches wh...

The friendship that an enemy pretendeth is only an anvil whereon to hammer thee when he seeth his opportunity. Behold the men who look like friends but are enemies at heart: their friendship will alte...

Dost thou want to know what folly is? It is the throwing away of that which is profitable and the holding fast to that which is hurtful. The chiefest among all kinds of folly is the folly of inclining...

The veritable poverty is the poverty of sense: the world regardeth not other poverty as poverty. When a fool bestoweth a gift of his own free will, it is simply the good fortune of the receiver and no...

The spirit of defiance is the peccant humour which developpeth in all men the distemper called hate. Even when thy neighbour injureth thee with the deliberate purpose of picking a quarrel, even then i...

Strive not with the powerful: but against those that are weaker than thyself carry on wars without relaxing even for one moment. Behold the prince who is cruel, and who hath neither allies nor the str...

The accursed thing called enmity should never be courted willingly even though it be only in jest. Even if thou challenge the men whose weapon is the bow, provoke not the men whose weapon is their ton...

Even groves and fountains give no joy if they breed disease: even so kinsmen too are an abomination when they seek one’s ruin. Fear not the foe that is like the naked sword: but beware of the enemy th...

The greatest care of a man that looketh to his safety should be to guard himself carefully from offending the Great Ones. If a man slighteth the Great Ones, their power will bring down on him miseries...

Those that dote upon their wives will not attain to greatness: those that have the ambition to do great things turn away from such seduction. Behold the man who hath an abject infatuation for his wife...

Behold the women that desire a man for the sake of his gold and not for the sake of love: their cajoleries will lead only to misery. Behold the women who speak honeyed words, but whose thoughts are ev...

Behold the men who are addicted to drink: they will never be feared by their enemies, and even the glory they have acquired they will lose. Let none drink: but if they desire, let those men drink who ...

Take not to gambling even if thou win: for thy wins are even as the baited hook that the fish swalloweth. Behold the gamblers who lose a hundred where they gain but one: is there forsooth a way even f...

Every one of the three humours described by sages, beginning with the windy one,35 would cause disease whenever they go to either extreme. The body requireth no medicine if new food is eaten only afte...

Rectitude and a sense of shame come by nature only to men who are born of a good family. Men of family fall not from three things, namely, correct conduct, truth, and a sense of shame. Four are the at...

Rectitude and a sense of shame come by nature only to men who are born of a good family. Men of family fall not from three things, namely, correct conduct, truth, and a sense of shame. Four are the at...

Forbear from those things that would lower thee, even though they should be indispensable for the very preservation of thy life. Behold the men that desire to leave an honoured name behind them: they ...

An aspiration for noble achievement, that is what is called greatness: and littleness is the thought that sayeth, I shall live without it. The manner of birth is the same for all men: but their reputa...

Behold the men that know their duties and want to cultivate worth in themselves: everything that is good will be a duty in their eyes. The comeliness of the worthy is the comeliness of their character...

Courteousness, they say, cometh easily to those who receive all men with open arms. Courteousness cometh of the combination of the two virtues of kindness and good-breeding. Men are likened to each ot...

Behold the man who hath laid by in his home treasures in abundance but enjoyeth them not: he is as good as dead, for he maketh no use of them. Behold the miser that thinketh that wealth is all in all ...

The blush of the worthy is for action that become them not: it is therefore quite different to the blush of the fair. Food, clothing, and progeny are common unto all men: it is in the sensibility to s...

Nothing advanceth a man’s family so much as his determination never to weary in labouring with his hands. Manly exertion and a sound understanding: it is the fullness of these two that exalteth the fa...

Roam where they will, men must at last stand behind the plough for their food: in spite of every hardship, therefore, husbandry is the chiefest industry. Husbandmen are the linchpin of society: for th...

Wantest thou to know what is more galling than indigence? then know that indigence alone is more galling than indigence. Caitiff Indigence is an enemy to the joys of this life as well as of the next. ...

Thou mayest beg if thou seest men that can afford to do charity: if they feign inability, it is their fault, not thine. Even begging will be a pleasure if thou canst obtain what thou beggest without s...

The man that beggeth not is ten million times worthier than he that beggeth, even though it be only at the hands of men that give lovingly and with all their heart. If He that made the earth intended ...

How they take after men, these degraded ones! We have never seen likeness so exact! Happier than men of conscience are these despicable ones! For they never have any pangs of the mind to feel. Like un...

The jewelled form that appeareth yonder, is it a Goddess? or a peacock chosen from among its kind? or is it simply a lovely maid? Verily I am too dazed to tell. How would it fare with men if the fasci...

The jewelled form that appeareth yonder, is it a Goddess? or a peacock chosen from among its kind? or is it simply a lovely maid? Verily I am too dazed to tell. How would it fare with men if the fasci...

The jewelled form that appeareth yonder, is it a Goddess? or a peacock chosen from among its kind? or is it simply a lovely maid? Verily I am too dazed to tell. How would it fare with men if the fasci...

Two are the looks of her eye: one of them tortureth the heart, but the other is the balm that healeth it. The furtive lightning glance that is turned on the lover the moment that his eyes are turned a...

All the delights of sight and sound and smell and taste and touch are to be found in their entirety only in this damsel of the shining bangles. The cure of all disease lieth in some other thing than t...

Soft art thou, O blest anitcha flower! but tenderer than thyself is she on whom my heart is set. Thou becomest distracted whenever thou seest a flower, O my Heart! Thou thinkest that the flowers that ...

Even as honey and milk mingled together is the dew on the lips of this fair one with the subdued speech. How great is the love between the body and the soul? Even so great is my love for this artless ...

To those who are torn from their loved one and suffer the pangs of their passion there is no other resource left but the riding of the palmyra stalk.50 Body and soul cannot support this anguish and ha...

As the outcry riseth in the village my life cometh back to me: it is my good luck that many do not know this secret.51 These village folk know not the rare virtues of my beloved with the flower-like e...

If there is anything about not parting, speak it to me: but if it is only thy quick return, tell it to those who will survive till then. His mere look was once a delight unto me: but now even his embr...

If there is anything about not parting, speak it to me: but if it is only thy quick return, tell it to those who will survive till then. His mere look was once a delight unto me: but now even his embr...

I smother my grief within me, but behold! it only welleth up more and more even as the water of the spring to those who are draining it. To conceal my grief is now beyond me: but as to disclosing it, ...

Why do my Eyes complain to me today? This inconsolable grief hath come even upon me only through their showing to me my beloved. How is it that the Eyes that looked rashly on the beloved that day grie...

It is I myself that consented to the parting of my beloved: to whom shall I complain now of my pallor? Pallor is proud of being his child, and creeping all over my frame rideth on me. My comeliness an...

They alone eat the stoneless all-sweet fruit of love who are beloved of those whom they hold dear. What the rain is to all the world, that is the tenderness of the beloved to her that loveth. They alo...

Even in the recollection love is sweet with endless delights: love is therefore sweeter than wine. The moment I recall the image of my loved one to my mind, that very moment all my sorrow is vanquishe...

What honours shall I do to the Dream which hath brought me a message from the beloved? If only I could persuade my eyes to sleep, I would fly to my beloved in my dream, and tell him the story of how I...

Evening! Bless thee, but who calleth thee Evening? Thou art really the hour that devoureth the lives of the wedded ones! Thou lookest melancholy and pale, O Eventide! Pray, tell me, dear, is thy lover...

My eyes think on him who left me saying that it was but to increase my happiness that he went, and are ashamed to show their face before flowers.66 My lacklustre eyes that are raining down tears look ...

Wouldst thou not think, O my Heart, and find out and tell me some remedy to cure me of this incurable disease? Bless thee, my Heart! Thou art a fool to grieve at his absence when he hath no love for t...

The door that is bolted with the bolt of modesty will yet yield to the axe of an overpowering love. Heartless is this thing called Love: for it oppresseth my heart even in the dead of night. I try ind...

My eyes have lost their lustre and grown dull, and my fingers have worn away for counting of the days that I have noted on the wall.67 What if I forget today, my maid? My beauty hath already left me a...

Thou mayest try to conceal, my love, but thy eye refuseth to be restrained, and telleth me that there is some strange thought in thy breast.68 Ah! More than a woman’s reserve hath my artless one, whos...

Rapture at the very thought and delight at the mere seeing belong not to wine: they belong only unto love. When love exceedeth even the measure of a palmyra tree, the desire to sulk can never enter th...

Thou seest how his heart serveth his will: then, how is it that thou obeyest not me, O my Heart? Thou seest, my Heart, how he neglecteth me: and yet thou consortest with him as if he were thy friend! ...

Embrace him not, my dear, but feign to be angry: let us just see a fun how he is nettled over it. Bouderie is the salt of love: to lengthen it unduly, however, is like adding too much of salt to food....

All that are women devour thee with their eyes, thou gallant! I shall have none of thy embrace. I was in the sulks: he then sneezed, for he thought that I would bless him saying, Long live my beloved!...

Even if he is free from faults, it is only bouderie that giveth me a taste of his conciliatory grace. Though the tenderness of the beloved hath to wait a little, there is a charm in the pinprick that ...

The figures within brackets to this paragraph refer to chapters. Everywhere else in the preface they will refer to the number of the verse except where chapters are indicated by the letters Ch. ↩ In t...