PART I. VIRTUE - Domestic Virtue

Chapter. 5. Domestic Life

Kural-41
The men of household virtue, firm in way of good, sustain
The other orders three that rule professed maintain.
He will be called a (true) householder, who is a firm support to the virtuous of the three orders in their good path.

Kural-42
To anchorites, to indigent, to those who've passed away,
The man for household virtue famed is needful held and stay.
He will be said to flourish in domestic virtue who aids the forsaken, the poor, and the dead.

Kural-43
The manes, God, guests kindred, self, in due degree,
These five to cherish well is chiefest charity.
The chief (duty of the householder) is to preserve the five-fold rule (of conduct) towards the manes, the Gods, his guests, his relations and himself.

Kural-44
Who shares his meal with other, while all guilt he shuns,
His virtuous line unbroken though the ages runs.
His descendants shall never fail who, living in the domestic state, fears vice (in the acquisition of property) and shares his food (with others).

Kural-45
If love and virtue in the household reign,
This is of life the perfect grace and gain.
If the married life possess love and virtue, these will be both its duty and reward.

Kural-46
If man in active household life a virtuous soul retain,
What fruit from other modes of virtue can he gain?
What will he who lives virtuously in the domestic state gain by going into the other, (ascetic) state ?

Kural-47
In nature's way who spends his calm domestic days,
'Mid all that strive for virtue's crown hath foremost place.
Among all those who labour (for future happiness) he is greatest who lives well in the household state.

Kural-48
Others it sets upon their way, itself from virtue ne'er declines;
Than stern ascetics' pains such life domestic brighter shines.
The householder who, not swerving from virtue, helps the ascetic in his way, endures more than those who endure penance.

Kural-49
The life domestic rightly bears true virtue's name;
That other too, if blameless found, due praise may claim.
The marriage state is truly called virtue. The other state is also good, if others do not reproach it.

Kural-50
Who shares domestic life, by household virtues graced,
Shall, mid the Gods, in heaven who dwell, be placed.
He who on earth has lived in the conjugal state as he should live, will be placed among the Gods who dwell in heaven.

Chapter. 6. The Goodness of the Help to Domestic Life

Kural-51
As doth the house beseem, she shows her wifely dignity;
As doth her husband's wealth befit, she spends: help - meet is she.
She who has the excellence of home virtues, and can expend within the means of her husband, is a help in the domestic state.

Kural-52
If household excellence be wanting in the wife,
Howe'er with splendour lived, all worthless is the life.
If the wife be devoid of domestic excellence, whatever (other) greatness be possessed, the conjugal state, is nothing.

Kural-53
There is no lack within the house, where wife in worth excels,
There is no luck within the house, where wife dishonoured dwells.
If his wife be eminent (in virtue), what does (that man) not possess ? If she be without excellence, what does (he) possess ?

Kural-54
If woman might of chastity retain,
What choicer treasure doth the world contain?
What is more excellent than a wife, if she possess the stability of chastity ?

Kural-55
No God adoring, low she bends before her lord;
Then rising, serves: the rain falls instant at her word!
If she, who does not worship God, but who rising worships her husband, say, "let it rain," it will rain.

Kural-56
Who guards herself, for husband's comfort cares, her household's fame,
In perfect wise with sleepless soul preserves, -give her a woman's name.
She is a wife who unweariedly guards herself, takes care of her husband, and preserves an unsullied fame.

Kural-57
Of what avail is watch and ward?
Honour's woman's safest guard.
What avails the guard of a prison ? The chief guard of a woman is her chastity.

Kural-58
If wife be wholly true to him who gained her as his bride,
Great glory gains she in the world where gods bliss abide.
If women shew reverence to their husbands, they will obtain great excellence in the world where the gods flourish.

Kural-59
Who have not spouses that in virtue's praise delight,
They lion-like can never walk in scorner's sight.
The man whose wife seeks not the praise (of chastity) cannot walk with lion-like stately step, before those who revile them.

Kural-60
The house's 'blessing', men pronounce the house-wife excellent;
The gain of blessed children is its goodly ornament.
The excellence of a wife is the good of her husband; and good children are the jewels of that goodness.

Chapter. 7. The Obtaining of Sons

Kural-62
Who children gain, that none reproach, of virtuous worth,
No evils touch them, through the sev'n-fold maze of birth.
The evils of the seven births shall not touch those who abtain children of a good disposition, free from vice.

Kural-63
'Man's children are his fortune,' say the wise;
From each one's deeds his varied fortunes rise.
Men will call their sons their wealth, because it flows to them through the deeds which they (sons) perform on their behalf.

Kural-64
Than God's ambrosia sweeter far the food before men laid,
In which the little hands of children of their own have play'd.
The rice in which the little hand of their children has dabbled will be far sweeter (to the parent) than ambrosia.

Kural-65
To patent sweet the touch of children dear;
Their voice is sweetest music to his ear.
The touch of children gives pleasure to the body, and the hearing of their words, pleasure to the ear.

Kural-66
'The pipe is sweet,' 'the lute is sweet,' by them't will be averred,
Who music of their infants' lisping lips have never heard.
"The pipe is sweet, the lute is sweet," say those who have not heard the prattle of their own children.

Kural-67
Sire greatest boon on son confers, who makes him meet,
In councils of the wise to fill the highest seat.
The benefit which a father should confer on his son is to give him precedence in the assembly of the learned.

Kural-68
Their children's wisdom greater than their own confessed,
Through the wide world is sweet to every human breast.
That their children should possess knowledge is more pleasing to all men of this great earth than to themselves.

Kural-69
When mother hears him named 'fulfill'd of wisdom's lore,'
Far greater joy she feels, than when her son she bore.
The mother who hears her son called "a wise man" will rejoice more than she did at his birth.

Kural-70
To sire, what best requital can by grateful child be done?
To make men say, 'What merit gained the father such a son?'
(So to act) that it may be said "by what great penance did his father beget him," is the benefit which a son should render to his father.

Chapter. 8. The Possession of Love

Kural-72
The loveless to themselves belong alone;
The loving men are others' to the very bone.
Those who are destitute of love appropriate all they have to themselves; but those who possess love consider even their bones to belong to others.

Kural-73
Of precious soul with body's flesh and bone,
The union yields one fruit, the life of love alone.
They say that the union of soul and body in man is the fruit of the union of love and virtue (in a former birth).

Kural-74
From love fond yearning springs for union sweet of minds;
And that the bond of rare excelling friendship binds.
Love begets desire: and that (desire) begets the immeasureable excellence of friendship.

Kural-75
Sweetness on earth and rarest bliss above,
These are the fruits of tranquil life of love.
They say that the felicity which those who, after enjoying the pleasure (of the conjugal state) in this world, obtain in heaven is the result of their domestic state imbued with love.

Kural-76
The unwise deem love virtue only can sustain,
It also helps the man who evil would restrain.
The ignorant say that love is an ally to virtue only, but it is also a help to get out of vice.

Kural-77
As sun's fierce ray dries up the boneless things,
So loveless beings virtue's power to nothing brings.
Virtue will burn up the soul which is without love, even as the sun burns up the creature which is without bone, i.e. worms.

Kural-78
The loveless soul, the very joys of life may know,
When flowers, in barren soil, on sapless trees, shall blow.
The domestic state of that man whose mind is without love is like the flourishing of a withered tree upon the parched desert.

Kural-79
Though every outward part complete, the body's fitly framed;
What good, when soul within, of love devoid, lies halt and maimed?
Of what avail are all the external members (of the body) to those who are destitute of love, the internal member.

Kural-80
Bodies of loveless men are bony framework clad with skin;
Then is the body seat of life, when love resides within.
That body alone which is inspired with love contains a living soul: if void of it, (the body) is bone overlaid with skin.

Chapter. 9. Cherishing Guests

Kural-82
Though food of immortality should crown the board,
Feasting alone, the guests without unfed, is thing abhorred.
It is not fit that one should wish his guests to be outside (his house) even though he were eating the food of immortality.

Kural-83
Each day he tends the coming guest with kindly care;
Painless, unfailing plenty shall his household share.
The domestic life of the man that daily entertains the guests who come to him shall not be laid waste by poverty.

Kural-84
With smiling face he entertains each virtuous guest,
'Fortune' with gladsome mind shall in his dwelling rest.
Lakshmi with joyous mind shall dwell in the house of that man who, with cheerful countenance, entertains the good as guests.

Kural-85
Who first regales his guest, and then himself supplies,
O'er all his fields, unsown, shall plenteous harvests rise.
Is it necessary to sow the field of the man who, having feasted his guests, eats what may remain ?

Kural-86
The guest arrived he tends, the coming guest expects to see;
To those in heavenly homes that dwell a welcome guest is he.
He who, having entertained the guests that have come, looks out for others who may yet come, will be a welcome guest to the inhabitants of heaven.

Kural-87
To reckon up the fruit of kindly deeds were all in vain;
Their worth is as the worth of guests you entertain.
The advantages of benevolence cannot be measured; the measure (of the virtue) of the guests (entertained) is the only measure.

Kural-88
With pain they guard their stores, yet 'All forlorn are we,' they'll cry,
Who cherish not their guests, nor kindly help supply.
Those who have taken no part in the benevolence of hospitality shall (at length lament) saying, "we have laboured and laid up wealth and are now without support."

Kural-89
To turn from guests is penury, though worldly goods abound;
'Tis senseless folly, only with the senseless found.
That stupidity which excercises no hospitality is poverty in the midst of wealth. It is the property of the stupid.

Kural-90
The flower of 'Anicha' withers away, If you do but its fragrance inhale;
If the face of the host cold welcome convey, The guest's heart within him will fail.
As the Anicham flower fades in smelling, so fades the guest when the face is turned away.

Chapter. 10. The Utterance of Pleasant Words

Kural-91
Pleasant words are words with all pervading love that burn;
Words from his guileless mouth who can the very truth discern.
Sweet words are those which imbued with love and free from deceit flow from the mouth of the virtuous.

Kural-92
A pleasant word with beaming smile,s preferred,
Even to gifts with liberal heart conferred.
Sweet speech, with a cheerful countenance is better than a gift made with a joyous mind.

Kural-93
With brightly beaming smile, and kindly light of loving eye,
And heart sincere, to utter pleasant words is charity.
Sweet speech, flowing from the heart (uttered) with a cheerful countenance and a sweet look, is true virtue.

Kural-94
The men of pleasant speech that gladness breathe around,
Through indigence shall never sorrow's prey be found.
Sorrow-increasing poverty shall not come upon those who use towards all, pleasure-increasing sweetness of speech.

Kural-95
Humility with pleasant speech to man on earth,
Is choice adornment; all besides is nothing worth.
Humility and sweetness of speech are the ornaments of man; all others are not (ornaments).

Kural-96
Who seeks out good, words from his lips of sweetness flow;
In him the power of vice declines, and virtues grow.
If a man, while seeking to speak usefully, speaks also sweetly, his sins will diminish and his virtue increase.

Kural-97
The words of sterling sense, to rule of right that strict adhere,
To virtuous action prompting, blessings yield in every sphere.
That speech which, while imparting benefits ceases not to please, will yield righteousness (for this world) and merit (for the next world).

Kural-98
Sweet kindly words, from meanness free, delight of heart,
In world to come and in this world impart.
Sweet speech, free from harm to others, will give pleasure both in this world and in the next.

Kural-99
Who sees the pleasure kindly speech affords,
Why makes he use of harsh, repellant words?
Why does he use harsh words, who sees the pleasure which sweet speech yields ?

Kural-100
When pleasant words are easy, bitter words to use,
Is, leaving sweet ripe fruit, the sour unripe to choose.
To say disagreeable things when agreeable are at hand is like eating unripe fruit when there is ripe.