A Classified Collection Tamil ProverbsA CLASSIFIED COLLECTION
T A M I L P R O V E R B S
BY TH E
Dan ish M is s io/nary . Madras .
AN OUNC E OF MOTH ER wrr I S WORTH A POUND OF LE ARN ING .
MADR AS
TH E METH ODIST EPISC OPAL PUBL IS H ING H OUS E .
LONDON
1 8 9 7 .
A l l Righ ts Re s erved
PR INTED AT TH E M . E . PUBL I SH ING H OUSE , MOUNT ROAD, MADRAS.
TH E LUZ , 19th April; 1897.
TH E H ON ’
Dewcm B aharlm'
.
DEAR S I R , 0 I have no doubt that your forth c oming c ollec t ion of
Tamil proverbs w ill prove h igh ly useful and intere st ing .
The c ollec t ion of say ings in th e West by t h e side of th ese
proverbs would enable many people t o see h ow muc h
similarity in ideas exist s be tween t he Eas t and th e We st .
A s regards th e t ranslat ion int o English th e ideas under
lying those proverbs have been well brough t out . I wish
every suc c ess t o your laudable undertaking .
Yours s inc erely ,
FROM
0. W . TAMOTH ARAM P ILLAY, E SQ B .A . , B .L .
Th e edit ion of proverbs brough t out by th e R ev . Mr.
Jensen is dec idedly an improvement upon it s predec essors .
I t s c lassific ation under appropriate heads gives it a superior
aspe c t , fac ilitating one t o lay h is hand on what h e want s
wh ic h h e c annot do in a collec tion simply alphabe t ic ally
arranged , t he advantage of wh ic h is also c ombined in th e
edition by t h e index of th e initial words .
Notwith s tanding that th ere are sligh t errors of gram
mar and spelling, wh ich a European c ompiler c annot but
fall int o , th e book , I believe , will be of great use to both
th e Tamilians and foreigners .
( S igned ) C . W TAMOTH ARAM P ILLAY.
MADRAS, 22 3ml April, 1897 .
P R E F A C E .
A BOUT tw enty y e ars ago, wh en I got Perc ival ’
s c olle c tion of
Tamil proverbs into my hands, I had only be en a short t ime i n
India , and had as ye t got no ins igh t into Indian though t and liter
ature . I h ad read only a c ouple of small Tamil s tory books , but wh en reading th e se I had already pe rc e ive d that th e
'I ndians c ould hardly tell a s tory w ithout introduc ing some proverbs into it .
My attention was thus at an early period of my life in India drawn to proverb s , and I began to s tudy Perc ival
’ s c olle c tion . I go t ,
however, very little ou t of my s tudy , as Perc ival had only given a
translation of th e Tamil proverbs, and had given no hints as t o
th e ir meaning . So in t h ose days I got no insight whatever into th e real h ouseh old proverbs , but had almos t t o re s t satisfied wi th t h e many aph orisms
, or what w e in Tamil c all fimwnfi ,
of wh ic h
w e find large numbers in all our Tamil proverb c olle c tions . Ye t ,
from wh at I had se en in t he s tory books and in Perc ival ’ s c olle c
t ion I h ad got an intere s t in th e se terse , blunt and poe tic sayings
and y e ar after year on ge tting deeper into th e thought and life of India, and at t h e same time be c oming ac quainted w ith more and
more of t he proverbs , my intere s t in them steadily in c reased .
And wh eneve r I me t w ith a new proverb e ither wh en talking w ith
t h e people or reading Tamil books, I always looked for it in Perc i
val ’ s c olle c tion,
and if h e had not got it , I took a note of i t and
at time s I tried t o have some of th em explained by th e c ommon
people .
While I was thus le isure ly prose c u ting t h e s tudy of Tamil
proverbs , t h e R ev . J . Lazarus , B .A . , began t o prepare a Dic tionary
of Tamil Proverb s . I looked forward to t h e public ation of th is
book wi th ve ry great inte re st, bu t when it appeared, I was some
wh at disappointed w ith it , partly be c ause Mr. Lazarus had not
g iven a translation of th e proverbs and partly be c ause h is expla
nation of th e proverbs s e emed to me , from th e ins ight I had go t
into th e proverbs th rough years of s tudy , not always t o be the righ t
iv P R E F A C E .
one . But th e book roused my intere st afre sh, and I took a Tamil
munsh i for about th ree years t o go through all th e proverbs I had
found in other c olle c tions , and those I now found in Mr. Lazarus ’
s
book , and also those I had c olle c ted myself . Th is s tudy w ith my
munsh i toge ther w ith th e kind help I got from other Tamil people
led me to a fuller unders tand ing Of Oriental proverbial l iterature , and after a c ouple Of ye ars i nve stigation, I go t t he idea of pub
l ishing a c olle c tion of th e se beautiful national say ings . B u t no
sooner had I began t o realize th e idea, than I fe lt h ow muc h
e asier it was t o ge t an idea than t o c arry it out . And hundreds
of time s , when going on with th is work, have I fe lt t he forc e Of
t he Tamil proverb : I s tepped into t h e water without knowing it s depth .
When t h e idea of publish ing a c olle c tion of Tamil proverbs
oc c urred t o me , I saw at onc e that I had great diffic ult ie s to fac e .
I had the diffi c ulty Of two language s , both of wh ic h were fore ign
t o me . I had the fear—and s till have i t—that it might be too muc h
for a fore igner t o venture on t he public ation of Tamil proverbs ,
as proverbs undoubtedly form th e mos t diffic ult branc h of a nation’ s
l ite rature t o c ompreh end . B es ide s th is , it was c lear t o me that
if I were to publish Tamil proverbs , I c ould not adopt t h e usual
alphabe t ic al order, but would have t o arrange them into groups .
Anoth er d iffi c ulty—and w ith out c omparison th e most important one—was to ge t the proper meaning of th e proverb s , not as some
pand its may please to explain them, but as c ommon men and
women understand th em , when they use them in the ir every day
life . Another d iffi c ulty , again, was to have the se thousands of
proverbs be fore me sifted . What was t o be taken , and what t o be
le ft out I t always seemed t o me that our c olle c tions of proverb s
suffered from a great evil, viz. , that th ey c ontained t oo many
use le ss say ings, t oo many aphorisms and too many repe titions of the same proverbs .
With the se diffi c ultie s be fore me I s tart ed , hoping that t h e
proverb would prove true Little s troke s a t las t fe ll great oaks , ”
or as we say in Tamil : S troke upon s troke w ill make e ven a
grindstone c re ep.
When go ing into th e s tudy of Tamil prove rbs one finds that little has be en done in t he way of making a s c ientific inve s tigation of them. A ll proverbs , say ings and aphoris ins w e me e t with in our
P R E F A C E .
Tamil proverb c olle c tions we gene ral ly c al l Tamil prove rbs , but th e se t wo terms—Tami l and Proverb3~raise two great que s tions :Are
they all Tamil originally, and are th ey all proverbs When c om
paring t h e Tamil proverbs w ith t h e Te lugu one s , w e find a good
number almos t word for word t h e same . And I remember when onc e
walking wi th a fri end in th e s tree ts of Poona , that h e quoted two
Marath i proverbs , both of wh ic h w e h ave literally in Tamil . A t
B ombay I onc e h appened to look into a Marath i proverb c olle c tion ,
and when I asked for a translation of th e firs t proverb in th e . book
I found it t o be ours Th e danc ing girl , who c ould not danc e , said th at t h e hall was not big enough . B ut wh ic h is whic h in our
Tamil proverb c olle c tions . They are all c al led Tamil . Again,
is it right t o insert in our c olle c tions of prove rbs
h undreds and hundreds of aphorisms , c las s ic al say ings (15
3
50a ) and common sayings, when the se only c ommunic ate a truth in a
gene ral way , w ith out making use of any sort of illustration ? I t seems to me that w e should not allow t h e c onfus ion of proverbs
w ith mere pre c epts ormaxims de s titute of proverb ial signific anc e and
c harac te r to go on . Eac h in i t s prope r plac e . I have no t le ft th em out altoge th e r, bu t tried to insert only suc h as are c ommon,
and at t he same t ime c onta in rare words or id iomatic phrase s .
To sh ow wh at I mean by aphorisms and pre c epts, I shall
quote a few h e re —6a5 °
armaz681 w g n ‘iwm
— Go,e afl@sv Gamma-
ufl . —G°a i%v 4759
an}:gmummQ 5 n@g cb. 5mm Q 55Qw e¥afl m
maxi swim/rmum . gabgyu sémswfiggé ) , main tain 61n 36mm
e /(gzb. 67m in}:md—u rrGfie , smLQwn siievmb a svewrfis
a wG ’ u ae a/air gmmtuncrfig nézir.—q ,
@w amfiwm ’
Za T
GM OLb. u fl QJLb 9 6116w ga —a wmfi’
ev arr/Hu b
9 Ci§a wn6 ° sv agg ro” g /Qam Gu ns /7 ,51.
H e re are a few more of t h e same k ind , bu t a l ittle more c las
s ic al in t h e ir grammar z — (gam cileimfl g 6956635 mam as 41,619n
Qy é s r épa ai'r cga ma
'
’ a mfr
Ewi —a g wéfi éyc ’ evwé iw fi dTUDGUé figg ei )
a gy fifg é g 3 1036061” a g aiasrb Q g é gm. —
c9/,mu301. 1”n M uma shwa
gpcmaséu 3g ], gruff/i u aiarQ ariba /Gwahb
—®5 né}gmb Garner g é 5 @ mG5 ®Lb fi gm—meim (Wham egg-J e di;
’
fi d l ’ Gwa fiw tu iq tb Org y /am t Q absv évevg ,
5 6961)w n mfiswwneir
«alum/( 564337 aS °
L CDL3u 6w€ Oaubajneir. —B ut wh ere would be t h e
end of it , if th e s e we re t o be pas se d off as prove rbs A fine c ol le e
tion, quite a Mahabharata, migh t be made ou t o f th em. Th e
l iterature of India abounds in them . From t h e Mahabhara t a , H ito pade sa, y arw a wfl ri and oth e r books , w e c ould eas ily ge t a beau t iful c olle c tion of aphorisms and saying s c oun t ed by thous ands .
Many of t h e proverbs me t w i t h in books have so o ften be en
hand led by pand it s , that we me e t w ith t he same prove rb in a num
ber of forms . Th e same is th e c ase w i th a number of proverbs ,
w h ic h , jus t be c ause th ey are in c ommon use al l over t h e c ountry ,
have b e c ome s ligh t ly alte red wh en wande ring abou t t he c ount ry
from plac e to plac e and from c as te t o c as te . A s th ey are in spi t e
o f sl igh t c h ange s th e same prove rb, th ey ough t e ith e r t o be pu t
down toge th e r or re fe re nc e s o ugh t t o be made from one t o t h e
o th e r , as C aptain C arr h as tried t o do in his c ol le c t ion of Te lugu
prove rbs . I f th is is not done , t h ey c anno t bu t give t h e inex
pe rienc ed s tude nt o f prove rbs a gre a t de al o f trouble ; and to me
th ey h ave be e n a re al wo rry , as I h ad t o find th em all ou t , in
orde r that I migh t no t in t h is c olle c tion repea t two proverbs that are t h e same . H ere are a few example s of th is kind
5 6507666fi6i) g e ’
; 5 65mm£1umi Q W Q L /rz s w '
mmfleb 1. 1l
m amu g '
'
v mamwé s abrmtj u
g mu z m s afluei) 5 6W6wfievummn6i) mama:67657667 U6otr6wr6wnb=619fl 6i)
a d amfiei) g gfim ga 0 657 371 Gw i mQG ’ u fl Oa/ nds mn z afifiuflG
’w
— cajmu d mair g dmum ufi Qmfl ggév mail/h old?
fl rru '
J LJ q u Orb -
z fi fi g és Q aim. g /mu li mah (g é m u muSlQJ q UOLb.
cgywnazrrmab 1. 1056t ammp é gmg ad u Omn z lfiafiwmQmma ’
sg mn cg/mrr
Q a L Oé afifiQy ifimw z g /wg ég é asL '
Ju
m afuflebw Q a L Oé ag ’
QuJfl é w z s tbu g fl Q Lfi ebw
606.5)n ew ég azg ésg é au g er 676i r607 = <91p sw ears;
(556555 67657667 = GOL1L ew ég fl fié g é g afi /fish‘esv z epapg jm(SW /5 , 5
a g ag fi y rélé i ‘zsv z y gby m FFITLI) 675 1. a t. 9 5 035?
gnair (95 ,53n @@ fi5gwib Q aQ e i
f e /
v Q agfcg/ Lb
(95 0959 17631: 961111559 75: Q fl rrmmf) Q g ég ym675 09935 11657 698355 715 Q aODgf
and rz fi ’
’
)
agenda G ’ u u lm 5 6mg z: g eogéi fl r
éfi év E gbp tb Gu nLn JGu rrév
g gofifi flefi si) ampmG’u nL Q s' g ainmf /i Qmpgfig fl r /bQ u nsb c
—G’azw w r rbp
gymLJl ai‘r w5 ‘
c’ aw aflebévng g /mu d g dr
‘
ZQ TéQ a LLL . g /mu fi L_6zir5 26376071 1? m g '
g fl @ m
P R E F A C E . vfi
Qa tar LLQm éQ aL L g /mu d mair Q u aiwanfi gwmwé Qanfl g '
g régm,
q afiég g 6T6zirguib Lamb s /rah q afif ég g a airgrib g amut /moat a érer
evnwrrz a mu) q aflgae ’
g r Lon/Emmi) q afig '
gGg /n — a mmfsg snag m g ugS)
'
zq rb £ 663,19n
fi g mu ng z g mp g mmg amq {$629 ,n n g ainfu l /7g g mr
mg mm
g rOLb ffimpg mm§ @ mu flg . g fimé g a ffiai)
Q tsfl a almw g nb (gm '
mé g aufiei) Gae asmLmé s L Ofigfl uflG’a}
’
mg ’
pg
fi s '
vGg aira L g d uw mggfi évQmfl ss n g Q u fl éJ: Q g sziT
26217 57655? 6 °
Zszrra '
— g e_nti Qwé ar [EL
'
’ es fr u nebaxmig
'
g ‘ a awug w g é g d u nabazmigfg a afQ
g um 944 0145644 u nsvamrrgg g astrQ C/y g u sh Gre sham.) uns '
v gma ’
sQ
(mu /r, ass/i Omé af d gmé fi gywn. rseiJevg GDQQ ’ Q umran/1 fi g Lamb {s eiiwg ’
g nair GOG -Q Q G LLl—g .
Th e above are only a few example s o f t h e many repe ti t ions of the very same prove rb .
There is anoth er way of c hanging a proverb, by putting t h e se c ond half of a proverb a t th e beginn ing, so th at w e ge t two
proverbs out Of one . A s an ins tanc e a naflGsv u CQib , ©5 134 .
6mC ° uJ 9 .56mi)
) ULLL S H Q VQW
n aSl ,
s am e ) Q g rég 5 116199 6) 6035619.
A s my aim in mak ing t his c olle c tion has be en prac tic al rath er than s c ientifi c , I have no t trie d to solve all the s e d iffic ul t ie s in any
o the r way than by try ing my be s t to avoid all repe t itions . B ut w ith re ferenc e t o th is th e re is muc h for any one t o do wh o would try t o
g ive us a s c ientific c ol le c tion of Tami l prove rbs . I n su c h a work
w e should also expe c t to se e what we c all Tami l proverbs s ifted , so
that w e might learn where th ey have originated , as in a good Engl ish c olle c tion of proverbs we c an se e wh ere eac h had it s orig in
—in Gre e c e , in I taly , in Spain, in Germany or e lsewh e re .
Th is c olle c tion of proverb s is a se le c t ion from th e thousands that are given in our Tamil proverb c olle c tions
, and also from t h e
many I have c ome ac ross whe n re ading Tamil books and c onve rs ing
w i th Tamil people . Though I fe el sure that th ere are a good number Of real h ousehold proverbs I have not given that ough t to be in suc h a c o lle c tion as th is , I am a t t h e same t ime c onvinc e d flunz t h ere c annot be ve ry rnany . (Duc e a t h an game rne QOO
viii P R E F A C E .
proverbs wh ic h h e had c ol le c ted a t Madura, bu t among them all I found only two new one s wh ic h we re no t more or le ss a repe tition o f what I had .
’
rOarnei) gym /7 , 67, a c olle c t ion of about Tami l
prove rbs publish ed in 1872, wh ic h is with re fe renc e t o real
house hold prove rbs, far supe rior t o Perc ival ’ s . Th e book is out
’
s c olle c tion of about proverb s with an English
trans lation. A very use ful l it t le “ H andbook o f Tamil Proverbs
and Ph rase s ” was pub lish e d in 1888 by Mr . P . Satya Ne san
, B .A .
, applic ation and
many similar English proverbs . The las t c olle c t ion that appeared was Mr. Lazarus ’ s Dic tionary of Tamil Proverb s .
” Th is book is
now t he large s t c ol le c tion we h ave , and so far it make s it s prede c e ssors superfl uous . M r. Lazarus has not translated t h e proverbs , b ut t o every one h e h as given a h int as to i t s meaning .
The o th er books from wh ic h I have c h iefly drawn are t he Tamil
s tory books and Sastras . Of su c h I shall mention a few :s g flmg '
J /fi,
ag nfiég nwmfi, ugargefi flm , Qafié amg , cp é ugfi fl dmO u g w waw g .
Pandit S . M . Nat esa Sas tri '
s Folklore in Southern India ,
” whic h
has a number of proverbs and Tamil storie s to illustrate them. A
magazine publish ed some years ago c alled : Th e Saguna Bodli ini
Serie s .
” A book c al led Q antas /va s t}; is
, though writ ten in poe try ,
full of proverbs . This is s t ill more th e c ase w ith “ V inoda Rasa
manjari by A . V iraswami C h e t t iar, late Pandit in t h e Madras Presidenc y C ollege . This book is s imply interwoven w ith Tamil Proverbs . Mathar Nee thy is another s tory book c ontaining many fine proverbs ; and th e same may be said Of a book c alled :
g Orbu a bnaasmfi. Th e Viveka C hintamani , ”
a month ly magazine ,
publ ish ed by Mr. C . V . Swaminat ha Iyer in Triplic ane , has for t h e las t year had a number of Tamil proverbs w ith Tamil explanation in every issue . The Sastras translated from Sanskrit into Tamil c ontain hardly any proverbs exc ept th e Mahabharata . This royal
s torehouse of some th ing of every th ing that India has produc ed c on tains a good number of proverb s interspersed throughou t th e huge volume . SO even with re ferenc e to proverbs t h e B engali proverb almos t holds good : What is there after th e Mahabharata
P R E F A C E . ix
Dear as the se beau tiful li ttle proverbs are t o Tamil people ,
I have for years wondered that so l ittle has been done to make
th em known to E uropeans , spe c ially t o European ladie s , wh o
have , or
, a t least, Could h ave , so muc h infl uenc e wi th Indian
women . Pe rc ival gave a translation to hi s c olle c tion and le ft it th e re . B ut a mere translation of a real proverb will not in
most c ases bring u s into c ontac t wi th i t s h ome ly meaning . Take
as an instanc e Perc ival ’s @ ‘
26v £ 673q , Cy f
a ffair , translated :“
th e younger s is ter fe eds on leave s , t h e e lder is
ac c ustomed t o frui t ; in th is c ase th e translation is wrong , but even
if i t w ere trans lat ed properly, i t would h ave no meaning to a E uro
pean . A s Perc ival says , “ I n many instanc e s th e applic ation has
equally puzzled both my se lf and o t h ers t o whom I have appl ied for information .
” To be sure , th ere
’
s t he rub in try ing to explain
'
ll find th e ir proverbs of ines
timable value . B u t in many c ase s a Tamil proverb wi thout it s applic ation is t o a fore igner almost li ke an unbroken c oc oanut to a
,
on t he oth er hand , h ad h is though ts c hie fly dire c te d on c olle c ting
all th e Tamil prove rb s into one book . H enc e Tamil proverbs as
suc h have h ith e rto be en h anded over t o us like a c h aos .
My de s ire , as I h ave already indic ate d , has be en firs t to make th e applic ation of eac h proverb c lear
, and next t o divide th em into
familie s . A s far as I h ave suc c eeded in grasping th e meaning, so
far almos t h ave I suc c e eded, .
I suppose , in ge tting them into the ir
proper famil ie s . B ut it is hard t o ge t su c h a regis te r of s in, as prov e rbs almost are , into a sys tematic order. Th e ph enomena of sin
ful life are so mani fold, and th e re fl e c tions on it so numerous
that th e diffi c ultie s some t ime s se emed t o me insurmountab le . B e
i t remembered, that as long as I was working at th e arranging Of
th em I had not at hand t h e English index nor t h e two glossarie s
and t h e many re ferenc e s from one proverb t o anoth er , and from
one family to anothe r , that are now be fore th e reader. But in
spite of all th e diffi c ultie s and drawbac ks , i t se ems to me that it
is only wh en w e h ave arranged t h e proverbs in groups or families that w e are able to s e e wh at th e proverbs te ac h u s . I do not look
B
X P R E F A C E .
upon the arrangement introduc ed by me as a t all final . Far from i t . What I have done I w ish to be c onsidered a beginning only ,
or a little attempt at c ultivating t h e ground . Many of th e prov
e rbs are imperfe c tly explained, partly be c ause th e ir meaning has
no t been ful ly grasped, and partly be c ause many of th em t o be we ll
unders tood ough t to h ave a little s tory att ac h ed t o th em . They might be divided into more familie s
, and all t h e minor familie s
might again be grouped i nto main familie s , as I have tried to do
at th e beginning Of th e book , and also at t h e end of it .
A s th e re sult of bringing t h e proverb s into groups, though I have in many c ase s not ac h ieve d what I have aimed at
, one c an
eas ily ge t an insight into th e soc ial , e th ic al or dome stic thoughts c ontained in them. Take as an instanc e th e family on fate and
fortune . There may w ithin th is family be a few that would have fitted in be tter somewhe re e lse , and in some oth er family may be a
few that migh t have been inserted unde r fate and fortune bu t one
c an a t onc e by the he lp of th e arrangement of t h e book ge t an
insight into what th e Tamil proverbs teac h on suc h a subje c t . I have also Observed that th e divid ing Of th e proverbs into families is a great advantage in th e study of th e Tamil language itsel f. Though e ac h proverb in a family may be said to harp on one and th e same
s tring, t h e thought is expre ssed in a varie ty of terms , some of wh ic h
are synonymous . Look for instanc e at th e family on os tentation or
L LbLJ LO—One of th e c hie f i
I ndian s ins , ac c ording t o t h e proverbs a t
least—in what a varie ty Of language is vanity rebuked Anoth e r advantage of t h e family arrangement is th at as a number Of s imilar
proverbs are brought toge ther, they ne ed le s s explanation for
apart from a few that are misplac ed, th e heading of eac h c h apte r —though in many c ase s i t has be en diffi c u lt t o find an adequate heading—give s th e key t o th e meaning of al l that are inc luded
unde r i t . I t is a matter of c onsequenc e that th ough th e proverbs
in eac h family al lude to th e same thing, they are in mos t c ase s not synonymous . I n th e c hapter on a mothe r
, i t is at onc e evident
th at most Of t h e proverbs have l ittle or noth ing c onne c ting th em but this , that they re fer t o a mother. I n t he same c h apter w e
ge t also a good insigh t into th e way in wh ic h India regards a
mother in all h er c apac itie s . I n an hour ’ s time one c an by study
ing th e c h apter on a moth er ge t some real knowledge Of h er pos i
tion in India,—a knowle dge wh ic h one c ould hardly ge t from any
x ii P R E F A C E .
times aspire s , if poss ible , t o marry agai n, bu t t h e Indian widow
has no suc h aspiration, for sh e is a me re w‘idow
, a gpeohrsml- é fi ,
s dre s s plays a part in Engl ish
proverbs , bu t i t is j ewelry wh ic h i s h e re t h e al l - important th ing henc e t h e tailor’s sh op plays th e same part in Europe as th e gold smith ’
s in Ind ia. I n Ind ia a woman h as h ad no trouble in dre s s ing up in order to make an at trac tive appearanc e in Soc ie ty , as h er
parents arranged h er marriage for h e r wh ile sh e was s t i ll a c h ild .
Eve n if sh e is a monkey —ex c eed ingly ugly
—sh e w ill be married .
Th e Tamil prove rbs re fe rring t o vani ty and os tentat ion ou t
numbe r t h e E nglish and are at t h e s ame time very po inted . There is almos t no end t o th e Tamil proverbs on th e w ick ed tendency in th e human rac e to se e t he ir enem ie s de s troyed . Th ough India is saturated w ith supers tition, it se ems t o me
, s trange t o say , that
we mee t w ith more Engl ish th an Tamil proverbs on supers tition .
Th e Tamil proverbs almos t altoge th er leave ou t c ritic ism of super
s t it ion , c eremonie s
, gods and temple s , in sh ort , all th at re fers t o
re ligious l ife . Even on c aste th ere are c omparative ly few . Folly and
lazine ss are regarded so differently by th e Indians and th e English
that it is imposs ible t o find English equivalents for t h e Tamil . Th e meaning of an English and a Tamil proverb may be th e
same , but t he habits , c ustoms and c limate have formed t hem so
differently . A s an instanc e , w e say in Tamil : E ars (ornamented) with palmyra
- Ieaves are be tter than ears wi th no ornaments ; for this we might put th e English B e tter a bare foot, than no
foot at all t o go bare - footed in th e North ern c ountries of Europe ,
e spe c ially in w inter- time , would be very hard
, but in India it is
difl ic ult t o understand th is English proverb, as all Indians s til l enjoy t h e great privilege Of going bare
- footed .
One great pec ul iarity about t h e Tamil or Dravidian proverbs is that t h e animals we mee t w ith are but dumb figure s brought in merely for th e purpose Of illustration . In th e Panc hat andra, on
t h e oth er hand , all animal s are imbu ed w ith sense and c harac t eris
tic s :they think, talk, move and behave in every way l ike man .
Nay , some animals in th ose anc ient days seem even t o have be en reading th e Vedas . Th e Aryans h ave given life t o all the ir animals . Th e Dravid ians , on t he c ontrary , seem not t o have se en
muc h in animals ; in the ir proverbs , at least , th ey have not
attributed anything l ike intelle c t t o th em , exc ept perhaps a little
P R E F A C E . x iii
to t he c at . Th e shrewd and sens ible e lephant repre sents in Tamil
proverbs outward greatne ss only . The ge ntle c ow g ive s milk .
Th e buffalo is for plough ing . Sh eep are as s tupid as th e ir sh ep
h erd . Th e dog ’ s faithfulne s s is unknown . Dogs , pigs and c rows
are dirty and greedy animals . Th e ass i s ever obs tinate , but has
wi llingly or unwi llingly t o submi t t o hard work and hard treatment ; it s fate is a hard and pi tiful one
, inde ed ; in t h e h ands of th e
wash erman it fare s as badly as t h e monke y in th e hands of t h e
mendic ant . Th e doc to r and medic ine for t h e poor ass is t o go
and roll itself in th e dus t of t h e stre e t . Whatever is done t o an
ass , it c annot be c ome a h orse ; in th is sens e t h e h orse is used for
some thing great and grand . But as t h e animals are brough t in
only in order t o illus trate , and no t for t h e ir own sake at al l
, th ey
are of li ttle intere s t in this c onn e c tion .
I have always been mu c h s truc k w ith th e c omplaining, t h e
sighing, t h e groaning under th e tyranny of men and of fate that underlie s so many of t h e Indian proverbs . Th is is also t h e c ase
wi th t h e Indian songs , henc e also almost al l tune s in India are full of melanc holy . Th e triumphant t one doe s not pervade anyth ing Indian . I n all departments Of Indian lite rature it is as if th e
godde ss of t h e earth , Bh fimidevi, s tood pe rsonified, groaning under
t h e burden heaped upon h e r. Th is fee ling has found very strong expre ss ion in t h e Bhagavatgit a
Arjuna .
S lay er of Madhu Ye t again, t h is Yeg ,
Th is Peace , derived from equan imi ty ,
Made known by th ee—I s ee no fixi t y
There in , no re s t , be cause t h e h eart of men
’
’
s h eart is t o res train and wavering ;
Ye t may i t grow res t rained by habit , Prince B y want of se l f- command . Th is Yeg , I say ,
Come t h not l igh t ly t o t h ’
ungoverned :(who need it
B u t h e who wi l l be mas t er of h imse l f S hal l w in i t , if h e s t ou t ly s trive t h ere to .
The Song C e les tial —E . ARNOLD .
mv P R E F A C E
B ut why so mu c h ado abou t noth ing ? Why take so muc h trouble about th e se prove rbs Wha t is t he good Of it ? Who c are s
for the se Ob sole te c h ildish th ings Perhaps some old grandmother, wh en te lling s torie s t o women and c hildren ins ide th e h ouses who
are half asleep on the ir mats , may make some use of them. B ut
we men of t h e nine te enth c e ntury , what on earth have w e to do
w i th Obsole te prove rb ial l ite rature , some may ask . My answer is
that i t is we ll known that th e more a nation deve lops t h e more
i ts proverbs d ie ou t ; but though E urope has now for many hundreds of y ears be en de ve loping, there are many proverbs s till
in c irc ulation among t h e different nations o f Europe , and some of
th e s e prove rbs will no t die out as long as th ere is a tongue on earth to speak t hem. Whe t her w e look t o t h e We s t or to th e Eas t we find that figurative spe e c h always has gre at infl uenc e over th e
mass e s . I suppose th is was t h e reas on why Je sus , who “ knew
what was in man ,
” “ spake unto t h e mult itude in parable s ; and
w ith ou t a parable spake h e not unto th em.
” I t is intere s t ing to Ob serve that th e late s t Tamil d rama L ilavat i - Suloc hana” written by an educ ated man,
P . Sambandam, B .A .
, c ontains about a sc ore
o f Tamil prove rbs . I f proverbs are still large ly in use by th e
mas se s , i f t hey s till form a part of the ir daily language , use d in
prac t ic al l ife for prac t ic al purpose s , i t is c learly Our duty t o know th em,
if we want t o exert any infl uenc e on t h e people .
When we read biograph ie s of great men, w e Of ten see th e se
great men at tribute muc h of the ir gre at ne ss t o the ir mothe r’s infl uenc e on th em in the ir early l ife . A mother, or a home
, doe s
lay th e firs t foundat ion in every c h ild ’s heart for i t s fu ture , and in
mos t c ase s t he founda t ion laid by th e mo th er or by the women Of
th e home, h as a mos t important effe c t on t h e moral l ife afte rwards .
I n t h is c ase India is no e xc eption to th e rule . B ut from wh ere
doe s t h e Indian mothe r ge t thoughts by wh ic h t o educ ate h er c h ildren at h ome ? Wh en a c h ild is naughty , orwhen a daughter h as quarre lled with h er mothe r- in - law and c ome s home , doe s an Indian moth er in suc h c ase s in order t o re buke or c omfort quote from th e B hagavatgita, or from th e Upanishads ? Doe s she from the se books t ry t o inc u lc ate in t h e c h ild ’s h e art what t h e d iffe rent indriyas mean that some of t hem are t o be subdued , oth ers again
t o be deve loped Th e Indian moth er has h er own prac tic al way at h ome .
P R E F A C E . X V
Legends , s torie s and proverbs are h e r s tore house ; from th e se she
obtains material for rebuking , for sne ering , fo r warning,
for eu
c ouraging , for c omfort ing and fo r prais ing . The proverbs and
maxims are India’ s prac tic al e th ic s . The Indian prove rbs are no t
antiquarian c urios i t ie s , bu t l iving and s te rn re ali t ie s , and henc e
perhaps more c ele s t ial than t h e so - c alled “ C e le s tial Songs ”
of
t he B hagava tg ita .
By a good know ledge Of Ind ian prove rbs one is e nabled, as i t were , to fee l th e moral pulse o f th e Indian pe ople , and a sound ins ight into th e prove rbial li terature of Ind ia is like ge tt ing a
mic ros c ope by wh ic h one c an look de eply in to t he re c e s s e s of t he
nat ive heart. Noth ing e lse c an throw so muc h l igh t on t h e daily prac tic e o f t he Indians as do t h e prove rbs . And if one c ould
publish t h e obs c ene one s also, wh ic h Often c ontain mos t s triking truths , w e should s e e s till de eper into t he mise ry Of t h e c ountry .
B ut t he obsc ene one s w ith wh ic h I have me t in our c olle c tions , and in inte rc ours e w ith t h e people , I have le ft ou t . I have , how e ve r, reason to be l ieve that the re are many Obsc ene one s be s ide s th e few that I have se en and h eard ; and that th ey are fre e ly used by t he great majority of th e c ommon people e ven in the ir c h ildren’
s pre senc e . Th e c h ildren are Ofte n , I am told, made t o
laugh ove r them .
Proverbs are me rc ile s s in the ir c ritic ism O f s inful life , and
t h ey always a im at pu t t ing th ings right . A s already said , th e
Indian mothers nurse th e ir sons and daugh ters w ith them . B y
prove rbs satire is pronounc ed over folly and ove r w ic kedne s s . By
a prove rb a c rowd or a hous eh old is made t o smile pleasantly , tha t oth erw ise migh t have got into a hot figh t . I n prove rbs lie s buried an e ndle ss s tore of c ritic ism, enc ouragemen t, h umour, sorrow and c om
plaint, re ferring t o all c lasse s of mankind from th e unborn c h ild to
th e grey - haired ve te ran . And as th e H indu—and we migh t for that
matter say th e whole world—like s to hurt w ithout hurt ing (aru rwe '
v
a Qn ) , that h e may not burn h is own finge rs , h e h as in t h e pro
ve rbial literature material by t h e h e lp of wh ic h h e c an ind ire c t ly e xpre ss h is sorrow and joy , h is approval or disapproval . By prov
e rbs th e shrewd and avaric ious B rahmin is c ri t ic ised ; th e c alc u
lating and c are ful C h e tty is h e ld up to ridic ule or indire c t ly
’
s rudeness is
brough t ou t ; t h e ungrate ful and de c e itful friend is me rc ile ss ly
xfi P R E F A C E
rebuked ; th e l i fe of immoral wome n is c ensured in s trong terms ; vanity is ridic uled ; th e dulne ss and indiffe renc e o f t h e Pariah is sarc astic ally blamed . NO wonde r that many Of th e proverbs are
universal in th e ir applic ation, for h uman l ife is muc h t he same all
t h e world over. Anger, pride , arroganc e , s e lfishne ss ,
avaric e ,
passion, diss imulation , falseh ood and many more s ins that ke ep
soc ie ty at a low leve l , are all Of them unive rsal, and it is with suc h
t hat th e proverbs deal . Th e R ev . J . Long in h is Eastern Prove rbs and Emblems
says w ith re ferenc e t o t h e C h ine se proverbs —h e has i t from
“ S c arborough ’
s C h ine se Proverb s ” Used as quotations , t h e
value of prove rbs in C hina is immense . SO used in c onversation, t hey add a piquancy and a fl avour wh ic h greatly de light th e C h ine se and make mu t ual interc ourse more easy and agreeable .
B u t i t is t o t h e miss ionary that t h e value of an ex tens ive ac quaint
anc e w ith C h ine se proverbs is of t h e h igh e s t importanc e . Per
sonal experienc e , as w e ll as t h e repeat ed t e s t imony of o thers ,
make us h old to asse rt , that even a l imited know ledge of C hine se
prove rbs is to h im daily of ine s timable value . A proverb w ill
Often s erve t o re use th e fl agging at tention of a c ongregation, or t o
arre s t i t at t h e c ommenc ement o f a d isc ourse . A proverb will
Often s e rve t o produ c e a smile of good nature in an apparently i ll - tempe red aud ie nc e and so to c all forth a kind ly fe e ling whic h d id no t s e em be fore t o ex is t . A nd very Of t en a proverb aptly quoted will s e rve t o c onvey a tru th in t h e mos t terse and s triking manner, so obviat ing t h e ne c e s s ity for de tac hed and lengthy argu
men t s wh ils t th ey fix at a s troke t h e idea you are w ishing t o c onvey .
” Th e same au thor remarks : “
Like t h e proverbs Of
Solomon (EQOwngil) , t h e Psalms , B unyan
’
’
s tanded Of t h e people
A nd from A rc hbish op Tre nc h h e quo te s : “ Anyone wh o by
afte r- inve stigation h as sought t o d is c over how muc h our rustic heare rs c arry away , e ven from sermons to w h ic h th ey have at ten t ive ly l istened , will find t h a t i t is h ard ly eve r th e c ourse or tenor of t h e argument, suppos ing t h e d is c ours e t o h ave c ontained suc h ; bu t i f any th ing has be en utte re d as i t u s ed so Often to be by t h e be s t Puri tan pre ac h e rs , te rse l y , pointed ly , epigrammatic ally , th is w ill have s tayed by th em,
wh ile all th e re s t h as passed away .
P R E F A C E . xv ii
Great preac h ers t o t h e people , suc h as have found t h e ir way t o th e
universal heart of th e ir fe llows , have ever been great employers of
proverbs .
Pandits w hen inserting proverbs in th e books th ey have made , or in books trans lated by th em,
have often tried to refine th e langu
age in whic h th ey are expre ssed . Th ey are always trying t o employ big words and h ighfiown terms
, not knowing as ye t that s implic ity
is t h e h igh e st beauty .
“
I th ink it is our duty , wh en w e me e t w ith
pandit- refined proverbs to bring th em back t o th e ir original form .
’
: mania Edg y/Lb. Th e
c ommon form of th is proverb is u a ’
vfl 1.965r (Bu /rag again /u
'
sa g a.
13 is not an inde c ent word in a H indu h ome as y e t . Would th at no worse words were used in H indu house s ! R eal life h as dic tate d t h e proverbs, and as th ey are used in real life
, so th ey should be
quoted . Th e ir meaning , th e ir words and th e ir grammar are alike
prac tic al and s imple , why th en dre ss them up in a pandit ’ s dre s s ?
When they die , le t t h em die but as long as th ey are realitie s , and
play an important part in t he l ife of t h e nation , we sh ould le t th em
go in th e ir natural s implic ity , and honour th em in th e ir natural dre ss .
The Two Tami l I ndexes .
I migh t perhaps be blamed for arranging th e proverbs into familie s , be c ause th is arrangement make s it almos t imposs ible for us to find any individual proverb, w h e n we w ish to se e it . I t is
, h ow
ever , almos t equally diffic ult t o do this w ith t h e alphabe tic arrange
men t , if one doe s not h appen t o remember th e firs t word, wh ic h is
ofte n no easy th ing , as it may be a mos t ins ign ifi c ant word, an Q ég
or 47e or swig or 59@ or any o th er little word wh ich has no re lation to th e meaning of th e prove rb . I have
, h ow ever
, furnish e d t h e book
wi th an index , or alphabe tic al glos sary , c ontaining th e firs t word
of eac h proverb, so that i f t h e firs t word is remembere d it is e asy to find any proverb .
I have notic ed by experienc e that the re are words w ith in th e
proverbs that by and by s tic k t o th e mind ; wh ile we forge t th e firs t word of a prove rb ,
w e remember words with in it . I h ave
th ere fore also provided th is book w ith an index of w ords from w ith in eac h prove rb arranged alphabe t ic ally .
xviii P R E F A C E .
This latte r glossary is given not only t o h e lp th e re ader t o
find th e proverbs , bu t also in order t o supply a voc abulary of the
most important words found in th em. Th e s tudent who take s an
intere st in Tamil c an easily , whenever h e mee ts w ith a word in
oth er books , or in c onve rsation, and w ishe s t o see how th e word is
used in proverbs , turn t o t h e two indexe s , find th e word, and se e
th e use of i t and also it s translation . A s t o translation, however, h e may not always find dire c t he lp, as th e translation of a proverb
c annot but be somewhat free , if w e are to ge t t h e meaning out of
it by a translation.
To those who migh t pre fer t h e proverbs arranged ac c ording t o th e le tter, and not ac c ording t o th e spirit, th e two glossaries
w ill be of great h e lp, as th ey c an at onc e find out for themselve s
where th e words horse , e lephant, monkey , snake , poison, medic ine , doc tor, Brahmin, Pariah , C he tty , rain, w ind, sic kle , thali, hu sband, w ife
, woman, destiny and suc h like words appear.
I have in c onc lusion to expre ss my thanks t o all who have h e lped me in th is work . My munsh i
, Mr. Vasudeva Pillai
, h as
been my c h ie f he lp in making th e proverbs c lear to me and in
g iving me the ir homely appl ic ations . H e has also supplied me
with a few hundreds of new prove rbs , not found be fore in any
c olle c tion I have c ome ac ross . But after I had gone through t h e thousands o f proverbs and phrases with my munsh i, and as far as
possible asc ertained the ir meaning and the ir applic ation, had
se le c ted those out o f th em th at I wanted , had translated them int o
English , added the ir applic ation, furnished some of them—about —w ith c orre sponding English proverbs , brough t them into
familie s , and made a c opy of i t all, th e re was one th ing s t ill to be
done , and that was t o make a thorough revision of t h e English
part of th e book . For th is last , bu t ve ry important part of t h e
undertak ing th e R ev . A . C . C layton o f th e We s leyan M ission c ame
t o my ass is tanc e , and for th e generous he lp h e has given me I shall ever fe e l mos t grate ful . For about a year and a half Mr. C layton has almos t daily worked at th e revis ion of my English manusc ripts , going over most of th em tw ic e a t leas t . Th e proverbs be ing in a
s imple language , the ir translation ought also t o be s imple and
plain . B ut i t is ve ry d iffi c ult to translate an Eastern proverb
A BANDONMENT
Abundance Anger Anxie t y Appe arance
Do . ke e ping i t up Arrogance Au t h ori ty
Do . t yranny
’
nat e
a mas t er ne c e ssarv
e verywh ere Do . misce l laneous Do . l ike mas t e r, l ike s e rvant Do . many mas t e rs
Avaric iousne s s
Do . one ’
s d e at h , ano t h e r ’
s
bre ad
C ARE LE S SNE SS Cas t e Do . abs t inence from meat
Cause C e rt ainty , qu i t t ing i t for h ope C e rt ainty C harit y ( bene vo lence ) Ch i ldre n Do . t h e capac i t ie s of aman
Do . a t h ome
Do . t he conce i t of young
people contrast e d w i t h age
ove r indulgence of
ch i ldren
De bt Do . m isce l lane ous De cept ion D e ce i t De lay Do . misce l laneous De s ire , va in w i sh e s Do . d isappo int ed d e s ire s Do . ungra t e ful gre ed ine ss Do . grasp al l, lose al l Do . confl ic t ing Do . count ing t h e ch ickens , Do . misce l laneous D ex t erity Dign ity Disagreement
Discon te nt Disgrace D isguis e D is t res s Disobe d ience Disun it y Do t o o t h ers as you would be done t o Doct ors Dome s t ic l ife
Do . d is t inct ion be twe en ne ar and d is tant re lat ions
t aking unfair advan
t age s of t h e t ie s of
re lat ionsh ip
Do . h unge r t h e be s t sauce Do . good food Do . misce l laneous E ffec t E nd jus t ifie s t h e means
Enmity Envy E scape , no
Do . narrow
Do . t he o ld fox is caugh t a t las t
E ssent ial E s t imat ion, ove r Evident , s e lf E vi l and good E xaggerat ion E xces s and deficiency Excuse E xert ion Do . much but l it t le gain Do . one has t h e t o il , ano th e r
t h e profit Do . great exert ion over trifl e s
E xperience Do . e very man knows wh e re
h is own shoe pinch e s .
m isce l laneous
I N D E X .
unluck ine ss luck t h e unluck y cause misfor
t une
Gene ro s i ty , at ot h er ’
s expe nse Do . ch eap kind
t h e good snfi e r and
t h e w i cked prospe r men
en t erprise s t hat e nd
unluckily
330
for ga in at a d is t ance fami l iarity bre eds c on
t emp t close friendsh ip danger of close friend
s h ip t o agre e l ike dogs and
cat s l ike and d is l ike ave rs ion re j e c t e d frie ndsh ip int rus ion
xx ii I N D E X .
Page
a learned fool NATURE C ANNOT B E
misce l laneous C H ANGED
t h e powe r of
w hat i s done cannot be undone
Happines s Harshne ss , ove r Has t e Heart He aven He l p He red itary charact eris t ics and
natural ins t inct s Hindrance Hope s , de ce ived Honour Humi l i ty H usband and w ife
Do . an i ll mat ch Hypocrisy
I GNORANC E Imi t at ion Impart ial i ty Import an t , al l Import uni t y Imposs ible Improbable Indulgence of ch i ldren
Do . ove r Ingra t it ude Inh e ri t anc e LOSS
Inqu is it ivene ss DO . m isce l laneous Inj ust ice Love Int erference w i t h quie t pe ople Luxury Inve s t igat ion
M ARR I AGE Me d icine M edd les omene ss
Mind Do . misfort une s ne ve r come
s ing le Mot h er
161 Mo t h e r- in - law
l it t le ev i ls d e s t roy
much good g reat t h ings cannot be done by smal l means
l i t t le th ings w i l l not be come b ig t h ings
h e who c an d o great
t h ings , c an eas i ly do l i t t le t h ings
h e wh o cannot aecom plish smal l deeds , cannot do great
t h ings pe nny w ise and pound fool ish
some t h ing i s be t t e r t han no t h ing
h e who canno t bear a l i t t le suff e ring , c an
not bear grea t d is as t ers
I N D E X . xmn
Page 230 Rogue ry , from bad t o wo rse ; mis
swe e p clean 2 77 fort une s ne ver come
s ing le 54 Ru in
Do . t o ruin t h e ru ined 247 Do . misce l laneous 314
178 S AN!
P A BT I AL I TY
Pat ience in a wrong plac e
Permanence of e vil some t h ing t h at come s
Perseve rance by i t se lf Pe rs is t ence m i sce l lane ou s Pe rple x it y Po l it ene ss w i l l come out at las t
Do . t o one s e lf Do . m isce l lane ous
Poor Poor and rich
Do . m is ce l laneous Pos se ss ion
Do . w h at one h as not labour ed for is l it t le
e xaggerat ing th e value of one
’
s own poss es s ion
Real i t ie s Reduced in Renown Re s t les sne s s R i ch e s R ich and poor Roguery
Do .
S eeking Se lfishne ss
S e lf o
praise
Servan t s demand se rvant s Shame ( d isgrace ) Shame
S igns S imi lari ty S in
Do . every man has h is faul t s Do . no one s e e s hi s own faul t Do . to condemn ot h ers
Do . t h e faul t in one pe rson , t h e
blame on anot h e r
Do . miscons truct ion Do . w i lfu l s in Do . fau l t - find ing
Do . as you make y our be d , so y ou
mus t lie on i t
S lander Sorrow
Do . misce l laneous Spend ing S t eadfas t ne ss S t ing ine ss S t outne ss
S t rife S t upid it y Suff ering ,
bene ficial t o man
Supe rabnndanc e
r r H ANKFULNE S S
Th e ft Th ie ve s Do . aec ompl ic e s
Time
Ti t for t at
Transmigrat ion Trouble s Trust Do . t h e unt rus two rt hy
Do . frankne ss ; confe s s ion Do . m isce l laneous
I l NC ERTA I xTY
V A I N E XE RTI ON Ve da
W ATC H FULNE SS
Weal t h Wickedne ss
Do . t h e de e r o f great e vi ls w i l l no t fear t o
c orfi mi t smal l e r one s .
h e w ho commi t s sma l l e vi l s , w i l l soon c om
mi t great one s
kil l e v i l in i t s ve ry birt h
W ickedne ss , misce l lane ous Wi l l
, wh e re t h ere is a. w i l l
, t h ere
is a way
Do . m isce l lan e ous Wife and h usband Wi tne ss Women
Do . obed ience and mode s ty
Do . j ew e lry , dre ss and beauty .
Do . man ’
women
Do . un trus t wort h ine ss Do . import ance in t h e fami ly Do . cleverne s s and dex t e rity Do . u nmarried and w idows DO . h er fai l ings Words w i t h ou t de eds Do . power of k ind and harsh
Do. t o spe ak de cis ive ly and
clearly Do . nonsense and empt y babble Work and workers Wort h le ss , t h e
Do . apparen t ly Do . canno t at tain t o w hat
is noble canno t improve are cont emp t ible no t t o be h onoured
raised above t h e ir s ta
t ion
CLASSIFIED COLLECTION
TA M I L P R O V E R B
Th ese S entences abou t God are not Proverbs , bu t Aphorisms .
a L aI e ‘
ir 513m .
God ( i s our) h e lp, or The Lord i s our h e lp .
Th is l i t t le s en t ence i s put above t h e Ti t le of almos t e very H indu book . s maleir g em or 9
, 5m g amer are t h e mos t common . B ut w e
mee t al so w it h : s m ug) (5725337 5 .
1mm Gama:and oth er e xpre ssions .
cg/ezirq ég
God is love . (Upanish ad )
muffin/re ( ii /dug orn ga rrsfg é g e e ng a /air
Th e unknown God , or Th e One t hat canno t be reac h ed by mind
or by w ords .
cams ? cal/9.97 cage e mf /fad ) .
E x ce edingly d iffi cult i t i s to know t h e five le t t ers .
Th e ‘
fi ve le tt ers re fer t o famous incant at ion , or t h e h igh e s t Spir it ual w isdom,
or God ’
s Name .
The bes t way to see divine ligh t , i s to p u t ou t thine own candle .
Some say t hat e igh t plain h o ld al l t ru t h ,
And some t h at i t do t h dw e l l in fi ve !
”
C H . E . GOVE R :The Folk - Songs of Sou thern Ind ia .
TAMIL PROVERBS .
J im g ig /alt};
Unle s s God move , not an atom w i l l move .
God i s t h e h idd e n pow er beh ind e very t h ing .
E g g /dig 9 th . ) M y tfl éfiw .
No t h ing h ere i s equa l t o God .
g erms et c/55 ,97 a larmg yag e Qg rficqtb.
Th e s ec re t s of t h e h eart are known t o God . (Ps alm
ereir@ é @ eir GrainQ ewmbG’u /Iw era/ (5 th lfimp éfig é fig w.
God pervade s all , as t h e oi l in t h e oi l s e ed .
cam/ (553655: God did not fe e l joy in being alone ( and h ence h e created ) .
(Upanishad . )
v 43/5 :t 1.g.01t LSl nQQLQén .
Th e invi s ible God is made t o sh ine by t h e revealed God .
(Upanishad .)
arewmanb c e/yfluJGeveviirtawg .
We sh ou ld know bo t h t he revea l ed and t h e unrevealed God .
(Upanish ad .)
adreafiQGvG ’ uJ g fl fii’f Q ggtiru nah .
God is t h e s e l f - e x is t ing . ( V i sh nu Purana. )
fig y mmums? Gamma c e/répaxezir Ge e /air.
H e who i s w ith out s in i s God .
q '
Ja/ mm é s G’w arrra ‘ Za) g /mmé gme rrgg.
Th e worsh ip of God i s t h e bol t t h at sh uts t h e gates of he ll .
mmnwswrair g crjeraivgnair, God is one
, t h ere i s no se cond t o h im .
t Slmbwgiewg gf Quins -m i; Q arbevfiggab, d as nfi é anwallg ee ailmfr
ent ranc ing £ 5 5 114;a pg .
By medi t at ion on God t h e spirit ual w isdom in man , wh i ch is
unil luminat ed w i l l be come rad ian t . (Upani shad .)
g as es g ent/ou r; n fi c ’wqm fi GZDQ Q / fl fiif .
Even wh ere smok e cannot enter H e c an ent er.
Said also about a crafty pe rson .
GOD AND MAN .
‘
waE afiy éa eémm/rdr.
’
s ) mercy rec eived me on eart h .
So say s one w h o s tands alone and h e l ple ss in t h is world .
g sfi é g ages /75610 Q M .
Heaven h e lps th e h e lpl e ss .
’
a.
Th ose t hat des troy ot h ers w i l l be des t roy ed by God . 24.
st ay/mil QM 676516b s nmfisww ib um} ; wg rifi eir‘asv a dvcrye '
v
u namgfemg i:u nri ; Q ufi ,@éu ‘ 2ew oreérg si) ( Ca
b /5d ) mnmfimfisb u nri .
I f you say t h ere is no God , loo k at t h e c owdung if you say , t h ere
is no medi c ine , look at t h e firework s ; if you say , t h ere is no
purgative , look at t h e c rot on s e ed . 130.
Th e c ow dung of w h ich t h e image of Gane sa i s forme d doe s no t ge t worm
e at en l ike ot h er c owdung, be cau se a gra ss roo t i s put t hrough i t . Th e fire
works be ing made of me d i cine s ’
or ch emical s burn spl end id ly . And t h e
c roton t iglium ne ve r fai ls as a purga t ive .
s eems /air Gar/rev Ga sh, ma ’
a v/fl s ci /Gad) .
L is t en to t h e word of God and don ’
t t urn from t h e good pat h .
M y Gai ns /Lb 9657411 fiw é fipgg.
Wh i l e man t h inks one t h ing , God t h ink s anot h er.
a né g ég afi i wna ’
sg a si ’ u ?
s word .
g irfé s ng azfi ’m (gas se s /657 .
H e wh o i s ever act ive i s never moved .
gw wnmg y s air ‘
hw r s s q f
éQ s /rqcu flg a éfiwr rbp g i mmwfis adv
a muSlei) 5 45159575:Gaé a g G ’ u rre
-b.
A s t h e c at t ak es i t s young one wh i ch i s unable to craw l and
carri es i t , ( s o God t akes t h e h e lpl e s s and carrie s h im , t i l l h e
l earns to c l ing t o God as t h e young monk ey c l ings to i t s mot h er) .
Th e se i l lus trat ion s from t h e c at and t h e monkey are cal le d :Lon/ti a ra)
léhu nwcb and wria '
sesz 15m m .
Q fi djajtolévswmgwrr Q u iregg G’u e pg u ’
o , Q u rrepg QQLaQ r
/Dg ib.
I s i t be cau se t h ere i s no God , t h at th e sun s e t s and rise s
Said iron ical ly t o a d isbe l ie ve r in God as t h e D e s igner.
Gama/ ii ) M L Gw /r?
God w i l l show u s a way bu t w i l l h e put food into our mou t h
God he lps those who he lp themse lves .
God gives every bird i ts food, bu t does not throw i t into the nes t .
"
Qacbzmfig ’
'
fl .
I f i t be t h e w i l l of God , even t h e dead w i l l ris e .
W arren/Gear 606231 ( p ram/1 , 5 arr/191m?) a ahrGu ?
If t h e firs t one (God ) s tand before u s , t h ere i s no t hing wh i ch w e
c annot do .
What God w i ll , no frost can ki ll .
ma wl f’g rrg ub, q '
Ja/Li:e rczp .
Whatever world you inh abi t ( t hrough t h e different t ransmigra t ions ) worsh ip God .
FATE . 5
FATE .
NO ONE WI L L E SCAPE WHAT GOD H AS P RED ICTE D.
g l/tUQST s w ag cgg ég u
'
No one sh a l l e s cape God ’
s ac count .
<9]w 4212 321611q swu fl g .
I n w hat God h as wri t t en t h ere w i l l not be an a tom o f fai l ure .
egg/weir ca/mrig um.
s measure .
cgyairasp é g a egfimmg eel/£ 35 7 Wh at God has writ t en before t hat H e w i l l no t de s troy and re - writ e .
”
sfi mng .
s de cree .
Q LLL. a egi g sfg 0p g m g d u g név Qmmé g w/r ?
If w e want more t h an God h as appointed , sh a l l w e get i t
wa s? g aining Gi l /rang .
That w h i ch doe s not e x is t w i l l not come into e x is t ence , and t hat w h ic h e x is t s w il l not be annih i lat ed .
m a CLp ‘
ZGb‘nLQei) g em/Lb Gem‘s /TQM) a drwg s rroirm é gm.
E ven i f a man make penance s t anding on t h e point of a ne edle , h e
w i l l not ge t more t han w as de s t ined for h im . 56.
w ai ting a draflw gang .
Th ough d irt may be got rid of, inh eri ted fat e w i l l not e xpire .
evadi GW u '
J Gu ns s 73 ) ; c Ch i /15 , 5? n d u ncgswru ?
One may bat h e so as t o wash off o i l , but who c an ru b h imse lf so as
to fre e h imse lf from fat e .
6769536251 aflfi g jepy ra ’
) g ’
g wrr ?
Though one weeps , wi l l t h e fate writ t en (by B rahma) be removed
G’s /rd as l—ufl si) (or s a l ami - mam) Q u ec ’
w dlp /i '
s um s !
Though a w oman i s born i n a fort ( i n a roya l fami ly ) , sh e w i l l no t e s cape h er fat e .
szfrfi éfcss an d (s ati s fi e s a“ aw ” .
No one w i l l be ab l e t o ri s e above t h e range of unders t anding and
t h e re l igiou s c u s toms t hat be longs t o h is cas t e .
5 29 ) 676n d a , s h a me? 96191755 563) Q u ag m ?
S in ce t h e le t t ers of fat e are on your h ead, wi l l your fate leave you be caus e you sh ave your h ead .
TAMIL PROVERBS .
gw wubgf g en/Li) Ga ins /g ym, (or Qmméam) 5 06v 61l
fi ITGZlT
Th ough you s tand on your h ead t o do penance you w i l l only suc c e ed in your aim at t h e t ime of suc ces s . 49.
Succe ss is at t ained not by e ffort , but by Fat e .
smooth (5q wavawu s You ge t your w ife and your pri e s t ac c ord i ng t o de s t i ny . 3429.
Marriages are made in heaven.
”
sends .
csat/sheaths? caasircrfia '
s (gfi fifs fl gmb, Gal eirafid umrgoib QmmuJ/réafl evpffi é i ama zing .
How ever mu ch a man e x ert s h imself, h e w i ll not ge t even a
s i lver c oin as long as fate is agai nst h im .
1.9w s emi ? Gum—W. q eirerfié g Q fl eiwu wa ?
Wh en God h as made a mark , t h ere i s no erasing of i t .
wawmmagei ) Graig , walla/mi) wanpdrag é c u rrsi) .
Th e fate wri t t en in our h eads i s h idden by our h air.
We canno t read our fat e .
(miss s nag ; agmé s e m fifl ww ’
a .
If h e begins a dance at all , h e mus t finish i t .
You mus t dree your ain we ird .
”
QQq rfi aig Log /5g ) agfi é g wg i ‘
g a wfu l—rr? Th ere is med i cine for diseases , but i s t h ere any medic ine for fat e
FATE DE C IDE S SUCCESS .
9 &n goweérqyge/Lb, cgg zb (t h eir %@ lb .
Th ough a man e xert s h imself over and over again, h e sha l l only
ge t what h e s ee k s at t h e appoint ed day .
Man doth what he can , and God wha t he wi ll .
cg/bgvm aflCfi’w 57607 11) q fl eiaru gmb, QL GQp cg g /reir Q L GLZL
Even if a man roll h imse l f dai ly in t h e river sand on ly wh at s t icks t o h im w i l l s t i ck .
No bu t ter wi ll s t i ck to h is bread .
calmé fip fivggwQ u and drw fi nair, goe ré uw
‘gwg mé fi f mwg m
Th e woman wh o measure s pearls is bu t a woman, and sh e wh o
measures spoi led beans i s bu t a woman . 567 .
Fat e make s t h e se outward d iffe rence s .
E very man hath his own p lane t . "
rmnsmomri os on w a smrsn DE EDS . 7
agfi swu afim, Gag/pf ma g ic /r?
Wi l l any t h ing but what is dest ined h appen t o men 2’
"
afg éfi g jmypjgngym, armi ng ail /71mg .
Th ough w e beg and c al l , t hat wh i ch w i l l not come , w i l l come .
E very man has his lot . ”
TRANSMIGRATION OR INHERITED DEEDS .
, com/651 g a g /$695 .
7 l .
72 .
74.
76.
77 .
Th e deeds of eac h indivi dual wi ll fol low each individua l ( into t h e ne x t world ) .
As yo umake your bed , so mus t yo u li e on i t . ”
s fiwgffi égfi ’ a) s wag , g riwgffi égc
’ ev Guns Q aJafmawg .
'
6:12amQu asar Gang lia.
Wh erever t h e bu l l run s , i t s rope w i ll follow . 75.
Wh ate ver one has done , good or e vil wi l l fo l low h im.
As you sow , so you sha l l reap .
Osw '
Jg 6192557 Graham/dag Gra '
JQGLb What a person h as done in a former birt h ,
w i ll come upon h im
agai n .
'
)
s c ant y measure
Said t o one , w h o h as a hard lot in t h i s l ife ; imply ing t hat t h e caus e of it
mus t be some bad act ions done in a forme r birt h . ( Thi s may be sa id in a
quarre l in order t o s t op t h e mou t h of an oppone n t . )
5 657 lfiypa '
)
Our sh adow wi l l fol low u s . 72 .
5 657 692607 5657256741? 9q u
'
) 6)? d
H is own de eds w i ll burn h im , and a cak e w i l l burn t h e h ouse .
Pat ana t t u Pi llayar, t h e po e t , used t o eat wi t h m en of all cas t e s , w h i ch is
cont rary t o Hindu ru le . H is s i s te r s e e ing t h is and t h inking h im be t t e r dead t han so d efi le d bake d a cake w i t h po ison in i t and gave i t to h im .
Th e sag e knowing h er purpo se , t ook t h e c ake and place d i t among t h e
t ile s on t h e roof of h er h ouse . By a m irac le i t se t t h e h ou se on fire . Th us t he evi l woman ’
s de ed was requ i te d .
£ 2657 age sfi gfg afeir £ 2657 eo/grdu nszir, 6192667 09675) ; n 6192607
g g b u fl air.
H e w ho sows mi l let , reaps mi l l e t , h e wh o sow s deed s (good or
bad ) w i l l reap ac cord ingly .
TAM IL PROVE RB S .
GDfiiLfl /pfi dle '
v 05 1135 692637 , Q Q LSlr/p iaflsi) Gossamg (from
D e eds done in a former birt h , burn in t h is birt h .
«sf/5 , 5 61926s Gu ns /7457, 611m 61926-e s ung .
Th e fru i t s of deed s done in a former birth w i l l not go, and t h e fruit s t hat do not come w i ll not come .
Q /( gib a gh gsi) fi f ths /75 1.
Th e approach ing resul t of deeds done in a former birth doe s no t
s top on t h e road .
aflm ’
mg swp Qani mg anp @9@LDIT?
Th e defe ct s t h at w ere unremedied in a former birt h , and t h e
defe ct s w e now y ie ld t o, w i l l not forsake u s .
Th e fau l t s and fai l ings of a former birt h affe c t a subse quent birt h —Th is proverb is some t ime s u se d abou t l i t t l e t h ings put off y e s t erday ,
t h at h ave t o be done t o - day .
FORTUNE .
cgg u ’
a , G’u ng ib anew}; G’u rrg d .
A t t h e t ime for pos se ss ing i t i s posse s sed , at t h e time for los ing ,
i t i s los t .
Joy and sorrow are newt - door ne ighbours .
gyrbu rr 1. 1055m smurf afl2enri s cgy, LJ /TQSl urrs’QuJ ib L ie s /w) «s avag e .
By Amba ’
s fat e good ri c e grew up, by my mis erab le fat e grew up
only chaff . Fortune and misfortune are two bu ckets in a we ll .
g /s mepmg amzfiwgomQQb- aui u ra '
zasebev.
Good fortune and ri ch e s are ne ver one man ’
s share (Anyone may be luc ky enough t o ge t t h em) .
afi e ‘
s u zfi e crwQ u c e fims v
Fortune ( i f i t c ome s ) come s l i ke a river in flood .
I n t h e rainy season Ind ian ri vers w i l l oft en sudde nly rise many fe e t in a few
h ours .
(5d g lut /tag , Gs rrqmb e rg/tag .
The dungh i l l i s rai s ed , t h e t ower i s sunk .
Said from envy t o h urt a person w h o is ge t t ing on w e l l in t h is world To day a king, to
- morrow noth ing.
are; J et s am.
Joy and gri e f are a wh irling wh e el . 2910.
Change of fortune is the lot of life .
FORTUNE . 9
$ 5 113 g é fipg tfl éfi ar , angere d) g éfi p g tfiév‘
tw .
We l l - being doe s no t las t , and penance doe s not las t .
Th e s e two do not abide in anyon e .
e ta/5 12) embe r/rib aafld QDsg wag /6, 195 .
A ll t h e pure gold ch ange s int o bran .
I n t ime of advers ity or fam ine t h e w e l l - t o - do are re duce d t o beggary . Cf.
Th e s t ory of t h e prod iga l son and t h at of t h e five Pandavas in e xi le .
Tod ay infinery , to - morro w infi l th .
”
s wheel may soon turn lowes t .
godu g ajcgasm wnybri fs wg idleifim, ( 501.111. 15 n fi fléé ’
fi ajg j
L196b26v .
Th ere i s no one w ho h as prospered for th irty y ears , and no one
w h o h as me t w i t h advers i ty for t h irt y years .
Fortune and glass soon break , alas
UN LUCK INESS .
massage/Lb, g mg ym5 2637 (gut .
E ven if an unlucky man ge ts a ( large ) measure of mi lk th e c at
w i ll drink i t . 96.
H e who is born to misfortune s tumbles as he goes , and though he
”
cgmramq rfi (or (59 1411657 Q 5 neir26fl wn® gym, Gan fg
ans /sans u naSlaig 9661gi1u$lei12m
E ven wh en A lagapuri ( t h e ci ty of t h e God of ri ch e s ) i s p lundered , t h e unlu cky wre t ch w i l l ge t not h ing . 1706, 1750.
s afizuair afewegsg sfi ' mtw e ufl gmb s kat e
A woman possessed by Sani w i l l not get even a rag in a big market .
San i is t h e mos t ma l ignan t of t h e plane t s ; h en ce a woman pos se sse d by San i ’ means a very un lucky ,
unfort unat e woman .
sg d Gu ngggym, 1.105d
Th ough a woman posses sed by Sani go t o t h e ( c rowded ) marke t sh e won
’t ge t a h u sband .
M eir Oau '
Jn , s shm ris airGa th zu wni u ri
Good people c annot do what a lu c ky day c an do . 2211.
Al l Hindus have a very great be l ie f in t h e e ffi cacy of aus picious days .
2
10 TAM IL PROV ERBS .
'
a ?“ (s e esaw .
Th ough t h e man wh o i s not fated t o drink t h e mi lk , buy i t for a
price , t h e c at w i l l drink i t . 91.
Th e s t ory is t hat a w oman having los t all h e r ch i ldre n , bough t a ch i ld from s ome poor peopl e , bu t e ven i t d ied .
H e that was born under a three - half penny p lane t sha ll never be
worth twop ence .
"
(311172606911 113 155 13Gu né errnb, 5 2cm Gu aran i) .
A va i n w oman went to pi ck up a l it t le fue l , bu t a c at came acros s h er pat h .
For a c at to cro ss one ’
s pat h i s a bad ome n . Th e mean ing of t h e proverb i s t h at an un lucky pe rson cannot at t empt t h e smal le s t d e ed w i t hou t be ing ch eck ed by bad omens .
Whi ther goes t thou, mi sfortune f To where there is more
aSlLaLurr60@ Q G ° a126vag u Gu ngggmb $ 6126 ) gys u u u g y, G
’ s /2a ) c 9,15 1. 1
u lLq /Lb g /s u umng .
Th ough t h e un lu cky s eek w01k , h e w i l l not find i t
, and even if h e
ge t work h e w i l l ge t no pay for i t .
LUCK .
y fi afismfl g ftg fl é ) , cga/rrsv uaiorm evmb.
If a man be lu cky h e may ge t a c ount ry t o ru l e .
Luck is a ll .”
Ge rm 9 91113 Q um® ®a
Th e fortunat e need on ly touch eart h , and i t be come s gold .
g ave /7119 {1541.6m g /Qaamw Q G’Q JM Q Lb.
If one p lay t h e h arlot , luck i s ne eded ; and if one go to s t ea l ,
fortune l s needed .
cam/g ag s :a sfi fl fima 9 14163 195 .
Th e favourable influence s of t h e plane t V enu s is upon h im .
Fortune’s favo uri te .
”
cas e ac t s ? s cab, ass - wen:M am/Lb
Wh ere t h ere is B eau ty t h em w i l l be w eeping ; wh ere t h e l e i s lu ck t h ere w i l l be eat ing .
can/pg Ger/Ty G’u nCDLorr , cg/s mmG’s /7411 G’u nCDmtr?
Wi ll beau ty feed you , or w i l l fort une fe ed you
By S i ta ’
s birt h Ceylon was de s troy ed .
Said of one wh o i s t h e ru in o f a fam i ly .
axing 5671117m g é a g .
Wh en t h e younger brot h er was born al l was leve l led to t h e ground .
By h is ill luck or by h is bad behaviour.
g mma rrafl caten , 6ra
°
16e b g mféfi urré a g y.
No sooner h ad t h e woman w it h t h e affe ct ed wal k ( looked upon
as un lu cky ) ent ered t h e h ou s e , t han al l was los t .
B ot h t h i s and No . 113 re fer t o an unlucky g irl be ing.
marrie d int o t h e
fami ly .
An i l l marriage is a spring of i ll fortune .
Qms ufl év a ngi g a g fl w26v, Q ung n Qw s uflei) Q a t lmeug y
L196i126v.
No one prospers under t h e influenc e of t h e s tar R ah u , and no
one i s ru ined under t h e influenc e of t h e s tar R aja.
Rah u is t h e ascend ing node , be l ie ved t o be a mons trou s dragon .
u fl asafl QJQ LBL’L .
) Ulrg '
gffiu fl a frg .
A h earth kindled on t h e se c ond lunar day wi l l burn always .
u fl mfiuflé } f ro/te tra) , great? eager/swab.
A person born under t h e p lane t B harani w ill rule t h e world .
B e t ter be lucky born than a ri ch man ’
s son .
cg/Qas hnb 611111111 strafing .
What c ame was t hus , and w h at God gave was t h e same my fate
goe s be fore me , s t ands t h ere ( and t ake s away my lu ck ) .
i .e . , I am unfort unat e w h erever I go ; I h ad a h usband , bu t I am as poor as e ver ; God gave me a ch i ld , bu t even t h at d ie d .
PRIE ST GURU .
(565°
41/n a ss a i s g é g g e uq Q anebn r /Da air (56°
On ly h e is a prie s t wh o speaks enc ouraging words to those who come to h im for sh e l t er.
5 1mm (5g , arr/flu (505°
Th e pries t for t h e sake of tru t h , and t h e pri e s t for mat erial gain .
Th e forme r h as h is .
mi nd s e t on e ssen t ial t rut h and s e eks t h e spiri t ual bene fi t of h i s d i smple s . Wh i le t h e lat t e r se e ks only h is own in t e re s t .
A ve ry int e re s t ing s tory abou t a ’ Karya prie s t is t o ld by Pand i t S . M .
Nat e sa Sas t ri in h is Fol klore in Sout h ern Ind ia. pp . 179.
HEAVEN . 13
g fiw u q u} Gs rrgfluyl u nev (5n fi asg w '
a.
Th e pries t and h is disc ip l e are as c lose as t h e dungh i l l and a fow l .
A s t h e fow l by cons t ant s crat ch ing find s t h e s e eds , & c . ,
in t h e dungh i l l , so t h e d i sciple by cons tant enqu iry finds out t h e t rut h t hat t h e Guru knows .
g i mp 693697 g as/ Lb Gab e /79 3m, QwrreasLLilewa ) Though a pri e st make penance ly ing fl at on h is face h e W111 not be saved .
q subrmfiwfl eirew fi angler/Mm. 6196507 .
An ungod ly spiri tual gu ide i s worth les s .
H e preac hes well that lives well .
”
Q u ad) 0611657m g /fl sfl air g g ewmb.
H e w h o has conquered t h e five senses ( or t h e fle sh ) w i l l be a
pries t of w isdom .
VEDA OR SPIRITUAL WISDOM .
a ss ess /ragag 2mr Q ua/ r e d) .
Th e V eda i s t h e s t rength of t h e Brahmins .
c VUJLIJ c e/pfihu/rg aga r
Th e temp le does not know t h e V eda you re ci t e .
Th e t emple in t h is case repre s en t s t h e Holy of Ho l ie s or h eaven i t se lf . Said t o one w h o preach e s accord ing t o h is own idea, and no t accord ing to t h e re cogn ised script ure s .
ancivfimb Gu ru) a ezirgysi) , Qas awgfane fi umi .
If you say t h e Shastras are fal s e , look at t h e e cl ipse . 31.
Th e e cl ip se t hat occurs as fore t o ld in t h e Shas t ras is a proof of t h e t rut h
fu lne s s of t h e Sh as tras .
a g fi s wag / 1. 1mmgag ing /Lb Q wu '
JOu rrg eflmb .
Wh en t h e sacred wri t ings , t h e prie s t , and one ’
s own h appiness
are al l in h armony , we h ave t h e t ru t h . 134.
HEAVEN .
Gmrresaio .
411,1p u r zbg / a gi ng ] a .
If you ge t ou t of bondage , h eaven i s yours . 137 .
I n c om . language u pfl ebevrrws ?u tr@ 6 '
v, Qwfl eaaai ’
QM ‘Q Lili ana , Gu y /615
’
a g fi Q asivrC/DLB gag /id ) goéfi .
Wh ere t h e sacred wri t ings and one ’
s own happine ss are in
harmony t h ere is salvat ion . 131.
H e tha t wi ll enter Paradise must hare a good key .
amas sed » (3,5 1e q 5 119, Ge neaiirmwngmb 5 119 I n h eaven a s cavenger and king Tondaman are al i ke .
”
666111155559 7n Gungygmb, s aiagffi év E ven w h en w e go t o h eaven,
sh a l l w e h ave an old pot under our
arm 2943, 336l .
When he di e th he shall carry nothing away . Psalm 49, 17 .
Qwrreas Lb anmfiwfl é fiwngm.
If t h e fe t t ers of s in be de s t roy ed salvation i s one ’
s own . 132 .
am as s fl ames ! G ’ wm ab
Sa lvat ion is a minu te e s sent ial , or, Salvation i s not a mat t er of
mu l t a but of mu l tum .
SIN , FAULT , DEFICIENCY .
cat/55,670 LQL CDL '
Ju ni je rreii , 9 1,555 2637 a1u '
i 05 11556195 (or LiGP) ‘ If w e break and e xamine a fig
~fru i t , i t is al l de cayed ( or
wormeat en) .
Out ward ly fine , bu t inward ly rot t en .
2 9111 61e l b r é
'
fl eh) C ar/flan}; a gm.
Wh ere t h ere is a H indu vi l lage , t h ere i s al so a Paria vi l lage .
Wh ere t h e re is some t h ing good , t h e re is al so some th ing e vil . Al so us e d l i ke of course .
” Have you t h ie ve s in your v i l lage Have you wa t er ne ar your h ou s e To such que s t ions t h i s proverb i s an afli rmat ive re ply .
I t i s in courts as i t is in ponds ; some figs , some frogs .
(n bauu d g ene /g? fig b t filégé ), @11a1 '
211® q OLb (1914 11535 69.
If w e t urn t h e B as s ia flower , ho l es w i l l be found on bot h s ide s .
a érwnjg ésg u '
i 9 g Q J H LLCD 2998, 3000, 3011, 3014, 3017 .
E veryth ing h as i t s de fe ct .
L ife less , fau l t le ss .
”
wO ugpfi q .
E very tree h as fresh leave s and de cay ed one s .
D e fe ct s are found in e veryone .
No garden wi thou t i t s w eeds .
S IN , FAULT
, DE FICIENCY . 15
s rrewauflgg/Lb gLLaDL .
Whosoever mak e s a pancake , t h ere w i l l be hole s in i t .
Re fe rs t o a part icular t h in kind of pancake made by t h e B rahni ins for
E kadasy fe s t i val .
W a i ts/u ni G’Log yu '
i 65/3319 Lb1 g /ewr@ 6illu1mi 6°Q u g g a aimQ .
Th ere is fau l t in Avvai and t h ere are d e fe ct s in t each ers .
A vvai was a famous Tami l poe t e ss .
Sh ew me a man wi thou t a spot , and I ’
l l shew you a maid wi thou t
a blot . "
, 5 Lil/D165
Fresh drawn mi lk i s impure , and a new born baby i s impure .
3004.
There is none wi thou t a fau l t .
armad a /1 , 5 991111
, u nmLAlsbevng
A v i l lage w i th out crows is a l so w i th ou t s in .
Q u lfifii’m w fl ywn i Qa '
;
S in lays ho ld e ven of great peop l e t riumph ant ly .
( 50,5?d Ger/156035 a si , c a y eag a u y g f & 62i67@ .
Th ere are defe c t s in pearl s and flaw s in cora l . A good garden may have some weeds .
QTL CD613 °
fl a } .
A l l h ous es have an eart h en fire -
p lace , a fire -
p lace of gold e x is ts nowh ere .
Re fe rs t o t h e degene rat e s tat e of mankind w i t h i t s Want s and sorrows .
E very man has his fau lt . ”
NO ONE SE E S H I S OWN FAULTS .
Qmwé 65,16p ad rg i/dg gf 695 119111 115 1.
Th e eye cannot s ee t h e de fect of t h e ey e - l id . 2089
, 3214.
Q 6®LDQ s ang /ag e Genakgyg .
W ic kedne s s is not manife s t t o t h e ey e .
5657 cafe/9 113 Gs fl d fcrg f
One ’
s own fau l t s are not se en by one ’
s own ey e .
Men ’
”
No man c an see h is own bac k .
Tha t man sins chari tably who damns none bu t himself .
If the camel cou ld see his hump , he wou ld fa ll down and break h is
neck.
5651 656m y aQQ Lb
A crazy man t h inks h is be haviour s t raigh ter th an a s traigh t l ine .
Folly is wis e in her own eyes .
”
TO CONDE MN IN OTHERS WHAT WE OURSE LVES DO .
Fau l t s of ot h er men y e qu e s t ion,
’
s vice s w innow ,
L ike a fal se d ie h id e your own .
DUTT’
465 112611131 u gilrég gf 5 161665 ce/fmsrnd ‘hunggeir.
Th e s is t er w ho b lamed h er e lder s ist er bec ame a harlot h erse lf .
”
c it/5 611111 gwpmc’uné i 14111155 1161, fig 6661014 1
wwrg juflqyé '
g ?
Wou ld t h ere be any more evi l in man , if each one would observe
'
”
911165 65111t ugflé gcy si i , a tt a ins 5 655166111651 .
Th e one eyed man mocks t h e man wh o squints .
The pot calls the ket t le black.
”
The raven said to the rook, stand away, blac k - coat
, 561312611111
i L1616v1161y §7g 16 (swag , adv m ass if
Qrfiég wmb.
I t i s said , t h at th e monkey of Pal lavaram, w it h ou t know ing th at t h e vi llage laugh ed at h im
, l augh ed at t h e vi l lage .
Those who live in glass - houses shou ld no t throw s tones .
5 1160311 11) 11551655 75, 61661135 4615 17 119 =gCDQs ir.
A fter blaming h er mot h er, t h e younger s is ter played t h e harlot
h erse lf . V irtues all agree , bu t vi ces figh t one another.
waqiy ég fi 145g? Ger/161695, g nu) c 91611511111 “? QUITW II LD.
Th e mot h er afte r warning h er daugh t er, played t h e h arlot h ers elf. Le t him that has a glass sku ll not take to s tone throwing .
$ 0155 691421515 Goat) , 5 11g Caz/4111165 60611966111 13 1135135 116 116.
Th e person w ho had a de fec t ive nose blamed t h e one who h ad a
defe ct ive ear .
Point not at others ’
spots wi th a foul finger.
S I N , FAULT, DE FICIENCY .
TH E S IN OR FAULT IN ONE P ERSON , TH E B LAME OR
PUN ISHME NT ON ANOTHER .
GOLDGOG‘O 61—06n 01066) err/L ama ‘s? G
° LJ1161 (or egfl
‘
t h e goat t h e anger h e fe l t towards h is
ne ighbour.
S ince he cannot revenge on the ass , he falls on the pack- saddle .
4651116501651 (2141196) q ég G ’ s /11453665 1s 1m) 611 119614pfl @ 631.
Th e anger h e fe l t t owards h is e lder broth er , b e coo led on t h e dog .
”
46126)
Th inking of t h e s t eeped rice h e beat t h e mortar .
B e ing angry w it h a superior w h om h e cannot h arm h e i l l - treat s some one
in h is power. Cf. oi l—ITLDG'i ) 5 ®Q r m
c§7 , t o burn w i t h ou t burn ing, t o
pun ish ind ire ct ly , or : geaimwpé J UéEQ lL C/Q Lob lqyairmr
mj mak ing one t h ing an e xcu se for re proach ing anot h er.
4Lbull LJICDet a , 46mgp1i1u61611 L67®5PG
° 5 11 ?
I s t h e pow er in t h e grinding s t one or in t h e woman th at grinds ? 169.
Said wh en blame is laid not on t h e person w h o is t h e real s inner , but on a
person wh o h as be en le d int o s in .
1@59@ l Ge nd arme -57 (31. 1169m L156) ? Sh ou ld you blame h im wh o announces a death M essengers shou ld nei ther be beheaded nor hanged.
a st hma/air 61631 5 261 q eu '
mQD (Su rfing /1 ?
”
! 4113621314 C°15116111C§6b1651 ?
Why blame t h e arr ow , w h en h e wh o di sc h arged i t is th ere 166.
566111965 1111) 6515 115361135 616131Cy 6 '
v, 41196111611w26m ( m a aii élcryeir.
If you say t h at t h e brinja l s are de cay ed , sh e say s i t is t h e fau lt of t h e knife by wh i ch t h ey w ere c u t .
ag ony 5 5 51n 611111365 If t h e sugar
- c ane tas t e s bitt er, t h e fau l t is in t h e mou th of t h e
eater.
I f one d is l ike s a good t h ing or a good person , t h e fau l t l ie s in h imse lf.
5 1165 11111 a fl mg nb, L_16ziTLb ugnb 6576315155 113.
Th e crow as cended t h e palm tre e , and t h e fru i t fe l l down .
Th e fru it w as qu i t e ripe , and i t ne ede d a s l igh t t ouch t o make i t fal l and
,
or more common ly : u yél, and i s app l ie d t o a
person , w h o h appens t o sh ow t h e fl aw in a t h ing, t hat was broken be fore h e t ouch ed i t .
18 TAMIL PROVE BBS .
g mnair s afanmb OanCDa '
sas.
Th e woman from K o - vi l lage played t h e harlot , bu t t h e woman from Gunnatur- vi llage got t h e puni shment .
Qfiffi fl fifg 9 5 05965 , 175960756295 5? swig ! 0, beaut ifu l s tork , vomi t t h e jewe l Said by an innocent person wh o i s blame d fo r a t h e ft .
Q g ebaub Qag ai g fi pgn a ng erin g. ©1695n gag /r?
Was i t indu lgence t hat made you s l ip ? Was t h e entranc e to t h e h ouse s l ippery 3336.
Said t o a spo i le d ch i ld wh o blame s some t h ing or somebody e lse for i t s fau l t s .
5261) Germ] ; u ‘ lfl G
’ u flmwnwfl ?
You h ave c u t t h e h ead off . I s i t righ t t o blame somebody e lse
9 5 6m m , u remia g fl ea
'
wmm.
Th e blame on one s ide , t h e s in on anot h er.
One do th the scath , and another has the scorn .
( spasm(ganfi cg/égaeb, {safar@ L9. 6657607 Q J t L/Lb ?
If your face is ug ly , what c an t h e mirror do Don’
t blame any t hing e l se for fau l t s caused by yourse lf.
M ISCONSTRUCTION .
31667 1473p wnidlcutrg ég é and) ULLL n Lb (gr /13pm, m u fi u gmb
fee/m5 Wh e t h er your foot or your h and tou c h an unkind moth er- in - law ,
i t is wrong .
“ Fau lts are thick where love is th in. 185, 2765, 2838, 3643.
<glazinagiyp wfl uilwrrcgég sf (gate d) fi ITGZlT. Even a bow t o an unk ind mot h er- in - law w i l l be t aken as an
offenc e .
Where there is no love , all are fau lts . 2770.
'
J.
Th ey w i l l lay h o ld of a tortoise and turn i t on i t s back ; but to
ment ion i t is a c rime .
Speak wha t you wi ll , bad men wi ll turn i t i ll .
u rns)? ©5 11w (J ag /Lb q afiéfi pg .
Th e h einou snes s of my sin wi l l t urn mi lk sour.
By my h ard fat e e ven t h e good I do t o o t h ers i s m is cons trued .
A ll are not thi eves that dogs bark a t . ”
G’u figgei) a utumn, Gu g nfig ég név w anna mu ch.
If I speak , I am cal l ed a babb ler ; if I am s i lent, I am cal led a
dumb fe l low .
I f you look at men ’
s fau l t s you wi l l h ave no fri ends .
Deem the bes t of every doubt , t i ll the tru th be trie d out .
gar eat , Lil/ng a '
One ’
s own fau l t s are an opportuni ty for oth ers . 742 .
The vu lgar keep no accounts of your hi ts, bu t of your misses .
I n an enemy spots are soon seen .
”
gar/hi re Q emgbswpg '
g ri m/75 17699 .
Do not c lear a w e l l t h at has be en fi l led up . 443, 459, 460.
Cf. Lop /ég fl ’ u flm g lé s
f élamu é Qefl qygfi . Don ’
t s t ir up wh at is forgot t en .
Do not rake the gu t ters .
”
”
umawnafiég d q LSlQ a ) Gab efi rQ—g Qu rrev.
Like adding ghee t o an enemy ’
s favouri t e food .
A man ’
s m isfort une s are as ple asant t o h is enemie s as clarified but t er is to t h e Hindu palat e . 247, 1842 .
AS YOU MAKE YOUR BED , SO YOU MUST L I E ON I T.
g /aduL QéQ ameirG ’ alair 6rei n mire/ma 5 am; Q Gén ?
Does a th ie f s t ea l e xpe ct ing t h at h e w i l l be c augh t
No one s ins t h ink ing t h at h e w il l h ave t o suffer for i t .
C Q/L fl g j Gerubg azair u u rg y u®avrra3n
If one does what i s uns eemly , h e w i l l suffer wh at h e sh ould not
suffer.
g ahmwjg e '
:era fiezmu 556 a n/én Gu rrev.
’
s fol ly .
H e that courts injury wi l l obtain i t .
g ym/gadg et Ger/Tetrmafair , u sélQuw /afg tb 10667627 61651 .
A man wh o defends a fals e c ase is a king wh o to lerates c rime .
i .e .
, Mus t t ake t h e consequences of h is crime sooner or late r.
Tri ckery comes back to i ts mas ter.
”
'
vev a/n q cmég ib.
Wh en t h e t ime comes for w orms to c onsume t h e kicking foot, wi l l t h ey not consume i t ?
”
SI N, FAULT, DEFICIENCY .
2 43g Q eérfi ‘ mwair s wamp/i gmlj u aah .
H e wh o eat s salt , w i l l drink water. 2704.
A s sure ly as a t h irsty man drinks w at er, so sure ly w i l l a s infu l man incur pun ishmen t .
a g g mu qrmm g mmg yw alms/ (5 113.
By reason of fraud and tri ckery , t h e t ruth wit h in you w i ll
sh rive l up. 3334.
I ll sowers make i ll harves t .
a crL CDu '
) 1.41”; s 9 ®é gmd mu .
Frauds and t ric ks w i l l redu c e a man ’
s greatne ss .
”
g m ég u '
i Q u Qu , 9. 65T c e/Lirun /ésg tb C ’u Cfi’u !
To you B e ‘
bé , and t o your fat h er B ébé
A man pre ssed by h is cred i t ors was advised by a friend , t o wh om al so h e owed money ,
t o e s cape from t h e ir importun it ie s by fe igning madn e ss .
Th e debt or accord ing ly d id so , re ply ing t o t h em all l ike an id iot , Bébé Th e p lan was succe ssful and t h e cred it ors were de ce ived . Th en t h e friend aske d t hat t h e deb t due t o h ims e lf shou ld be pa id . B u t h e h imse lf re ce ived t h e t reatment h e had advised t h e de ce i t fu l deb t or t o u se t o t h e
o t h ers . Th e proverb i s also used about ch i ldren w h o h ave no re spe ct for o lder persons .
Tri ckery comes back to i ts own mas ter.
H e falls into the pi t , who leads another into i t .
g i aui aeva tb u eziarg tyfip azeir, g L QQu LLC/Ds :aural /fair.
H e who c au se s quarre ls in a fami ly wi l l be c uffed t o death .
”
(5n Q aasbta luSlQ év ma® Q ui lt /Lb
A bu l lock w il l feed in t h e c h eat s garden . 456 , 1806.
Deceiving and being deceived.
”
( 2 Tim . 3, Of. H e went ou t shearing, he came home shorn .
Qwe fim Gama/Lb.
De ce it and quarrel ling w ill end in suffering .
The bi ter bi t . ”
Qezirw gf Gle zfizu rrwév fi shy , Q u akes Gazfiwrrwév Gu cgvfipg .
'
er pain .
H e who swims in sin wi ll sink in sorrow .
u Qa ’
sg CJ umrbugub fl ung/f ix) , (l i e d) If h e wi ll eat t h e palmyra fru it be caus e h e i s hungry , le t h im
suffer t h e biliousness i t c au se s .
Said in condemnat ion of t h os e wh o find t h e ir ch ie f good in sensuous
en joyment .
Gather thist les, expe c t prickles . Dead - sea frui t . ”
22
217 .
TAMIL PROVE RBS
u sotrmfievr u s e /sewe r) 1.1/LO; We must suffer for t h e s in w e h ave done and so atone for i t .
5 (nevi /55 7 Gammg , e mu) agtfiég Gammg .
B lossoms open and di e , yourmou th opens and destroys you . 2503.
B lossoms fade away aft er opening fu l ly ; t h e mout h Opens t o say what i t
sh ou ld no t , and ru ins t h e speaker.
The evi l that come th ou t of thy mou th fi i eth into thy bosom.
Q ung eir Gu amanfl fif ’ w gaé a
'
rb Gu ng ib.
I n t h