Thirukkural · அறத்துப்பால் · புறங்கூறாமை

Thirukkural 182

Chapter 19: புறங்கூறாமை (Not Backbiting) · Virtue

Kural 182

அறனழீஇ அல்லவை செய்தலின் தீதே
புறனழீஇப் பொய்த்து நகை.

Aranazheei Allavai Seydhalin Theedhe
Puranazheeip Poiththu Nakai

Than he who virtue scorns, and evil deeds performs, more vile, Is he that slanders friend, then meets him with false smile

Meaning

To smile deceitfully (in another's presence) after having reviled him to his destruction (behind his back) is a greater evil than the commission of (every other) sin and the destruction of (every) virtue.

Plain English meaning from the 19th-century prose translation by W. H. Drew and John Lazarus. The verse above is G. U. Pope's translation (1886).

Other kurals in புறங்கூறாமை

How Thirukkural is asked in TNPSC exams

Find your weak TNPSC units before the exam does

Take a free TNPSC assessment on PrepMatic. It shows where you stand across General Tamil, General Studies and Aptitude, then builds a day-by-day study plan and mock tests focused on your weak subjects.

Start free assessment →Free forever plan · No credit card · 2-minute setup