Thirukkural · அறத்துப்பால் · கூடா ஒழுக்கம்

Thirukkural 279

Chapter 28: கூடா ஒழுக்கம் (Imposture) · Virtue

Kural 279

கணைகொடிது யாழ்கோடு செவ்விதுஆங் கன்ன
வினைபடு பாலால் கொளல்.

Kanaikotidhu Yaazhkotu Sevvidhuaang Kanna
Vinaipatu Paalaal Kolal

Cruel is the arrow straight, the crooked lute is sweet, Judge by their deeds the many forms of men you meet

Meaning

As, in its use, the arrow is crooked, and the curved lute is straight, so by their deeds, (and not by their appearance) let (the uprightness or crookedness of) men be estimated.

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 கூடா ஒழுக்கம்

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