Thirukkural 192 in English
Tamil original, transliteration, English translation, meaning, commentary, pronunciation, and chapter context.
Tamil original
பயனில பல்லார்முன் சொல்லல் நயனில
நட்டார்கண் செய்தலிற் றீது.
Transliteration
Payanila Pallaarmun Sollal Nayanila
Nattaarkan Seydhalir Reedhu
Modern English
“Wasting a group's time with pointless chatter in front of many people can do more damage to how you're seen than a private disagreement with a friend ever would.”
Modern Interpretation
Wasting a group's time with pointless chatter in front of many people can do more damage to how you're seen than a private disagreement with a friend ever would. Public tedium is remembered longer than private friction. For example, dragging out a class presentation with irrelevant details leaves a worse impression than a quiet, honest disagreement with a classmate.
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Tamil pronunciation
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Modern Plain English
Wasting a group's time with pointless chatter in front of many people can do more damage to how you're seen than a private disagreement with a friend ever would.
Poetic Couplet (Bharati)
Vain talk before many is worse Than doing to friends deeds adverse
G.U. Pope Translation
Words without sense, where many wise men hear, to pourThan deeds to friends ungracious done offendeth more
Classical Meaning (Drew & Lazarus)
To speak useless things in the presence of many is a greater evil than to do unkind things towards friends
Tamil commentary
ஒருவன் பலருக்கும் முன்னே பயனற்ற சொற்களைச் சொல்வது, நண்பர்களுக்குத் தீமை செய்வதைக் காட்டிலும் கொடியது.
Chapter 20
More from Against Vain Speaking
பயனில சொல்லாமை
With silly words who insults all Is held in contempt as banal
Kural 192Vain talk before many is worse Than doing to friends deeds adverse
Kural 193The babbler's hasty lips proclaim That \"good-for-nothing\" is his name
Kural 194Vain words before an assembly Will make all gains and goodness flee
Kural 195Glory and grace will go away When savants silly nonsense say
Kural 196Call him a human chaff who prides Himself in weightless idle words
Kural 197Let not men of worth vainly quack Even if they would roughly speak
Kural 198The wise who weigh the worth refrain From words that have no grain and brain
Kural 199The wise of spotless self-vision Slip not to silly words-mention
Kural 200To purpose speak the fruitful word And never indulge in useless load