Thirukkural 406 in English
Tamil original, transliteration, English translation, meaning, commentary, pronunciation, and chapter context.
Tamil original
உளரென்னும் மாத்திரையர் அல்லால் பயவாக்
களரனையர் கல்லா தவர்.
Transliteration
Ularennum Maaththiraiyar Allaal Payavaak
Kalaranaiyar Kallaa Thavar
Modern English
“A person who refuses to learn may be alive, but has little opportunity to contribute; learning makes our abilities useful.”
Modern Interpretation
A person who refuses to learn may be alive, but has little opportunity to contribute; learning makes our abilities useful. For example, someone who ignores every training session cannot reliably help a team when a problem appears.
Listen
Tamil pronunciation
Compare translations
Modern Plain English
A person who refuses to learn may be alive, but has little opportunity to contribute; learning makes our abilities useful.
Poetic Couplet (Bharati)
People speak of untaught minds \"They just exist like barren lands\"
G.U. Pope Translation
'They are': so much is true of men untaught;But, like a barren field, they yield us nought
Classical Meaning (Drew & Lazarus)
The unlearned are like worthless barren land: all that can be said of them is, that they exist
Tamil commentary
படிக்காதவர் உடலால் இருப்பவர் என்று சொல்லும் அளவினரே அன்றி, எவர்க்கும் பயன்படாதவர், ஆதலால் விளைச்சல் தராத களர் நிலத்திற்கு ஒப்பாவர்.
Chapter 41
More from Ignorance
கல்லாமை
Like play of chess on squareless board Vain is imperfect loreless word
Kural 402Unlearned man aspiring speech Is breastless lady's love-approach
Kural 403Ev'n unread men are good and wise If before the wise, they hold their peace
Kural 404The unread's wit though excellent Is not valued by the savant
Kural 405A man untaught when speech he vaunts Sadly fails before savants
Kural 406People speak of untaught minds \"They just exist like barren lands\"
Kural 407Like painted clay-doll is his show Grand subtle lore who fails to know
Kural 408Wealth in the hand of fools is worse Than a learned man's empty purse
Kural 409Lower are fools of higher birth Than low-born men of learning's worth
Kural 410Like beasts before men, dunces are Before scholars of shining lore