Thirukkural 814 in English
Tamil original, transliteration, English translation, meaning, commentary, pronunciation, and chapter context.
Tamil original
அமரகத்து ஆற்றறுக்கும் கல்லாமா அன்னார்
தமரின் தனிமை தலை.
Transliteration
Amarakaththu Aatrarukkum Kallaamaa Annaar
Thamarin Thanimai Thalai
Modern English
“Being alone is better than relying on people who abandon you when you need them, like an untrained horse throwing its rider.”
Modern Interpretation
Being alone is better than relying on people who abandon you when you need them, like an untrained horse throwing its rider. If a teammate disappears before every deadline, working alone may be safer than depending on them.
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Tamil pronunciation
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Modern Plain English
Being alone is better than relying on people who abandon you when you need them, like an untrained horse throwing its rider.
Poetic Couplet (Bharati)
Better be alone than trust in those That throw in field like faithless horse
G.U. Pope Translation
A steed untrained will leave you in the tug of war;Than friends like that to dwell alone is better far
Classical Meaning (Drew & Lazarus)
Solitude is more to be desired than the society of those who resemble the untrained horses which throw down (their riders) in the fields of battle
Tamil commentary
போர்க்களத்தே நம்மை வீழ்த்திவிட்டுப் போய்விடும் கல்வியற்ற குதிரையைப் போன்றவரின் நட்பைக் காட்டிலும் தனிமையாக இருப்பதே முதன்மையானது.
Chapter 82
More from Evil Friendship
தீ நட்பு
Swallowing love of soulless men Had better wane than wax anon
Kural 812Who fawn in wealth and fail in dearth Gain or lose; such friends have no worth
Kural 813Cunning friends who calculate Are like thieves and whores wicked
Kural 814Better be alone than trust in those That throw in field like faithless horse
Kural 815Friends low and mean that give no help- Leave them is better than to keep
Kural 816Million times the wise man's hate Is better than a fool intimate
Kural 817Ten-fold crore you gain from foes Than from friends who are vain laughers
Kural 818Without a word those friends eschew Who spoil deeds which they can do
Kural 819Even in dreams the tie is bad With those whose deed is far from word
Kural 820Keep aloof from those that smile At home and in public revile