The Kural

his days.

Take not away from any living thing the life that is sweet unto all, even if it be to save thine own.

They may say, Sacrifices gain for a man many blessings: but to the pure in heart the blessings that are earned by killing are an abomination.

Those who live by slaying are likened by the discriminating to eaters of carrion.

Behold the man whose putrid body is festering with ulcerous sores: he must have been a shedder of blood in the past, say the wise.

Subdivision B

Wisdom

XXXIV

The Vanity of All Things

331. There is no greater folly than the infatuation that looketh upon the transient as if it were everlasting.

332. The crowd that assembleth to witness a village show, that is the symbol of great riches flowing on a man: and the dispersal of that same crowd is the type of its passing away.

333. Prosperity is transient: if thou have come by it, delay not to do things that are of lasting good.

334. Tine looketh like an innocent thing: but verily it is a saw that is continually sawing away the life of man.

335. Make haste to do good works before the tongue is paralysed and hiccup ariseth in the throat.

336. But yesterday a man was and today he is not: that is the wonder of wonders in this world.

337. Man knoweth not if he shall last the next minute: but his thoughts are more than ten million.

338. The fledgeling abandoneth the broken shell of the egg and flieth away: that is the symbol of the love between the soul and the body.

339. Death is like unto a sleep: and life is like the waking after that sleep.

340. Hath the soul no home of its own, that it taketh shelter in this worthless body?

XXXV

Renunciation

341. Whatsoever thing a man hath renounced, from the grief arising from that thing hath he liberated himself.

342. If thou want joy, renounce early: for many are the delights that thou shalt enjoy after renouncing.

343. Crush thou the five senses: and everything in which thou takest delight, give up utterly.

344. To possess nothing, that is the law of the man of vows: the possession of even one thing is a coming back to the snares that he hath left.

345. To those that desire to put an end to their reincarnations, even the body is a superfluity: how much more then are other bonds?

346. The feelings of I and Mine are nought but vanity and pride: he who crusheth them entereth a higher world than the world of the Gods.

347. Behold the man who holdeth on to attachments and giveth not them up: Grief shall take hold of him and shall not give him up.

348. They that have renounced utterly are on the path to salvation: but the others are caught in a snare.

349. The moment that attachments are broken, that very moment reincarnations cease: the man who breaketh them not continueth in vanity.

350. Take thou refuge in Him who hath conquered all attachments: and hold fast to that ark in order that all thy bonds may be broken.

XXXVI

Realisation of the Truth

351. From the delusion of taking vanities for the Reality a man cometh by a life of sorrow.

352. Behold the man who is freed from delusion and who hath an unclouded vision: darkness ceaseth for him and joy cometh unto him.

353. Behold the man who hath freed himself from uncertainties and who hath realised the Truth: heaven is nearer to him than the earth.

354. Though risen to human birth, nought is gained if the soul realiseth not the Truth.

355. To separate the true from the false in everything, whatever its nature may be, that is the part of a wise understanding.

356. Behold the man who hath studied deeply and hath realised the Truth: he shall enter the path that leadeth not again into this world.

357. Verily those that have meditated upon and attained to the Truth need not think at all of future incarnations.

358. It is the part of Wisdom to desire to escape the folly called birth, and to aim at realising the Supreme and the Good.

359. Behold the man who understandeth the means of his salvation and laboureth to conquer all attachments: the ills that he is yet to suffer depart from him.

360. As desire and anger and delusion leave a man, his ills also follow their pace and slowly melt away.

XXXVII

The Killing of Desire

361. Desire is the seed that yieldeth unto every soul, and always, a never-failing crop of births.

362. If thou must needs long for anything, long for freedom from reincarnation: and that freedom shall come to thee if thou long to conquer longing.

363. There is no greater wealth here below than desirelessness: and wherever thou goest thou canst find no treasure that equalleth it.

364. Purity is nought but freedom from desire: and this freedom is achieved by yearning for perfect truthfulness.

365. It is those that have conquered their desire that are called the liberated ones: the others appear to be free but they are verily in bondage.

366. If thou love righteousness, flee from desire: for desire is a snare and a disappointment.

367. If a man cutteth off utterly all his desires, salvation shall come to him by any path that he commandeth to it.

368. He that hath no desires hath no grief: but ills on ills descend on the man that hankereth after things.

369. Even here a man shall have everlasting joy if he killeth that greatest misery of all, desire.

370. Desire is never filled: but if a man giveth it up he attaineth perfection even at that very moment.

XXXVIII

Destiny

371. Resolution cometh to a man when Fortune is about to smile on him; but Indolence appeareth when Fortune is about to leave.

372. Evil fate dulleth the faculties: but when Fortune is about to smile she first expandeth the intelligence.

373. What doth learning avail and all subtleties? It is the Spirit that is inside that prevaileth over all.

374. There are two things in the world which have nothing in common: Riches is one thing and Saintliness is quite another.

375. When the tide is against thee even