Tirukkural Chapter 48 - Couplets 4,5,6 Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

திருக்குறள் -TIRUKKURAL
அதிகாரம் 48 - வலி அறிதல்.
CHAPTER 48 - KNOWING STRENGTH.
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48/04.அமைந்தாங்கு ஒழுகான் அளவறியான் தன்னை
வியந்தான் விரைந்து கெடும்.

48/04. Amainthangu ozhughaan allavarriyaan thannai
Viyandhaan virandhu kedum.

48/04. One who is not friendly but hating others,
And not knowing his strength will get spoiled soon.
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Bhushan: A man cannot go by his own strength
But he should move friendly with others.

Chaitanya: One can't do a work alone,
Not knowing the strength of his own,
Nor taking help from any friend
He'll get spoiled at the end.

Where a work-force is required
An individual with his own hand
Cannot take up works
Without help from others.

His strength one must know,
To find out how far he can go,
In taking up a work individually
And in doing it successfully?
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48/05. பீலிபெய் சாகாடும் அச்சிறும்; அப்பண்டம்
சால மிகுத்துப் பெயின்.

48/05. Peelipei saakaadum achirrum; appanndam
Saala miguththup peyin.

48/05. The axles of a cart will break even if there is an overload
Of light weight peacock feathers.
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Bhushan: What is the weight of a peacock feather?
It feathers are overloaded the axles of a cart will break.

Chaitanya: Yes, all the feathers
When they're put together
Definitely weighs more
Than a single feather.

The strength of any material
When they're in one bundle
Will gather more weight
To break any wooden cart.

Like that, a single man
Can't counts his strength
With a team of men
Who have more strength.
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48/06. நுனிக்கொம்பர் ஏறினார் அஃதிறந்து ஊக்கின்
உயிர்க்கிறுதி யாகி விடும்.

48/06. Nunikkombar aerinaar akkthirandhu ookkin
Uyirkkirudhi yaagi vidum.

48/06. If a man stands at the tip of a tree's branch and try to go up from there
That climb will be last one to take up his life.
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Bhushan: One fool was sitting on the tip of a branch
And was cutting the branch from the main trunk.

Chaitanya: Yes, he'll fall down
With the branch broken
And will break his head
While knocking the ground.

Kalidasa, the shepherd sitting
At the edge was cutting
The branch from its trunk,
That revealed his brain blank.

In palanquin this fool was taken
By the cunning ministers then
And he was married to the princess
To bring down her arrogance.
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