Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 16,262

Date uploaded in London – 2 October 2026

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

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Points to be noted:

Valluvar Copied Manu Smritis verbatim in Kural 396

यथा खनन् खनित्रेण नरो वार्यधिगच्छति ।
तथा गुरुगतां विद्यां शुश्रूषुरधिगच्छति ॥ २१८ ॥

yathā khanan khanitreṇa naro vāryadhigacchati |
tathā gurugatāṃ vidyāṃ śuśrūṣuradhigacchati ||2- 218 ||

Just as a man digging with the spade obtains water,even so one who is eager to serve acquires the learning that is in the Teacher.—(2-218)

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Valluvar copied Bhagavad Gita Again!

तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् ।

यतते च ततो भूय: संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ॥ 6-43॥

tatra taṁ buddhi-sanyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam

yatate cha tato bhūyaḥ sansiddhau kuru-nandana

O son of the Kurus! In this lifetime, he embarks on his journey towards ultimate perfection, drawing upon the knowledge acquired in his previous lives.(BG 6-43)

Kural 368 talks about Seven Births and all the translators are faithful to the original. Once earned in one birth one can improve upon it in consecutive births. This is the reason for some children appearing with high IQ.

Kalidasa also talks about Purva Janma Knowledge:

स पूर्वजन्मान्तरदृष्टपाराः

स्मरन्निवाक्लेशकरो गुरूणाम्।

तिस्रस्त्रिवर्गाधिगमस्य मूलम्

जग्राह विद्याः प्रकृतीश्च पित्र्याः॥ १८-५०

sa pūrvajanmāntaradṛṣṭapārāḥ

smarannivākleśakaro gurūṇām |

tisrastrivargādhigamasya mūlam

jagrāha vidyāḥ prakṛtīśca pitryāḥ || 18-50 Raghuvamsa

Raghuvamsa Canto 18, Verse 50, composed by Kalidasa, describes the effortless education and wisdom of a prince from the Solar Dynasty. The verse illustrates that the prince mastered core sciences without causing strain to his teachers, appearing to merely recollect knowledge from past lives before taking charge of his father’s kingdom.

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Numbers and Letters in Kural 392 are in Pali and Sanskrit books too as Ganana and lekha.

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We have finished the first part on Dharma (Aram) and now moving on to second part on Wealth (Porul)

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Go to Project Madurai website for all Tamil books; it is free and trouble free. No advertisements; no cookies!

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Following Translations are used:

1.A Aranganatha Mudaliyar – ANM+2 ( B.L. Aranganatha iyer and R. Srinivasa Desikan), Year 1933

2.S M Diaz, I G of Police- SMD, Year 2000

3.Rev.Dr.GU Pope – GUP, Year 1886

4.Suddhananda Bharathiyar- SB

5.EVS Publishers, Singapore- EVS, Year 1986

6.H A Popley – HAP (not full book; only selected couplets) Year 1931

7.Tamil Original

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Part 58- Kural Chapter 40 ; Learning; Education;Study; கல்வி

391.Let your learning be perfect and your life be a noble commentary on it- A Aranganatha Mudaliyar – ANM+2 ( B.L. Aranganatha iyer and R. Srinivasa Desikan), Year 1933

***

391.Whateveris to be learnt should be learnt flawlessly so that

The learning imbibed shapes one’s conduct-.S M Diaz, I G of Police- SMD, Year 2000

***

391
So learn that you may full and faultless learning gain,
Then in obedience meet to lessons learnt remain.
Let a man learn thoroughly whatever he may learn, and let his conduct be worthy of his learning. -Rev.Dr.GU Pope – GUP, Year 1886

***

391.Lore worth learning, learn flawlessly
Live by that learning thoroughly Suddhananda Bharathiyar- SB

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391.Surely well those books which are worth studying. Then, follow the right path according to what you have studied- EVS Publishers, Singapore – EVS, Year 1986

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391.Learn well whatever worth learning is;

And having learnt live worthily -H A Popley – HAP (not full book; only selected couplets) Year 1931

***

391. கற்க கசடறக் கற்பவை கற்றபின்
நிற்க அதற்குத் தக.

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392.Precious as eyes to living mortals are the science of numbers and the art of letters– ANM+2

***

392.Numbers and letters are the two discerning eyes

For all mankind to make the best of life– SMD

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392
The twain that lore of numbers and of letters give
Are eyes, the wise declare, to all on earth that live.
Letters and numbers are the two eyes of man.—GUP

***

392.Letter, number, art and science
Of living kind both are the eyes.       – SB

***

392.Letters and numbers are the two eyes of man– EVS

**

392. எண்ணென்ப ஏனை எழுத்தென்ப இவ்விரண்டும்
கண்ணென்ப வாழும் உயிர்க்கு.

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393.Only the lettered are said to possess eyes; but the eyes of the unlettered are not eyes but sores– ANM+2

***

393.Only the learned have their faces adorned by two eyes,

For the ignorant, eyes are no more than sores– SMD

***

393
Men who learning gain have eyes, men say;
Blockheads’ faces pairs of sores display.
The learned are said to have eyes, but the unlearned have (merely) two sores in their face.—GUP

***

393.The learned alone have eyes on face
The ignorant two sores of disgrace.        – SB

***

393.The learned alone has eyes on their face. To the ignorant, they are two sores– EVS

**

393. கண்ணுடையர் என்பவர் கற்றோர் முகத்திரண்டு
புண்ணுடையர் கல்லா தவர்.

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394.It is the part of true scholars to give joy to whom they meet and on leaving to make them think (Oh! when shall we meet them again?) – ANM+2

***

394.Men of learning meet each other with great joy in their hearts

And when parting, they leave with a heavy heart and sweet memories– SMD

***

394
You meet with joy, with pleasant thought you part;
Such is the learned scholar’s wonderous art!
It is the part of the learned to give joy to those whom they meet, and on leaving, to make them think (Oh! when shall we meet them again.) .—GUP

***

394.To meet with joy and part with thought
Of learned men this is the art.       – SB

***
394.The nature of the learned is to cause delight in companionship and regret in separation– EVS

***

394. உவப்பத் தலைக்கூடி உள்ளப் பிரிதல்
அனைத்தே புலவர் தொழில்

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395.He alone acquires learning who, in humility, stands like a beggar at a rich man’s door, and learns at the feet of his master; but the unlearned are the lowest among men– ANM+2

***

395.They truly learn, who humbly bow before the learned, even as the have-nots do before the haves.

The others not having learnt will continue in their despicable state– SMD

***

395
With soul submiss they stand, as paupers front a rich man’s face;
Yet learned men are first; th’unlearned stand in lowest place.
The unlearned are inferior to the learned, before whom they stand begging, as the destitute before the wealthy.—GUP

***

395.Like poor before rich they yearn:
For knowledge: the low never learn.       – SB

***

395.In humility they learn, standing like the poor before the rich; base are they that acquire no learning– EVS

***

395.As beggars before the rich, the learned to their guru bow;

The learned are the high, unlearned are the low– HAP

***
395. உடையார்முன் இல்லார்போல் ஏக்கற்றுங் கற்றார்
கடையரே கல்லா தவர்

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396.The deeper you delve, the greater the springs you come upon. He more you learn, the freer does flow the pure stream of wisdom– ANM+2

***

396.The wells in the sands abound with springs of water as one dig deep,

So with appropriate education, knowledge gets wider and deeper– SMD

***

396
In sandy soil, when deep you delve, you reach the springs below;
The more you learn, the freer streams of wisdom flow.
Water will flow from a well in the sand in proportion to the depth to which it is dug, and knowledge will flow from a man in proportion to his learning.—GUP

***
396.As deep you dig the sand spring flows
As deep you learn the knowledge grows– SB

***
396.The sand spring flows with water as you dig deeper. By deeper study knowledge flows – EVS

***

396The more men dig, the more water flows from the sandy springs;

The more men learn, the more indeed is their wisdom flows– HAP

***

396. தொட்டனைத் தூறும் மணற்கேணி மாந்தர்க்குக்
கற்றனைத் தூறும் அறிவு.

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397.Behold a scholar who is a mine of wisdom; there is not a land which is not his own; there is not a country which is not his own; wherefore ye men should abandon learning unto the last close of life’s taper? – ANM+2

***

397. For the truly learned, every land and town on earth is their own;

When that is so, why does the process of learning continue till death? – SMD

***

397
The learned make each land their own, in every city find a home;
Who, till they die; learn nought, along what weary ways they roam!
How is it that any one can remain without learning, even to his death, when (to the learned man) every country is his own (country), and every town his own (town) ? – GUP

***

397.All lands and towns are learner’s own
Why not till death learning go on!        – SB

***

397.The learned find their home and town everywhere. Why not learn and learn till death – EVS

***

397.All lands to learned men belong all towns are home;

How then can men remain unlearned till their dying day? – HAP

***

397. யாதானும் நாடாமால் ஊராமால் என்னொருவன்
சாந்துணையுங் கல்லாத வாறு.
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398.The knowledge gathered in one birth is beacon that lights you across the seas of your sevenfold birth– ANM+2

***

398.The learning that one has imbibed in this birth,

Will stand him in good stead in all seven births– SMD

***

398
The man who store of learning gains,
In one, through seven worlds, bliss attains.
The learning, which a man has acquired in one birth, will yield him pleasure during seven births. – GUP

***

398.The joy of learning in one birth
Exalts man upto his seventh.       – SB

***

398.The heritage of culture acquired in one birth lasts to the seventh– EVS

***

398. ஒருமைக்கண் தான்கற்ற கல்வி ஒருவற்கு
எழுமையும் ஏமாப் புடைத்து
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399.Out of the joy and delight of listeners doth ever grow the infinite knowledge of a lover of wisdom– ANM+2

***

399.When the learned see that their learning contributes to make all the world happy,

They are pleased and pursue their learning more– SMD

***

399
Their joy is joy of all the world, they see; thus more
The learners learn to love their cherished lore.
The learned will long (for more learning), when they see that while it gives pleasure to themselves, the world also derives pleasure from it. – GUP

***

399.The learned foster learning more
On seeing the world enjoy their lore.       – SB

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399.The joy of the learned is to see others enjoy their lore as they expound it– EVS

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399. தாமின் புறுவது உலகின் புறக்கண்டு
காமுறுவர் கற்றறிந் தார்.

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400.Learning is an imperishable and flawless wealth and the rest are dross– ANM+2

***

400.One’s learning alone is one’s indestructible and outstanding wealth,

Nothing else possesses this special virtue– SMD

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400
Learning is excellence of wealth that none destroy;
To man nought else affords reality of joy.
Learning is the true imperishable riches; all other things are not riches. – GUP

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400.Learning is wealth none could destroy
Nothing else gives genuine joy.       – SB

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400.Learning is the last joyful wealth; all other material wealth is lost in time – EVS

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400. கேடில் விழுச்செல்வம் கல்வி ஒருவற்கு
மாடல்ல மற்றை யவை.

–subham–

Tags- Part 58- Kural Chapter 40 ; Learning; Education;Study, Tirukkural Encyclopaedia Chapter 40, கல்வி, Manu smriti, Gita