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Learning from animals
Tirukkural stands out for its simplicity in conveying valuable messages. The examples Tiruvalluvar gives are ones we can easily comprehend and can relate to. He points to animal behaviour and characteristics to emphasise certain points, said R. Narayanan in a discourse on how Tiruvalluvar uses examples from the animal kingdom to buttress his arguments.
Gambling addiction
Gambling is like an intoxicant. One who gambles gets addicted to the habit, because he is pleased with the occasional wins. He forgets the many losses, but the wins are what he remembers. He should keep in mind the fact that he might win some money in a game of gambling, but what he loses is far greater.
The rare win draws him just as the worm that is hooked to the end of a fishing rod draws the unwary fish, says Tirukkural. The fish bites the bait and is pulled up and loses its life. A desire to feast on a juicy worm spells disaster for the fish. In the same way, a pleasure like gambling entices a man and sends him hurtling to his doom.
Regarding love, Tirukkural says that just as the Sun scorches a creature that has no bones, so does Dharma destroy the one who has a heart bereft of love. In order to be successful, every action must be performed at the right time.
One should know when to do something and when not to. A crow can win in a fight against an owl during daytime. But the owl, being a nocturnal bird, can see well than the crow at night.
So it would be foolish of a crow to take on an owl during night. We must know our opponent’s weaknesses and strengths. A crocodile kills easily in water, but it is not so strong on land. So we should know on what kind of turf a person can be challenged without harm to us.
When a crow finds something to eat, it calls out to other crows and shares its food with them. This is something we should learn from the crow- the act of sharing what we have with others. The moment it senses trouble, the tortoise draws its four limbs and its head into its shell, and is thus saved. If we learn to control our five senses, then we too will be saved, says Tirukkural.