The Kural · Chapter
XC: Refraining from Offending the Great Ones explained
This chapter warns against offending the Great Ones—those with power, spiritual strength, or authority—emphasizing that such actions lead to inevitable ruin, loss of life, wealth, and sovereignty, with no escape even for the mighty.
What happens
This chapter warns against offending the Great Ones—those with power, spiritual strength, or authority—emphasizing that such actions lead to inevitable ruin, loss of life, wealth, and sovereignty, with no escape even for the mighty.
Themes in this chapter
Social Harmony and Ethics
Emphasizes the importance of respecting authority and power to preserve social order and avoid personal catastrophe.
Statecraft and Governance
Advises subjects and rulers alike on the consequences of offending princes and the mighty, a key principle in governance.
Characters to notice
- Thiruvalluvar
Author of the Kural, presenting teachings on the peril of offending the powerful.
- the Kural
The text itself, containing the verses on refraining from offending the Great Ones.
- Fortune
Referenced indirectly as the prosperity that is lost when the mighty are offended.
Key passages
“If a man slighteth the Great Ones, their power will bring down on him miseries without end.”
Disrespecting the powerful leads to endless suffering.
Core warning of the chapter.
“Behold the weak man slighting men of might and power: it is as if he beckoneth to the God of Death to come to him.”
A weak person who provokes the mighty is inviting death.
Metaphor for self-destructive behavior.
“Even the king of the Gods will fail from his place and lose his sovereignty if men of holy vows look on him in anger.”
Even divine kings can be overthrown by the anger of holy men.
Illustrates the ultimate power of spiritual authority.