# XIX: Refraining from Slander explained — The Kural

> Chapter companion for The Kural by Thiruvalluvar.

## What happens

This chapter emphasizes the virtue of refraining from slander and backbiting, highlighting the moral superiority of silence over deceitful speech. It warns that slander reveals a mean heart, destroys friendships, and invites exposure of one's own faults, ultimately urging self-reflection and righteousness.

## Themes in this chapter

### Virtue and Righteousness

The chapter extols refraining from slander as a righteous act, contrasting it with the meanness of backbiting.

### Social Harmony and Ethics

Slander is condemned for creating discord and separating friends, underscoring the importance of ethical speech for social cohesion.

## Character check-ins

### the Kural

The chapter is a direct excerpt from the Kural, teaching the importance of avoiding slander.

## Key lines

> It is wrong to turn away from good and do evil: but it is far worse to smile before and vilify behind.

Doing evil is bad, but hypocrisy—pretending to be friendly while speaking ill behind someone's back—is even worse.

_Highlights the moral severity of duplicity in slander._

> If thou slander another, he will look into thy own transgressions and expose the worst of them.

Slandering someone invites them to scrutinize and reveal your own faults.

_Warns of the reciprocal harm of slander._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kural_se/chapters/xix-refraining-from-slander
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kural_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_kural_se/chapters