August 20, 2025

The Hindu

20 hours ago

To succeed in any venture, you must first analyse your strengths and weaknesses, said R. Narayanan in a discourse. Without an idea about your areas of strength and weakness, you cannot achieve anything or attain your goals. It is not enough to know your strengths. You must know the strengths of those with whom you interact, or who will be part of some action of yours. Thiruvalluvar says a man should know the force of an action he is contemplating. He should know what his abilities are. He should have a clear idea about his enemy's strength, and the might of his allies and the might of his enemy's allies. Thirumoolar says a man who knows himself will be saved from unhappiness. He who does not know himself will be ruined. Once a man has understood himself, he attains an exalted status, and is even worshipped by others.
A man should plan his expenditure. Not making a lot of money can make planning for the family difficult. But even so, one must never live beyond one's means. One must make sure that expenditure never exceeds income. The path through which money comes to a man may be narrow. This is all right, says Thiruvalluvar. But the path through which money leaves his hands should not be a wide one, says Thiruvalluvar. Knowing how much one can and should spend on something is important for peace of mind.
Thiruvalluvar says whoever wishes to be safe, must curb his temper. If he does not, his anger will destroy him. Tamil poet Nalladanar wrote a work called Trikatukam. He emphasises three ideas in this work. Dry ginger, pepper corns and long pepper have medicinal properties. Nalladanar's three ideas too are like medicines. He says pride, anger and avarice will destroy a man's wealth, and that one must, therefore, shun these three.