Tirukkural-On Virtue-Avoiding Slander-Kural 190

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If people scrutinize their own faults as they do the faults of others,Mankind will be freed of all evil.

If only people will see their own faults as clearly as they comprehend other people's faults there will be very little of evil left in humanity.

The poet gives a practical guide-line here, for getting rid of the tendency to slander.

This injunction immediately reminds one of the famous passage of 'the beam and the mote' in the Bible.

'Though hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye'.

(Matt. 7:5)

A relevant Chinese proverb is humorously couched in the following lines:

'Think of your own faults the first part of the night when you are awake, and of the faults of others the latter part of the night, when you are asleep'.

Rajaji comments on this Kural that Thiruvalluvar felt just like burns. The passage of Burns that Rajaji had in mind is probably this.

'O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us
to see ourles as ithers see us'.