Tirukkural-On Virtue-Fear of Evil-Kural 202

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Theeyavai theeya payathalaal theeyavai
Theeyinum anjap padum

As evil gives rise to a chain of evil, it is wise to shrink from sin,As from something more terrible than fire.

The special quality of fire is that 'it regenerates itself in continuity by what it consumes'. What is put on fire is destroyed and causes a conflagration in which fresh material is burnt. The sage Valluvar has noticed that quality in an accentuated from in sin and so put it down as a telling comparison in this Kural. It is, therefore, necessary and safe to shrink from sin at the very start, for later it will become impossible to get out of its encircling flames.

Lord Jesus Christ admonished his principal disciple Peter, when he drew out his sword in defence of the Lord, to sheath it back again and said, 'all that shall take the sword shall perish with the sword', as an evil shall give rise to chain of evil.