Tirukkural - On Virtue - The Glory Of Renunciation - Kural 29

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1. Gunamennum kunraeri ninraar vekuli
   kanamaeyum kaatthal aridhu.

The anger of the righteous cannot
Be endured even for a moment.

Parimelalagar"s interpretation is that the wrath of a 'neethar", who has scaled the virtues of renunciation and reached the pinnacle of truthfulness and disinterestedness, is something that none can bear. This is in line with the views of great men all over the world; for at a later date, did not John Dryden say, 'Beware of the fury of the patient man". And Cyrus too said centuries ago, 'The anger of a good man is hardest to bear".

But on the contrary, Pazhaya Urai and Kalingar Urai are of the opinion that great souls are absolutely free from anger. On this basis, the Kural would bear interpretation as, 'The anger of a person who has reached the pinnacle of goodness will not last even for a moment". While this interpretation may fit most 'neethar", who will not give room for anger in their objective and disinterested analysis of men and things, there are on record many historical and mythological episodes of the consuming anger of the righteous, to support the version of Parimelalagar. Even chapter 90 of Valluvar himself would lead to the conclusion that the wrath of the virtuous, when roused, can be truly volcanic.

The expression 'Kundrupor Gunathaan" occurs in the Kambaramayana (Vaelvi-58).