Thirukkural-On Wealth-On Listening To The Wise-Kural-412

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The idea, according to V V S Iyer, is that food is not be thought of, as long as there is learned instruction to be listened to.

This is a couplet of Valluvar often quoted with a smile, to emphasise the importance of acquiring learning to the utmost, by listening to the discourses of wise men in seminars and conferences, and not bothering about the timeliness or quality of the food provided.

The nearest parallel to this occurs in the Biblical statement, also oft-quoted:

“Man does not live by bread alone"

there are obviously many things to be absorbed through the faculty of listening, which are much more valuable than food. But at the same time, it is also realized that bread too is a necessity. That precisely is what Valluvar has in mind, as he projects in this Kural, the overwhelming importance of listening to the learned, then attending to the unavoidable need for food too.