Porai - The Virtue of Patience
Content
🙏 What is Porai?
Porai (Patience/Forbearance) is the noble virtue of enduring the wrongs, sufferings, and insults inflicted by others. It encompasses patience, tolerance, and forgiveness.
📖 Etymology
- Poru = Bear, endure, tolerate
- Porai = Patience, forbearance
- Poraiyalan = One who possesses patience
🌟 Basic Concepts of Porai
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Physical Patience | Enduring physical hardships |
| Mental Patience | Tolerating mental distress |
| Social Patience | Bearing social insults |
💡 Simple Understanding
When someone scolds us, insults us, or wrongs us, not retaliating but remaining calm and forgiving is Porai.
🔍 Real Life Example
A student is mocked by another student in class. But instead of getting angry, he remains calm and focuses on his studies. This is Porai.
📋 Types of Porai
1️⃣ Inner Patience
Controlling anger, hatred, and revenge feelings that arise within the mind.
Example: When scolded, even if we think of scolding back, not expressing it.
2️⃣ External Patience
Showing patience in outward actions.
Example: Not pushing back when pushed.
3️⃣ Verbal Patience
Not responding harshly even when hearing harsh words.
Example: Responding calmly to an angry customer.
⭐ Importance of Porai
🔹 In Personal Life
- Mental peace
- Better physical health (no anger)
- Better decision making
- Lasting relationships
🔹 In Social Life
- Earns respect from others
- Can become a good leader
- Conflicts are avoided
- Peaceful society forms
💎 Thought
"Patience is not weakness, it is true strength. Getting angry is easy, being patient is difficult. One who does the difficult is the hero."
📜 Tirukkural - Power of Duty (Cap. 16)
Kural 151
Like the earth that supports the excavation
Disrespectful head.
Meaning:Forbearance of those who despise oneself is the greatest virtue, just as the soil bears its own diggers.
Like the earth that bears those who dig it, bearing those who disparage you is the highest virtue.
Kural 152
It is also called depending on death
Forgetting is better.
Meaning:It is better to bear the harm of others; Better to forget it.
Bearing wrong is good; forgetting it is even better.
Kural 153
Illness is oppressed by a guest of iniquity
Vanmai Madawar Phra.
Meaning:Desperate poverty is the inability to entertain guests; The best of all strengths is tolerating the unknowns.
The worst poverty is being unable to host guests; the greatest strength is tolerating the ignorant.
Kural 154
Persistence without losing weight
Appreciate and cherish.
Meaning:If you want to keep the quality of perfection, you have to practice patience.
If you wish to retain dignity, practice and cherish patience.
Kural 155
One and a half together Viyare Viper
Covered in gold.
Meaning:They will not respect the punisher together; Those in charge will be cherished.
Those who punish will not be valued; Those who forgive will be treasured like gold.
Kural 156
One day's pleasure is for one's sake
Fame and companionship.
Meaning:A day of pleasure for the punisher; Glory to the one responsible till the end.
Punishing gives one day of joy; Forgiveness gives glory till death.
Kural 157
It's not the ability, it's the disease that others do
Virtue is better than inaction.
Meaning:Even if others do inappropriate things, it is better not to do immoral things.
Even if others do wrong, it is good not to retaliate with unjust acts.
Kural 158
God has done many things
Worth winning.
Meaning: மிகைப்பட்டவர் மிகையான தீமை செய்தாலும், தம் தகுதியான பொறுமையால் வெல்ல வேண்டும்.
Overcome those who do excessive wrong by your dignified patience.
Kural 159
A renunciate will die in purity
The power of words.
Meaning:Responsible for the transgressor's deadly words, pure as the saints.
Those who endure harsh words of the aggressive are as pure as ascetics.
Kural 160
Other people say that Periyar will fast without eating
After fasting.
Meaning:He who fasts without food is great; But He who is responsible for the deadly words spoken by others is above them.
Those who fast are great; but those who bear harsh words are even greater.
📚 Other Literary Citations
Naladiyar
"The patient will gain fame
"He who has no patience will lose his fame."
Athisoodi
"Stand like an ocean of patience"
Meaning: Have patience as deep as the sea.
Don't kill
"The patient will rule the earth"
📝 TNPSC Exam Notes
🎯 Key Points
- responsible authority- Chapter 16 in Thirukkural
- By charity- comes in Home Economics area
- odd numbers- 151 to 160 (10 marks)
- Land Parable- Used in Kural 151
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
| Question type | example |
|---|---|
| Authority no | In what authority does "burden" come? - 16 |
| Screw fitting | "The land that bears the grave..." - Porai |
| Parable question | The parable of the power of inheritance - land |
| Definition of term | What does "despise" mean? - Slanderer |
💡 Things to remember
🔸Duration = 16(Authority Number)
🔸Like land= Parable of the first verse
🔸Forgetting > Waiting= Commentary of the Second Kural
🔸Violence within violence= Madawarp Parai (Regarding the ignorant)
✅ Brief summary
| title | Patience/Forbearance |
| Thirukkural power | 16 |
| Claws | 151-160 |
| Sect | Charity > Domesticity |
| Key illustration | the land |
| Key point | It is best to forget about harm |