Not Being Defeated by Adversity

Thank you again for signing up for Not Being Defeated by Adversity: Three Lessons in Aliveness and Resilience from the Wisdom of Classical Tamil. I enjoyed being with all of you, whether in the Zoom meeting or in spirit as I prepared and gave my remarks.

You will find a video recording of the webinar below.

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A few highlights from the webinar and where in the video you can find them:

• The Kural and Mental Health 3:39
• Some background on classical Tamil and the Kural 5:06
• Lesson One: Not Being Defeated by Adversity 7:51
• How one verse begins to resonate with another 20:17
• Lesson Two: The Excellent Command of Energy 24:39
• Lesson Three: The Fullness of One’s Heart 29:35
• Comment on kural 655, regret, and the command of energy 39:28
• Comments from the chat 41:20
• Comment on the experience of studying the Kural as a student and how it grows in one’s life 42:24
• The difference between a cliché and a poem 48:17
• A favorite verse from my own early days of Tamil study 49:43
• How to ask for help when reaching one’s own capacity? 53:56
• Comments on forgetting and intentionality, videos of particular verses, and giving copies of the Kural as gifts 56:45
• A closing poem, “Sabbath” 59:39

Verses Quoted

622
When the wise look within—the flood
Of adversity vanishes

வெள்ளத் தனைய இடும்பை அறிவுடையான்
உள்ளத்தின் உள்ளக் கெடும்

621
Smile at adversity—nothing
Triumphs more fully

இடுக்கண் வருங்கால் நகுக அதனை
அடுத்தூர்வ தஃதொப்ப தில்

623
Those untroubled by trouble give
Trouble to trouble

இடும்பைக் கிடும்பை படுப்பர் இடும்பைக்
கிடும்பை படாஅ தவர்

613
Generosity’s glory abides in the excellent
Command of energy

தாளாண்மை என்னும் தகைமைக்கண் தங்கிற்றே
வேளாண்மை என்னுஞ் செருக்கு

475
Even the axle of a cart of feathers breaks
If heaped with too many

பீலிபெய் சாகாடும் அச்சிறும் அப்பண்டம்
சால மிகுத்துப் பெயின்

71
Is there a latch for love—the fullness of one’s heart
Shows in the tears that well

அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ அடைக்குந்தாழ் ஆர்வலர்
புன்கணீர் பூசல் தரும்

655
Do nothing to regret—but if you do
Do not regret it

எற்றென் றிரங்குவ செய்யற்க செய்வானேல்
மற்றன்ன செய்யாமை நன்று

108
Forgetting good done is not good—forgetting at once
What is not good—good

நன்றி மறப்பது நன்றன்று நன்றல்லது
அன்றே மறப்பது நன்று

All translations are from The Kural: The Tirukkural of Tiruvalluvar

Additional Resources

Here is the YouTube playlist of Kural videos I mentioned during the Q&A:

Here also is a video me reading “Sabbath” from my book The Safety of Edges: