The Kural or the Maxims of Tiruvalluvar/Chapter 92

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3811378The Kural or the Maxims of Tiruvalluvar — Chapter 92V. V. S. AiyarThiruvalluvar

CHAPTER 92

PROSTITUTES

911. Behold the women that desire a man for the sake of his gold and not for the sake of love : their cajoleries will lead only to misery.

912. Behold the women who speak honeyed words, but whose thoughts are ever fixed on their own profit : consider their ways and keep them at a distance.

913. The prostitute pretendeth love when she embraceth her lover : but in her heart she feeleth even as one who hath touched a stranger dead body in a dark room.

914. Behold the men whose hearts are inclined to deeds of purity: they defile themselves not with the touch of harlots.

915. Behold the men who add deep study to a clear understanding: they defile themselves not with the touch of women whose charms are free to all.

916. Behold the men that have a regard for their own good : they touch not the hand of wantons who put up their lewd charms for sale.

917. Behold the men who are light-minded: they will seek the women who embrace with the body while their heart is somewhere else.

918. Behold the men who have not a discriminating understanding : the embraces of wily women are to them even as the fascination of the siren of the solitudes.[1]

919. The soft arms of the well-decked harlot are the filthy ditch wherein contemptible fools drown themselves.

920. Women of two hearts, drink, and the dice-table, these are the delights of men when fortune forsaketh them.

  1. An imaginary being that is believed to fascinate men in groves etc. and make them extremely erotic.