Tirukural. Chapter 18: Avoidance of Covetousness.

Kural 171

In the very attempt to wrongly gain another’s wealth,
a man forfeits his family’s future and his own faultlessness.

Kural 172

Those who deem injustice shameful never commit
guilt-yielding deeds driven by money-yielding desires.

Kural 173

Those who seek immortal bliss will not succumb
to immoral deeds that follow desire for fleeting delights.

Kural 174

With senses conquered and sight unclouded by depravity,
one will not wish for others’ wealth, even in destitution.

Kural 175

What avails a man’s subtle and comprehensive learning,
if, crazed by covetousness, he treats others insensibly?

Kural 176

Desiring grace and doing his duty, a man who desires wealth
but acquires it wrongly is destroyed nevertheless.

Kural 177

Do not seek the fortune that greed gathers,
for its fruit is bitter on the day of enjoyment.

Kural 178

To protect one’s own prosperity from decline,
one must not crave the property held by others.

Kural 179

Just as wise men know the goodness of noncoveting,
so Fortune Herself knows their goodness and draws near.

Kural 180

There is a thoughtless desire for others’ things that is destructive.
There is a mindful pride that, in refusing to covet, is triumphant.

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