11.2 Gratitude

 11.2 Gratitude

 

Question:

What is the value of timely help?

 

Answer:

            Timely help, though small, is of greater value than the earth.                       (Couplet – 102)

காலத்தி னாற்செய்த நன்றி சிறிதெனினும்

ஞாலத்தின் மாணப் பெரிது.                                                                   (குறள் – 102)

 

Explanation:

         Feeding a man when he is really starving, performing a Heimlich maneuver on a choking man, changing the tire of a car of an older woman stranded on a highway are some examples of timely help. This type of timely help is of immeasurable value to those who receive them. That is why Valluvar says that though the help rendered may be small, it is of greater value than the earth itself.