94.1 Gambling

 94.1 Gambling

Question:

            How does gambling affect a person?

Answer:

One should avoid gambling. The gain from gambling is like

the baited hook of iron that the fish has swallowed.             (Couplet – 931)

Is there any way for a gambler to prosper when he gains

one and loses one hundred?                                                  (Couplet – 932)

If one goes on calling his bets, his riches and resources

will roll away from him.                                                          (Couplet – 933)

There is nothing that brings about poverty like gambling,

 which causes misery and ruins one’s reputation.                 (Couplet – 934)

Despite their skills in gambling acquired in the casinos,

habitual gamblers eventually end up in poverty.                   (Couplet – 935)

 

வேண்டற்க வென்றிடினும் சூதினை வென்றதூஉம்

தூண்டிற்பொன் மீன்விழுங்கி அற்று.                    (குறள் – 931)

ஒன்றெய்தி நூறிழக்கும் சூதர்க்கும் உண்டாங்கொல்

நன்றெய்தி வாழ்வதோர் ஆறு.                                 (குறள் – 932)

உருளாயம் ஓவாது கூறின் பொருளாயம்

போஒய்ப் புறமே படும்.                                                (குறள் – 933)

சிறுமை பலசெய்து சீரழிக்கும் சூதின்

வறுமை தருவதொன்று இல்.                                     (குறள் – 934)

கவறும் கழகமும் கையும் தருக்கி

இவறியார் இல்லாகி யார்.                                          (குறள் – 935)

 

Explanation:

Gambling is the wagering of money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning money or material goods. Just as drinking, gambling has been in practice for centuries. The Hindu epic Mahabharata describes how the great and the most virtuous Dharmaputra was enticed into high-stake gambling and how he lost his country and even his wife. Like drinking, gambling is also addictive.

In Couplet 931, Valluvar mentions that by an occasional win, the gambler gets hooked on to the game, very much like the baited hook of the angler that the unfortunate fish swallow. In Couplet 932, Valluvar asks, “Is there a way to prosper by gambling when the odds of winning is one hundred to one?” In Couplet 933, Valluvar cautions that gambling will result in the loss of wealth. In Couplet 934, he points out that in addition to poverty, gambling will also result in the loss of one’s reputation. Finally, in Couplet 935, Valluvar warns that even if someone is confident in his gambling skills, he will ultimately lose his wealth and reputation and be ruined. In the remaining couplets (Couplets 936 through 940) in Chapter on Gambling (Chapter 94), Valluvar continues to elaborate on the miseries the gambler may inherit because of his gambling addiction.

From the couplets mentioned above, it is clear that gambling is addictive, will lead to misery, and the chance of winning is almost nil. But despite the warnings of Valluvar and others, gambling still exists in different forms in many countries. Unfortunately, it is the poor people who get more addicted to gambling, hoping that it is a way to get out of their poverty.