Chapter 114அதிகாரம் 114 பாசம் Affection

When tears run, the handkerchief wipes them away; before the tears, tenderness.

As river water slowly gnaws away its bank, so decay takes root in a bond no one cherishes.

A ladle coloured by ghee poured and poured again: this is how true love looks.

Ghee is clarified butter, ladled generously over food. The ladle darkens from long serving.

As sea salt dissolves into water, so duty dissolves into a relationship.

Salt dissolved in water is still there, all through it.

Flowers bloom only where the soil is moist, and bees come only to the splendour of the bloom.

Those who have grown familiar speak to one another without speaking; for those who have not, even when they speak, it comes to nothing.

The hand that wets the leaf before it is laid down is the true likeness of a love that stands firm.

Meals are served on banana leaves, sprinkled with water to clean them before they are set down.

Only a heart that keeps no account can hold this bond; put it to account, and the sugarcane is charcoal.

If giving is the face of love, know that receiving is the eye of fondness.

The country knows one thing of the dead: the name. The home knows another: the mark a kiss left on a forehead.