Chapter 10: The Utterance of Pleasant Words:

 Chapter 10: The Utterance of Pleasant Words:

Words spoken with love and void of ulterior motives are defined as pleasant words to utter. Such words remove hatred among people. Uttering such pleasant words is considered a virtue by ThiruValluvar. After highlighting the greatness of uttering sweet words this chapter makes a request for not uttering harsh words.  Sweet words can come only out of a loving heart.  Words are the ones that cause good and bad acts to occur in the world.   Thus it is essential to develop uttering sweet words for a virtuous conduct and success in life.

This chapter emphasizes the importance of uttering pleasant words with true heartfelt love and pleasant countenance when people talk with each other. Valluvar says that people feel happier to hear sweet words even more than when they receive gifts.  Speaking pleasant words makes the speaker not to develop harsh feelings against anybody and also makes others not to show hatred to them. Uttering pleasant words with humility is the only ornament for a person while there is nothing else that could be an ornament.  Pleasant words result in reducing evil deeds, increasing good deeds, and growth of virtue. Not uttering sweet words while we have the freedom to use sweet words is compared to going after unripe fruit when we have sweet and ripe fruit in front of us.  

Simple paraphrase of the 10th ten couplets:

The utterance of pleasant words largely as expounded by Rev. G. U. Pope: 

Couplet 91:

Sweet words are those which imbued with love and free from deceit flow from the mouth of the virtuous 

Couplet 92:

Sweet speech for the cheerful countenance is better than a gift made with a joyous mind 

Couplet 93:

sweet speech flowing from the heart uttered with a cheerful countenance and a sweet look is true virtue 

Couplet 94:

Sorrow increasing poverty shall not come upon those who use towards all pleasure increasing sweetness of speech 

Couplet 95:

Humility and sweetness of speech are the ornaments of man.  All others are not ornaments 

Couplet 96:

If a man while seeking to speak usefully speaks also sweetly his sins will diminish and his virtue increase Couplet 97:

That speech which while imparting benefits ceases not to please will yield righteousness for this world and merit for the next world 

Couplet 98:

Sweet speech free from harm to others will give pleasure both in this world and in the next 

Couplet 99:

Why does he use harsh words who sees the pleasure which sweet speech yields 

Couplet 100:

To say disagreeable things when agreeable are at hand is like eating unripe fruit when there is ripe fruit.