Thirukkural 63 — Your Children Are Your Wealth, Their Success Is Their Own

Simple English meaning

Children are a parent's greatest treasure — not gold, not land, not savings. But the wealth, success, and good life that children build for themselves? That comes from their own hard work and deeds, not from their parents' doing.

Thiruvalluvar is saying two things at once: parents are rich simply because they have children, and children become rich through their own actions.

Practical life lesson

Thiruvalluvar placed this kural in the chapter called Makkatperu, which means "the blessing of having children." In this chapter, he celebrates children as the highest gift in a human life. But Kural 63 adds a careful and honest note: children are the parent's wealth, yes — but children's own wealth comes from their own deeds.

The Tamil word thamporuL means "their own wealth" or "their own treasure." The word vinaiyaan comes from the root vinai, which means deed, action, or effort. So Thiruvalluvar is drawing a clear line: a parent's wealth is the child's very existence. But what the child achieves — status, money, wisdom, reputation — comes from the child's own vinai, their own actions.

This is a quiet but powerful idea. Many parents feel that everything their child earns is also their own success. And in one sense, it is — because the child is their wealth. But in another sense, the child's achievements belong entirely to the child. Each person builds their own life through their own choices and effort.

1. Children are the wealth, not what they earn. A parent with loving, kind, healthy children is already rich — even if the family has little money. The children themselves are the treasure.
2. Each person's success comes from their own deeds. A child who grows up to do great things earned that through their own discipline, choices, and hard work — not by inheritance alone.
3. Parents give a foundation; children build the house. A parent can give love, education, and values. But what the child does with those gifts is entirely up to the child.

A modern example

Meena grew up in a small town in Tamil Nadu. Her father was a schoolteacher who earned just enough to keep the family comfortable. He worked long hours, took extra tuition classes on weekends, and saved carefully so Meena could attend a good college in Chennai.

"You are everything I have worked for," he told her the day she left for college. "You are my wealth."

Meena studied hard. She stayed up late, took on internships during holidays, and slowly built a career in engineering. When she got her first big job offer, her father cried with pride. People in the neighbourhood congratulated him as if he had done it himself.

But Meena knew the truth — and her father knew it too. He had given her the chance. He had given her roots. But the wings she used to fly were her own. Every exam she passed, every skill she built, every late night she pushed through — that was her vinai, her own doing.

This is exactly what Thiruvalluvar meant. The father's wealth was Meena — her presence, her growth, her becoming. But Meena's wealth — her career, her reputation, her future — was built by Meena herself.

How to apply today

1. Celebrate your children as your wealth, not just their achievements. If you are a parent, remind yourself that your child's existence is already the gift — not only their grades, salary, or titles. Their being here, growing, learning — that is your treasure.
2. Let your children own their own success. When your child does well, cheer for them — and also let them take the credit. Resist the urge to say "we did it." They did it. Help them feel the pride of their own effort.
3. If you are the child, take responsibility for your own path. Your parents may have given you a start. But your choices, your discipline, and your daily actions are what build your life. Own that — both the hard parts and the rewarding parts.

There is something freeing in this kural for both parents and children. Parents can rest in the joy of simply having their children. And children can rise with the knowledge that their life is genuinely their own to shape.

A question to sit with