Thirukural-(Risk)Assessment of Relative Strength-Kural 475

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Rajaji"s translation of this Kural is crisp and effective as follows:

Too great a load of even peacock feathers will break
The axle-tree of the cart.

By way of comment, he adds that this incisive comparison warns over-confident powers not to indulge in over-exhibition of their own strength.

An implication would be that, an accumulation against him of a great many small powers, too could overcome a powerful king sometime.

A well-know parallel in the English language is:

“The last straw that broke the camel"s back".

Assessment of Relative strength

Thiruvalluvar in assessment of relative strength, advises the importance of assessing the relative strength of others as well as one's own before making a decision.

Thirukural

Thirukural is an ethical treatise belonging to Tamil classical literature, written by Thiruvalluvar. In Kural 475, Valluvar warns a ruler about the danger of the accumulation of smaller powers that are scattered. Ramananda Adigalar Foundation has taken Thirukural to a larger reading mass with its English translation.