Dread of Evil Deeds
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aṟiviṉuḷ ellām talai eṉpa tīya / seṟuvārkkum seyyā viṭal
The good call this the highest of all wisdom: refraining from doing harm even to those who are hostile to you.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Even to those that hate make no return of ill; / So shalt thou wisdom's highest law, 'tis said, fulfil.”
“The chiefest wisdom, they say, is to abstain from injury even to an enemy.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறிவினுள் எல்லாம் தலை என்ப = தமக்கு உறுதி நாடும் அறிவுகள் எல்லாவற்றுள்ளும் தலையாய அறிவு என்று சொல்லுவர் நல்லோர்; செறுவார்க்கும் தீய செய்யா விடல் = தம்மைச் செறுவார்மாட்டும் தீவினைகளைச் செய்யாது விடுதலை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that, among every form of wisdom concerned with one's own secure good, worthy people call this the foremost: leaving harmful deeds undone even toward those who are hostile. The verse demands restraint from retaliatory harm; it does not require remaining exposed to abuse or giving up lawful protection.