Dread of Evil Deeds
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maṟantum piṟaṉkēṭu sūḻaṟka sūḻiṉ / aṟam sūḻum sūḻntavaṉ kēṭu
Do not plot another person's ruin, even in a careless moment; if you do, the verse says virtue itself will plot the plotter's ruin.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though good thy soul forget, plot not thy neighbour's fall, / Thy plans shall 'virtue's Power' by ruin to thyself forestall.”
“Let not a man compass another's ruin even by oversight: for Justice will compass the ruin of him that plotteth evil.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பிறன் கேடு மறந்தும் சூழற்க = ஒருவன் பிறனுக்குக் கேடு பயக்கும் வினையை மறந்தும் எண்ணாது ஒழிக; சூழின் சூழ்ந்தவன் கேடு அறம் சூழும் = எண்ணுவனாயின், தனக்குக் கேடு பயக்கும் வினையை அறக்கடவுள் எண்ணும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says: do not even thoughtlessly devise an action that would bring another person ruin. If someone does plot it, the Kural personifies virtue as planning ruin for the person who planned harm. This is the verse's moral reversal, not a literal promise that an unseen force will visibly punish every plotter on schedule.