Dread of Evil Deeds
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ilaṉ eṉṟu tīyavai seyyaṟka seyyiṉ / ilaṉākum maṟṟum peyarttu
Do not commit harmful deeds saying, ‘I have nothing’; if you do, the verse says you will again become one who has nothing.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Make not thy poverty a plea for ill; / Thy evil deeds will make thee poorer still.”
“Let not a man work evil saying, I am poor: for, if he do, he will sink into a lower destitution than before.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இலன் என்று தீயவை செய்யற்க = யான் வறியன் என்று கருதி அது தீர்தற்பொருட்டுப் பிறர்க்குத் தீவினைகளை ஒருவன் செய்யாது ஒழிக; செய்யின் பெயர்த்தும் இலன் ஆகும் = செய்வானாயின், பெயர்த்தும் வறியன் ஆம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that a person should not harm others in an attempt to end poverty while thinking, ‘I am poor’; if the person does, poverty will return. This is the Kural's moral-causal warning about a chosen harmful means. It is not an empirical claim that poverty proves wrongdoing, and it must not be used to shame people facing deprivation or survival emergencies.