Compassion
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aruṭcelvañ celvattuḷ celvam poruṭcelvam / pūriyār kaṇṇu muḷa
Compassion-born wealth is the wealth above all wealth; material wealth exists even among people of degraded conduct.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Wealth 'mid wealth is wealth 'kindliness'; / Wealth of goods the vilest too possess.”
“The chiefest wealth is a heart that is rich in mercy: for material wealth is found even in the hands of vile men.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
செல்வத்துள் செல்வம் அருட் செல்வம்= செல்வங்கள் பலவற்றுள்ளும் ஆராய்ந்தெடுக்கப்பட்ட செல்வமாவது, அருளான்வரும் செல்வம்; பொருள்செல்வம் பூரியார் கண்ணும் உள= அஃது ஒழிந்த பொருளான்வரும் செல்வங்கள், இழிந்தார்கண்ணும் உளவாம் ஆகலான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Among the many kinds of wealth, Parimelazhagar identifies the wealth arising from compassion as the one worth discerning and choosing. Wealth arising from material possessions is different because it can exist even among people of degraded conduct.
This verse is in tension
AI draft · pending scholar review