Austerity
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
vēṇṭiya vēṇṭiyāṅ keytalāṟ ceytava / mīṇṭu muyalap paṭum
Because austerity is believed to yield each desired result in the desired way, wise people undertake it here in this life.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“That what they wish may, as they wish, be won, / By men on earth are works of painful 'penance' done.”
“Tapas fulfilleth all desires even in the very manner that is desired: therefore is it that men endeavour after tapas in this world.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) வேண்டிய வேண்டியாஙகு எய்தலால்= முயன்றால் மறுமைக்கண் தாம் வேண்டிய பயன்கள் வேண்டியவாறே பெறலாம் ஆதலால்; செய்தவம் ஈண்டு முயலப்படும்= செய்யப்படுவதாய தவம் இம்மைக்கண் அறிவுடையோரான் முயலப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads ‘here’ as this world and locates the desired fruits in the next world: people undertake austerity now because it is held to secure the heavenly stations or liberation they seek.