Austerity
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kūṟṟaṅ kutittaluṅ kaikūṭu nōṟṟali / ṉāṟṟa ṟalaippaṭ ṭavarkku
Those who attain the full power arising from austerity are said to succeed even in passing beyond Death.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“E'en over death the victory he may gain, / If power by penance won his soul obtain.”
“Behold the men that have acquired power by austerities: they can succeed even in conquering death.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) கூற்றம் குதித்தலும் கைகூடும்= கூற்றத்தைக் கடத்தலும் உண்டாவதாம்; நோற்றலின் ஆற்றல் தலைப்பட்டவர்க்கு= தவத்தான் வரும் ஆற்றலைத் தலைப்பட்டார்க்கு.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar preserves the verse's extraordinary religious claim: people who attain ascetic power can even cross beyond கூற்றம், Death personified, in addition to receiving reverence from living beings.