Austerity
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ilarpala rākiya kāraṇa nōṟpār / cilarpalar nōlā tavar
The verse says the reason those who lack are many is that practitioners of austerity are few, while non-practitioners are many.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The many all things lack! The cause is plain, / The 'penitents' are few. The many shun such pain.”
“If the needy are the many in the world, it is because those that do tapas are few, and those that do not, the larger number.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) இலர் பலராகிய காரணம்= உலகத்துச் செல்வர் சிலராக நல்கூர்வார் பலராதற்குக் காரணம் யாதெனில்; நோற்பார் சிலர் நோலாதார் பலர்= அது தவம் செய்வார் சிலராக அது செய்யாதார் பலராதல்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains the few wealthy or truly discerning and the many who lack by the few who practise austerity and the many who do not; his extended gloss treats wealth and poverty as including the presence or absence of understanding.