Truthfulness
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ellā viḷakkum viḷakkalla cāṉṟōrkkup / poyyā viḷakkē viḷakku
Not every lamp is a lamp to the wise; the lamp that does not lie is their true light.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Every lamp is not a lamp in wise men's sight; / That's the lamp with truth's pure radiance bright.”
“The worthy regard not all other light as light: it is only the light of truth that they look upon as a veritable illumination.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
எல்லா விளக்கும் விளக்கு அல்ல= புறத்திருள் கடியும் உலகத்தார் விளக்குகளெல்லாம் விளக்கு ஆகா; சான்றோர்க்கு விளக்கு பொய்யா விளக்கே= துறவான் அமைந்தார்க்கு விளக்காவது மனத்து இருள்கடியும் பொய்யாமையாகிய விளக்கே.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar contrasts lamps that remove outer darkness with truthfulness, imagined as the lamp that removes darkness from the mind. The comparison is moral metaphor, not a denial of physical light, science, accessibility, or other forms of wisdom.