Impermanence
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nillāta vaṟṟai nilaiyiṉa veṉṟuṇarum / pullaṟi vāṇmai kaṭai
Regarding what cannot last as though it were lasting is the lowest form of understanding for a renunciant.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Lowest and meanest lore, that bids men trust secure, / In things that pass away, as things that shall endure!”
“There is no greater folly than the infatuation that looketh upon the transient as if it were everlasting.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நில்லாதவற்றை நிலையின என்று உணரும் புல்லறிவாண்மை= நிலையுதல் இலவாகிய பொருள்களை நிலையுதல் உடையவென்று கருதுகின்ற புல்லறிவினை உடையராதல்; கடை= துறந்தார்க்கு இழிபு.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that objects without permanence are mistakenly regarded as permanent. For those who have renounced, possessing such shallow understanding is especially degrading.