Renunciation
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iyalpāku nōṉpiṟkoṉ ṟiṉmai yuṭaimai / mayalāku maṟṟum peyarttu
Possessing nothing is natural to ascetic discipline; possessing even one thing returns and becomes delusion again.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Privation absolute' is penance true; / 'Possession' brings bewilderment anew.”
“To possess nothing, that is the law of the man of vows: the possession of even one thing is a coming back to the snares that he hath left.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒன்று இன்மை நோன்பிற்கு இயல்பாகும்= பற்றப் படுவது ஒருபொருளும் இல்லாமை தவம் செய்வார்க்கு இயல்பாம்; உடைமை பெயர்த்து மற்றும் மயலாகும்= அஃதன்றி, ஒன்றாயினும் உடைமை அத்தவத்தைப் போக்குதலான், மீண்டும் மயங்குதற்கு ஏதுவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says having no object of attachment is the proper condition for one undertaking austerity. Even a single possession can displace that discipline and become a cause of renewed delusion. The claim is monastic and must not romanticise involuntary poverty.
This verse is in tension
AI draft · pending scholar review