Realising the Truth
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poruḷal lavaṟṟaip poruḷeṉ ṟuṇaru / maruḷāṉā māṇāp piṟappu
Mistaking what lacks ultimate reality for reality is the delusion that, in this teaching, produces a joyless birth.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Of things devoid of truth as real things men deem;- / Cause of degraded birth the fond delusive dream!”
“From the delusion of taking vanities for the Reality a man cometh by a life of sorrow.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பொருள் அல்லவற்றைப் பொருள் என்று உணரும் மருளான் ஆம்= மெய்ப்பொருள் அல்லவற்றை மெய்ப்பொருள் என்று உணரும் விபரீத உணர்வானே உளதாம்; மாணாப் பிறப்பு= இன்பம் இல்லாத பிறப்பு.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads the verse within a liberation framework: inverted understanding treats what is not ultimate reality as though it were, and that delusion becomes the cause of an unhappy birth. This is a philosophical account of misperception, not a diagnosis of mental illness.