Ending Desire
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avāveṉpa vellā vuyirkkumeñ ñāṉṟun / tavāap piṟappīṉum vittu
The learned call desire the seed that, for every living being and at every time, unfailingly produces renewed birth.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The wise declare, through all the days, to every living thing. / That ceaseless round of birth from seed of strong desire doth spring.”
“Desire is the seed that yieldeth unto every soul, and always, a never-failing crop of births.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
எல்லா உயிர்க்கும் எஞ்ஞான்றும் தவாஅப் பிறப்பு ஈனும் வித்து= எல்லா உயிர்கட்கும் எக்காலத்தும் கெடாது வருகின்ற பிறப்பினை விளைவிக்கும் வித்து; அவா என்ப= அவா என்று சொல்லுவர் நூலோர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that learned authorities call desire the seed which produces the birth that continues without failing for every living being, at all times. Desire here is the insatiable attachment that sustains the cycle of rebirth, not every ordinary need or preference.