Ending Desire
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tūuymai yeṉpa tavāviṉmai maṟṟatu / vāaymai vēṇṭa varum
What is called purity is the absence of desire; that state comes through seeking truth itself.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Desire's decease as purity men know; / That, too, from yearning search for truth will grow.”
“Purity is nought but freedom from desire: and this freedom is achieved by yearning for perfect truthfulness.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தூஉய்மை என்பது அவாவின்மை= ஒருவர்க்கு வீடு என்று சொல்லப்படுவது அவாஇல்லாமை; அது வாய்மை வேண்ட வரும்= அவ்வவாஇல்லாமைதான் மெய்ம்மையை வேண்டத் தானே உண்டாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary identifies purity—also glossed as liberation—with absence of craving, and says it arises through seeking reality or truth itself.