Destiny
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ūḻiṟ peruvali yāvuḷa maṟṟoṉṟu / cūḻiṉun tāṉmun tuṟum
What is stronger than destiny? Even when one devises another means against it, destiny itself arrives first.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“What powers so great as those of Destiny? Man's skill / Some other thing contrives; but fate's beforehand still.”
“What is there that is mightier than Destiny? For even as its victim is meditating a plan to overcome it, it forestalleth him and bringeth him down.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மற்றுஒன்று சூழினும் தான் முந்துறும்= தன்னை விலக்குதற் பொருட்டுத் தனக்கு மறுதலை ஆவதோர் உபாயத்தைச் சூழினும், தான் அவ்வுபாயமேயானும் பிறிதொன்றானும் வழியாக வந்து அச்சூழ்ச்சியின் முற்பட்டு நிற்கும்; ஊழிற் பெருவலி யா உள= அதனால் ஊழ்போல மிக்க வலியுடையன யாவை யுள?
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary declares destiny stronger than every countermeasure because it can work through the measure itself. This culminating classical claim does not make planning meaningless: safety, treatment, justice, mutual aid, and accountability remain the actions available to us.
This verse is in tension
Those who work without flagging and without delay will see even fate's back.
To the man who says 'I will raise my house', the deity gathers up its garment and gets there ahead of him.
AI draft · pending scholar review