The Assertion of the Strength of Virtue
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seyaṟpāla dhōrum aṟaṉē oruvaṟku / uyaṟpāla dhōrum pazhi
For a person, virtue alone is what is fit to be done; whatever earns blame is what is fit to be shunned.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Virtue' sums the things that should be done; 'Vice' sums the things that man should shun.”
“That action alone is worth doing which is righteous: and all action must be shunned which is unrighteous.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒருவற்குச் செயற்பாலது அறனே = ஒருவனுக்குச் செய்தற் பான்மையது நல்வினையே; உயற்பாலது பழியே = ஒழிதற் பான்மையது தீவினையே. ('ஒரும்' என்பன இரண்டும் அசைநிலை; பழிக்கப்படுவதனைப் 'பழி' என்றார்; இதனாற் செய்வதும் ஒழிவதும் நியமிக்கப்பட்டன.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
For a person, good action alone is fit to be done, and blameworthy action alone is fit to be left undone. The two occurrences of dhōrum are metrical particles; the verse fixes both doing and avoiding.