Learning by Listening
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kaṟṟila ṉāyiṉuṅ kēṭka vaḵtoruvaṟ / koṟkatti ṉūṟṟān tuṇai
Even if a person has not studied, let that person listen; in a time of weakness, what is heard will be a support like a staff.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though learning none hath he, yet let him hear alway: / In weakness this shall prove a staff and stay.”
“Let a man hear instruction even though he hath no learning: for it will be a stay unto him when he is encompassed by difficulty.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கற்றிலன் ஆயினும் கேட்க= உறுதி நூல்களைத் தான் கற்றிலன் ஆயினும், அவற்றின் பொருள்களைக் கற்றறிந்தார் சொல்லக் கேட்க; அஃது ஒருவற்கு ஒற்கத்தின் ஊற்றாம் துணை= அக்கேள்வி ஒருவனுக்குத் தளர்ச்சி வந்துழிப் பற்றுக்கோடாந் துணையாகலான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar urges someone who has not personally studied authoritative texts to listen to people who understand them, because that learning becomes support in difficulty. The invitation must not shame illiteracy, interrupted schooling, disability, poverty, or language difference, nor turn teachers into unquestionable authorities.