Possession of Knowledge
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ceṉṟa viṭattāṟ celaviṭā tītorīi / naṉṟiṉpā luyppa taṟivu
Wisdom does not let the mind continue wherever it has wandered; examining harm and benefit, it draws the mind away from evil and guides it toward good.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Wisdom restrains, nor suffers mind to wander where it would; / From every evil calls it back, and guides in way of good.”
“It is the understanding that curbeth the senses from roving about, keepeth them from evil, and directeth them towards the Good.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சென்ற இடத்தால் செல விடா= மனத்தை அது சென்ற புலத்தின்கட் செல்லவிடாது; தீது ஒரீஇ நன்றின் பால் உய்ப்பது அறிவு= அப்புலத்தின் நன்மைதீமைகளை ஆராய்ந்து தீயதனின் நீக்கி நல்லதன்கட் செலுத்துவது அறிவு.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar treats wisdom as moral redirection: it restrains a mind from continuing merely because it has entered a field, examines good and harm there, removes it from the harmful, and directs it toward the good.