Possession of Knowledge
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ulakan taḻīiya toṭpa malartaluṅ / kūmpalu milla taṟivu
Wisdom embraces the world in friendship and remains steady there, neither first blooming nor later closing like a flower.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Wisdom embraces frank the world, to no caprice exposed; / Unlike the lotus flower, now opened wide, now petals strictly closed.”
“The wise man is sociable with all the world: and his temper is ever even, expanding not nor contracting to excess.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உலகம் தழீஇயது ஒட்பம்= உலகத்தை நட்பாக்குவது ஒருவனுக்கு ஒட்பமாம்; மலர்தலும் கூம்பலும் இல்லது அறிவு= அந்நட்பின்கண் முன் மலர்தலும், பின் கூம்புதலும் இன்றி ஒருநிலையனாவது அறிவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar defines social discernment as making the world one's friend, and wisdom as remaining constant within that friendship rather than first blossoming warmly and later folding closed.