Avoiding Faults
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taṉkuṟṟa nīkkip piṟarkuṟṟaṅ kāṇkiṟpi / ṉeṉkuṟṟa māku miṟaikku
If a ruler first removes personal faults and then examines the faults of others, what fault could attach to that ruler?
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Faultless the king who first his own faults cures, and then / Permits himself to scan faults of other men.”
“If the prince correcteth his own faults and then looketh into those of others, where is the ill that can approach him?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தன் குற்றம் நீங்கிப் பிறர் குற்றம் காண்கிற் பின்= முன்னர்த் தன் குற்றத்தைக் கண்டு கடிந்து பின்னர்ப் பிறர் குற்றம் காணவல்லனாயின்; இறைக்கு ஆகும் குற்றம் என்= அரசனுக்கு ஆகக்கடவ குற்றம் யாது?
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar gives an order to judgment: a ruler should first see and cut away personal fault, and only afterward examine the faults of others. The closing question praises that disciplined sequence as leaving no fault in the ruler's judgment. This does not require personal perfection before enforcing safety, receiving complaints, or intervening in harm; it requires accountable self-examination and freedom from hypocrisy or self-serving bias.