Avoiding Faults
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paṟṟuḷḷa meṉṉu mivaṟaṉmai yeṟṟuḷḷu / meṇṇap paṭuvatoṉ ṟaṉṟu
The avarice called a clinging mind is not merely one fault to be counted among all faults; it stands beyond them in gravity.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The greed of soul that avarice men call, / When faults are summed, is worst of all.”
“Closefisted parsimony is not a vice to be classed with other vices: it formeth a class apart.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பற்றுள்ளம் என்னும் இவறன்மை= பொருளைவிடத் தகுமிடத்து விடாது பற்றுதலைச் செய்யும் உள்ளமாகிய உலோபத்தினது தன்மை; எற்றுள்ளும் எண்ணப்படுவது ஒன்று அன்று= குற்றத்தன்மைகள் எல்லாவற்றுள்ளும் வைத்து எண்ணப்படுவது ஒன்றன்று, மிக்கது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar defines avarice as a mind that clings to wealth even where it ought to let go, and says this is not merely one fault among others but exceptionally grave. The severity concerns duty-defeating attachment to material wealth. It must not stigmatize prudent thrift, scarcity responses, poverty, personal boundaries, or people needing clinical help with compulsive accumulation.