Acting after Deliberation
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aḻivatūu māvatūu māki vaḻipayakku / mūtiyamuñ cūḻntu ceyal
Act only after weighing the immediate loss, what may arise from it, and the profit the undertaking will yield along the way.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Expenditure, return, and profit of the deed / In time to come; weigh these- than to the act proceed.”
“Take into thy consideration the output and the wastage and the profit that the undertaking will yield: and then put thy hand to it.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அழிவதூஉம்= வினைசெய்யுங்கால் அப்பொழுது அதனால் அழிவதனையும்; ஆவதூஉம்= அழிந்தால் பின்ஆவதனையும்; ஆகி வழிபயக்கும் ஊதியமும்= ஆய்நின்று பிற்பொழுது தரும் ஊதியத்தையும்; சூழ்ந்து செயல்= சீர்தூக்கி உறுவதாயிற் செய்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar separates three objects of deliberation: what is lost at the time of action, what may arise after that loss, and the later return. Action follows only when the full weighing shows a worthwhile outcome.