Acting after Deliberation
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ākkaṅ karuti mutaliḻakkuñ ceyviṉai / yūkkā raṟivuṭai yār
The wise do not undertake an enterprise that, in pursuit of gain, puts the capital already possessed at risk of loss.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“To risk one's all and lose, aiming at added gain, / Is rash affair, from which the wise abstain.”
“There are enterprises that tempt with a great profit but which perish even the capital itself: the wise undertake them not.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஆக்கம் கருதி முதல் இழக்கும் செய்வினை= மேல்எய்தக்கடவ ஊதியத்தினை நோக்கி முன் எய்திநின்ற முதல்தன்னையும் இழத்தற்கு ஏதுவாய செய்வினையை; அறிவுடையார் ஊக்கார்= அறிவுடையார் மேற்கொள்ளார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar contrasts hoped-for increase with existing capital. The wise refuse an undertaking whose route to profit can consume the base already secured.