Acting after Deliberation
கெடும்.
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ceytakka valla ceyakkeṭuñ ceytakka / ceyyāmai yāṉuṅ keṭum.
Ruin comes both from doing what ought not to be done and from failing to do what ought to be done.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Tis ruin if man do an unbefitting thing; / Fit things to leave undone will equal ruin bring.”
“There are things that ought not to be done and if thou do them thou wilt be ruined: and there are things that ought to be done and if thou do them not thou will be ruined also.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
செய்தக்க அல்ல செயக் கெடும்= அரசன் தன் வினைகளுட் செய்யத்தக்கன அல்லவற்றைச் செய்தலாற் கெடும்; செய் தக்க செய்யாமையானும் கெடும்= இனி, அதனானே யன்றிச் செய்யத்தக்கனவற்றைச் செய்யாமைதன்னானுங் கெடும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar preserves the verse's parallel warning: prohibited action and omitted necessary action each lead to ruin. The claim requires examining commissions and omissions together.