Knowing the Right Time
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ñālaṅ karutiṉuṅ kaikūṭuṅ kālaṅ / karuti yiṭattāṟ ceyiṉ
Even an ambition as vast as the world can come within reach if one acts after considering the fitting time and place.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The pendant world's dominion may be won, / In fitting time and place by action done.”
“Thou canst conquer even the whole world if thou choose the proper time and the proper objectives.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஞாலம் கருதினும் கைகூடும்= ஒருவன் ஞாலம் முழுதும் தானே ஆளக் கருதினான் ஆயினும், அஃது அவன் கையகத்ததாம்; காலம் கருதி இடத்தான் செயின்= அதற்குச் செய்யும் வினையைக் காலமறிந்து இடத்தோடு பொருந்தச் செய்வானாயின்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that even if a ruler imagines governing the entire world, the aim may come within reach when the required action is fitted to the proper time and place. In modern use, the hyperbole concerns strategic feasibility, not a moral license for conquest, coercion, or displacement.