Knowing the Right Place
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eṇṇiyā reṇṇa miḻappa riṭaṉaṟintu / tuṉṉiyār tuṉṉic ceyiṉ
If those who have found the fitting place draw near, hold their position, and act, the opponents who planned victory will lose that plan.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The foes who thought to triumph, find their thoughts were vain, / If hosts advance, seize vantage ground, and thence the fight maintain.”
“The plans of thy adversaries will be baffled if thou fall back on strong positions and base thyself on them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இடன் அறிந்து துன்னியார்= தாம் வினைசெய்தற்கு ஏற்ற இடத்தினை அறிந்து சென்ற அரசர்; துன்னிச் செயின்= அரணைப் பொருந்திநின்று அதனைச் செய்வராயின்; எண்ணியார் எண்ணம் இழப்பர்= அவரை வெல்வதாக எண்ணியிருந்த பகைவர் அவ்வெண்ணத்தினை இழப்பர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary describes a reversal: occupying and using fitting ground defeats an opponent's expectation. The lesson concerns execution from a well-understood position, not territorial entitlement; planners must respect residents, consent, law, ecological limits, and the possibility that the ethically right response is not to occupy or proceed.