Testing and Trusting People
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
ariyakaṟ ṟācaṟṟār kaṇṇun teriyuṅkā / liṉmai yaritē veḷiṟu.
Even among those who have mastered rare learning and are free from fault, close examination rarely finds a complete absence of ignorance.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though deeply learned, unflecked by fault, 'tis rare to see, / When closely scanned, a man from all unwisdom free.”
“Even men of rare learning and of pure hearts will not be found, when thou dost test them, to be absolutely exempt from all ignorance.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அரிய கற்று ஆசு அற்றார் கண்ணும்= கற்றற்கு அரிய நூல்களைக் கற்று மேற்சொல்லிய குற்றங்கள் அற்றார் மாட்டும்; தெரியுங்கால் வெளிறு இன்மை அரிது= நுண்ணிதாக ஆராயும் இடத்து வெண்மை இல்லாமை அரிது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that even among people who have learned books that are difficult to master and are free from the faults previously named, close examination rarely finds a complete absence of ignorance. This does not belittle learning. It says that extensive learning and apparent freedom from fault do not justify assuming that every area of ignorance has disappeared.