Testing and Trusting People
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kuṇanāṭik kuṟṟamu nāṭi yavaṟṟuṇ / mikaināṭi mikka koḷal.
Examine a person's virtues and faults; then determine which side predominates and judge the person by what is greater.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Weigh well the good of each, his failings closely scan, / As these or those prevail, so estimate the man.”
“Weigh a man’s good and weigh his evil: whichever is more, take that to be his nature.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குணம் நாடி= குணம் குற்றங்களுள் ஒன்றே உடையார் உலகத்து இன்மையின் ஒருவன் குணங்களை ஆராய்ந்து; குற்றமும் நாடி= ஏனைக் குற்றங்களையும் ஆராய்ந்து; அவற்றுள் மிகை நாடி= பின் அவ்விரு பகுதியுள்ளும் மிக்கவற்றை ஆராய்ந்து; மிக்க கொளல்= அவனை அம்மிக்கவற்றானே அறிக.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that no person in the world possesses only virtues or only faults. One should therefore examine both the person's good qualities and failings, determine which side is greater, and understand the person by the side that predominates. This is not a permanent label drawn from one incident, but a proportionate judgment based on sustained evidence from both sides.