Testing and Trusting People
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tērāṉ piṟaṉait teḷintāṉ vaḻimuṟai / tīrā viṭumpai tarum.
Trusting an outsider without adequate examination can bring enduring trouble even to those who follow in one's line.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who trusts an untried stranger, brings disgrace, / Remediless, on all his race.”
“Behold the man that trusteth another without trying him: he createth endless evils even unto his posterity.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பிறனைத் தேரான் தெளிந்தான்= தன்னொடு இயைபுடையன் அல்லாதானைப் பிறப்பு முதலியவற்றானும், செயலானும் ஆராய்ந்து தெளிந்த அரசனுக்கு; வழிமுறை தீரா இடும்பைதரும்= அத்தெளிவு தன் வழிமுறையினும் நீங்காத துன்பத்தைக் கொடுக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that when a king trusts a person outside his own circle without examining the person's background and conduct, that confidence brings trouble which does not leave even the king's succeeding line.