Cherishing Kindred
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koṭuttalu miṉcolu māṟṟi ṉaṭukkiya / cuṟṟattāṟ cuṟṟap paṭum.
When one can give relatives what they need and also speak pleasantly, one will be surrounded by kin of many connected kinds.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who knows the use of pleasant words, and liberal gifts can give, / Connections, heaps of them, surrounding him shall live.”
“If a man have a sweet tongue and a liberal hand his kinsmen will gather round him in serried ranks.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கொடுத்தலும் இன்சொலும் ஆற்றின்= ஒருவன் சுற்றத்திற்கு வேண்டுவன கொடுத்தலையும், இன்சொற் சொல்லுதலையும் வல்லனாயின்; அடுக்கிய சுற்றத்தான் சுற்றப்படும்= தம்மின் தொடர்ந்த பலவகைச் சுற்றத்தானே சூழப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that when a person is able both to give relatives what they need and to speak pleasant words to them, that person will be surrounded by many kinds and ranks of connected kin.