Considerate Regard
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kaṇṇōṭṭa millavar kaṇṇilar kaṇṇuṭaiyār / kaṇṇōṭṭa miṉmaiyu mil.
Those without considerate regard are without eyes; among those who truly have eyes, regard cannot be absent.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Eyeless are they whose eyes with no benignant lustre shine; / Who've eyes can never lack the light of grace benign.”
“Verily they are blind, those who are not considerate towards others: and there are none that truly see but are indulgent to others’ faults.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கண்ணோட்டம் இல்லவர் கண்ணிலர்= கண்ணோட்டம் இல்லாதவர் கண்ணுடையரும் அல்லர்; கண் உடையார் கண்ணோட்டம் இன்மையும் இல்= கண்ணுடையவர் கண்ணோட்டம் இலராதலும் இல்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary rhetorically calls those without regard ‘without eyes’ and says genuine possessors of eyes cannot lack it. This redefines ethical seeing; it does not equate blindness or low vision with moral failure.