Resolute Effort
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uḷḷuva tellā muyarvuḷḷaṉ maṟṟatu / taḷḷiṉun taḷḷāmai nīrttu.
Let every intention aim at elevation; even if fate pushes the result away, that elevated intention is of a nature not to fall.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Whate'er you ponder, let your aim be loftly still, / Fate cannot hinder always, thwart you as it will.”
“Let all thy purposes be grand: for then even if they fail, their glory will tarnish never.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உள்ளுவது எல்லாம் உயர்வு உள்ளல்= அரசராயினார் கருதுவது எல்லாம் தம் உயர்ச்சியையே கருதுக; அது தள்ளினும் தள்ளாமை நீர்த்து= அவ்வுயர்ச்சி பால்வகையாற் கூடிற்றில்லையாயினும், அக்கருத்துத் தள்ளாமை நீர்மை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says rulers should direct all their thought toward advancement. Even if that advancement does not occur because of fate, the elevated intention itself possesses a nature that does not fall away.