Abstention from Sloth
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kuṭiyeṉṉum kuṉṟā viḷakkam maṭiyeṉṉum / mācūra māyntu keṭum.
The unfailing lamp called a household's standing fades and is extinguished when the stain called sloth spreads over it.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Of household dignity the lustre beaming bright, / Flickers and dies when sluggish foulness dims its light.”
“The perennial light called Family will be extinguished if it is invaded by the foul vapour of sloth.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குடி என்னும் குன்றா விளக்கம்= தான் பிறந்த குடியாகிய நந்தாவிளக்கு; மடி என்னும் மாசு ஊர மாய்ந்து கெடும்= ஒருவன் மடியாகிய இருள் அடர நந்திப்போம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar interprets one's house or lineage as an ever-burning lamp that continues to give distinction. Sloth is the dark stain that spreads over this lamp; unlike ordinary darkness, it presses upon the light itself until the light fades and is extinguished.