Abstention from Sloth
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maṭiyilā maṉṉavaṉ eytum aṭiyaḷantāṉ / tāaya tellām oruṅku.
The ruler without sloth will attain at once the whole expanse measured by the divine being's feet.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The king whose life from sluggishness is rid, / Shall rule o'er all by foot of mighty god bestrid.”
“Behold the prince that knoweth not sloth: he will bring within his sway all that hath been measured by the steps of Trivikrama.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அடி அளந்தான் தாஅயது எல்லாம்= தன் அடியளவானே எல்லாவகை உலகையும் அளந்த இறைவன் கடந்த பரப்பு முழுதையும்; மடி இலா மன்னவன் ஒருங்கு எய்தும்= மடியிலாத அரசன் முறையான் அன்றி, ஒருங்கே எய்தும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar preserves the Trivikrama image: the divine being measured all worlds with his feet. A ruler free from sloth is said, in royal hyperbole, to attain that whole expanse at once.