Intrepidity in the Face of Misfortune
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veḷḷat taṉaiya viṭumpai yaṟivuṭaiyā / ṉuḷḷatti ṉuḷḷak keṭum.
Even when troubles swell like a flood, a discerning mind can regard and contain them clearly; they then lose their power to overwhelm the inner life.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though sorrow, like a flood, comes rolling on, / When wise men's mind regards it,- it is gone.”
“A whole sea of troubles will abase themselves the moment a shifty mind collecteth itself to face them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
வெள்ளத்து அனைய இடும்பை= வெள்ளம்போலக் கரையிலவாய இடும்பைகள் எல்லாம்; அறிவுடையான் உள்ளத்தின் உள்ளக் கெடும்= அறிவுடையவன் தன் உள்ளத்தான் ஒன்றனை நினைக்க, அத்துணையானே கெடும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that troubles may appear shoreless, like a flood. The moment a discerning person deliberately regards them within the mind, their overwhelming mental magnitude begins to dissolve. This does not mean that material loss vanishes by thought; it means the mind is no longer submerged and can see what must be met.