Intrepidity in the Face of Misfortune
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maṭuttavā yellām pakaṭaṉṉā ṉuṟṟa / viṭukka ṇiṭarppāṭu ṭaittu.
Like a draught ox that draws its cart through every obstructed passage, one who can carry an undertaking onward makes adversity itself struggle for a way.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Like bullock struggle on through each obstructed way; / From such an one will troubles, troubled, roll away.”
“Behold the man who is prepared to strain his every nerve like the bull-buffalo to wade through every difficulty: he may meet with obstacles but he will send them away disappointed.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மடுத்த வாய் எல்லாம் பகடு அன்னான்= விலங்கிய இடங்கள் எல்லாவற்றினும் சகடம் ஈர்க்கும் பகடுபோல வினையை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு உய்க்கவல்லானை; உற்ற இடுக்கண் இடர்ப்பாடு உடைத்து= வந்துற்ற இடுக்கண் தானே இடர்ப்படுதலை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar compares the capable person to a draught ox that draws a cart through each obstructed place: the adversity reaching such a person is itself put into difficulty. The point is not animal suffering or endless endurance, but the practical power to read each obstruction, adjust safely, pause when needed, and still carry the undertaking onward.