The Way of Acquiring Wealth
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aruḷeṉṉu maṉpīṉ kuḻavi poruḷeṉṉuñ / celvac ceviliyā luṇṭu.
Compassion is the child born of love; wealth is the resource-endowed nurse through whom that child is sustained and grows.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Tis love that kindliness as offspring bears: / And wealth as bounteous nurse the infant rears.”
“Compassion which is the child of Love requireth for tending it the kindly nurse called Wealth.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அன்பு ஈன் அருள் என்னும் குழவி= அன்பினால் ஈனப்பட்ட அருள் என்னும் குழவி; பொருள் என்னும் செல்வச் செவிலியால் உண்டு= பொருள் என்று உயர்த்துச் சொல்லப்படும் செல்வத்தையுடைய செவிலியான் வளரும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains the family metaphor: compassion is a child born of love, and it grows through a nurse endowed with the wealth called material resources.
This verse is in tension
AI draft · pending scholar review