The Way of Acquiring Wealth
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kuṉṟēṟi yāṉaippōr kaṇṭaṟṟāṟ ṟaṉkaittoṉ / ṟuṇṭākac ceyvāṉ viṉai.
One who undertakes difficult work with the needed resources already in hand is like a person who has climbed a hill and watches an elephant battle from protected ground.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“As one to view the strife of elephants who takes his stand, / On hill he's climbed, is he who works with money in his hand.”
“Behold the wealthy man who taketh an enterprise on hand: he is like one who watcheth an elephant-fight from the top of a hill.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தன் கைத்து உண்டாக ஒன்று செய்வான் வினை= தன் கையதாகிய பொருளுண்டாக ஒரு வினையை எடுத்துக்கொண்டான் அதனைச் செய்தல்; குன்று ஏறி யானைப்போர் கண்டற்று= ஒருவன் மலைமேல் ஏறிநின்று யானைப்போரைக் கண்டால் ஒக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar compares the person who acts with resources already in hand to one watching an elephant battle from a hill. The image is not passive spectatorship; it marks the protection and control created by preparedness.