Folly
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ētilā rārat tamarpacippar pētai / peruñcelva muṟṟak kaṭai.
When a foolish person comes into great wealth, unrelated people eat their fill while those bound to that person go hungry.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“When fools are blessed with fortune's bounteous store, / Their foes feed full, their friends are prey to hunger sore.”
“If the fool should come by a great fortune it is strangers that will feast and his kindred will only starve.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பேதை பெரும் செல்வம் உற்றக்கடை= பேதையாயினான் பெரிய செல்வத்தைத் தெய்வத்தான் எய்தியவழி; ஏதிலார் ஆரத் தமர் பசிப்பர்= தான்னோடு ஒரியைபும் இல்லாதார் நிறைய, எல்லா இயைபும் உடைய தமராயினார் பசியாநிற்பர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that when great wealth comes to such a person by fortune, people with no connection to that person are filled, while the person's own kin, bound by every connection, remain hungry. A humane modern reading does not forbid generosity beyond the family; it criticizes satisfying distant recipients while neglecting legitimate care, support, or stewardship obligations nearby.