Assessing Enmity
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tēṟiṉun tēṟā viṭiṉu maḻiviṉkaṭ / ṭēṟāṉ pakāaṉ viṭal.
Whether the enemy was previously understood or not, at a moment of ruin leave the relationship unresolved—neither fully join nor fully separate.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Whether you trust or not, in time of sore distress, / Questions of diff'rence or agreement cease to press.”
“Whether thou hast decided to make a neighbour thy friend or thine enemy, do not make him either when thou art embarrassed, but leave him alone.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தேறினும் தேறாவிடினும்= பகைவனை முன் தெளிந்தான் ஆயினும் தெளிந்திலன் ஆயினும்; அழிவின்கண் தேறான் பகாஅன் விடல்= தனக்குப் புறத்தொரு வினையால் தாழ்வு வந்துழிக் கூடாது நீங்காது இடையே விட்டுவைக்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that whether the enemy had previously been understood and trusted or not, when an outside event brings severe decline, the ruler should neither join nor depart completely but leave the relationship between those extremes. This ancient crisis strategy postpones an irreversible political relationship decision; it does not tell anyone to remain in abuse or immediate personal danger.