Internal Enmity
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aramporuta poṉpōlat tēyu muramporu / tuṭpakai yuṟṟa kuṭi.
A household afflicted by internal enmity has its strength worn away, as iron is worn down by the file that rubs against it.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“As gold with which the file contends is worn away, / So strength of house declines where hate concealed hath sway.”
“Behold the house that is divided against itself: it will crumble to dust even like a piece of iron that is filed with a file.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உட்பகை யுற்ற குடி= முன் வளர்ந்து வந்ததாயினும் உட்பகையுண்டாய குடி; அரம் பொருத பொன்போலப் பொருது உரம் தேயும்= அரத்தாற் பொரப்பட்ட இரும்புபோல அதனாற் பொரப்பட்டு வலி தேயும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that even a household which had previously grown strong cannot preserve that strength once internal enmity takes hold. As a file repeatedly rubs iron and wears it down, hostile action from within gradually diminishes the body’s capacity. Difference of opinion and good-faith reporting are not the enmity here; the abrasive force is conduct that repeatedly damages shared work.