Not Offending the Great and Powerful
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
iṟantamainta cārpuṭaiya rāyiṉu muyyār / ciṟantamainta cīrār ceṟiṉ.
Even those with extraordinarily great support will not escape if people distinguished by surpassing ascetic excellence become angry.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though all-surpassing wealth of aid the boast, / If men in glorious virtue great are wrath, they're lost.”
“Even men who rest upon the most solid of supports will not be saved if men of great spiritual power frown on them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சிறந்து அமைந்த சீரார் செறின்= கழிய மிக்க தவத்தினையுடையார் வெகுள்வராயின்; இறந்து அமைந்த சார்பு உடையராயினும் உய்யார்= அவரான் வெகுளப்பட்டார் கழியப் பெரிய சார்பு உடையராயினும், அதுபற்றி உய்யமாட்டார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that if people possessing exceedingly great ascetic power become angry, their target will not survive by relying even on immensely powerful support or alliances. The chapter's final statement places superior ascetic excellence above every external protector. This is absolute classical spiritual language; in modern justice religious anger is not evidence, and spiritual leaders remain subject to law, criticism, safeguarding, reporting, and appeal.