Gambling
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
uruḷāya mōvātu kūṟiṟ poruḷāyam / pōoyp puṟamē paṭum.
If the stake on the rolling dice is called without pause, both the wealth gathered and the revenue still coming in will leave and settle somewhere outside.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“If prince unceasing speak of nought but play, / Treasure and revenue will pass from him away.”
“If a man bet constantly over dice, his substance will only go into stranger hands.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உருள் ஆயம் ஓவாது கூறின்= உருளும் கவற்றின்கட்பட்ட ஆயத்தை இடைவிடாது கூறிச் சூதாடுமாயின்; பொருள் ஆயம் போஒய்ப் புறமே படும்= அரசன் ஈட்டிய பொருளும், அவன் பொருள் வருவாயும் அவனை விட்டுப் போய்ப் பகைவர்கண்ணே தங்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar sets out what follows if the stake laid on the rolling dice is called without interruption: the wealth the king has already gathered, together with the revenue still due to him, leaves him and comes to rest with his enemies. Two things are precise here. The commentary names both the accumulated store and the incoming stream, not one of them. And the closing verb speaks of settling rather than of destruction — the wealth does not cease to exist, it changes hands.