The Utterance of Pleasant Words
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
allavai tēya aṟam perugum nallavai / nāḍi iṉiya soliṉ
When one seeks words that genuinely benefit others and speaks them kindly, wrongs diminish and virtue grows. Necessary firmness and urgent truth can still be ethical.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who seeks out good, words from his lips of sweetness flow; In him the power of vice declines, and virtues grow.”
“Sinfulness will wane away and righteousness will increase if thy thoughts are good and thy speech is kind.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நல்லவை நாடி இனிய சொலின் = பொருளாற் பிறர்க்கு நன்மை பயக்குஞ் சொற்களை மனத்தான் ஆராய்ந்து இனியவாக ஒருவன் சொல்லுமாயின்; அல்லவை தேய அறம் பெருகும் = அவனுக்குப் பாவங்கள் தேய அறம் வளரும். (நல்லவை நாடிச் சொல்லுங்காலும் கடியவாகச் சொல்லின் அறனாகாது என்பதாம்.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If a person searches their mind for words that will do others real good, and speaks them with sweetness, their wrongs wear away and the good in them grows. Kind, well-meant speech is itself a kind of virtue that diminishes one's faults.