Impartiality
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takkār takavilar eṉpatu avaravar / essattāl kāṇappaṭum
Whether a person lived justly or not is read, in the end, in the children they leave behind.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who just or unjust lived shall soon appear: / By each one's offspring shall the truth be clear.”
“The righteous and the unrighteous are known by their offspring.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தக்கார் தகவிலர் என்பது = இவர் நடுவுநிலைமை உடையர், இவர் நடுவுநிலைமை இலர் என்னும் விசேடம்; அவர் அவர் எச்சத்தால் காணப்படும் = அவரவருடைய நன்மக்களது உண்மையானும் இன்மையானும் அறியப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Whether a person lived justly or unjustly is shown, in the end, by the children they leave behind — the upright leave worthy offspring — so character is read in what it produces.