Not Envying
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aḻukkāṟu uṭaiyārkku atusālum oṉṉār / vaḻukkiyum kēṭīṉ patu
“Envy they have within! Enough to seat their fate! / Though foemen fail, envy can ruin consummate.”
“Envy itself is scourge enough for the envious man: for, even if his enemies spare him, his own envy will work his ruin.”
For the envious, envy alone is enough to ruin them — they need no enemy at all.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒன்னார் வழுக்கியும் கேடு ஈன்பது = அழுக்காறு பகைவரை ஒழிந்தும் கேடு பயப்பது ஒன்று ஆகலின்; அழுக்காறு உடையார்க்கு அது சாலும் = அவ்வழுக்காறு உடையார்க்குப் பகைவர் வேண்டா, கேடு பயத்தற்கு அதுதானே அமையும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
For an envious person, the envy itself is punishment enough — even if every enemy leaves him alone, his own envy will quietly work his ruin. He carries his destroyer inside.
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