Not Envying
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aḻukkaṟṟu akaṉṟārum illai aḵtuilār / perukkattiṉ tīrntārum il
No one ever grew great by envy, and no generous heart ever fell from greatness.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“No envious men to large and full felicity attain; / No men from envy free have failed a sure increase to gain.”
“Never hath envy led to prosperity: nor a liberal heart to a fall therefrom.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அழுக்கற்று அகன்றாரும் இல்லை = அழுக்காற்றைச் செய்து பெரியர் ஆயினாரும் இல்லை; அஃது இல்லார் பெருக்கத்தின் தீர்ந்தாரும் இல் = அச்செயல் இலாதார் பெருக்கத்தின் நீங்கினாரும் இல்லை.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
No one has ever grown great by being envious, and no open-handed, generous person has ever fallen from greatness for lack of envy. Envy and rising simply do not go together.