The Assertion of the Strength of Virtue
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seyaṟpāla dhōrum aṟaṉē oruvaṟku / uyaṟpāla dhōrum pazhi
Virtue alone is what a person must do; whatever earns blame is what must be shunned.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“'Virtue' sums the things that should be done; 'Vice' sums the things that man should shun.”
“That action alone is worth doing which is righteous: and all action must be shunned which is unrighteous.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒருவற்குச் செயற்பாலது அறனே = ஒருவனுக்குச் செய்தற் பான்மையது நல்வினையே; உயற்பாலது பழியே = ஒழிதற் பான்மையது தீவினையே. ('ஒரும்' என்பன இரண்டும் அசைநிலை; பழிக்கப்படுவதனைப் 'பழி' என்றார்; இதனாற் செய்வதும் ஒழிவதும் நியமிக்கப்பட்டன.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
For every human being, that which is supremely worthy of being done is virtue; that which must be utterly shunned and escaped is blameworthy wrongdoing.