The Wealth of Children
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magaṉ tandaikku āṟṟum udavi ivaṉ tandai / eṉ nōṟṟāṉ kol eṉum sol
“To sire, what best requital can by grateful child be done? To make men say, 'What merit gained the father such a son?'”
“What is the duty of the son to his father? It is to make the world ask, For what austerities of his hath he been blessed with such a son?”
The greatest service a child can render a father is to live so nobly that the world exclaims, 'What great penance must his father have performed!'
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தந்தைக்கு மகன் ஆற்றும் உதவி = கல்வியுடையனாக்கிய தந்தைக்கு மகன் செய்யும் கைம்மாறாவது; இவன்தந்தை என் நோற்றான்கொல் எனும் சொல் = தன் அறிவும் ஒழுக்கமுங் கண்டார், இவன் தந்தை இவனைப் பெறுதற்கு என்ன தவஞ் செய்தான்கொல்லோ என்று சொல்லுஞ் சொல்லை நிகழ்த்துதல். (இதனாற் புதல்வன் கடன் கூறப்பட்டது.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The greatest filial duty a son can render his father is to conduct himself so nobly that people exclaim, 'What great penance must his father have performed to beget such a son!'
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