The Way of Building a Family Name
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iṭumpaikkē koḷkalaṅ kollō kuṭumpattaik / kuṟṟa maṟaippā ṉuṭampu.
“Is not his body vase that various sorrows fill, / Who would his household screen from every ill?”
“Verily, is the body of the man that would protect his family against every ill a receptacle for toils and hardships alone?”
Is the body of one who shields their family made only to bear hardship, and never to taste joy?
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குடும்பத்தைக் குற்றம் மறைப்பான் உடம்பு= மூவகைத் துன்பமும் உறற்பாலதாய தன் குடியை அவை உறாமல் காக்க முயல்வானது உடம்பு; இடும்பைக்கே கொள்கலம் கொல்லோ= அம்முயற்சித் துன்பத்திற்கே கொள்கலமாம் அத்துணையோ, அஃது ஒழிந்து இன்பத்திற்காதல் இல்லையோ?
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Is the body of one who labors tirelessly to shield their family from hardship created only to be a vessel for endless toil? Surely it deserves joy and comfort as well!