The Dread of Begging
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iṭamellāṅ koḷḷāt takaittē yiṭamillāk / kālu miravollāc cālpu.
“Who ne'er consent to beg in utmost need, their worth / Has excellence of greatness that transcends the earth.”
“Behold the dignity that consenteth not to beg even when reduced to utter destitution: even the whole universe is too small to hold it.”
The dignified poise that refuses to beg even in utter destitution is grander than the whole world.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இடம் இல்லாக் காலும் இரவு ஒல்லாச் சால்பு= நுகரவேண்டுவன இன்றி நல்கூர்ந்த வழியும், பிறர்பால் சென்று இரத்தலை உடம்படாத அமைதி; இடம் எல்லாம் கொள்ளாத் தகைத்தே= எல்லா உலகும் ஒருங்கு இயைந்தாலும், கொள்ளாத பெருமை உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The profound self-respect and poise that refuses to stoop to begging even in the depths of total destitution possesses a grandeur so immense that all the worlds united cannot contain it.