The Praise of God
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kaṟṟadhaṉāl āya payaṉeṉkol vālaṟivaṉ / naṟṟāḷ thozhāar eṉiṉ
“No fruit have men of all their studied lore, save they the 'Purely Wise One's' feet adore.”
“Of what avail is all thy learning if thou worship not the holy feet of Him of the perfect intelligence?”
What use is all learning if one does not revere the noble feet of the One of Pure Consciousness?
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கற்றதனால் ஆய பயன் என்கொல் = எல்லா நூல்களையும் கற்றவர்க்கு அக்கல்வி அறிவினாலாய பயன் யாது? வால் அறிவன் நற்றாள் தொழாஅர் எனின் = மெய்யுணர்வினை உடையானது நல்ல தாள்களைத் தொழாராயின். (ஆகம அறிவிற்குப் பயன், அவன் தாளைத் தொழுது பிறவி அறுத்தல்.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that unless one reverently attunes oneself to the feet of the Divine who embodies pure, untainted consciousness, all accumulated book-learning is completely futile. True knowledge must lead to moral humility and reverence; without that inner transformation, intellectual learning merely inflates the ego.