Abstaining from Anger
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ciṉattaip poruḷeṉṟu koṇṭavaṉ kēṭu / nilattaṟaintāṉ kaipiḻaiyā taṟṟu
“The hand that smites the earth unfailing feels the sting; / So perish they who nurse their wrath as noble thing.”
“He who nurseth his rage as if it were a precious thing is like unto the man who dasheth his hand against the ground: the hand of this man escapeth not from injury, and the destruction of the first is as certain.”
Whoever prizes anger as proof of strength inevitably loses that strength, as surely as a hand striking the ground meets the force of its own blow.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சினத்தைப் பொருள் என்று கொண்டவன் கேடு= சினத்தைத் தன் ஆற்றல் உணர்த்துவதோர் குணம் என்று தன்கட் கொண்டவன் அவ்வாற்றல் இழத்தல்; நிலத்து அறைந்தான் கை பிழையாது அற்று= நிலத்தின்கண் அறைந்தவன் கை அந்நிலத்தை உறுதல் தப்பாதவாறு போலத் தப்பாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The ruin awaiting one who cherishes anger as a prized virtue is as swift and certain as the pain suffered by a hand that forcefully strikes the ground.