Learning by Listening
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kaṟṟila ṉāyiṉuṅ kēṭka vaḵtoruvaṟ / koṟkatti ṉūṟṟān tuṇai
“Though learning none hath he, yet let him hear alway: / In weakness this shall prove a staff and stay.”
“Let a man hear instruction even though he hath no learning: for it will be a stay unto him when he is encompassed by difficulty.”
Even if a person has not studied, let that person listen; in a time of weakness, what is heard will be a support like a staff.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கற்றிலன் ஆயினும் கேட்க= உறுதி நூல்களைத் தான் கற்றிலன் ஆயினும், அவற்றின் பொருள்களைக் கற்றறிந்தார் சொல்லக் கேட்க; அஃது ஒருவற்கு ஒற்கத்தின் ஊற்றாம் துணை= அக்கேள்வி ஒருவனுக்குத் தளர்ச்சி வந்துழிப் பற்றுக்கோடாந் துணையாகலான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even if a person has not mastered books through personal study, let them listen attentively to the learned; for in times of adversity, that knowledge will stand as a sturdy staff of support.