Avoiding Faults
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taṉkuṟṟa nīkkip piṟarkuṟṟaṅ kāṇkiṟpi / ṉeṉkuṟṟa māku miṟaikku
“Faultless the king who first his own faults cures, and then / Permits himself to scan faults of other men.”
“If the prince correcteth his own faults and then looketh into those of others, where is the ill that can approach him?”
If a ruler first removes personal faults and then examines the faults of others, what fault could attach to that ruler?
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தன் குற்றம் நீங்கிப் பிறர் குற்றம் காண்கிற் பின்= முன்னர்த் தன் குற்றத்தைக் கண்டு கடிந்து பின்னர்ப் பிறர் குற்றம் காணவல்லனாயின்; இறைக்கு ஆகும் குற்றம் என்= அரசனுக்கு ஆகக்கடவ குற்றம் யாது?
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If a ruler first examines and eliminates their own faults, and only then scrutinizes the faults of others, what blame could ever attach to their governance?