Acting after Deliberation
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ceytakka valla ceyakkeṭuñ ceytakka / ceyyāmai yāṉuṅ keṭum.
“'Tis ruin if man do an unbefitting thing; / Fit things to leave undone will equal ruin bring.”
“There are things that ought not to be done and if thou do them thou wilt be ruined: and there are things that ought to be done and if thou do them not thou will be ruined also.”
Ruin comes both from doing what ought not to be done and from failing to do what ought to be done.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
செய்தக்க அல்ல செயக் கெடும்= அரசன் தன் வினைகளுட் செய்யத்தக்கன அல்லவற்றைச் செய்தலாற் கெடும்; செய் தக்க செய்யாமையானும் கெடும்= இனி, அதனானே யன்றிச் செய்யத்தக்கனவற்றைச் செய்யாமைதன்னானுங் கெடும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Ruin comes swiftly from doing that which ought not to be done, and ruin equally follows from failing to do that which must be done.