Knowing Strength
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nuṉikkompa rēṟiṉā raḵtiṟan tūkki / ṉuyirkkiṟuti yāki viṭum.
“Who daring climbs, and would himself upraise / Beyond the branch's tip, with life the forfeit pays.”
“Those that have climbed to the top of the tree will lose their lives if they attempt to climb still higher.”
For one already standing at a branch's tip, pushing beyond that limit can make the impulse itself an end to life.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கொம்பர் நுனி ஏறினார் அஃது இறந்து ஊக்கின்= ஒரு மரக்கோட்டினது நுனிக்கண்ணே ஏறிநின்றார் தம் ஊக்கத்தால் அவ்வளவினைக் கடந்து மேலும் ஏற ஊக்குவராயின்; உயிர்க்கு இறுதி ஆகி விடும்= அவ்வூக்கம் அவர் உயிர்க்கு இறுதியாய் முடியும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
For one who has already climbed to the very tip of a tree's branch, pushing rashly beyond that boundary will turn that excessive daring into fatal disaster.