Knowing Strength
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ākā ṟaḷaviṭṭi tāyiṉuṅ kēṭillai / pōkā ṟakalāk kaṭai.
“Incomings may be scant; but yet, no failure there, / If in expenditure you rightly learn to spare.”
“It mattereth not if the feeder channel is strait, provided that the draining channel is not wider.”
There is no harm if the channel of income is small, provided the channel of expenditure does not become wider.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஆகு ஆறு அளவு இட்டிதாயினும் கேடு இல்லை= அரசர்க்குப் பொருள் வருகின்ற நெறியளவு சிறிதாயிற்றானும் அதனாற் கேடில்லையாம்; போகு ஆறு அகலாக் கடை= போகின்ற நெறியளவு அதனிற் பெருகாதாயின்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
There is no harm even if the channel of income is narrow, provided the channel of expenditure does not expand beyond it.