Manly Exertion
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maṭiyuḷāṇ māmukaṭi yeṉpa maṭiyilāṉ / ṟāḷuḷā ṭāmaraiyi ṉāḷ
“In sluggishness is seen misfortune's lurid form, the wise declare; / Where man unslothful toils, she of the lotus flower is there!”
“In sloth hath the Genius of Wretchedness her home: but the Lotus-born One resideth in the labour of him who yieldeth not to sloth.”
They say the goddess of misfortune dwells with entrenched sloth, while the lotus goddess of prosperity takes her stand at the feet of one free from sloth. These are literary personifications, not judgements about gender, body, colour, birth, poverty, or human worth.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மா முகடி மடி உளாள்= கரியசேட்டை ஒருவன் மடியின்கண்ணே உறையும்; தாமரையினாள் மடி இலான் தாள் உளாள் என்ப= திருமகள் மடியிலானது முயற்சிக்கண்ணே உறையும் என்று சொல்லுவர் அறிந்தோர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
They say that the goddess of misfortune dwells with the indolent; while the radiant goddess of prosperity abides with the person of tireless enterprise.