Manly Exertion
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teyvattā ṉākā teṉiṉu muyaṟcitaṉ / meyvaruttak kūli tarum
“Though fate-divine should make your labour vain; / Effort its labour's sure reward will gain.”
“Even though the Gods be against, Industry is bound to pay the wages of labour.”
Even when fate prevents the intended result, effort is not wholly barren; it yields a return proportionate to the real exertion—skill, knowledge, evidence, or readiness for another opening.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தெய்வத்தான் ஆகாது எனினும்= முயன்றவினை, பால்வகையாற் கருதிய பயனைத் தாராதாயினும்; முயற்சி தன் மெய்வருத்தக் கூலி தரும்= முயற்சி தனக்கு இடமாகிய உடம்பு வருந்திய வருத்தத்தின் கூலியளவு தரும், பாழாகாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even if adverse fate prevents the intended achievement, honest, strenuous effort will unfailingly yield a reward proportionate to the bodily labor spent.