Intrepidity in the Face of Misfortune
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aṟṟēmeṉ ṟallaṟ paṭupavō peṟṟēmeṉ / ṟōmputa ṟēṟṟā tavar.
“Who boasted not of wealth, nor gave it all their heart, / Will not bemoan the loss, when prosperous days depart.”
“The men that exult not at good fortune, can they ever fret themselves saying, Alas! we are ruined?”
Those who did not cling to prosperity with possessive hoarding do not collapse into ‘we have nothing’ when it recedes.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அற்றேம் என்று அல்லல் படுபவோ = வறுமைக்காலத்து யாம் வறியம் ஆயினேம் என்று மனத்தான் துயர் உழப்பாரோ? ; பெற்றேம் என்று ஓம்புதல் தேற்றாதவர்= செல்வக்காலத்து இது பெற்றேம் என்று இவறுதலை அறியாதார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those who did not become intoxicated with clinging attachment when wealth was acquired will never mourn in despair saying 'we have lost everything' when it departs.