Purity of Action
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eṟṟeṉ ṟiraṅkuva ceyyaṟka ceyvāṉēl / maṟṟaṉṉa ceyyāmai naṉṟu.
“Do nought that soul repenting must deplore, / If thou hast sinned, 'tis well if thou dost sin no more.”
“Let not a man do those things which make him cry afterwards, what is it that I have done? and if he hath done any such thing, it is good for him if he doth it not once again.”
Do nothing that would make you later cry, ‘What have I done?’ If you have done such a thing once, it is good not to do its like again.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
எற்று என்று இரங்குவ செய்யற்க= யான் செய்தது எத்தன்மைத்து, என்று பின் தானே இரங்கும் வினைகளை ஒருகாலும் செய்யாது ஒழிக; செய்வானேல் மற்று அன்ன செய்யாமை நன்று= அன்றி ஒருகால் மயங்கி அவற்றைச் செய்யும் தன்மையன் ஆயினான்ஆயின், பின்னிருந்து அவ் இரங்கல்களைச் செய்யாது ஒழிதல் நன்று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Never do deeds that will cause you to lament later with regret; and if by mistake you have done so, it is best never to repeat such an act again.