Decision of Character
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collutal yārkku meḷiya variyavāñ / colliya vaṇṇañ ceyal.
“Easy to every man the speech that shows the way; / Hard thing to shape one's life by words they say!”
“To say a thing is easy for any man: but to do it in the manner undertaken is a rare thing indeed.”
It is easy for anyone to say how a thing will be done; doing it in the manner promised is difficult.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சொல்லுதல் யார்க்கும் எளிய= யாம் இவ்வினையை இவ்வாற்றாற் செய்துமென நிரல்படச் சொல்லுதல் யாவர்க்கும் எளிய; சொல்லிய வண்ணம் செயல் அரியவாம்= அதனை அவ்வாற்றானே செய்தல் யாவர்க்கும் அரியவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
To declare in words what one plans to do is easy for anyone; what is exceedingly rare and difficult is executing the deed precisely as stated.