Internal Enmity
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eṭpaka vaṉṉa ciṟumaittē yāyiṉu / muṭpakai yuḷḷatāṅ kēṭu.
“Though slight as shred of 'seasame' seed it be, / Destruction lurks in hidden enmity.”
“Though the split be small even like a slit in a sesamum seed, ruin hangeth over the house that is divided against itself.”
Though internal enmity be as small as a split sesame seed, the ruin of an entire greatness lies within it.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உட்பகை எட்பகவு அன்ன சிறுமைத்தே ஆயினும்= அரசனது உட்பகை அவன் பெருமையே நோக்க எள்ளின் பிளவை ஒத்த சிறுமையுடைத்தே ஆயினும்; கேடு உள்ளதாம்= பெருமையெல்லாம் அழியவரும் கேடு அதன் அகத்ததாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Though internal enmity appear as minuscule as a split sesame seed, the ruin of an entire greatness lies concealed within its tiny core.