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Posts: 354 · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 12:02 am

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TIRUKKURAL
English Translation and Commentary

by Rev. Dr. G. U. Pope, Rev W. H. Drew,
Rev. John Lazarus and Mr F. W. Ellis

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Source Acknowledgements: First published by W.H. Allen, & Co, 1886,
Reprinted by The South India Saiva Siddhantha Works Publishing Society,
Tinnevelly, Madras, India , 1962, 1982.
Etext input & Proof-reading: K. Kalyanasundaram, Lausanne, Switzerland
Web & pdf versions: Dr.K. Kalyanasundaram, Lausanne, Switzerland

© Project Madurai 2002
Project Madurai is an open, voluntary, worldwide initiative devoted
to preparation of electronic texts of tamil literary works and to distribute them
free on the Internet. Details of Project Madurai are available at the website
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You are welcome to freely distribute this file, provided this header page is kept intact.

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PART I. VIRTUE

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 The Praise of God

1
A, as its first of letters, every speech maintains;
The "Primal Deity" is first through all the world's domains.
As the letter A is the first of all letters, so the eternal God is first in the world.

2.
No fruit have men of all their studied lore,
Save they the 'Purely Wise One's' feet adore.
What Profit have those derived from learning, who worship not the good feet of Him who is possessed of pure knowledge ?

3.
His feet, 'Who o'er the full-blown flower hath past,' who gain
In bliss long time shall dwell above this earthly plain.
They who are united to the glorious feet of Him who passes swiftly over the flower of the mind, shall flourish long above all worlds.

4.
His foot, 'Whom want affects not, irks not grief,' who gain
Shall not, through every time, of any woes complain.
To those who meditate the feet of Him who is void of desire or aversion, evil shall never come.

5.
The men, who on the 'King's' true praised delight to dwell,
Affects not them the fruit of deeds done ill or well.
The two-fold deeds that spring from darkness shall not adhere to those who delight in the true praise of God.

6
Long live they blest, who 've stood in path from falsehood freed;
His, 'Who quenched lusts that from the sense-gates five proceed'.
Those shall long proposer who abide in the faultless way of Him who has destroyed the five desires of the senses.

7.
Unless His foot, 'to Whom none can compare,' men gain,
'Tis hard for mind to find relief from anxious pain.
Anxiety of mind cannot be removed, except from those who are united to the feet of Him who is incomparable.

8.
Unless His feet 'the Sea of Good, the Fair and Bountiful,' men gain,
'Tis hard the further bank of being's changeful sea to attain.
None can swim the sea of vice, but those who are united to the feet of that gracious Being who is a sea of virtue.

9.
Before His foot, 'the Eight-fold Excellence,' with unbent head,
Who stands, like palsied sense, is to all living functions dead.
The head that worships not the feet of Him who is possessed of eight attributes, is as useless as a sense without the power of sensation.

10.
They swim the sea of births, the 'Monarch's' foot who gain;
None others reach the shore of being's mighty main.
None can swim the great sea of births but those who are united to the feet of God.

Posts: 374 · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:08 am

Prasana,

couplet 10 struck a chord.

Danny