857. Limits can smother

சுற்றும் சுவரே கருவறை சுற்றுமுழுதும்சுவரேல் கல்லறை யாம்

sutrum suvare karuvarai sutrumuzhuthumsuvarel kallarai yaam

It is the wall around it that makes the sanctum; if that wall runs unbroken all the way round, it is a tomb.

Karuvarai, a temple’s inner sanctum, literally means ‘womb-chamber’ and also means ‘womb’. Kallarai, ‘stone-chamber’, is the word for a tomb.

858. Work reveals limits

விதைத்தவன் கண்ட வரம்பு விதையாதவன்கண்ட தெல்லாம் தரை

vidhaithavan kanda varambu vidhaiyaathavankanda thellaam tharai

The one who sowed found a boundary; the one who did not sow found nothing but ground.

Varambu: the raised earth ridge marking a paddy field’s edge, the ridge that makes a stretch of earth a field. The word also means a limit or measure.

859. Choosing when to stop

படகுதிருப் பிக்கரையிற் கட்டுவான் வேறுபடகொடிந்து சேர்வான் கரை

padakudhirup pikkaraiyir kattuvaan verupadakodindu servaan karai

The one who turns his boat and ties it at the shore is not the same as the one who reaches the shore when his boat breaks.