963. Receiving without disgrace

கையேற்றான் என்றிகழ்வார் கண்ணிலார் கையேற்றான்நெய்யேற்ற தீபம் எனல்

kaiyetraan endrikazhvaar kannilaar kaiyetraanneyyetra theepam enal

Those who sneer that he held out his hand see nothing; call the man who held out his hand a lamp being filled with ghee.

Ghee, clarified butter, is the fuel of traditional Tamil lamps: a lamp gives light only by taking it in.

964. Contempt confines both

ஒருவனைக் கீழென்றான் உள்ளத்தே வேலிஇருவரையும் பூட்டும் கதவு

oruvanaik keezhendraan ullathe veliiruvaraiyum poottum kadhavu

Whoever has called one man low carries a fence in his heart, and the fence is a door that locks both of them in.

965. More than work

கைகண்டான் கைத்தொழில் கண்டான் நிமிர்ந்தொருகால்மெய்கண்ட தில்லை விழி

kaikandaan kaithozhil kandaan nimirndorukaalmeykanda thillai vizhi

He saw the hand, and he saw what the hand made; his eye never once rose to see the real person.