Thaanam thavam irandum thangaa viyan ulagam
Vaanam vazangaa enin.
Charity and penance — these two will not remain in the wide world if rain ceases to fall.
மழை பொழியாவிட்டால் இந்த பரந்த உலகில் தானமும் தவமும் கூட நிலைக்காது.
Even the highest human virtues — charity (thaandam) and penance (thavam) — require rain as their foundation. Charity requires wealth (which requires agriculture which requires rain); penance requires physical survival (which requires food which requires rain). The most spiritual acts rest on the most practical ecological foundation.