Not Coveting Another's Wife
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viḷintāriṉ vēṟallar maṉṟa teḷintāril / tīmai purintoḻuku vār
“They're numbered with the dead, e'en while they live, -how otherwise? / With wife of sure confiding friend who evil things devise.”
“Verily they are in the jaws of death who invade the home of an unsuspecting friend.”
Those who betray the home of a friend who trusts them are, though living, no different from the dead.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தெளிந்தார் இல் தீமை புரிந்து ஒழுகுவார் = தம்மை ஐயுறாதார் இல்லாள்கண்ணே பாவம் செய்தலை விரும்பி ஒழுகுவார்; விளிந்தாரின் வேறு அல்லர் = உயிருடையவரேனும் இறந்தாரே ஆவர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those who, desiring wrong, betray the home of a friend who fully trusts them are — though they still breathe — no different from the dead, for they have lost the real fruits of life: virtue, wealth, and joy.