False Conduct
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vāṉuyar tōṟṟa mevaṉceyyun taṉṉeñcan / tāṉaṟi kuṟṟap paṭiṉ
“What gain, though virtue's semblance high as heaven his fame exalt, / If heart dies down through sense of self-detected fault?”
“Of what avail is an imposing presence when evil is in the heart and the heart is conscious thereof?”
What use is an appearance lofty as the sky if one's own heart sinks under a fault it knows to be wrong?
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) வான் உயர் தோற்றம் எவன் செய்யும்= ஒருவனுக்கு வான்போல் உயர்ந்த தவவேடம் என்ன பயனைச் செய்யும்? ; தான் அறி குற்றம் தன் நெஞ்சம் படின்= தான் குற்றம் என்று அறிந்த அதன்கண்ணே தன் நெஞ்சு தாழுமாயின்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Of what value is a religious appearance as lofty as the heavens, if one's own conscious heart knows itself to be wallowing in deliberate wrongdoing?