False Conduct
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maṉattatu mācāka māṇṭārnī rāṭi / maṟaintoḻuku māntar palar
“Many wash in hollowed waters, living lives of hidden shame; / Foul in heart, yet high upraised of men in virtuous fame.”
“Many there be whose heart is impure but who bathe in holy streams and prowl about.”
Many people carry impurity in the mind yet bathe ceremonially and move through the world with their conduct concealed.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மாசு மனத்தது ஆக= மாசு தம் மனத்தின்கண்ணதாக; மாண்டார் நீர் ஆடி= பிறர்க்குத் தவத்தான் மாட்சிமைஉடையராய் நீரின் மூழ்கிக் காட்டி; மறைந்து ஒழுகும் மாந்தர் பலர்= தாம் அதன்கண்ணே மறைந்து செல்லும் மாந்தர் உலகத்துப் பலர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
There are many who bathe in sacred rivers to project an image of spiritual excellence, only to use that pious facade as a mask to conceal the moral filth festering in their hearts.