False Conduct
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kaṇaikoṭiti yāḻkōṭu cevvitāṅ kaṉṉa / viṉaipaṭu pālāṟ koḷal
“Cruel is the arrow straight, the crooked lute is sweet, / Judge by their deeds the many forms of men you meet.”
“The arrow is straight and the lute hath a bend: judge thou therefore men by their acts and not by their appearance.”
An arrow is straight yet cruel in effect; a lute is curved yet produces what is good. Likewise, understand people by the character of their actions.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கணை கொடிது யாழ் கோடு செவ்விது= அம்பு வடிவாற் செவ்விதாயினும், செயலாற் கொடியது; யாழ் கோட்டால் வளைந்ததாயினும், செயலாற் செவ்விது. ஆங்கு அன்ன வினைபடு பாலால் கொளல்= அவ்வகையே தவஞ்செய்வோரையுங் கொடியர் செவ்வியர் என்பது, வடிவாற் கொள்ளாது, அவர் செயல்பட்ட கூற்றானே அறிந்து கொள்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
An arrow is perfectly straight in form yet deadly in action; a lute is bent and curved in shape yet produces sublime music. Similarly, judge people not by their outward appearance, but by the ethical nature of their deeds.