Truthfulness
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poyyāmai yaṉṉa pukaḻillai yeyyāmai / yellā vaṟamun tarum.
“No praise like that of words from falsehood free; / This every virtue yields spontaneously.”
“There is no greater renown for a man than the renown that he is a stranger unto falsehood: such a man obtaineth every blessing without mortifying the body.”
There is no renown like freedom from falsehood; without bodily mortification, it brings the fruit of every virtue.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பொய்யாமை அன்ன புகழ் இல்லை= ஒருவனுக்கு இம்மைக்குப் பொய்யாமை ஒத்த புகழ்க்காரணமில்லை; எய்யாமை எல்லா அறமும் தரும்= மறுமைக்கு மெய்வருந்தாமல் அவனுக்கு எல்லா அறங்களையும் தானே கொடுக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
There is no enduring renown in this life equal to the reputation of never speaking a lie; and without physical mortification, that single virtue yields the fruits of all righteousness.