Purity of Action
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īṉṟāḷ pacikāṇpā ṉāyiṉuñ ceyyaṟka / cāṉṟōr paḻikkum viṉai.
“Though her that bore thee hung'ring thou behold, no deed / Do thou, that men of perfect soul have crime decreed.”
“Let not a man do those things that good men condemn, even to save the mother that bore him from starvation.”
Even when one sees the hunger of the mother who bore them, one must not do a deed the ethically wise condemn.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஈன்றாள் பசி காண்பான் ஆயினும்= தன்னைப் பயந்தாளது பசியை வறுமையாற் கண்டிரங்குந் தன்மையன் ஆயினான் எனினும்; சான்றோர் பழிக்கும் வினை செய்யற்க= அது சுட்டி அறிவுடையார் பழிக்கும் வினைகளை ஒருவன் செய்யாது ஒழிக.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even if one witnesses one's own mother suffering in extreme hunger, one must never commit a deed condemned by the wise and virtuous.