Following a Wife's Direction
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pēṇātu peṇviḻaivā ṉākkam periyatōr / nāṇāka nāṇut tarum.
“Who gives himself to love of wife, careless of noble name / His wealth will clothe him with o'erwhelming shame.”
“Behold the man who hath an abject infatuation for his wife: in the very midst of his prosperity he will be a byword among men, and he will have to hide his face in shame.”
The wealth of a man who forgets his duty and yields to infatuation brings immense shame before the world.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பேணாது பெண்விழைவான் ஆக்கம்= தன் ஆண்மையை விட்டு மனையாளது பெண்மையை விழைவான் எய்திநின்ற செல்வம்; பெரியது ஓர் நாணாக நாணுத் தரும்= இவ்வுலகத்து ஆண்பாலார்க்கெல்லாம் பெரியதோர் நாணுண்டாகத் தனக்கும் நாணுதலைக் கொடுக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The wealth acquired by one who abandons dignified self-command to yield blindly to his wife's whims brings nothing but profound shame before the world.