Shame and Self-Respect
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ūṇuṭai yecca muyirkkellām vēṟalla / nāṇuṭaimai māntar ciṟappu.
Food, clothing and the rest of such things are common to every human life and set no one apart from anyone. What distinguishes a person is holding to the recoil that will not let a base act be done.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Food, clothing, and other things alike all beings own; / By sense of shame the excellence of men is known.”
“Food, clothing, and progeny are common unto all men: it is in the sensibility to shame that they differ from one another.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஊண் உடை எச்சம் உயிர்க்கு எல்லாம் வேறு அல்ல= ஊணும் உடையும் அவை ஒழிந்தனவும் மக்கள் உயிர்க்கெல்லாம் பொது; மாந்தர் சிறப்பு நாணுடைமை= நன்மக்கட்குச் சிறப்பாவது நாணுடைமையே, அவையல்ல.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Food, clothing and the things besides them are common to every human life. What may be called the distinction of good people is நாணுடைமை and that alone — not those things.