Not Coveting Another's Wife
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
viḷintāriṉ vēṟallar maṉṟa teḷintāril / tīmai purintoḻuku vār
Those who betray the home of a friend who trusts them are, though living, no different from the dead.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“They're numbered with the dead, e'en while they live, -how otherwise? / With wife of sure confiding friend who evil things devise.”
“Verily they are in the jaws of death who invade the home of an unsuspecting friend.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தெளிந்தார் இல் தீமை புரிந்து ஒழுகுவார் = தம்மை ஐயுறாதார் இல்லாள்கண்ணே பாவம் செய்தலை விரும்பி ஒழுகுவார்; விளிந்தாரின் வேறு அல்லர் = உயிருடையவரேனும் இறந்தாரே ஆவர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those who, desiring wrong, betray the home of a friend who fully trusts them are — though they still breathe — no different from the dead, for they have lost the real fruits of life: virtue, wealth, and joy.