Not Backbiting
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aṟamsollum neñsattāṉ aṉmai puṟamsollum / puṉmaiyāl kāṇap paṭum
“The slanderous meanness that an absent friend defames, / 'This man in words owns virtue, not in heart,' proclaims.”
“The lips may speak righteousness: but a slanderous tongue betrayeth the meanness of the heart.”
However a person's lips may praise virtue, the meanness of heart behind the praise shows in the very fact that they backbite.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறம் சொல்லும் நெஞ்சத்தான் அன்மை = புறஞ்சொல்லுவான் ஒருவன் அறனை நன்று என்று சொல்லினும், அது தன் மனத்தானாய்ச் சொல்லுகின்றான் அல்லன் என்பது; புறஞ்சொல்லும் புன்மையால் காணப் படும் = அவன் புறஞ்சொல்லுதற்குக் காரணமான மனப்புன்மையானே அறியப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
However sweetly a person's lips may praise virtue, if he backbites, that very backbiting reveals that the praise did not come from his heart — it exposes the smallness within. The mouth may say one thing; the habit of slander tells the truth.
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