Not Coveting Another's Wife
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aṟaṉiyalāṉ ilvāḻvāṉ eṉpāṉ piṟaṉiyalāḷ / peṇmai nayavātavaṉ
He alone is called a householder living by virtue who does not desire the womanhood of another man's wife.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who sees the wife, another's own, with no desiring eye, / In sure domestic bliss he dwelleth ever virtuously.”
“He is the righteous householder who careth not for the charms of his neighbour's wife.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அறன் இயலான் இல்வாழ்வான் என்பான் = அறனாகிய இயல்போடு கூடி இல்வாழ்வான் என்று சொல்லப்படுவான்; பிறன் இயலாள் பெண்மை நயவாதவன் = பிறனுக்கு உரிமை பூண்டு அவனுடைய இயல்பின்கண்ணே நிற்பாளது பெண்தன்மையை விரும்பாதவன்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The one who truly deserves the name of a householder living by virtue is the one who does not desire the womanhood of a woman who belongs to another. Fidelity is the heart of the domestic life Valluvar praises.