False Conduct
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vañca maṉattāṉ paṭiṟṟoḻukkam pūtaṅka / ḷaintu makattē nakum
The five elements composing the body, says the verse, laugh inwardly at the concealed false conduct of a person whose mind is deceitful.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who with deceitful mind in false way walks of covert sin, / The five-fold elements his frame compose, decide within.”
“The five principles of his own body smile within themselves when they see the imposture of the hypocrite.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) வஞ்ச மனத்தான் படிற்றுஒழுக்கம்= வஞ்சம் பொருந்திய மனத்தை உடையவனது மறைந்த ஒழுக்கத்தை; பூதங்கள் ஐந்தும் அகத்தே நகும்= உடம்பாய் அவனோடு கலந்து நிற்கின்ற பூதங்கள் ஐந்தும் கண்டு தம்முள்ளே நகும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar uses the classical five-element account of the body: those very elements, joined with the deceiver, witness the hidden conduct and laugh within.