False Conduct
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vāṉuyar tōṟṟa mevaṉceyyun taṉṉeñcan / tāṉaṟi kuṟṟap paṭiṉ
What use is an appearance lofty as the sky if one's own heart sinks under a fault it knows to be wrong?
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“What gain, though virtue's semblance high as heaven his fame exalt, / If heart dies down through sense of self-detected fault?”
“Of what avail is an imposing presence when evil is in the heart and the heart is conscious thereof?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
(இதன்பொருள்) வான் உயர் தோற்றம் எவன் செய்யும்= ஒருவனுக்கு வான்போல் உயர்ந்த தவவேடம் என்ன பயனைச் செய்யும்? ; தான் அறி குற்றம் தன் நெஞ்சம் படின்= தான் குற்றம் என்று அறிந்த அதன்கண்ணே தன் நெஞ்சு தாழுமாயின்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar asks what benefit comes from an exalted ascetic appearance when the person's own conscience is lowered by conduct it recognises as blameworthy.