False Friendship
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maṉatti ṉamaiyā tavarai yeṉaittoṉṟuñ / colliṉāṟ ṟēṟaṟpāṟ ṟaṉṟu.
When a person’s allegiance is materially unaligned with yours, it is not sound to place confidence in words alone in any matter.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“When minds are not in unison, 'its never; just, / In any words men speak to put your trust.”
“Behold the men whose hearts are not with thee: though their words tempt thee, place not the slightest faith in them.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மனத்தின் அமையாதவரை= மனத்தால் தம்மொடு மேவாதாரை; எனைத்தொன்றும் சொல்லினால் தேறற்பாற்று அன்று= யாதொரு கருமத்தினும் சொல்லால் தெளிதல் முறைமைத்தன்று நீதிநூல்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that when someone is not inwardly aligned with you, it is not sound in any matter to reach confidence merely from what that person says. This is not permission to read minds. In modern use, material non-alignment must be established through contracts, records, interests, or prior conduct. Words can contribute to trust, but where evidence conflicts, confidence should wait for matching action and verification.