Shallow Understanding
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
aṟṟa maṟaittalō pullaṟivu tamvayiṟ / kuṟṟa maṟaiyā vaḻi.
When faults within oneself remain unconcealed, can merely covering bodily nakedness be considered true concealment? That too is shallow understanding.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Fools are they who their nakedness conceal, / And yet their faults unveiled reveal.”
“Where is the good of the fool covering his nakedness, if the deformities of his mind are still left uncovered?”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தம் வயின் குற்றம் மறையா வழி= புல்லறிவாளர் தம்கண் நிகழும் குற்றங்களை அறிந்து கடியாராயின்; அற்றம் மறைத்தலோ புல்லறிவு= ஆடையால் அற்றம் மறைத்தாராகத் தம்மைக் கருதுதலும் புல்லறிவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that when people neither recognize nor remove faults arising in themselves, imagining that they have concealed themselves merely by covering bodily nakedness with clothing is also shallow understanding.