Transactional Relationships
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
poruṭporuḷār puṉṉalan tōyā raruṭporu / ḷāyu maṟivi ṉavar.
Those whose discernment examines wealth and purpose joined with compassion do not seek the base pleasure of women who value material payment rather than love.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Their worthless charms, whose only weal is wealth of gain, / From touch of these the wise, who seek the wealth of grace, abstain.”
“Behold the men whose hearts are inclined to deeds of purity: they defile themselves not with the touch of harlots.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பொருட் பொருளார் புன்னலம்= இன்பமாகிய பொருளை இகழ்ந்து, பொருளாகிய பொருளையே விரும்பும் மகளிரது புல்லிய நலத்தை; அருட்பொருள் ஆயும் அறிவினவர் தோயார்= அருளோடு கூடிய பொருளை ஆராய்ந்து செய்யும் அறிவினையுடையார் தீண்டார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
In the historical frame, Parimelazhagar describes women who scorn pleasure as a good and desire material wealth alone, calling their pleasure base. He says people whose understanding examines and acts on wealth or purpose joined with compassion do not touch it. This is stigmatizing classical gendered and sexual rhetoric, not a modern judgment on women's bodies, sexual history, sex work, or honest paid care; the paying male patron is not made innocent by the source's blame. The limited modern analogy concerns compassion-guided use of resources refusing a concealed affection-for-benefit exchange.