Transactional Relationships
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
niṟaineñca millavar tōyvar piṟaneñciṟ / pēṇip puṇarpavar tōḷ.
Those without a steadfast heart seek the shoulders of women who inwardly desire other things and bodily embrace the people who provide them.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who cherish alien thoughts while folding in their feigned embrace, / These none approach save those devoid of virtue's grace.”
“Behold the men who are light-minded: they will seek the women who embrace with the body while their heart is somewhere else.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நெஞ்சின் பிற பேணிப் புணர்பவர் தோள்= நெஞ்சினாற் பிறவற்றை ஆசைப்பட்டு, அவை காரணமாகக் கொடுப்பாரை மெய்யாற் புணரும் மகளிர் தோள்களை; நிறைநெஞ்சம் இல்லவர் தோய்வர்= நிறையான் திருந்திய நெஞ்சம் இல்லாதார் தோய்வர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads ‘the shoulder of one who cherishes elsewhere in the heart and joins bodily’ as the shoulder of women who inwardly desire other things and, because of those desired benefits, embrace the people who provide them. ‘Those without a steadfast heart seek it’ names the seekers as people whose minds have not been made firm by self-command. This is not modern permission to condemn women, bodies, changing affection, consensual touch, non-exclusive relationships, or transparent performance. A bounded modern analogy applies only when bodily closeness is used to imply a bond in order to obtain another benefit from the person who supplies it, and that person mistakes the sign for inward attachment.