Nobility of Character
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oḻukkamum vāymaiyu nāṇumim mūṉṟu / miḻukkār kuṭippiṟan tār.
Conduct, truthfulness, and the restraint that stops a person — in these three, all of them, those born to such a house do not slip.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“In these three things the men of noble birth fail not: / In virtuous deed and truthful word, and chastened thought.”
“Men of family fall not from three things, namely, correct conduct, truth, and a sense of shame.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குடிப்பிறந்தார்= உயர்ந்த குடியின்கண் பிறந்தார்; ஒழுக்கமும் வாய்மையும் நாணும் இம்மூன்றும் இழுக்கார்= தமக்குரிய ஒழுக்கம் மெய்ம்மை நாண் எனப்பட்ட இமமூன்றன் கண்ணும் கல்வியான் அன்றித் தாமாகவே வழுவார்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Those born in a high family do not deviate in these three: conduct, truth, and shame. (The assumption about birth belongs to Parimelazhagar's time.)