Noble Excellence
.
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
kuṇanalañ cāṉṟōr nalaṉē piṟanala / mennalat tuḷḷatūu maṉṟu.
The good of the worthy is the good that comes of character; other good is not included in any good at all — and the commentary specifies that the other kind is the good that comes of one's bodily parts.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The good of inward excellence they claim, / The perfect men; all other good is only good in name.”
“The comeliness of the worthy is the comeliness of their character: the comeliness of the body addeth nothing to their comeliness.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சான்றோர் நலன் குணநலனே= சான்றோர் நலமாவது குணங்களான் ஆய நலமே; பிறநலம் எந்நலத்து உள்ளதூஉம் அன்று= அஃது ஒழிந்த உறுப்புக்களானாய நலம் ஒரு நலத்தினும் உள்ளதன்று.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The good of the worthy is the good that has come about through their qualities. Any other good, the good of features, is not counted within any good at all.