Noble Excellence
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kollā nalattatu nōṉmai piṟartīmai / collā nalattatu cālpu.
As austerity resides in the good of not killing, so fullness of character resides in the good of not speaking another's fault — and the commentator prefaces both halves by granting that the other virtues are still required.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The type of 'penitence' is virtuous good that nothing slays; / To speak no ill of other men is perfect virtue's praise.”
“The virtue of the saint is non-killing: and the virtue of the worthy man is the abstaining from scandalous speech.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நோன்மை கொல்லா நலத்தது= பிற அறங்களும் வேண்டுமாயினும், தவம் ஓருயிரையும் கொல்லாத அறத்தின்கண்ணதாம்; சால்பு பிறர் தீமை சொல்லா நலத்தது= அதுபோலப் பிற குணங்களும் வேண்டுமாயினும். சால்பு பிறர் குற்றத்தைச் சொல்லாத குணத்தின்கண்ணதாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
As austerity resides in the good of not killing, so fullness of character resides in the good of not speaking another's fault.