Not coveting another"s Wife
Araniyalaan Ilvaazhvaan Enpaan Piraniyalaal / Penmai Nayavaa Thavan
Classical English couplet — “Who sees the wife, another's own, with no desiring eyeIn sure domestic bliss he dwelleth ever virtuously”
What it says in plain words
“A man who lives rightly at home does not desire another person's wife or seek a sexual relationship with her.”
The classical Tamil reading
அறத்தின் இயல்போடு பொருந்தி இல்வாழ்க்கை வாழ்பவன், பிறனுக்கு உரிமையானவளின் பெண் தன்மையை விரும்பாதவனே
An expanded Tamil interpretation
பிறன் மனைவியிடம் பெண்மை இன்பத்தை நாடிச் செல்லாதவனே அறவழியில் இல்வாழ்க்கை மேற்கொண்டவன் எனப்படுவான்
The ethical and philosophical heart
Living well at home includes respecting other people's marriages. This means not seeking sexual pleasure with another person's wife. The central lesson is to respect the trust in marriage. In daily life, this guides how we handle attraction and closeness.
In personal life, work and society
- Personal
- You choose not to feed your attraction to a friend's wife.
- Workplace
- You keep conversations with a married coworker friendly, without flirting.
- Family
- You respect a relative's marriage by not pursuing their spouse.
- Society
- You refuse to help a friend secretly pursue someone else's wife.
How to apply this today
- Decision-making
- Consider whether getting closer to someone would cross the limits of their marriage.
- Integrity
- Respect another person's marriage even when nobody else is watching.
- Communication
- Avoid messages that invite a secret sexual relationship with someone's spouse.
- Leadership
- Show respect for marriage through your own everyday choices.
- Governance
- Public officials should not use their position to pursue someone else's spouse.
For leaders and teams
Set an example by choosing to respect other people's marriages. Your conduct should match the care you expect from others.
Something to sit with
“How can your choices today show greater respect for your own home and other people's marriages?”