Tirukkural-On Virtue-Not Coveting Another's Wife-Kural 143

Those who have liaison with the unsuspecting neighbour's wife,Are as men absolutely dead to all virtue.

This misconduct of a man who takes mean advantage of a straight-thinking person, who does not suspect him of misdemeanour, is such as to debar the guilty party from all claims to virtue, wealth and happiness.Hence the reference to the corpse or dead man.

The expression 'Vilinthaarin vaerallar' has been used in another form as 'Sethaarin vaerallar' in Kural 926.

The following lines of the Bible lend support to this idea.

'but who so committeth adultery with a woman lacks understanding; he that doeth it destroys his own soul'.

(Proverbs 6:32)