Thirukkural- On Virtue- Hypocrisy-Kural-272

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Of what avail are the high trappings of sainthood,If In his conscience, one knows his shameful guilt.

To his own self if he is not true, what is the use of adopting the faÇade and trappings of a saint?

Hypocritical conduct has been defined by Manakudavar as a conduct which is at variance with the duties of the life of penance adopted by ascetics.

It is of such people Shakespeare exclaimed,

'Oh, what may man within him side,
though angel on the out-ward side.'

R L Stevenson in 'Lay Morals' called them just 'thieves,' even if they are 'old and bald and the first at church.'Christ castigated such men, the pretentious Scribes and Pharisees for instance, as hypocrites 'who are like whited sepulchers,

'Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine
Own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that in thy brother's eye'.

(Matt. 23, 27)

(Luke 6, 42)