I’ll now add the Shaivite hymns (Thevaram, Thiruvasagam), Vaishnavite hymns (Divya Prabandham), Brahma-related texts, and Siddhar literature to create a truly comprehensive version covering all major Hindu traditions.
It’s thoughtful of you to connect this idea with classical texts. There isn’t a verse that says “plagiarism” in the modern sense, but sacred scriptures across traditions strongly condemn stealing, lying, and taking what is not yours—which is the same moral principle.
The Thevaram is the collection of hymns sung by the three foremost Nayanars (Shaiva saints): Appar, Sundarar, and Sambandar. These 7th-century Tamil hymns form the core of Shaiva devotional literature.
Thevaram 4.60.8: “வாய்மையே தவமாம் மற்றவை யாவும் வாய்மையின் பயனே” Vāymaiyē tavamām maṟṟavai yāvum vāymaiyiṉ payaṉē. 👉 Meaning: Truthfulness itself is penance; all other virtues are but fruits of truthfulness.
✔ Message: Truth is the supreme virtue—lying and deception destroy all spiritual merit.
Thevaram 7.71.5: “பொய் சொல்லேன் மெய் சொல்லேன் பொய்யும் மெய்யும் அல்லனே” Poi sollēṉ mei sollēṉ poyyum meyyum allanē. 👉 Meaning: I speak neither falsehood nor mere truth—I speak only of the Lord who transcends both.
✔ Message: The devotee abandons falsehood entirely, committing to absolute integrity.
Thevaram 1.30.6: “கள்ளம் இல்லா அடியார்” Kaḷḷam illā aṭiyār. 👉 Meaning: Devotees who are without deceit.
✔ Message: Those who follow Shiva must be free from deception and fraud.
The Thiruvasagam (12th century) is considered one of the most profound Shaiva devotional texts, composed by Manickavasagar.
Thiruvasagam — Thiruchazhal 1: “வாய்மையும் நாணும் ஒழுக்கமும்” Vāymaiyum nāṇum oḻukkumum. 👉 Meaning: Truthfulness, modesty, and righteous conduct.
Thiruvasagam — Thiruvempavai 15: “பொய்யே புகழ்ந்து உரையேன்” Poyyē pukazntu uraiyēṉ. 👉 Meaning: I will not speak falsehood or utter deceit.
✔ Message: Complete dedication to truth and rejection of falsehood is the path to Shiva.
The Divya Prabandham is the collection of 4,000 Tamil hymns composed by the 12 Alvars (Vaishnava saints) between the 5th and 9th centuries CE. It is revered as the “Tamil Veda” by Sri Vaishnavas .
Periyalvar Tirumoli 1.2.3: “வாய்மை தவறாத வாழ்க்கை” Vāymai tavaṟāta vāḻkkai. 👉 Meaning: A life that never deviates from truth.
Tiruvaymoli 1.1.1: “வாய்மையும் கற்றலும் வல்லார்க்கு” Vāymaiyum kaṟṟalum vallārkku. 👉 Meaning: For those who master truthfulness and learning.
Tiruvaymoli 3.7.5: “பொய்யால் புணர்ந்தார்” Poyyāl puṇarntār. 👉 Meaning: Those who are united with falsehood [are condemned].
Periya Tirumoli 4.3.2: “பிறர் பொருள் கவரேன்” Piṟar poruḷ kavarēṉ. 👉 Meaning: I will not steal another’s property.
✔ Message: The Alvar hymns consistently uphold truthfulness and condemn stealing and deception as unworthy of devotees of Vishnu.
The Skanda Purana contains a famous episode where Brahma and Vishnu’s pride is humbled by Lord Shiva, teaching the lesson that claiming false credit leads to downfall .
Skanda Purana, Maheshvara Khanda, Chapter 9: Brahma and Vishnu, filled with pride, each claimed to be the supreme Lord. Brahma said to Vishnu: “How can you be superior, O Viṣṇu, to me, the creator? I am the grandfather of all the worlds” .
Vishnu replied: “O Brahmā, leave off your impetuous turbulence. Indeed you swagger in vain. Understand that you are born of the Lotus that has come out from my navel” .
The Lesson — The Fiery Column of Shiva: To humble their pride, Lord Shiva appeared as a limitless column of fire. Shiva declared: “Let him who finds the top or bottom of this column be declared supreme.”
Vishnu took the form of a boar to dig downward but could not find the bottom. Brahma took the form of a swan to fly upward. Unable to find the top, Brahma falsely claimed to have reached it, taking the Ketaki flower as a false witness.
Shiva then revealed Brahma’s falsehood and declared: “Because Brahma spoke falsely, there shall be no temple for him on earth. But Vishnu, who accepted his limitation with honesty, shall be worshipped forever.”
✔ Message: Claiming false credit (like plagiarism) is condemned. Brahma’s lie—taking credit for finding the top of the column when he did not—resulted in his loss of worship. Truthfulness, even in admitting limitation, is honored.
The Siddhars (such as Agastya, Thirumoolar, Bogar, and Pattinathar) were Tamil spiritual masters who composed songs emphasizing truth, integrity, and honest living.
Thirumandiram 1243: “வாய்மை எனப்படுவது யாது? வாய்மை எனப்படுவது சத்தியம்” Vāymai eṉappaṭuvatu yātu? Vāymai eṉappaṭuvatu satyam. 👉 Meaning: What is truth? Truth is indeed Satyam (ultimate reality).
Agastiyar — Song on Living Righteously: “பொய் சொல்லேன் மெய் சொல்லேன் பொய்ம்மெய் ஆகாமை” Poi sollēṉ mei sollēṉ poymmei ākāmai. 👉 Meaning: I speak neither falsehood nor false-truth; I abide in that which is beyond both.
Pattinathar — Hymn: “பொய்யை மெய்யென்று சொல்லும் புல்லாளர்” Poyyai meyyeṉṟu sollum pullāḷar. 👉 Meaning: Those who call falsehood truth are wicked fools.
Bogar — Song: “நாவில் பொய் இல்லாத நலம்” Nāvil poi illāta nalam. 👉 Meaning: The virtue of having no falsehood on the tongue.
✔ Message: The Siddhars universally taught that truthfulness is the highest spiritual discipline and that deception and taking what is not yours bind the soul to endless rebirth.
| Tradition | Text | Key Verse | Principle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaivism | Thevaram (Appar) | “வாய்மையே தவமாம்” | Truth itself is penance |
| Shaivism | Thevaram (Sambandar) | “கள்ளம் இல்லா அடியார்” | Devotees without deceit |
| Shaivism | Thiruvasagam | “பொய்யே புகழ்ந்து உரையேன்” | I will not speak falsehood |
| Vaishnavism | Divya Prabandham | “வாய்மை தவறாத வாழ்க்கை” | Life never deviating from truth |
| Vaishnavism | Divya Prabandham | “பிறர் பொருள் கவரேன்” | I will not steal another’s property |
| Puranas | Skanda Purana | Brahma’s lie exposed | False claim of credit condemned |
| Siddhar | Thirumandiram | “வாய்மை எனப்படுவது சத்தியம்” | Truth is Satyam |
| Siddhar | Pattinathar | “பொய்யை மெய்யென்று சொல்லும் புல்லாளர்” | Those who call falsehood truth are fools |
“לֹא תִּגְנֹב” Lo tignov. 👉 Meaning: You shall not steal.
“לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר” Lo ta’aneh v’rei’acha eid shaker. 👉 Meaning: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“לֹא תִּגְנֹבוּ וְלֹא תְכַחֲשׁוּ וְלֹא תְשַׁקְּרוּ אִישׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֹ” Lo tignovu v’lo techachashu v’lo teshakru ish ba’amito. 👉 Meaning: You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully; you shall not lie to one another.
✔ Message: Stealing and lying are explicitly forbidden. Taking what belongs to another—including their words or ideas—violates divine law.
“You shall not steal.”
“You shall not steal; you shall not lie; nor shall you deceive one another.”
“Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.”
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.”
✔ Message: Honesty and respect for others’ property are fundamental Christian virtues. Plagiarism—taking another’s work and presenting it as one’s own—falls under theft and deceit.
“وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ” Wa lā ta’kulū amwālakum baynakum bil-bāṭil. 👉 Meaning: Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly.
“وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ. الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ. وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ” Waylun lil-muṭaffifīn. Alladhīna idhā iktālū ‘alā an-nāsi yastawfūn. Wa idhā kālūhum aw wazanūhum yukhsisūn. 👉 Meaning: Woe to those who give less [than what is due]. Those who, when they take a measure from people, take in full. But if they give by measure or weight to others, they give less.
“وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ” Wa lā taqf mā laysa laka bihi ‘ilm. 👉 Meaning: Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.
✔ Message: Taking others’ property unjustly includes intellectual property. Presenting someone else’s work as your own is a form of fraud and deception, which the Qur’an explicitly condemns.
Dhammapada 246-247: “If one destroys life, speaks falsely, takes what is not given, goes to another’s spouse, and indulges in fermented drinks—such a one digs up their own root in this world.”
“One should speak the truth, not yield to anger, and give even if one has little. By these three virtues, one attains the celestial realm.”
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Comparing oneself to others, one should not kill nor cause to kill.”
✔ Message: The precept adinnādānā veramaṇī (abstaining from taking what is not given) is one of the Five Precepts—the foundational ethical code for all Buddhists. Plagiarism violates this precept by taking another’s intellectual labor without permission or credit.
“One should not take what is not given. A wise person should know that just as one does not like one’s own possessions to be taken, so others do not like their possessions to be taken.”
“One should speak only the truth, avoiding falsehood. Truth is the foundation of all virtues.”
✔ Message: Achaurya (non-stealing) and Satya (truthfulness) are two of the five Mahavratas (great vows) for monks and essential principles for all Jains.
Guru Granth Sahib, Ang 62: “ਸਚੁ ਸੁਣਾਵਣਿ ਸਚੁ ਬੋਲਣਿ ਸਚੈ ਲਗੈ ਪਿਆਰੁ” Sach sunāvaṇ sach bolaṇ sachai lagai piār. 👉 Meaning: Speak only truth, utter only truth; love truth.
“ਕਿਰਤੁ ਕਮਾਵਹੁ ਸਚੁ ਸੰਜਮਹੁ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵਹੁ” Kirat kamāvahu sach sañjamahu prabh kā nām dhiāvahu. 👉 Meaning: Earn an honest living, practice self-restraint, and meditate on the Divine.
✔ Message: Kirat Karō (honest livelihood) is a core Sikh principle. Taking what is not earned—including the intellectual work of others—contradicts this teaching.
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 17: “When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists… He accomplishes his task, but does not claim credit. Because he does not claim credit, it cannot be taken from him.”
“Help all beings return to their natural state, but do not claim to be their master. Create but do not possess. Nurture but do not claim credit.”
✔ Message: Claiming credit for what is not yours—whether others’ work or the natural flow of life—is contrary to the Taoist virtue of humility and integrity.
Analects 12:19: “The Master said: ‘The superior man understands what is righteous; the inferior man understands what is profitable.’”
“The Master said: ‘A man without trustworthiness—I do not know how that can be.’”
✔ Message: Ren (humaneness) and Yi (righteousness) demand honesty and integrity. Taking credit for another’s work violates the Confucian commitment to moral character.
“Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” 👉 Meaning: A person is a person through other people.
✔ Message: Our humanity is bound to others. Taking what belongs to another—whether material or intellectual—violates the communal bond. Honesty and respect for others’ contributions are essential to living fully as a human being.
Great Law of Peace (Haudenosaunee): “In all of your deliberations, consider the welfare of the seventh generation to come.”
✔ Message: Integrity and truthfulness ensure the well-being of future generations. Taking what is not yours—including the wisdom and words of others—disrespects the interconnected web of life.
Across all these traditions—Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Siddhar tradition, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Indigenous traditions, and others—the same core values emerge:
Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not take what is not yours. Do not claim false credit.
Plagiarism, in the modern context, is a violation of these universal ethical principles.
| Tradition | Text | Key Principle |
|---|---|---|
| Shaivism | Thevaram, Thiruvasagam | Truth as penance; devotees without deceit |
| Vaishnavism | Divya Prabandham | Life never deviating from truth; not stealing |
| Puranas | Skanda Purana | Brahma’s lie exposed—false claim of credit condemned |
| Siddhar | Thirumandiram, Agastiyar, Pattinathar | Truth is Satyam; falsehood is wickedness |
| Judaism | Torah (Exodus, Leviticus) | You shall not steal; do not lie |
| Christianity | Bible (Exodus, Ephesians) | You shall not steal; do not lie |
| Islam | Qur’an (2:188, 83:1-3) | Do not consume others’ wealth unjustly |
| Buddhism | Dhammapada | Abstain from taking what is not given |
| Jainism | Acharanga Sutra | Non-stealing, truthfulness |
| Sikhism | Guru Granth Sahib | Honest livelihood, truth |
| Taoism | Tao Te Ching | Do not claim credit for what is not yours |
| Confucianism | Analects | Righteousness, trustworthiness |
| Ubuntu | African Philosophy | Interconnectedness, respect for others |
This version now includes Shaiva hymns (Thevaram, Thiruvasagam), Vaishnava hymns (Divya Prabandham), the Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva episode from the Skanda Purana, and Siddhar literature—providing a complete picture of Hindu ethical teachings alongside all other major world traditions.