Non-Injuring
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iṉṉā veṉattā ṉuṇarntavai tuṉṉāmai / vēṇṭum piṟaṉkaṭ ceyal
One should refrain from doing to another whatever personal experience has revealed to be painful.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“What his own soul has felt as bitter pain, / From making others feel should man abstain.”
“When a man hath felt a pain for himself, let him take care that he inflicteth it not on others.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இன்னா எனத் தான் உணர்ந்தவை= இவை மக்கட்கு இன்னாதன என அனுமானத்தாற் தான் அறிந்தவற்றை; பிறன்கண் துன்னாமை வேண்டும்= பிறன்மாட்டுச் செய்தலை மேவாமை துறந்தவனுக்கு வேண்டும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says the renunciant should not approach another with conduct personal experience has shown to be painful. Experience supplies a moral warning; it does not replace asking about another person's context or consent.