Non-Killing
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pakuttuṇṭu palaluyi rōmputa ṉūlōr / tokuttavaṟṟu ḷellān talai
Sharing one's food and protecting many kinds of life stands foremost among all virtues gathered by the authors of ethical texts.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Let those that need partake your meal; guard every-thing that lives; / This the chief and sum of lore that hoarded wisdom gives.”
“To divide one’s bread with the needy and to abstain from killing: this is the greatest of all the commandments of all the prophets.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பகுத்து உண்டு பல் உயிர் ஓம்புதல்= உண்பதனைப் பசித்த உயிர்கட்குப் பகுத்துக் கொடுத்து உண்டு ஐவகைஉயிர்களையும் ஓம்புதல்; நூலோர் தொகுததவற்றுள் எல்லாம் தலை= அறநூல் உடையார் துறந்தார்க்குத் தொகுத்த அறங்கள்எல்லாவற்றினும் தலையாய அறம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar joins two acts: dividing food with hungry beings before eating and protecting the five classes of life; together they are foremost among the virtues compiled for renunciants. A modern response can examine food access, ecological care, and animal welfare without shaming necessary eating or demanding individuals solve unjust food systems alone.