Non-Killing
றலை.
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nilaiyañci nīttāru ḷellāṅ kolaiyañcik / kollāmai cūḻvāṉ ṟalai.
Among all who renounced household life from fear of continued birth, foremost is the one who fears the wrong of killing and keeps non-killing in mind.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Of those who 'being' dread, and all renounce, the chief are they, / Who dreading crime of slaughter, study nought to slay.”
“Among all that have renounced this life with its fears of ill, the chiefest is he that reverenceth all life for fear of killing any.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
நிலை அஞ்சி நீத்தாருள் எல்லாம்= பிறப்புநின்ற நிலையை அஞ்சிப் பிறவாமைப்பொருட்டு மனைவாழ்க்கையைத் துறந்தார் எல்லாருள்ளும்; கொலை அஞ்சிக் கொல்லாமை சூழ்வான் தலை= கொலைப்பாவத்தை அஞ்சிக் கொல்லாமையாகிய அறத்தை மறவாதவன் உயர்ந்தவன்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar places first among renunciants the person who, fearing the sin of killing, continually guards non-killing. The verse's framework is renunciation and rebirth; its fear is moral vigilance, not a command to cultivate panic, and it grants no religious leader authority to coerce followers or neglect immediate safety.