Non-Killing
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kollāmai mēṟkoṇ ṭoḻukuvāṉ vāḻnāṇmēṟ / cellā tuyiruṇṇuṅ kūṟṟu
Death, the devourer of life, will not approach the span of one who undertakes non-killing as a way of conduct.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Ev'n death that life devours, their happy days shall spare, / Who law, 'Thou shall not kill', uphold with reverent care.”
“Behold the man who hath taken the vow of non-killing: Death that eateth away all life maketh no inroads into his days.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கொல்லாமை மேற்கொண்டு ஒழுகுவான் வாழ் நாள்மேல்= கொல்லாமையை விரதமாக மேற்கொண்டு ஒழுகுவானது வாழ்நாளின்மேல்; உயிர் உண்ணும் கூற்றுச் செல்லாது= உயிர் உண்ணும் கூற்றுச் செல்லாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
The commentary presents a strong religious-poetic promise: personified Death does not intrude upon the allotted days of one who lives by a vow of non-killing. It is not a medical guarantee of immortality, a reason to refuse treatment, or proof that someone who dies caused their death through moral failure.