Impermanence
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nācceṟṟu vikkuṇmēl vārāmu ṉalviṉai / mēṟceṉṟu ceyyap paṭum
Before the tongue is stilled and the final gasping reaches the throat, good deeds should be carried forward and done.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Before the tongue lie powerless, 'mid the gasp of gurgling breath, / Arouse thyself, and do good deeds beyond the power of death.”
“Make haste to do good works before the tongue is paralysed and hiccup ariseth in the throat.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஈரச்செற்று விக்குள் மேல்வாராமுன்= உரையாடா வண்ணம் நாவையடக்கி விக்குள் எழுவதற்கு முன்னே; நல்வினை மேற்சென்று செய்யப்படும்= வீட்டிற்கு ஏதுவாகிய அறம் விரைந்து செய்யப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads the verse as an urgent instruction to perform virtue that leads toward release before speech is stopped and the final bodily crisis arrives. The source uses an end-of-life image; a modern application must not romanticise distress or withhold medical care.