Impermanence
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kuṭampai taṉittoḻiyap puṭpaṟan taṟṟē / yuṭampo ṭuyiriṭai naṭpu
The bond between body and life is like a bird flying away while the egg it occupied remains behind alone.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Birds fly away, and leave the nest deserted bare; / Such is the short-lived friendship soul and body share.”
“The fledgeling abandoneth the broken shell of the egg and flieth away: that is the symbol of the love between the soul and the body.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
குடம்பை தனித்து ஒழியப் புள் பறந்தற்று= முன் தனியாத முட்டை தனித்துக்கிடப்ப அதன்உள் இருந்த புள்ளுப் பருவம் வந்துழிப் பறந்துபோன தன்மைத்து; உடம்பொடு உயிர்இடை நட்பு= உடம்பிற்கும் உயிர்க்கும் உளதாய நட்பு.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar compares the body's connection with life to a bird that, when its stage of growth arrives, leaves the shell that previously enclosed it. This is a classical body–life analogy, not biological proof or permission to despise bodily care.