Military Spirit
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kaivēl kaḷiṟṟoṭu pōkki varupavaṉ / meyvēl paṟiyā nakum.
Having sent his hand-spear away with one elephant, the warrior searching for a weapon against the next smiles as he plucks out the spear lodged in his own body.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“At elephant he hurls the dart in hand; for weapon pressed, / He laughs and plucks the javelin from his wounded breast.”
“The warrior hurled his spear at the elephant and was hurrying back to look for another: but he noticed the spear buried in his own body and smiled with joy as he plucked it out.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கைவேல் களிற்றொடு போக்கி வருபவன்= தன் கைப்படையாய வேலைத் தன்மேல் வந்த களிற்றோடு போக்கி, வருகின்ற களிற்றுக்கு வேல் நாடித் திரிவான்; மெய் வேல் பறியா நகும்= தன் மார்பின்கண் நின்ற வேலைக் கண்டு பறித்து மகிழும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that after sending the spear in his hand away with one attacking elephant, the warrior searches for a spear against another. Seeing the enemy spear lodged in his chest, he plucks it out and smiles at finding the weapon he needs. This is extreme ancient heroic hyperbole, not medical guidance.