Military Spirit
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viḻuppuṇ paṭātanā ḷellām vaḻukkiṉuḷ / vaikkuntaṉ ṉāḷai yeṭuttu.
Taking stock of his days, the warrior places every day without an honourable battle wound among those he counts as wasted.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The heroes, counting up their days, set down as vain / Each day when they no glorious wound sustain.”
“The hero counteth those days as wasted on which he receiveth not deep gashes on his body.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தன் நாளை எடுத்து= தனக்குச் சென்ற நாள்களை எடுத்து எண்ணி; விழுப்புண் படாத நாள் எல்லாம் வழுக்கினுள் வைக்கும்= அவற்றுள், விழுப்புண் படாத நாள்களை எல்லாம் பயன்படாது கழிந்த நாளுள்ளே வைக்கும் வீரன்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that a warrior counts the days that have passed for him and places every day on which he did not receive an honourable battle wound among those spent without use. This is a severe ancient martial self-measure, not modern counsel to seek injury.