Hospitality
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
virundu puṟattadāt tāṉ uṇḍal sāvā / marundu eṉiṉum vēṇḍaṟpāṟṟu aṉṟu
Even death-defying nectar is not desirable when eaten alone while a guest who came seeking hospitality waits outside unfed. The verse does not cancel safety or basic self-care.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though food of immortality should crown the board, Feasting alone, the guests without unfed, is thing abhorred.”
“Were it even the draught of immortality, it shall not be tasted alone when the guest is in the hall.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சாவா மருந்து எனினும் = உண்ணப்படும் பொருள் அமிர்தமே எனினும்; விருந்து புறத்ததாத் தான் உண்டல் = தன்னை நோக்கி வந்த விருந்து தன் இல்லின் புறத்ததாகத் தானே உண்டல்; வேண்டற்பாற்று அன்று = விரும்புதன் முறைமை யுடைத்து அன்று. (சாவாமருந்து சாவாமைக்குக் காரணமாகிய மருந்து.)
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Even if the food on your table were the very nectar that wards off death, to sit and eat it alone while a guest who has come to you waits outside, unfed, is not a thing anyone should wish to do. A guest at the door must be welcomed before you take your own meal.