Abstaining from Intoxicants
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uṭkap paṭāa roḷiyiḻappa reññāṉṟuṅ / kaṭkātal koṇṭoḻuku vār.
Rulers who live in love with intoxicating drink are never feared by enemies; they lose even the splendour they had already attained.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who love the palm's intoxicating juice, each day, / No rev'rence they command, their glory fades away.”
“Behold the men who are addicted to drink: they will never be feared by their enemies, and even the glory they have acquired they will lose.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
கட்காதல் கொண்டு ஒழுகுவார்= கள்ளின்மேற் காதல் செய்து ஒழுகும் அரசர்; எஞ்ஞான்றும் உட்கப்படாஅர்= எஞ்ஞான்றும் பகைவரான் அஞ்சப்படார்; ஒளிஇழப்பர்= அதுவேயன்றி முன் எய்திநின்ற ஒளியினையும் இழப்பர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar identifies those who ‘live in love with liquor’ as rulers who conduct their lives with attachment to intoxicating drink. Enemies never fear such rulers, and beyond that, the rulers lose splendour already attained. The warning therefore joins two losses: continuing attachment to drink removes both the fear once felt by enemies and the distinction the ruler had already earned. The chapter's classical position is complete abstinence. A modern reading must not turn the warning into ridicule, an identity label, a diagnosis of dependency, or unsupervised detox advice. Immediate safety and appropriate professional care remain non-shaming human responses where needed.