Medicine
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aṟṟā laḷavaṟin tuṇka vaḵtuṭampu / peṟṟā ṉeṭituykku māṟu.
Eat, once what went before has ceased, by the measure that will itself be finished: that is the way one who has obtained a body drives it a long distance.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Who has a body gained may long the gift retain, / If, food digested well, in measure due he eat again.”
“Eat with moderation and after the food that thou hast taken is digested: that is the way to prolong thy days.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
அற்றால் அளவு அறிந்து உண்க= முன் உண்டது அற்றால் பின் உண்பதனை அறும் அளவறிந்து அவ்வளவிற்றாக உண்க; உடம்பு பெற்றான் நெடிது உய்க்கும் ஆறு அஃது= இறப்பவும் பலவாய பிறயாக்கைகளிற் பிழைத்துப் பெறற்கு அரிய இம்மானுட யாக்கையைப பெற்றான், அதனை நெடுங்காலம் கொண்டுசெலுத்து நெறி அதுவாகாலான்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
When what was eaten before has been digested, eat with measure. That is how one who has obtained this hard-won body carries it a long way. (Parimelazhagar reads உய்க்கும் as carrying it over a long time.)