Non-Killing
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pakuttuṇṭu palaluyi rōmputa ṉūlōr / tokuttavaṟṟu ḷellān talai
“Let those that need partake your meal; guard every-thing that lives; / This the chief and sum of lore that hoarded wisdom gives.”
“To divide one’s bread with the needy and to abstain from killing: this is the greatest of all the commandments of all the prophets.”
Sharing one's food and protecting many kinds of life stands foremost among all virtues gathered by the authors of ethical texts.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பகுத்து உண்டு பல் உயிர் ஓம்புதல்= உண்பதனைப் பசித்த உயிர்கட்குப் பகுத்துக் கொடுத்து உண்டு ஐவகைஉயிர்களையும் ஓம்புதல்; நூலோர் தொகுததவற்றுள் எல்லாம் தலை= அறநூல் உடையார் துறந்தார்க்குத் தொகுத்த அறங்கள்எல்லாவற்றினும் தலையாய அறம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Sharing one's food with the hungry and cherishing all diverse forms of life stands foremost among all virtues gathered in the ethical scriptures.