Military Spirit
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viḻuppuṇ paṭātanā ḷellām vaḻukkiṉuḷ / vaikkuntaṉ ṉāḷai yeṭuttu.
“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.”
Taking stock of his days, the warrior places every day without an honourable battle wound among those he counts as wasted.
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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
A valiant warrior counting the days of his life regards every day on which he bore no honorable scar in noble struggle as a day spent in vain.