Abstaining from Intoxicants
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kaiyaṟi yāmai yuṭaittē poruḷkoṭuttu / meyyaṟi yāmai koḷal.
“With gift of goods who self-oblivion buys, / Is ignorant of all that man should prize.”
“It is the veriest idiocy to spend one’s substance and obtain in return only insensibility.”
Spending money to purchase self-oblivion is the height of foolish ignorance.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பொருள் கொடுத்து மெய் அறியாமை கொளல்= ஒருவன் விலைப்பொருளைக் கொடுத்துக் கள்ளால் தனக்கு மெய்ம்மறப்பினைக் கொள்ளுதல்; கை அறியாமை உடைத்து= அவன் பழவினைப்பயனாய செய்வது அறியாமையைத் தனக்குக் காரணமாக உடைத்து.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Spending one's hard-earned money to purchase total unconsciousness and loss of physical senses is sheer ignorance of how to conduct one's life.