Gambling
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iḻattoṟūuṅ kātalikkuñ cūtēpōṟ ṟuṉpa / muḻattoṟūuṅ kātaṟ ṟuyir.
“Howe'er he lose, the gambler's heart is ever in the play; / E'en so the soul, despite its griefs, would live on earth alway.”
“The passion for gambling increaseth with the losses incurred in the bettings: even so doth the craving of the soul for life grow with the griefs that it suffereth therein.”
As a gambler loves gambling more with every loss, so does life cling to the body the more it suffers.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
இழத்தொறூஉம் காதலிக்கும் சூதேபோல்= சூதாடலான் இருமைப் பயன்களையும் இழக்கும்தோறும் அதன்மேல் காதல்செய்யும் சூதன்போல; துன்பம் உழத்தொறூஉம் காதற்று உயிர்= உடம்பான் மூவகைத் துன்பங்களையும் அனுபவிக்கும்தோறும் அதன்மேற் காதலை உடைத்து உயிர்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Just as a gambler loves gambling all the more with every loss he suffers, so does the soul cling with passionate attachment to the body the more suffering it endures.