Measure and digestion

அளவு · Alavu

The heart of the matter. The chapter is called Marundhu — Medicine — and Valluvar begins his medicine with digestion: the first treatment is to eat only once the last meal has gone.

7 couplets

941 Excess or lack, and disease follows

மிகினும் குறையினும் நோய்செய்யும் நூலோர்
வளிமுதலா எண்ணிய மூன்று.

Mikinum Kuraiyinum Noiseyyum Noolor · Valimudhalaa Enniya Moondru

If (food and work are either) excessive or deficient, the three things enumerated by (medical) writers, flatulence, biliousness, and phlegm, will cause (one) disease

This is the tridosha of Ayurveda, in Tamil, from roughly the same centuries. Disease is not an invader but a balance lost — and the balance is kept or broken at the plate.

Kural 941 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

942 Eat once the last meal has gone

மருந்தென வேண்டாவாம் யாக்கைக்கு அருந்தியது
அற்றது போற்றி உணின்.

Marundhena Ventaavaam Yaakkaikku Arundhiyadhu · Atradhu Potri Unin

No medicine is necessary for him who eats after assuring (himself) that what he has (already) eaten has been digested

The Kural's most practical health rule. Note what it does not say: no food is forbidden, no ritual prescribed. Only timing.

Kural 942 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

943 Eat knowing the measure

அற்றால் அளவறிந்து உண்க அஃதுடம்பு
பெற்றான் நெடிதுய்க்கும் ஆறு.

Atraal Alavarindhu Unka Aqdhutampu · Petraan Netidhuykkum Aaru

If (one's food has been) digested let one eat with moderation; (for) that is the way to prolong the life of an embodied soul

Alavu — measure — is the key word of this whole section. Valluvar never says what the measure is; it belongs to each body, and learning it is the practice.

Kural 943 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

944 When truly hungry, what agrees with you

அற்றது அறிந்து கடைப்பிடித்து மாறல்ல
துய்க்க துவரப் பசித்து.

Atradhu Arindhu Kataippitiththu Maaralla · Thuykka Thuvarap Pasiththu

(First) assure yourself that your food has been digested and never fail to eat, when very hungry, whatever is not disagreeable (to you)

Three conditions at once: the last meal digested, real hunger present, and the food one that agrees with you. Break any of them and the meal stops being medicine.

Kural 944 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

945 Agreeable food, restrained amount

மாறுபாடு இல்லாத உண்டி மறுத்துண்ணின்
ஊறுபாடு இல்லை உயிர்க்கு.

Maarupaatu Illaadha Unti Maruththunnin · Oorupaatu Illai Uyirkku

There will be no disaster to one's life if one eats with moderation, food that is not disagreeable

Kural 945 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

946 Pleasure with the moderate, disease with the glutton

இழிவறிந்து உண்பான்கண் இன்பம்போல் நிற்கும்
கழிபேர் இரையான்கண் நோய்.

Izhivarindhu Unpaankan Inpampol Nirkum · Kazhiper Iraiyaankan Noi

As pleasure dwells with him who eats moderately, so disease (dwells) with the glutton who eats voraciously

Both scales in one sentence. Valluvar neither renounces food nor praises it; he only says what comes to stay with whom.

Kural 946 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

947 Eating past your fire

தீயள வன்றித் தெரியான் பெரிதுண்ணின்
நோயள வின்றிப் படும்.

Theeyala Vandrith Theriyaan Peridhunnin · Noyala Vindrip Patum

He will be afflicted with numberless diseases, who eats immoderately, ignorant (of the rules of health)

Theeyalavu — the measure of your fire. This is the jatharagni of Ayurveda. How much to eat is set by your digestion, not by what is on the plate.

Kural 947 · Chapter 95 மருந்து (Marundhu — Medicine) · பொருட்பால்

← All themes

Chapter	Name	Kurals	Book
95	மருந்து Medicine	941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947	பொருட்பால்

Source and credit
Tamil text and transliteration: tk120404/thirukkural (Apache-2.0). English: the Drew-Lazarus prose gloss of 1885, public domain. The Hindi renderings and the notes are Bhojanveda's own, not taken from any published translation. The source's modern Tamil commentaries are still in copyright and are not reproduced.

Corrected readings
90: நோக்கக் குழையும் -- the source reads குநழ்யும், against its own transliteration and commentary
943: அளவறிந்து -- the source reads அறவறிந்து, against its own commentary, which glosses அளவு (measure)
89 (English): exercises -- the source reads excercises
229 (English): completed to ‘...much more painful than begging’ -- the source stops at ‘much more’, and the Tamil reads இரத்தலின் இன்னாது (worse than begging)
926 (English): resemble the dead -- the source reads ‘the deed’, which reverses the line