Ēlāti contains 81 stanzas (inclusive of invocation) written by the poet Kaṇimētāviyār. It is composed in veṇpā metre.

Ēlāti uses the analogy of the traditional herbal medicine known as ēlāti which uses the powder of six herbs, such as ēlam (cardamom), ilavaṅkappaṭṭai (cinnamon), nākakēcaram (made from the stamens of the Ceylon ironwood), miḷaku (black pepper), tippili (long pepper), and cukku (dried ginger) which relieves physical ailments of humanity. This work Ēlāti similarly uses six ideas that are intended to strengthen the moral fibre of a human being.