Seeking the Support of the Wise
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cūḻvārkaṇ ṇāka voḻukalāṉ maṉṉavaṉ / cūḻvāraic cūḻntu koḷal
Because counsellors serve as a ruler's eyes, a ruler must examine carefully and choose those counsellors.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“The king, since counsellors are monarch's eyes, / Should counsellors select with counsel wise.”
“As the eyes of the prince are his own ministers, let him use his discretion and choose them wisely.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சூழ்வார்கண்ணாக ஒழுகலான்= தன்பாரம் அமைச்சரைக் கண்ணாகக் கொண்டு நடத்தலான்; மன்னவன் சூழ்வாரைச் சூழ்ந்து கொளல்= அரசன் அத்தன்மையராய அமைச்சரை ஆராய்ந்து தனக்குத் துணையாகக் கொள்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that ministers function as the ruler's eyes; precisely because governance depends on their sight, the ruler must scrutinize and select them.