Choosing People for Responsibilities
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
nāṭōṟu nāṭuka maṉṉaṉ viṉaiceyvāṉ / kōṭāmai kōṭā tulaku.
Let the ruler examine each day whether the person carrying out the work remains on the right course; while that person does not depart from duty, the realm does not fall out of order.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Let king search out his servants' deeds each day; / When these do right, the world goes rightly on its way.”
“Let the prince oversee everything every day: for there will be nothing wrong with the country so long as there is nothing wrong with the officers of the State.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
வினைசெய்வான் கோடாமை உலகு கோடாது= வினை செய்வான் கோடாது ஒழிய உலகம் கோடாது; மன்னன் நாடோறும் நாடுக= ஆதலான் அரசன் அவன் செயலை நாள்தோறும் ஆராய்க.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that the world will not go out of order so long as the person carrying out the work does not deviate. Therefore, the king should examine that person's conduct of the work every day.