Just Rule
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vāṉōkki vāḻu mulakellā maṉṉavaṉ / kōṉōkki vāḻuṅ kuṭi.
As every living being depends on rain for life, subjects depend for their continued life on the king's just sceptre.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“All earth looks up to heav'n whence raindrops fall; / All subjects look to king that ruleth all.”
“The world looketh up to the rain-cloud for life: even so do men look up to the sceptre of the prince for protection.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உலகு எல்லாம் வான் நோக்கி வாழும்= உலகத்து உயிர் எல்லாம் மழை உளதாயின் உளவாகாநிற்குமே எனினும்; குடி மன்னவன் கோல் நோக்கி வாழும்= குடிகள் அரசன் செங்கோல் உளதாயின் உளவாகா நிற்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that living beings in the world continue to exist when rain is present. In the same way, subjects continue to live when the king's just sceptre is present. The comparison places their dependence on straight rule beside the dependence of life on rain.