Just Rule
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iyalpuḷik kōlōccu maṉṉava ṉāṭṭa / peyalum viḷaiyuḷun tokku.
Seasonal rain and unfailing yield gather together in the land of a ruler who wields the sceptre according to the prescribed just order.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Where king, who righteous laws regards, the sceptre wields, / There fall the showers, there rich abundance crowns the fields.”
“Behold the prince who wieldeth the sceptre in accordance with the law: seasonal rains and rich harvests have their home in his land.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
பெயலும் விளையுளும் தொக்கு= பருவமழையும் குன்றாதவிளைவும் ஒருங்குகூடி; இயல்புளிக் கோல் ஓச்சும் மன்னவன் நாட்ட= நூல்கள் சொல்லிய இயல்பாற் செங்கோலைச் செலுத்தும் அரசனது நாட்டின்கண்ணவாம்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar explains that seasonal rain and unfailing yield come together in the country of a ruler who exercises the just sceptre according to the order prescribed in the authoritative texts. This is a classical agrarian claim joining righteous rule with the flourishing of nature and cultivation.