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Section 2 · பொருட்பால் (Wealth) · Chapter 55 / 133

Just Rule

செங்கோன்மை
Kural 550

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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.

kolaiyiṟ koṭiyārai vēntoṟuttal paiṅkūḻ / kaḷaikaṭ ṭataṉoṭu nēr.

Modern readingAI draft

For a king to punish cruel wrongdoers by killing is like a farmer removing weeds to protect the tender crop.

▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
G.U. Pope1886

“By punishment of death the cruel to restrain, / Is as when farmer frees from weeds the tender grain.”

V.V.S. Aiyar1916

“Punishing the wicked with death is like the removing of weeds from the cornfield.”

Ask AI about this Kural

Parimelazhagar’s commentary

13th century · public domain

Parimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.

வேந்து கொடியாரைக் கொலையின் ஒறுத்தல்= அரசன் கொடியவர்களைக் கொலையான் ஒறுத்துத் தக்கோரைக் காத்தல்; பைங்கூழ் களை கட்டதனொடு நேர்= உழவன் களையைக் களைந்து பைங்கூழைக் காத்ததனோடு ஒக்கும்.

Source: Tamil Wikisource

In plain EnglishAI draft · pending review

Parimelazhagar explicitly explains that a king protects worthy people by punishing cruel wrongdoers through killing, just as a farmer protects tender crops by removing weeds. The claim is directly about lethal punishment and should not be softened into a different claim.

This verse is in tension

Contested against Kural 321
Killing is the root of every evil — and the king should execute the cruel
கொலையே எல்லாத் தீமையின் வேர்; இருந்தாலும் கொடியவரை அரசன் கொல்ல வேண்டும்

Asked what virtue is, the answer is non-killing; killing brings every other sin in its train.

AI draft · pending scholar review