Tyrannical Rule
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kūḻuṅ kuṭiyu moruṅkiḻakkuṅ kōlkōṭic / cūḻātu ceyya maracu.
A ruler who bends justice and acts without considering consequences loses together both accumulated wealth and the people who make future prosperity possible.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Whose rod from right deflects, who counsel doth refuse, / At once his wealth and people utterly shall lose.”
“Behold the thoughtless prince whose rule swerveth from the ways of justice: he will lose his kingdom and his substance also.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
சூழாது கோல் கோடிச் செய்யும் அரசு= மேல்விளைவு எண்ணாது, முறைதப்பச் செய்யும் அரசன்; கூழும் குடியும் ஒருங்கு இழக்கும்= செயலான் முன் ஈட்டிய பொருளையும் பின் ஈட்டுதற்கு ஏதுவாகிய குடிகளையும் சேர இழக்கும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that a ruler who acts without considering later consequences and lets the sceptre bend from justice loses both the wealth already gathered and the subjects through whom future wealth could be produced.