Employing Spies
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oṟṟu muraicāṉṟa nūlu mivaiyiraṇṭun / teṟṟeṉka maṉṉavaṉ kaṇ.
The covert intelligence agent and the renowned treatise on justice and statecraft—regard these two clearly as the king's eyes.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“These two: the code renowned and spies, / In these let king confide as eyes.”
“Let the prince understand that Political Science and his Intelligence Corps are the eyes wherewith he seeth.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
ஒற்றும் உரைசான்ற நூலும் இவை இரண்டும்= ஒற்றும், புகழமைந்த நீதிநூலுமாகிய இவை இரண்டனையும்; மன்னவன் கண் தெற்றென்க= அரசன் தன் இரண்டு கண்ணுமாகத் தெளிக.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar says that the king must clearly regard the spy and the renowned treatise on justice as his own two eyes. One supplies knowledge of events; the other supplies the normative learning by which rule is guided.