Just Rule
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vēlaṉṟu veṉṟi taruvatu maṉṉavaṉ / kōlatūuṅ kōṭā teṉiṉ.
“Not lance gives kings the victory, / But sceptre swayed with equity.”
“It is not the lance that bringeth victory unto the prince: it is rather his sceptre, and that provided it is straight and leaneth not to either side.”
It is not the spear that gives a king victory, but his sceptre—and that only if the sceptre does not bend from justice.
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மன்னவன் வென்றிதருவது வேல் அன்று கோல்= மன்னவனுக்குப் போரின்கண் வெற்றியைக் கொடுப்பது அவன் எறியும் வேல்அன்று, கோல்; அதூஉம் கோடாது எனின்= அஃதும் அப்பெற்றித்தாவது, தான் கோடாதாயின்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
What brings lasting victory to a ruler is not the spear of military might, but the sceptre of righteousness—provided it never bends away from justice.