Tyrannical Rule
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vēloṭu niṉṟā ṉiṭuveṉ ṟatupōluṅ / kōloṭu niṉṟā ṉiravu.
“As 'Give' the robber cries with lance uplift, / So kings with sceptred hand implore a gift.”
“A request from him who holdeth the sceptre is like the stand and deliver of the highway robber.”
A ruler who asks subjects for property while standing behind punitive power resembles a highway robber who raises a spear and says, ‘Give.’
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
வேலொடு நின்றான்= ஆறலைக்கும் இடத்துத் தனியே வேல்கொண்டு நின்ற கள்வன்; இடு என்றது போலும்= ஆறுசெல்வானை நின் கைப்பொருள் தாவென்று வேண்டுதலோடு ஒக்கும்; கோலொடு நின்றான் இரவு= ஒறுத்தல் தொழிலோடு நின்ற அரசன் குடிகளைப் பொருள்வேண்டுதல்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
A ruler holding punitive power who demands unjust levies from citizens is just like a highway robber brandishing a spear and demanding a traveler's possessions.