Tyrannical Rule
Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
muṟaikōṭi maṉṉavaṉ ceyyi ṉuṟaikōṭi / yollātu vāṉam peyal.
“Where king from right deflecting, makes unrighteous gain, / The seasons change, the clouds pour down no rain.”
“The heavens will not send showers in their season if the prince swerveth from justice and right.”
If a king acts by departing from justice, the seasonal clouds, the classical claim says, will depart from their course and fail to rain.
Ask about this Kural
Answers are drawn only from this Kural's sourced text and named commentary, and always cite what they used.
Choose a section
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
மன்னவன் முறை கோடிச் செய்யின்= மன்னவன் தான்செய்யும் பொருளை முறைதப்பச் செய்யுமாயின்; உறைகோடி வானம் பெயல் ஒல்லாது= அவன்நாட்டுப் பருவமழை இன்றாம்வகை மேகம் பொழிதலைச் செய்யாது.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
If a ruler's governance perverts justice, seasonal rains will fail and the sky will withhold its life-giving showers over the realm.