Employing Spies
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oṟṟu muraicāṉṟa nūlu mivaiyiraṇṭun / teṟṟeṉka maṉṉavaṉ kaṇ.
“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.”
The covert intelligence agent and the renowned treatise on justice and statecraft—regard these two clearly as the king's eyes.
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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
A sovereign must clearly regard reliable intelligence gathering and time-tested ethical treatises on law as his own two discerning eyes.