Thiruvalluvar's Couplets On 'Not Doing Terrifying Acts' (Section-57) Poem by Rajendran Muthiah

561.A king ought to rightly probe a crime, ensure its non-recurrence
and punish the convict accordingly.
562.To keep the resources for long, begin like a drain on public purse
and tighten the purse strings in due course.
563.If a cruel-sceptred king let loose a reign of terror,
his fall would be imminent.
564.If the subjects bitterly called their king as a tyrant,
his life would be shortened and his fall hastened.
565.The fabulous wealth of an inaccessible king with a harsh mien
is like the one guarded by a devil.
566.The great wealth of a king with harsh words and merciless eyes
will not last long but lose soon.
567.Harsh words and excessive punishments are rasps
wasting away a king’s power for destroying the enemy.
568.A king's wealth shrinks if he hears no counsels of the council
and blames the ministers on facing a crisis.
569.The king who builds no defence to defy the foes
will fear and perish when the war breaks out.
570.The tyrants who share their counsels with fools
are the greater burden to earth.