Just Governance (By St. Thiruvalluvar) Poem by Rajendran Muthiah

541.Enquire, do no favours to any, be just and consult,
And render justice that is rectitude.
542.All beings look up to the sky for rains to live.And live
the subjects with eyes on the just rule of the sceptre.
543.The King’s scepter is the cause of all the sacred works
And all the Laws of Virtue said in them.
544.The subjects embrace the feet of the Great King
Who wields the scepter to save his subjects.
545.Seasonal rains and good harvests go together in a State
Where the King sways his scepter under the Laws.
546.The lance doesn’t bring victory to a king in war.
It is the unbent scepter of the King that makes him win.
547.If the king protects the whole earth without fail
He is protected by his upright scepter.
548.Inaccessible, unenquiring and the unjust King
sinks in his status and ruins himself.
549.To Protect his subjects and himself from the foes
And penalise for their crimes is his duty and not a crime.
550.If the king punishes the criminals with death
It is like pulling out the weeds to save the crops.