#Puranaanooru laying down the duty of the ruler to the Citizens

 

ஒரு #புறநானூற்றுப்பாடல் 

அருளும் அருமையும்!

-நரிவெரூஉத் தலையார்.

 

 

எருமை அன்ன கருங்கல் இடைதோறும்,
ஆனிற் பரக்கும் யானைய, முன்பின்,
கானக நாடனை நீயோ, பெரும!
நீயோர் ஆகலின், நின் ஒன்று மொழிவல்;
அருளும் அன்பும் நீக்கி நீங்கா       
நிரயம் கொள்பவரொடு ஒன்றாது காவல்,
குழவி கொள்பவரின் ஓம்புமதி!
அளிதோ தானே, அது பெறல் அருங் குரைத்தே!

 

O King, endowed with a kingdom, 

with thick forests where elephants roam around,

like cows among rocks, that are buffalo dark;

You are blessed; hence you may note;

Indulge not with those who have neither love nor grace

And are eternally immersed in sorrow;

Tender the citizens like a mother would her babes;

For, such an honour, is hard to gain.

 (Translation by R. Manimohan, Coimbatore)

 

In the above poem in Purananooru, the poet, Nariveruthalayar, says that the ordinary citizens are vulnerable among people without love or grace and as a result are always prone to suffering themselves and are therefore like the cows amidst hard rocks, where they have hardly nothing to grace and like elephants who have to live in risky forests.  Hence, the poet asks the King to keep away from the rotten folk and take protective care of his citizens like a mother lovingly takes care of her children, because such an opportunity is very hard to get.

Even in a democracy, where monarchy is no more in vogue, the responsibility of a Government remains the same.