Kural #552
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Tamil text
வேலொடு நின்றான் இடுவென் றதுபோலும்
கோலொடு நின்றான் இரவு
Vēloṭu niṉṟāṉ iṭuveṉ ṟatupōlum
Kōloṭu niṉṟāṉ iravu
English translation
When a ruler holding the scepter demands taxes unjustly, it is like a robber standing with a spear saying "Give me!"
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Explanation
This kural brilliantly equates unjust taxation with armed robbery. The கோல் (scepter) symbolizes royal authority, but when misused for extortion, it becomes no different from a வேல் (spear) used by a highway robber. Both are forms of forceful taking.
விளக்கம்
கொடுங்கோன்மை அதிகாரத்தில், அரசன் தன் கோலை வைத்துக்கொண்டு வரி கேட்பது, வேல் ஏந்திய திருடனைப் போலாகும். நேர்மையற்ற வரி வசூல் கொள்ளை அடிப்பதற்குச் சமம். நீதி தவறினால், ஆட்சி கொடுமையாக மாறும்.
Word meanings
- வேல்vēlspear
- ஒடுoṭuwith
- நின்றான்niṉṟāṉone who stands
- இடுiṭugive
- என்றதுeṉṟatusaying
- போலும்pōlumlike/similar to
- கோல்kōlscepter/royal staff
- இரவுiravubegging/demanding
Story behind this kural
In a valley nestled between rolling hills, lived a village of farmers. Their harvest was plentiful, and the villagers prospered. Their king, a man known for his lavish lifestyle, noticed their wealth. He declared new taxes, far exceeding what was reasonable. The royal tax collectors, armed with the king's symbol of authority, the golden staff, descended upon the village. They demanded a portion of every grain sack, every milk jug, every piece of crafted pottery. Those who resisted faced harsh penalties. Old Man Elara, a respected farmer, watched his life's work seized. He saw children go hungry as their families could not afford to eat after paying the taxes. He felt the fear in the eyes of his neighbors, the same fear he had felt when bandits once raided their village. The king, meanwhile, built a towering palace, its walls shimmering with the villagers’ hard-earned gold. The valley, once a place of shared joy, was now shadowed by the king's greed. The villagers began to whisper amongst themselves, their smiles replaced with weary sighs.