The Kural · Chapter
LII: Testing and Employment of Men explained
This chapter provides guidance on selecting and employing men for service, emphasizing the importance of choosing those who discern good from evil, possess kindness, intelligence, and freedom from greed, and are expert and patient.
What happens
This chapter provides guidance on selecting and employing men for service, emphasizing the importance of choosing those who discern good from evil, possess kindness, intelligence, and freedom from greed, and are expert and patient. It warns against relying solely on personal affection and stresses the need for ongoing oversight to ensure good governance.
Themes in this chapter
Statecraft and Governance
The chapter offers practical advice on testing, selecting, and supervising officers to ensure effective administration.
Social Harmony and Ethics
Emphasizes choosing men of virtue and kindness, and warns against favoritism, promoting ethical governance.
Characters to notice
- Thiruvalluvar
Author of the Kural verses on testing and employing men.
- the Kural
The text containing the maxims on statecraft and employment.
- Fortune
Mentioned as departing from the prince who resents a skilled servant's friendly advances.
Key passages
“Behold the man that seeth the good and seeth the evil also and chooseth only that which is good: employ thou him in thy service.”
Hire the person who can distinguish right from wrong and consistently chooses what is right.
Advocates for moral discernment as a key qualification for service.
“Many are the men that satisfy every test and yet alter in the actual performance of duty.”
Many people pass all tests but fail when actually doing the job.
Highlights the gap between testing and real-world performance.
“Work should be entrusted to men in consideration of their expert knowledge and capacity for patient exertion, and not of their love towards thy person.”
Assign tasks based on skill and diligence, not personal loyalty.
Emphasizes merit over personal relationships in appointments.