77.2 Glory of a Good Defense Force

 77.2 Glory of a Good Defense Force

Question:

              What is critical for a military to be successful?

Answer:

Even if a military has a large number resolute warriors,

without a good commander it cannot prevail.                          (Couplet – 770)

நிலைமக்கள் சால உடைத்தெனினும் தானை

தலைமக்கள் இல்வழி இல்.                                          (குறள் – 770)

Explanation:

              In Couplet 770, Valluvar says that even if a military unit is composed of courageous warriors, it cannot be successful on the battlefield if it does not have able commanders. Napoleon Bonaparte is reported to have said, “There are no bad soldiers; only bad generals.” Couplet 770 is very similar to Couplet 740, where Valluvar mentions that despite having all the resources, a country is worthless if it does not have a good ruler. Couplets 770 and 740 emphasize the importance of leadership.