Rajadharmanushasana Parva — Royal duties

'The king, O Yudhishthira, should always address himself for action. That king does not deserve praise who, like a woman, is destitute of exertion.

On this subject, the holy Ushanas has recited a Sloka, o king, Listen to it with attention, O king, as I recite it to you.

Like a snake swallowing up mice, the Earth swallows up those two, viz., the king who does not like to fight and the Brahmana who is exceedingly found of his wives and children.

You should, O foremost of kings, always remember it. Make peace with those enemies with whom peace should be made, and fight with them with whom war should be waged.

He, who acts inimically towards your kingdom consisting of seven limbs, should be killed, may he be your preceptor or friend.

There is an ancient Sloka recited by king Marutta, quite of a piece with Brihaspati's view, O king, about the duty of kings.

According to the scriptural injunction, there is punishment for even the preceptor if he becomes haughty and disregardful of his duty, and if he transgresses all restrictions. Vahu's son, the highly intelligent king Sagara, from desire of doing good to the citizens, banished his own eldest son Asamanjas.

Asamanjas, O king, used to drown the children of the citizens in the Sarayu. His father, therefore, remonstrated with and exiled him.

The Rishi Uddalaka renounced his favourite son Svetaketu of rigid penances, because the latter used to invite Brahmanas with false promises of entertainment.

To make their subjects happy, to observe truth and to act sincerely are the eternal duties of kings.

The king should not hanker after the wealth of others. He should in time give what should be given. If the king be comes endued with prowess, truthful in speech, and forgiving in temper, he would never be shorn of prosperity.

With soul purged off sins the king should be able to govern his anger and all his conclusions should be according to the scriptures. He should also always follow morality, worldly profit, pleasure and emancipation.

The king should always keep his counsels close regarding these three. No greater misfortune can betake the king than the giving out of his counsels.

Kings should protect the four castes in the discharge of their duties. it is the eternal duty of kings not to allow the confusion of duties of the different orders.

The king should not confide (in others than his own servants), nor should he place too much confidence (in even his servants). He should, by own intelligence, find out the merits and short-comings of the six principal works of sovereignty.

The king who marks the short-comings of his enemies and cleverly follows morality, profit, and pleasure, who engages intelligent spies for determining secrets and tries to win over the officers of his enemies by presents of wealth is indeed praise-worthy.

The king should administer justice like the Regent of Death and amass riches like the god of wealth. He should also mark the merits and short-comings of his on acquisitions and losses and of his own territories.

He should feed those who have not been fed, and enquire of those who have been fed. Always sweet-speeched he should spcak with a smiling face.

He should always wait upon his elders and put down procrastination. He should never covet others' properties.

He should strictly follow the conduct of the righteous. He should never take money from the righteous. Taking the wealth of those who are not righteous he should give it to them who are righteous.

The king should himself be clever in smitting. He should be liberal. He should have his mind under control. He should dress himself gorgeously. He should make presents in proper time and be regular in his meals. He should also be of good conduct.

The king who seeks to acquire prosperity should always engage the services of men who are brave, devoted, and incapable of being imposed on by enemies well-born, healthy, well-behaved, and connected with wellbehaved and respectable families, families, never inclined to insult others, well read in all the sciences, possessing a knowledge of the worldly affairs, never unmindful of future life, always observant of their duties, honest, and firm like mountains. The objects of enjoyments should be the same with him and them. The only difference should be in his umbrella and his power of passing orders.

He should always treat them equally before or behind. The king, who behaves in this way, is never overtaken by calamity.

That crooked and covetous king, who suspect ever body and who imposes heavy taxes on his subjects, is soon killed by his own servants and relatives.

That king, however, who is righteous and who is ever engaged in attracting the hearts of his people, is never ruined when attacked by foes. If defeated, he soon regains his position.

If the king is not angry by nature, if he is not addicted to evil habits and not severe in his punishment, if he succeeds in keeping his passions under restraint he becomes an object of confidence to all like the Himavat mountains.

He is the best of kings who is wise, who is liberal, who is ready to take advantage of the short-comings of foes, who has an agreeable countenance, who is conversant with what is good and what is bad for each of the four orders of his subjects, who is prompt in action, who has anger under control, who is not vindictive, who is high-minded, who is angry by nature, who performs sacrifices and other religious acts, who does not brag and who vigorously brings to close all works by him.

He is best of kings in whose kingdom men live fearlessly like sons in the house of their father.

He is the best of kings whose subjects have not to hide their wealth and know what is good and what is bad for them.

He, indeed, is a king whose subjects follow their respective duties and do not fear to renounce their bodies for duty's call; whose subjects protected properly, are all of peaceful conduct, obedient, docile, governable, reluctant to dispute and liberal. That king carns eternal merit in whose kingdom kingdom there is wickedness, dissimulation, deception and envy.

That king truly deserves to govern who honours knowledge, who is devoted to the no scriptures and the good of his people, who wends the path of the righteous, and who is liberal.

That king deserves to rule whose counsels and acts done and undone remain close to his enemies.

The following verse was recited in days of yore by Ushanas of Bhrigu's race, in the narrative called Ramacharita, on the subject, O Bharata, of royal duties.

One should first select a king. Then should he select a wife, and then acquire wealth. If there be no king, what would become of his wife and properties?

About those who seek kingdom, there is no other eternal duty than the protection of subjects). The protection the king grants of his subjects maintains the world.

Manu, the son of Prachetas, recited these two verses regarding the duties of kings. Listen to them with attention.

These six persons should be shunned like a leaky boat on the sea, viz., a preceptor who does not speak, a priest who has not studied the scriptures, a king who does not give protection, herd who likes to rove within the village and a barber who wishes to go to the forest.