Ashramavasika Parva — Royal duties described by Dhritarashtra

Dhritarashtra said You should always ascertain the Mandalas which belong to you, to your enemies, to neutrals, and to those who are disposed equally towards you and your eneinies, O Bharata.

The Mandalas also of the four kinds of enemies, of those called Atatayins, and of allies, and the allies of enemies, should be distinguished by you, O crusher of enemies.

You should sec that the ministers of state, the pcople of the provinces, the garrisons of forts, and the forces, O foremost one of Kuru's race, are not tampered with.

The twelve (enumerated above), O son of Kunti, form the principal concerns of kings. These twelve, as also the sixty, having Ministers for their foremost, should be looked after by the king.

Politicians call these by the name of Mandala. Understand, O Yudhishthira, that the six incidents (of peace, war, march, halt, sowing dissension's, and conciliation) depend upon these.

Growth and diminution should also be understood, as also the condition of being stationary. The attributes of the six fold incidents, O you of mighty arms, as resting on the seventy-two (already enumerated), should also be, carefully understood.

When one's own side has vecome strong and the side of the enemy has become weak, it is them, O son of Kunti, that the king should fight against the enemy and try to acquire victory.

When the enemy is strong and one's own side is weak, then the weak king, if he has intelligence, should try to make peace with the enemy.

The king should collect a large quantity of articles (for his commissariat). When able to march out, he should on no account make a delay, O Bharata.

Besides, he should on that occasion set his men to work for which they are fit, without being moved by many other consideration. He should, (when obliged to part with a portion of his territories), give his enemy such land as are not productive of a plentiful harvest.

(When obliged to pay coins), he should give gold containing much base metal. (When obliged to surrender a portion of his army), he should give such men as are not noted for strength. One who is skilled in treatics should, when taking land or gold or men from the enemy, take what is possessed of attributes the reverse of this.

In making treaties of peace, the son of the king should be demanded as a hostage, O chief of the Bharatas. A contrary course of conduct would not be wholesome, O son. If a calamity come over the king, he should, with knowledge of means and counsels, try to liberate himself from it. The king, O foremost of kings, should maintain the cheerless and the destitute among his people.

Himself protecting his own kingdom, the king, endued with great might, should direct all his efforts, either one one after another or simultaneously. against his of enemies. He should afflict and obstruct them and seek to drain their treasury.

The king who desires his own advancement, should never injure the subordinate chiefs who are under his sway. O son of Kunti, you should never try your strength with that king who is desirous of conquering the whole Earth.

You should try to steal a march by producing, with the help your ministers, dissension's among his aristocracy and feudatory chiefs. A powerful king should never seek to root out weak kings, for these do good to the world by cherishing the good and punishing the wicked. O foremost of kings, you should live, conducting yourself like a cane.

If a strong king advances against a weak one, the latter should make him desist, by adopting conciliatory and other modes.

If these measures fail, he should, then, with the help of those who are interested in his welfare fall upon the enemy for fighting him out. Indeed, with his ministers, treasury and citizens, he should thus adept force against the invader.

If the issue of the battle turns against him, he should, then, fall, sacrificing all his resources one after another, renouncing his life in this way, he will acquire freedom from all sorrow.