राजधर्मानुशासन पर्व — राजधर्मको संक्षेप

Yudhishthira said You have, O Bharata, described the many duties of king-craft, which were observed and laid down in days of yore by persons of ancient times conversant with royal duties.

You have, indeed, described fully those duties as approved by the wise. Do you, however, O foremost of Bharata's race give us an abridgement of the same, so that we may keep it in memory.

Bhishma said The protection of all creatures is considered the highest duty of the Kshatriya. Listen now to me, o king, as to how the duty of protection to be performed.

A king conversant with his duties should put on many forms and the peacock displays plumes of various hues.

Keenness, crookedness, truth, and sincerity, are the qualities which should be present in him. He should practise impartially the qualities of goodness if he is to acquire happiness.

He must assume that particular colour or form which is beneficial for the particular object which he tries to achieve. A king who can put on various forms succeeds in achieving even the most subtile objects.

Dumb like the peacock in autumn, he should keep his counsels close. He should speak little and that little should be sweet. He should be of good features and well-read in the scriptures.

He should always be very careful about those gates through which dangers may come and befall him, like men guarding breaks in embankments through which the waters of large tanks may rush and flood their fields and houses. He should seek the protection of Brahmanas crowned with ascetic success as men seek the refuge of powerful rivers caused by the rain-water deposited within mountain lakes. That king, who wishes to amass riches should act like religious hypocrites who keep Sikha or tuft of hair.

The king should always have the rod of Punishment uplifted in his hands. He should always levy taxes carefully after examining the incomes and expenses of his subjects, like men going to a full-grown palmyra for drawing juice.

He should treat equitably his own subjects; cause the crops of his enemies to be crushed by the foot of his cavalry, march against enemies when his own wings have become strong; and mark all the sources of his own weakness.

He should announce the faults of his enemies; crush those who are their partisans; and collect riches from outside like a person plucking flowers from the forest.

He should kill those foremost of kings who are puffed up with might and stand with upraised heads like mountains; by bribing the governors of the forests and by ambuscades and sudden attacks.

Like the peacock in the rains, he should enter his nightly habitations alone and unseen. Indeed, he should enjoy, like the peacock, within his inner apartments, the company of his wives.

He should not put off his coat of mail. He should himself guard his own self and avoid the nets spread out for him by the spies and secret agents of his enemies.

He should also gain over the spies of his enemies, but destroy them fully when opportunity presents itself. Like the peacocks the king should destroy his powerful and angry foes of crooked policy, and kill their force and drive them away from home. The king should also like the peacocks do what is good to him, and gather wisdom from all sides as they collect insects even from the forest.

An wise and peacock-like king should thus govern his kingdom and pursue a policy which is good for him.

By dint of his own intelligence, he should determine what he is to do. By consulting with others he should either leave off or conform such resolution. Helped by that intelligence which is sharpened by the scriptures, one can fix his courses of action. Herein consists the utility of the scriptures.

By following the means of conciliation, he should create confidence in the hearts of his enemies. He should show his own strength. By judging of various courses of action in his own mind he should by dint of his own intelligence, make his decision.

The king should be a master of the arts of conciliating policy; he should be endued with wisdom and should be able to do what should be done and avoid the otherwise. A highly wise and intelligent person does not require counsels or instruction.

A wise man, who is endued with the intelligence of Brihaspati, if he incurs obloquy, soon regains his true nature like heated iron dipped in water. A king should perform objects, of his own or of others, according to the injunctions of the scriptures.

A king, who knows well the means of acquiring riches, should always engage in his acts such men as are mild by nature and endued with wisdom, courage and great strength.

Seeing his servants employed in acts for which each is fit, the king should act in unision with them like the strings of a musical instrument, set to proper tension, according with their notes.

The king should do good to all persons without violating the injunctions of Righteousness. That king stands firm as a rock whom everybody regards-He is mine.

While settling the claims of litigants, the king, without making any difference between persons who are liked and those who are disliked by him, should preserve justice.

The king should appoint in all his offices such men as know very well the characteristics of particular families of the people in general and of various countries; as are mild in words; as are of middle age; as have no shortcomings, as are devoted to good acts; as are never careless; as are free from rapacity; as are possessed of learning and self-control; and as are firm in virtue and always ready to preserve the interests of both virtue and profit.

In this way, having determined the course of actions and their final ends, the king should accomplish them carefully; and instructed in all matters by his spies, he may live happily.

That king, who never yields to anger and joy without sufficient cause, who looks after all his acts himself, and who superintends his income and expenditure with his own eyes, succeeds in acquiring great wealth from the Earth.

That king is a master of his royal duties who rewards his officers and subjects publicly, who punishes those who deserve punishment, who protects his own self, and who protects his kingdom from very evil.

Like the Sun shedding his rays upon everything underneath, the king should always look after his kingdom himself, and helped by his intelligence, be should supervise all his spies and officers.

The king should collect wealth from his subjects at the proper time. He should never announce what he does. Like an intelligent person milking his cow every day, the king should milk his kingdom everyday.

As the bee gathers honey from flowers gradually, the king should collect wealth gradually from his kingdom for keeping it in store.

Having kept apart a sufficient portion, he should with the remaining portion, acquire religious merit and gratify his desires for pleasure. That king, who is acquainted with duties and who is gifted with intelligence, would never squander what has been stored.

The king should never disregard any wealth, however little it may be; he should never belittle his foes for their powerlessness; he should by his own intelligence, examine his ownself; he should never place confidence in ignorant persons.

Steadiness, cleverness, self-control, intelligence, health, patience, bravery, and attention to the requirements of time and place,-these eight qualities always multiply wealth, be it small or be it much. A little fire, fed with clarified butter, may end into a conflagration. A single seed may produce a thousand trees. A king, therefore, even when he knows that his income and expenditure are great, should not neglect the smaller items.

An enemy, whether he be a child, a young man, or an aged one, succeeds in killing a careless person. An insignificant enemy, when he becomes powerful, may root out a king. A king, therefore, who is conversant with the requirements of time is the greatest of all kings.

An enemy, strong or weak, impelled by malice, may very soon destroy the fame of a king, impede the acquisition of religious merit by him; and deprive him of even his energy. Therefore, a king, who is of a controlled mind, should never be careless when he has an enemy.

If an intelligent king desires for riches and victory, he should after knowing his expenditure, income, savings, and administration, make either peace or war. For this reason the king should seek the help of an intelligent minister.

even a ever Brilliant intelligence weakens powerful person; by intelligence the growing power may be protected; a growing enemy is weakened by the help of intelligence; therefore, work which is undertaken with intelligence is deserving of praise.

A king, who is patient and without any fault, may, if he likes, obtain the fruition of all his wishes, with the help of even a small force. That king, however, who wishes to be encircled by a number of self-seeking flatterers, can never derive the smallest benefit.

For these reasons, the king, should mildly colleci wealth from his subjects. If a king continually oppresses his people, he is destroyed like a flash of lighting that shines only for a second.

Learning, penances, immense wealth, indeed, everything, can be acquired by exertion. Exertion of embodied creatures is governed by intelligence. Exertion, therefore, is the greatest of all things.

The human body is the habitation of many intelligent, and energetic creatures, of Shakra, of Vishnu, of Sarasvati and of other brings. A learned men, therefore, should never disregard the body.

A covetous man should be brought under control by continued presents. He that covetous is never satiated with taking other people's riches, Every one, however, becomes covetous of happiness. If a person, therefore, becomes destitute of wealth, he becomes shorn of virtue and pleasure.

A covetous man seeks to take to himself the riches, the enjoyments, the sons and daughters, and the affluence of others. Every kind of fault is seen in covetous men. The king, therefore, should never appoint a covetous man as his minister or officer.

A king should even sent a low person to ascertain the disposition and doings of his enemies. A wise king should frustrate all the attempts and objects of his enemies.

That confident and high-born king who seeks instruction from learned and pious Brahmanas and who is protected by his ministers, can keep all his tributary chiefs under proper control.

O king, I have briefly described to you of all the duties laid down in the scriptures. Attend to them, helped by your intelligence. That king, who, in obeying his protector, attends to these, succeeds in ruling the whole Earth.

That king, who neglects the happiness which policy yields and seeks for that which chance may bring, never succeeds in enjoying the happiness of sovereignty or in acquiring blissful regions hereafter.

By properly looking to the requirements of war and peace, a careful king, succeeds in killing even such foes as are highly rich, adored for intelligence and good conduct, endued with accomplishments, brave in battle, and ready for work.

The king should find out those means which are supplied by different kinds of acts and measures. He should never depend upon destiny. One who sees faults in innocent persons, never succeeds in acquiring prosperity and fame.

When two friends engage in doing one and the same act, a wise man always praises him among the two who undertakes the heavier share of work.

Do you practise these duties of kings that I have described to you. Be ready to perform the duty of protecting men. You may then easily acquire the need of virtue. All the regions of happiness hereafter depend upon merit.'