Yudhisthira asked Bhishma 'What are the duties of the King. It is being said by the wise that the Kingly duties are the foremost of all duties. Hence I want to know about them'.
To him Bhishma said 'A King should always strive to please his subjects. He should be like a pregnant woman, who will not take anything that is inimical to the child. Likewise he should not do anything that is inimical to his subjects.
A King should bow down before Gods and wise of his Kingdom. A King should always be exerting. He should always look at means to keep his subjects happy and to keep his treasury full.
Exertion and destiny have equal role to play. Of these two exertion is of high merit. We can only start things and work on those projects earnestly. But if the results do not come as intended then no blame attaches itself on the King.
When the results are going down, it is an indication that some remedial action needs to be done.
A King should be devoted to Truth. If a King has to be respected by his subjects then he must be truthful.
If the King becomes mild others do not respect him. If he becomes harsh then people tend to avoid him. A King has to be mild in places where he has to be mild and harsh in places where he has to be harsh.
A King should conceal his weaknesses but lookout for the weaknesses of his enemies. He should consult all the Ministers but should not confide his thought to all of them. He should keep his counsel. He should reveal his thoughts only to appropriate people at the appropriate times.
Fire has sprung from the water, a Kshatriya has sprung from the Brahmana and the Iron has sprung from the stone.
While fire prevails on everything else it is quenched by the water. Likewise a Kshatriya cannot prevail upon his source the Brahmana and likewise an iron sword could not prevail upon the stone from which it had come from.
A King has to take this in the mind.
However he has to chastise the Brahmana who has crossed his limits, who is a threat to the general order of the society and who has risen his weapons to kill him.
A King should take good care of his servants. He should be considerate to the four orders of people living as society in his domain.
A King can have his private pleasure outside the view of others. It does not mean that he should be addicted to them. When you are attached or addicted to them then you become overpowered by your enemy.
You should not laugh with your servants or joke with them. If you mingle freely with your servants then they forget their position and ask things that should not be asked for. They tell your secrets to others, they seek to outwit you. They will try to dominate over you and will start accepting bribes. They will not do even your own personal work like bringing your dress, your jewels, your food in time and feel not anxious about it.
So keep everyone in his place.
A King should always be ready for action. 'Like a snake swallowing a mice the earth swallows up the two viz a King that is averse of battle and a Brahmana who is excessively attached to his wives.
To him Bhishma said 'A King should always strive to please his subjects. He should be like a pregnant woman, who will not take anything that is inimical to the child. Likewise he should not do anything that is inimical to his subjects.
A King should bow down before Gods and wise of his Kingdom. A King should always be exerting. He should always look at means to keep his subjects happy and to keep his treasury full.
Exertion and destiny have equal role to play. Of these two exertion is of high merit. We can only start things and work on those projects earnestly. But if the results do not come as intended then no blame attaches itself on the King.
When the results are going down, it is an indication that some remedial action needs to be done.
A King should be devoted to Truth. If a King has to be respected by his subjects then he must be truthful.
If the King becomes mild others do not respect him. If he becomes harsh then people tend to avoid him. A King has to be mild in places where he has to be mild and harsh in places where he has to be harsh.
A King should conceal his weaknesses but lookout for the weaknesses of his enemies. He should consult all the Ministers but should not confide his thought to all of them. He should keep his counsel. He should reveal his thoughts only to appropriate people at the appropriate times.
Fire has sprung from the water, a Kshatriya has sprung from the Brahmana and the Iron has sprung from the stone.
While fire prevails on everything else it is quenched by the water. Likewise a Kshatriya cannot prevail upon his source the Brahmana and likewise an iron sword could not prevail upon the stone from which it had come from.
A King has to take this in the mind.
However he has to chastise the Brahmana who has crossed his limits, who is a threat to the general order of the society and who has risen his weapons to kill him.
A King should take good care of his servants. He should be considerate to the four orders of people living as society in his domain.
A King can have his private pleasure outside the view of others. It does not mean that he should be addicted to them. When you are attached or addicted to them then you become overpowered by your enemy.
You should not laugh with your servants or joke with them. If you mingle freely with your servants then they forget their position and ask things that should not be asked for. They tell your secrets to others, they seek to outwit you. They will try to dominate over you and will start accepting bribes. They will not do even your own personal work like bringing your dress, your jewels, your food in time and feel not anxious about it.
So keep everyone in his place.
A King should always be ready for action. 'Like a snake swallowing a mice the earth swallows up the two viz a King that is averse of battle and a Brahmana who is excessively attached to his wives.
Make peace with those that are powerful than you and make war with those that are weaker than you.
Whoever it may be, be it your teacher or your own kith and kin, if they go against the interests of your Kingdom should be killed.
Even if your teacher has transgressed his limits punishment should be meted out.
The duty of the Kings is to strive for the happiness of his subjects, observing the truth and being sincere.
From a King who is powerful, truthful and of forgiving temperament will not loose wealth.
He would always follow the four Purusharthas viz Dharma (virtue), Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure) and attain Moksha (salvation).
A King should not show non confidence on his workers and also should not be fully confident of them too. He should rather test them time and again without their knowledge.
A Kingdom has seven limbs viz King, Army, Counsellors, Friends, Treasury and Forts.
A King should always protect them all.
A King should be able to wield his powers like Yama while protecting his subjects and amass wealth like Kubera.
A King should never take wealth from the righteous but take it from the unrighteous and distribute the same among his subjects.
A crooked and covetous King who suspects everybody and who taxes heavily is soon deprived of life by own servants and relatives.
A King of righteous behavior, even when he falls down will be able to recoup and win back with the help of his counsellors, subjects, treasury etc.
That King deserves to rule whose spies, counsels, accomplished and unaccomplished acts remain hidden from his enemies.
A King's first obligation is the protection of his subjects.
A person should choose a King who is capable of protecting and then acquire wife, children and wealth. Of what use is the wife, children and wealth if there is no protection.
These people should be avoided like a leaking boat in the sea viz. a teacher who will not speak, a priest who has not studied scriptures, and a King that does not give protection.
Striving or exerting is the root of the kingly duties.
The Amritha was obtained by exertion, the Asuras were killed by exertion. Even the God Indra, the God of the Devas obtained his realm only through exertion.
Those that are good at language that is the poets praise the heroes in action.
As a snake that is without poison will be killed by its enemies, a king who is intelligent but without exertion will be killed by his enemies.
A King may be strong and his enemy may be weak. But a king should not take him for granted because as a small spark of fire produces a conflagration likewise that foe would also become strong in the future.
A king should do acts that are straight and also crooked. But he should be able to conceal them all. Even if a king acts in crooked manner that should be for the benefit of his subjects and not for his personal gains.
He has to also keep secret the movement of his troops and the purposes of his heart. He should act righteously for keeping the people under his control.
Persons of crooked minds cannot bear the burden of an extensive kingdom. So he has to be crooked and as well as be straight.
A kingdom that is desired by all around for its wealth and resources cannot be guarded being simple and straight forward.
Therefore a king has to be both straight and crooked in his approach.
If in protecting his subjects the king falls into danger, he earns great merit.
No comments:
Post a Comment