Chapter 142

“Yudhishthira said, ‘If that which is so horrible and which likefalsehood should never be an object of regard, be cited (as duty), thenwhat act is there from which I should forbear? Why also should notrobbers then be respected? I am stupefied! My heart is pained! All theties that bind me to morality are loosened! I cannot tranquillise my mindand venture to act in the way suggested by you.’

“Bhishma said, ‘I do not instruct thee in respect of duty, taught by whatI have heard from the Vedas alone. What I have told thee is the result ofwisdom and experience. This is the honey that the learned have gathered.Kings should gather wisdom from various sources. One cannot accomplishhis course through the world with the aid of a morality that isone-sided. Duty must spring from the understanding; and the practices ofthose that are good should always be ascertained, O son of Kuru! Attendto these words of mine. Only kings that are possessed of superiorintelligence can rule, expecting victory. A king should provide for theobservance of morality by the aid of his understanding and guided byknowledge derived from various sources. The duties of a king can never bedischarged by rules drawn from a morality that is one-sided. Aweak-minded king can never display wisdom (in the discharge of hisduties) in consequence of his not having drawn any wisdom from theexamples before him. Righteousness sometimes takes the shape ofunrighteousness. The latter also sometimes takes the shape of the former.He who does not know this, becomes confounded when confronted by anactual instance of the kind. Before the occasion comes, one should, OBharata, comprehend the circumstances under which righteousness and itsreverse become confused. Having acquired this knowledge, a wise kingshould, when the occasion comes, act accordingly, aided by his judgment.The acts he does at such a time are misunderstood by ordinary people.Some persons are possessed of true knowledge. Some persons have falseknowledge. Truly ascertaining the nature of each kind of knowledge, awise king derives knowledge from them that are regarded as good. Theythat are really breakers of morality find fault with the scriptures. Theythat have themselves no wealth proclaim the inconsistencies of thetreatises on the acquisition of wealth. Those who seek to acquireknowledge for the object only of carrying their sustenance by it, O king,are sinful besides being enemies of morality. Wicked men, of immatureunderstandings, can never know things truly, even as persons unconversantwith scriptures are unable in all their acts to be guided by reason. Witheyes directed to the faults of the scriptures, they decry the scriptures.Even if they understand the true meaning of the scriptures, they arestill in the habit of proclaiming that scriptural injunctions areunsound. Such men, by decrying the knowledge of others proclaim thesuperiority of their own knowledge. They have words for their weapons andwords for their arrows and speak as if they are real masters of theirsciences. Know, O Bharata, that they are traders in learning andRakshasas among men. By the aid of mere pretexts they cast off thatmorality which has been established by good and wise men. It has beenheard by us that the texts of morality are not to be understood by eitherdiscussion or one’s own intelligence. Indra. himself has said that thisis the opinion of the sage Vrihaspati. Some are of opinion that noscriptural text has been laid down without a reason. Others again, evenif they properly understand the scriptures, never act according to them.One class of wise men declare that morality is nothing else than theapproved course of the world. The man of true knowledge should find outfor himself the morality laid down for the good. If even a wise manspeaks of morality under the influence of wrath or confusion ofunderstanding or ignorance, his deliverances go for nothing. Discourseson morality made with the aid of an intelligence that is derived from thetrue letter and spirit of the scriptures, are worthy of praise and notthose which are made with the help of anything else. Even the words heardfrom an ignorant person, if in themselves they be fraught with sense,come to be regarded as pious and wise. In days of old, Usanas said untothe Daityas this truth, which should remove all doubts, that scripturesare no scriptures if they cannot stand the test of reason. The possessionor absence of knowledge that is mixed with doubts is the same thing. Itbehoves thee to drive off such knowledge after tearing it up by theroots. He who does not listen to these words of mine is to be regarded asone that has suffered himself to be misled. Dost thou not see that thouwert created for the accomplishment of fierce deeds? Behold me, O dearchild, how, by betaking myself, to the duties of the order of my birth, Ihave despatched innumerable Kshatriyas to heaven! There are some that arenot delighted with me for this. The goat, the horse and the Kshatriyawere created by Brahman for a similar purpose (viz., for being useful toeverybody). A Kshatriya, therefore, should incessantly seek the happinessof all creatures. The sin that attaches to killing a person that shouldnot be killed is equal to that which is incurred by not killing one whodeserves to be killed. Even such is the established order of things whicha weak-minded king thinks of never attending to. Therefore, a king shoulddisplay severity in making all his subjects observe their respectiveduties. If this is not done, they will prowl like wolves, devouring oneanother. He is a wretch among Kshatriyas in whose territories robbers goabout plundering the property of other people like crows taking littlefishes from water. Appointing high-born men possessed of Vedic knowledgeas thy ministers, do thou govern the earth, protecting thy subjectsrighteously. That Kshatriya who, ignorant of the established customs andcontrivances, improperly levies taxes upon his people, is regarded as aeunuch of his order. A king should be neither severe nor mild. If herules righteously he deserves praise. A king should not cast off both thequalities; on the other hand, becoming severe (on occasions demandingseverity), he should be mild when it is necessary to be so. Painful isthe observance of Kshatriya duties. I bear a great love for thee. Thouart created for the accomplishment of severe acts. Therefore, do thourule thy kingdom. Sakra possessed of great intelligence has said that intimes of distress the great duty of a king is chastising the wicked andprotecting the good.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Is there any such rule (in respect of kingly duties)which should, under no circumstances, be violated? I ask thee this, Oforemost of virtuous persons! Tell me, O grandsire!’

“Bhishma said, ‘One should always worship Brahmanas venerable forlearning, devoted to penances, and rich in conduct conformable to theinjunctions of the Vedas. This indeed, is a high and sacred duty. Let thyconduct towards the Brahmanas be always that which thou observest towardsthe gods. The Brahmanas, if enraged, can inflict diverse kinds of wrong,O king. If they be gratified, high fame will be thy share. If otherwise,great will be thy fear. If gratified, the Brahmanas become like nectar.If enraged, they become like poison.'”