Chapter 136

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection, viz., the method by which a kingshould fill his treasury, persons acquainted with the scriptures of oldendays cite the following verses sung by Brahman himself. The wealth ofpersons who are given to the performance of sacrifices, as also thewealth dedicated to the deities, should never be taken. A Kshatriyashould take the wealth of such persons as never perform religious ritesand sacrifices as are on that account regarded to be equal to robbers.All the creatures that inhabit the earth and all the enjoyments thatappertain to sovereignty, O Bharata, belong to the Kshatriyas. All thewealth of the earth belongs to the Kshatriya, and not to any person else.That wealth the Kshatriya should use for keeping up his army and for theperformance of sacrifice. Tearing up such creepers and plants as are notof any use, men burn them for cooking such vegetables as serve forfood.[407] Men conversant with duty have said that his wealth is uselesswho does not, with libations of clarified butter, feed the gods, thePitris, and men. A virtuous ruler, O king, should take away such wealth.By that wealth a large number of good people can be gratified. He shouldnot, however, hoard that wealth in his treasury. He who makes himself aninstrument of acquisition and taking away wealth from the wicked givesthem to those that are good is said to be conversant with the wholescience of morality. A king should extend his conquests in the next worldaccording to the measure of his power, and as gradually as vegetableproducts are seen to grow. As some ants are seen to grow from no adequatecause, even so sacrifice spring from no adequate cause.[408] As flies andgnats and ants are driven off from the bodies of kine and other domesticcattle (at the time of milking them), even so should persons who areaverse to the performance of sacrifices should be similarly driven offfrom the kingdom. This is consistent with morality. As the dust that lieson the earth, if pounded between two stones, becomes finer and finer,even so questions of morality, the more they are reflected upon anddiscussed, become finer and finer.'”