Chapter 68

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Why, O bull of Bharata’s race, have the Brahmanassaid that the king, that ruler of men, is a god?’

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection, is cited the old story, O Bharata, ofthe discourse of Vrihaspati unto Vasumanas. There was a king of Kosalapossessed of great intelligence, named Vasumanas. On a certain occasionhe questioned the great sage Vrihaspati of much wisdom. Conversant withthe requirements of humility, king Vasumanas, ever devoted to the welfareof all, having observed the proper humilities and having circumambulatedthe great sage and bowed unto him duly, enquired of the virtuousVrihaspati about the ordinances in respect of a kingdom, moved by thedesire of securing the happiness of men.’

“Vasumanas said, ‘By what means do creatures grow and by what are theydestroyed? O thou of great wisdom, by adoring whom do they succeed inobtaining eternal happiness?’ Thus questioned by the Kosala king ofimmeasurable energy, Vrihaspati of great wisdom discoursed unto himcoolly about the respect that should be paid to kings.

“Vrihaspati said, ‘The duties of all men, O thou of great wisdom, may beseen to have their root in the king. It is through fear of the king onlythat men do not devour one another. It is the king that brings peace onearth, through due observance of duties, by checking all disregard forwholesome restraints and all kinds of lust. Achieving this, he shines inglory. As, O king, all creatures become unable to see one another andsink in utter darkness if the sun and the moon do not rise, as fishes inshallow water and birds in a spot safe from danger dart and rove as theyplease (for a time) and repeatedly attack and grind one another withforce and then meet with certain destruction even so men sink in utterdarkness and meet with destruction if they have no king to protect them,like a herd of cattle without the herdsman to look after them. If theking did not exercise the duty of protection, the strong would forciblyappropriate the possessions of the weak, and if the latter refused tosurrender them with ease, their very lives would be taken. Nobody then,with reference to any article in his possession, would be able to say’This is mine.’ Wives, sons, food, and other kinds of property, would notthen exist. Ruin would overtake everything if the king did not exercisethe duty of protection. Wicked men would forcibly appropriate thevehicles and robes and ornaments and precious stones and other kinds ofproperty belonging to others, if the king did not protect. In the absenceof protection by the king, diverse kinds of weapons would fall upon thosethat are righteous in their practices, and unrighteousness would beadopted by all. In the absence of royal protection men would disregard oreven injure their very mothers and fathers if aged, their very preceptorsand guests and seniors. If the king did not protect, all personspossessed of wealth would have to encounter death, confinement, andpersecution, and the very idea of property would disappear. If the kingdid not protect, everything would be exterminated prematurely, and everypart of the country would be overrun by robbers, and everybody would fallinto terrible hell. If the king did not protect, all restrictions aboutmarriage and intercourse (due to consanguinity and other kinds ofrelationship) would cease; all affairs relating to agricultures and tradewould fall into confusion, morality would sink and be lost; and the threeVedas would disappear. Sacrifices, duly completed with presents accordingto the ordinance, would no longer be performed; no marriage would takeplace; society itself would cease to exist, if the king did not exercisethe duty of protection. The very bulls would not cover cows and milk-jarswould not be churned, and men living by rearing kine would meet withdestruction, if the king did not exercise the duty of protection. In theabsence of royal protection, all things, inspired with fear and anxietyand becoming senseless and uttering cries of woe, would meet withdestruction in no time. No sacrifices extending for a year and completedwith presents according to the ordinances would occur if the king did notexercise the duty of protection. In the absence of royal protectionBrahmanas would never study the four Vedas or undergo austerities or becleansed by knowledge and rigid vows. In the absence of royal protection,the slayer of a person guilty of the slaughter of a Brahmana would notobtain any reward; on the other hand the person guilty of Brahmanicidewould enjoy perfect immunity. In the absence of royal protection, menwould snatch other people’s wealth from their very hands, and allwholesome barriers would be swept away, and everybody, inspired withfear, would seek safety in flight. In the absence of royal protection,all kinds of injustice would set in; an intermixture of castes would takeplace; and famine would ravage the kingdom. In consequence again of royalprotection, men can everywhere sleep fearlessly and at their case withoutshutting their houses and doors with bolts and bars. Nobody would hearthe evil speeches of others, far less actual assaults, if the king didnot righteously protect the earth.[213] If the king exercises the duty ofprotection, women decked with ornament may fearlessly wander everywherewithout male relatives to attend upon them. Men become righteous andwithout injuring serve one another because the king exercises the duty ofprotection. In consequence of royal protection the members of the threeorders are enabled to perform high sacrifices and devote themselves tothe acquisition of learning with attention, The world depends uponagriculture and trade and is protected by the Vedas. All these again areduly protected by the king exercising his principal duty. Since the king,taking a heavy load upon himself, protects his subjects with the aid of amighty force, it is for this that the people are able to live inhappiness. Who is there that will not worship him in whose existence thepeople exist and in whose destruction the people are destroyed? Thatperson who does what is agreeable and beneficial to the king and whobears (a share of) the burden of kingly duties that strike every castewith fear, conquers both this and the other world.[214] That man who eventhinks of doing an injury to the king, without doubt meets with griefhere and goes to hell hereafter. No one should disregard the king bytaking him for a man, for he is really a high divinity in human form. Theking assumes five different forms according to five different occasions.He becomes Agni, Aditya, Mrityu, Vaisravana, and Yama. When the king,deceived by falsehood, burns with his fierce energy the sinful offendersbefore him, he is then said to assume the form of Agni. When he observesthrough his spies the acts of all persons and does what is for thegeneral good, he is then said to assume the form of Aditya. When hedestroys in wrath hundreds of wicked men with their sons, grandsons, andrelatives, he is then said to assume the form of the Destroyer. When herestrains the wicked by inflicting upon them severe punishments andfavours the righteous by bestowing rewards upon them, he is then said toassume the form of Yama. When he gratifies with profuse gifts of wealththose that have rendered him valuable services, and snatches away thewealth and precious stones of those that have offended him, indeed, whenhe bestows prosperity upon some and takes it away from others, he isthen, O king, said to assume the form of Kuvera on earth. No person whois possessed of cleverness, who is capable of work, who desires theacquisition of virtue, and who is free from malice, should ever spreadevil reports about the king. No man, by acting against the king, can evermake himself happy, even if he happens to be the king’s son or brother orcompanion or one whom the king regards as his second self. Fire, havingthe wind for his urger, blazing forth (among articles that areinflammable), may leave a remnant.[215] The wrath of the king, however,leaves not anything to the person that incurs it. Whatever belongs to theking should be avoided from distance.[216] One should turn away from whatbelongs to the king as he would from death itself. A person byappropriating what belongs to the king speedily meets with destructionlike a deer upon touching poison. The man of intelligence should protectas his own what belongs to the kin.. They that appropriate wealthbelonging to the king sink senseless into a deep hell of eternal gloomand infamy. Who is there that will not worship the king who is adored bysuch terms as delighter of the people, giver of happiness, possessor ofprosperity, the foremost of all, healer of injuries, lord of earth, andprotector of men? That man, therefore, who desires his own prosperity,who observes all wholesome restraints, who has his soul under control,who is the master of his passions, who is possessed of intelligence andmemory, and who is clever (in the transaction of business), should alwaysbe attached to the king. The king should duly honour the minister who isgrateful, endued with wisdom, large-hearted, loyal, possessed of masteryover his senses, virtuous, and observant of the dictates of policy. Theking should entertain the man who is loyal, grateful, virtuous, possessedof self-control, brave, magnanimous in his acts, and competent toaccomplish tasks without the assistance of others. Knowledge makes menproud. The king makes men humble. The man who is afflicted by the kingcan never obtain happiness. On the other hand, the man who is favoured bythe king becomes happy. The king is the heart of his people; he is theirgreat refuge; he is their glory; and he is their highest happiness. Thosemen, O monarch, who are attached to the king, succeed in conquering boththis and the other world. Having governed the earth with the aid of thequalities of self-restraint, truth, and friendship, and having adored thegods by great sacrifices, the king, earning great glory, obtains aneternal abode in heaven.’ That best of monarchs, viz., the heroicVasumanas, ruler of Kosala, thus instructed by Vrihaspati the son ofAngiras, began thenceforth to protect his subjects.”