Chapter 73

“Bhishma said, ‘The king, with an eye to both religious merit and profitwhose considerations are often very intricate, should, without delay,appoint a priest possessed of learning and intimate acquaintance with theVedas and the (other) scriptures. Those kings that have priests possessedof virtuous souls and conversant with policy, and that are themselvespossessed of such attributes, enjoy prosperity in every direction. Boththe priest and the king should have such qualities as are worthy ofregard and should be observant of vows and penances. They would thensucceed in supporting and aggrandising the subjects and the deities, thePitris and the children.[231] It is laid down that they should bepossessed of similar hearts and should be each other’s friends. Inconsequence of such friendship between Brahmana and Kshatriya, thesubjects become happy. If they do not regard each other, destructionwould overtake the people. The Brahmana and the Kshatriya are said to bethe progenitors of all men. In this connection is cited the old storyabout the discourse between Aila’s son and Kasyapa. Listen to it, OYudhishthira.’

“Aila said, ‘When the Brahmana forsakes the Kshatriya or the Kshatriyaforsakes the Brahmana, who amongst them should be regarded superior andupon whom do the other orders rely and maintain themselves?’

“Kasyapa said, ‘Ruin overtakes the kingdom of the Kshatriya when theBrahmana and Kshatriya contend with each other. Robbers infest thatkingdom in which confusion prevails, and all good men regard the ruler tobe a Mlechcha. Their oxen do not thrive, nor their children. Their pots(of milk) are not churned, and no sacrifices are performed there. Thechildren do not study the Vedas in kingdoms where Brahmanas abandonKshatriyas. In their houses wealth does not increase. Their children donot become good and do not study the scriptures and perform sacrifices.Those Kshatriyas that abandon Brahmanas become impure in blood and assumethe nature of robbers. The Brahmana and the Kshatriya are connected witheach other naturally, and each protects the other. The Kshatriya is thecause of the Brahmana’s growth and the Brahmana is the cause of theKshatriya’s growth. When each helps the other, both attain to greatprosperity. If their friendship, existing from days of old, breaks, aconfusion sets over everything. No person desirous of crossing the oceanof life succeeds in his task even as a small boat floating on the bosomof the sea. The four orders of men become confounded and destructionovertakes all. If the Brahmana. who is like a tree is protected, gold andhoney are showered. If, on the other hand, he is not protected, it thentears and sins are showered, When Brahmanas fall away from the Vedas and(in the absence of a Kshatriya ruler) seek protection from thescriptures, then Indra does not pour rain seasonably and diverse kinds ofcalamities ceaselessly afflict the kingdom. When a sinful wretch havingslain a woman or a Brahmana does not incur obloquy in assemblies offellowmen and has not to stand in fear of the king, then danger threatensthe Kshatriya ruler. In consequence of the sins perpetrated by sinfulmen, the god Rudra appears in the kingdom. Indeed, the sinful by theirsins bring upon them that god of vengeance. He then destroys all, thehonest and the wicked alike (without making any distinction).’

“Aila said, ‘Whence does Rudra spring? What also is his form? Creaturesare seen to be destroyed by creatures. Tell me all this, O Kasyapa!Whence does the god Rudra spring?’

“Kasyapa said, ‘Rudra exists in the hearts of men. He destroys the bodiesthemselves in which he dwells as also the bodies of others. Rudra hasbeen said to be like atmospheric visitations and his form is like that ofthe wind-gods.’

“Aila said, ‘The Wind does not, by blowing, visibly destroy men on alloccasions, nor does the deity of the clouds do so by pouring rain. On theother hand, it is seen among men that they lose their senses and areslain through lust and malice.’

“Kasyapa said, ‘Fire, blazing forth in one house, burneth a whole quarteror an entire village. Similarly, this deity stupefies the senses of someone and then that stupefaction touches all, the honest and the wickedalike, without any distinction.’

“Aila said, ‘If chastisement touches all viz., the honest and the wickedalike, in consequence of the sins perpetrated by the sinful, why shouldmen, in that case, do acts that are good? Indeed, why should they notperform wicked acts?’

“Kasyapa said, ‘By avoiding all connection with the sinful, one becomespure and stainless. In consequence, however, of their being mixed withthe sinful, the sinless are overtaken by chastisement. Wood that is wet,if mixed with wood that is dry, is consumed by fire in consequence ofsuch co-existence. The sinless, therefore, should never mingle with thesinful.’

“Aila said, ‘The earth holds the honest and the wicked. The sun warms thehonest and the wicked. The wind blows equally for them. Water cleansesthem equally.’

“Kasyapa said, ‘Such, indeed, is the course of this world, O prince! Itis not so, however, hereafter. In the other world, there is greatdifference of condition between the person that acts righteously and himthat acts sinfully. The regions that meritorious men acquire are full ofhoney and possessed of the splendour of gold or of a fire upon whichclarified butter has been poured. Those regions also are likened to thenavel of ambrosia. The meritorious person enjoys great felicity there.Death, decrepitude, and sorrow, are not there. The region for the sinfulis hell. Darkness and ceaseless pain are there, and it is full of sorrow.Sinking in infamy, the man of sinful deeds wrung with remorse there formany years. In consequence of a disunion between Brahmanas andKshatriyas, unbearable griefs afflict the people. Knowing this, a kingshould appoint a (Brahmana) priest possessed of experience and wideknowledge. A king should first install the priest in his office, and thencause his own coronation. This has been laid down in the ordinance. Theordinances declare that the Brahmana is the foremost of all creatures.Men acquainted with the Vedas say that the Brahmana was created first. Inconsequence of the precedence of his birth, all things that are good inthis world are vested in him. The rightful owner of all the best thingsthat have flowed from the Creator, the Brahmana is also, for suchprecedence, worthy of the respect and the worship of all creatures. Aking, however powerful, should, according to the dictates of thescriptures, bestow upon the Brahmana whatever is best and distinguishedabove others. The Brahmana contributes to the aggrandisement of theKshatriya, and the Kshatriya to the aggrandisement of the Brahmana.Brahmanas should, therefore, be especially and always worshipped bykings.'”