Chapter 75

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me, O grandsire, that conduct by which a kingsucceeds in aggrandising his subjects and earning regions of felicity inthe other world.’

“Bhishma said, ‘The king should be liberal and should perform sacrifices,O Bharata! He should be observant of vows and penances, and should bedevoted to the duty of protecting his subjects. Righteously protectingall his subjects, he should honour all righteous persons by standing upwhen they come and by making gifts unto them. If the king regards it,righteousness becomes regarded everywhere. Whatever acts and things areliked by the king are liked by his subjects. Unto his foes the kingshould always be like Death, with the rod of chastisement uplifted in hishands. He should exterminate robbers everywhere in his kingdom and neverpardon any one from caprice. The king, O Bharata, earns a fourth part ofthe merit that his subjects earn under his protection. By only protectinghis subjects the king acquires a fourth part of the merit that hissubjects acquire by study, by gifts, by pouring libations, and byworshipping the gods. The king acquires a fourth part also of the sinthat his subjects commit in consequence of any distress in the kingdomarising from the king’s neglect in discharging the duty of protection.Some say that the king earns a moiety, and some say the full measure, ofwhatever sin is caused by his becoming cruel and untruthful in speech.Listen now to the means by which the king may be cleansed of such sins.If the king fails to restore to a subject the wealth that has been stolenaway by thieves, he should then compensate the injured from his owntreasury, or, in case of inability, with wealth obtained from hisdependents. All the orders should protect the wealth of a Brahmana evenas they should the Brahmana’s boy or life. The person that offendsagainst Brahmanas should be exiled from the kingdom. Everything isprotected by protecting the Brahmana’s wealth. Through the grace of theBrahmana, which may thus be secured, the king becomes crowned withsuccess. Men seek the protection of a competent king like creaturesseeking relief from the clouds or birds seeking refuge in a large tree. Acruel and covetous king, with lustful soul and ever seeking thegratification of his desire never succeeds in protecting his subjects.’

“Yudhishthira, said, ‘I do not, for a moment, desire the happiness thatsovereignty bestows or sovereignty itself for its own sake. I desire it,however, for the sake of the merit one may acquire from it. It seems tome that no merit is attached to it. No need for sovereignty then by whichno merit can be acquired. I shall, therefore, retire into the woods fromdesire of earning merit. Laying aside the rod of chastisement, andsubduing my senses, I shall go to the woods which are sacred and seek toacquire the merit of righteousness by becoming an ascetic subsisting uponfruit and roots.’

“Bhishma said, ‘I know, O Yudhishthira, what the nature of thy heart is,and how inoffensive is thy disposition. Thou wilt not, however, byinoffensiveness alone, succeed in ruling thy kingdom. Thy heart isinclined to mildness, thou art compassionate, and thou art exceedinglyrighteous. Thou art without energy, and thou art virtuous and full ofmercy. People, therefore, do not regard thee much. Follow the conduct ofthy sire and grandsire. Kings should never adopt that conduct which thoudesirest to adopt. Never be touched by such anxiety (after doing thyduty), and never adopt such inoffensiveness of conduct. By becoming so,thou wouldst not succeed in earning that merit of righteousness whicharises from protecting subjects. The behaviour thou wishest to adopt,impelled by thy own intelligence and wisdom, is not consistent with thoseblessings which thy sire Pandu or thy mother Kunti used to solicit forthee. Thy sire always solicited for thee courage, might, and truth. Kuntialways solicited for thee high-mindedness and liberality. The offeringswith Swaha and Swadha in Sraddhas and sacrifices are always asked fromchildren by the Pitris and the deities. Whether gifts and study andsacrifices and the protection of subjects be meritorious or sinful, thouhast been born to practise and perform them. The fame, O son of Kunti, isnever tarnished of men that even fail in bearing the burdens which areplaced on them and unto which they are yoked in life. Even a horse, ifproperly trained, succeeds in bearing, without falling down, a burden.(What need then be said of thee that art a human being?) One incurs nocensure if only one’s acts and words be proper, for success is said todepend upon acts (and words). No person, be he a man virtuously followingthe domestic mode of life, or be he a king, or be he a Brahmacharin, hasever succeeded in conducting himself without tripping. It is better to doan act which is good and in which there is small merit than to totallyabstain from all acts, for total abstention from acts is very sinful.When a high-born and righteous person succeeds in obtaining affluence,the king then succeeds in obtaining prosperity in all his affairs. Avirtuous king, having obtained a kingdom, should seek to subdue some bygifts, some by force, and some by sweet words. There is no one morevirtuous than he upon whom high-born and learned persons rely from fearof losing their means of sustenance and depending upon whom they live incontentment.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘What acts, O sire, are conductive to heaven? What isthe nature of the great felicity that is derived from them? What also isthe high prosperity that may be obtained thence? Tell me all this, ifthou knowest.,

“Bhishma said, ‘That man from whom a person afflicted with fear obtainsrelief even for a moment, is the most worthy of heaven amongst us. Thisthat I tell thee is very true. Be thou cheerfully the king of the Kurus,O foremost one of Kuru’s race, acquire heaven, protect the good and slaythe wicked. Let thy friends, together with all honest men, derive theirsupport from thee, like all creatures from the deity of the clouds andlike birds from a large tree with delicious fruits. Men seek theprotection of that person who is dignified, courageous, capable ofsmiting, compassionate, with senses under control, affectionate towardsall, and equitable, and just.'”