Chapter 88

“Yudhishthira said: ‘Tell me, O grandsire, how should the king shouldbehave if, notwithstanding his great wealth, he desires for more.’

“Bhishma said, ‘A king, desirous of earning religious merit, shoulddevote himself to the good of his subjects and protect them according toconsiderations of place and time and to the best of his intelligence andpower. He should, in his dominions, adopt all such measures as would inhis estimation secure their good as also his own. A king should milk hiskingdom like a bee gathering honey from plants.[253] He should act likethe keeper of a cow who draws milk from her without boring her udders andwithout starving the calf. The king should (in the matter of taxes) actlike the leech drawing blood mildly. He should conduct himself towardshis subjects like a tigress in the matter of carrying her cubs, touchingthem with her teeth but never piercing them therewith. He should behavelike a mouse which though possessed of sharp and pointed teeth still cutsthe feet of sleeping animals in such a manner that they do not at allbecome conscious of it. A little by little should be taken from a growingsubject and by this means should he be shorn. The demand should then beincreased gradually till what is taken assumes a fair proportion. Theking should enhance the burthens of his subjects gradually like a persongradually increasing the burthens of a young bullock. Acting with careand mildness, he should at last put the reins on them. If the reins arethus put, they would not become intractable. Indeed, adequate measuresshould be employed for making them obedient. Mere entreaties to reducethem to subjection would not do. It is impossible to behave equallytowards all men. Conciliating those that are foremost, the common peopleshould be reduced to obedience. Producing disunion (through the agency oftheir leaders) among the common people who are to bear the burthens, theking should himself come forward to conciliate them and then enjoy inhappiness what he will succeed in drawing from them. The king shouldnever impose taxes unseasonably and on persons unable to bear them. Heshould impose them gradually and with conciliation, in proper season andaccording to due forms. These contrivances that I declare unto thee arelegitimate means of king-craft. They are not reckoned as methods fraughtwith deceit. One who seeks to govern steeds by improper methods onlymakes them furious. Drinking-shops, public women, pimps, actors, gamblersand keepers of gaining houses, and other persons of this kind, who aresources of disorder to the state, should all be checked. Residing withinthe realm, these afflict and injure the better classes of the subjects.Nobody should ask anything of anyone when there is no distress. Manuhimself in days of old has laid down this injunction in respect of allmen.[254] If all men were to live by asking or begging and abstain fromwork, the world would doubtless come to an end. The king alone iscompetent to restrain and check. That king who does not restrain hissubjects (from sin) earns a fourth part of the sins committed by hispeople (in consequence of the absence of royal protection). This is thedeclaration of the Srutis. Since the king shares the sins of his subjectslike their merits, he should, therefore, O monarch, restrain thosesubjects of his that are sinful. The king that neglects to restrain thembecomes himself sinful. He earns (as already said) a fourth part of theirsins as he does a fourth part of their merits. The following faults ofwhich I speak should be checked. They are such as impoverish everyone.What wicked act is there that a person governed by passion would not do?A person governed by passion indulges in stimulants and meat, andappropriates the wives and the wealth of other people, and sets a badexample (for imitation by others). They that do not live upon alms maybeg in seasons of distress. The king should, observant of righteousness,make gifts unto them from compassion but not from fear. Let there be nobeggars in thy kingdom, nor robbers. It is the robbers (and not virtuousmen) that give unto beggars. Such givers are not real benefactors of men.Let such men reside in thy dominions as advance the interests of othersand do them good, but not such as exterminate others. Those officers, Oking, that take from the subjects more than what is due should bepunished. Thou shouldst then appoint others so that these will take onlywhat is due. Agriculture, rearing of cattle, trade and other acts of asimilar nature, should be caused to be carried on by many persons on theprinciple of division of labour.[255] If a person engaged in agriculture,cattle-rearing, or trade, becomes inspired with a sense of insecurity (inconsequence of thieves and tyrannical officers), the king, as aconsequence, incurs infamy. The king should always honour those subjectsof his that are rich and should say unto them, ‘Do ye, with me, advancethe interest of the people.’ In every kingdom, they that are wealthyconstitute an estate in the realm. Without doubt, a wealthy person is theforemost of men.[256] He that is wise, or courageous, or wealthy orinfluential, or righteous, or engaged in penances, or truthful in speech,or gifted with intelligence, assists in protecting (his fellow subjects).

For these reasons, O monarch, do thou love all creatures, and display thequalities of truth, sincerity, absence of wrath, and abstention frominjury! Thou shouldst thus wield the rod of chastisement, and enhance thytreasury and support thy friends and consolidate thy kingdom thus,practising the qualities of truthfulness and sincerity and supported bythy friends, treasury and forces!'”