Chapter 92
“Yudhishthira said, ‘How should a righteous king, who is desirous ofadhering to a course of righteousness, behave? I ask thee this, Oforemost of men! Answer me, O Grandsire!’
“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection is cited the old story of whatVamadeva gifted with great intelligence and acquainted with the trueimport of everything sang in ancient time. Once upon a time, kingVasumanas, possessed of knowledge and fortitude and purity of behaviour,asked the great Rishi Vamadeva of high ascetic merit, saying, ‘Instructme, O holy one, in words fraught with righteousness and of grave impart,as to the conduct to be observed by me so that I may not fall away fromthe duties prescribed for me.’ Unto him of a golden complexion and seatedat his ease like Yayati, son of Nahusha, that foremost of ascetics, viz.,Vamadeva, of great energy, said as follows:
“Vamadeva said, ‘Do thou act righteously. There is nothing superior torighteousness. Those kings that are observant of righteousness, succeedin conquering the whole earth. That king who regards righteousness to bethe most efficacious means for accomplishing his objects, and who actsaccording to the counsels of those that are righteous, blazes forth withrighteousness. That king who disregards righteousness and desires to actwith brute force, soon falls away from righteousness and loses bothRighteousness and Profit. That king who acts according to the counsels ofa vicious and sinful minister becomes a destroyer of righteousness anddeserves to be slain by his subjects with all his family. Indeed, he verysoon meets with destruction. That king who is incompetent to dischargethe duties of state-craft, who is governed by caprice in all his acts,and who indulges in brag, soon meets with destruction even if he happensto be ruler of the whole earth. That king, on the other hand, who isdesirous of prosperity, who is free from malice, who has his senses undercontrol, and who is gifted with intelligence, thrives in affluence likethe ocean swelling with the waters discharged into it by a hundredstreams. He should never consider himself to have a sufficiency ofvirtue, enjoyments, wealth, intelligence, and friends. Upon these dependsthe conduct of the world. By listening to these counsels, a king obtainsfame’, achievements, prosperity, and subjects. Devoted to virtue, thatking who seeks the acquisition of virtue and wealth by such means, andwho begins all his measures after reflecting upon their objects, succeedsin obtaining great prosperity. That king who is illiberal, and withoutaffection, who afflicts his subjects by undue chastisements, and who isrash in his acts, soon meets with destruction. That king who is notgifted with intelligence fails to see his own faults. Covered with infamyhere, he sinks into hell hereafter. If the king gives proper honour tothem that deserve it, makes gifts, and recognises the value of sweetspeeches by himself uttering them on all occasions, his subjects thendispel the calamities that overtake him, as if these had fallen uponthemselves. That king who has no instructor in the ways of righteousnessand who never asks others for counsels, and who seeks to acquire wealthby means that caprice suggests, never succeeds in enjoying happinesslong. That king, on the other hand, who listens to the instructions ofhis preceptors in matters connected with virtue, who supervises theaffairs of his kingdom himself, and who in all his acquisitions is guidedby considerations of virtue, succeed in enjoying happiness for a longtime.'”[276]
