Mahabharata

by Carole Satyamurti

  which can protect the kingdom against attack,

  and in turn can conquer other kingdoms.

  In this way, wealth can be accumulated.

  Conquest can be achieved by other means,

  by cunning for example. He must send spies

  into the territory of his enemy;

  there they can use bribery, sow discord

  and send key information back to him.

  But constant vigilance is necessary

  for the enemy can do the same to him!”

  “What should be the personal qualities

  of a good king?” asked Yudhishthira.

  “A king should be the master of himself

  before he seeks to impose his will on others.

  More than this, there are many attributes

  a king should cultivate—remember these:

  He should do his duty without resentment.

  He should be cheerful and affectionate.

  He should pursue wealth without cruelty.

  He should be brave without being boastful.

  He should be generous, but not foolhardy.

  He should not ally himself with evil men.

  He should not engage in war against his kin.

  He should not use dishonest men as spies.

  He should avoid acting under duress.

  He should not trust an irreligious man.

  He should not betray confidences.

  He should never kill a messenger.

  He should not get angry without good reason.

  He should work hard and conscientiously

  and never be unmindful of the moment.

  He should enjoy his pleasures moderately.

  He should guard his wife, but without jealousy.

  He should not act hypocritically.

  He should not live too ostentatiously.

  He should be thoughtful in everything he does.

  “Whoever cultivates these kingly virtues

  will be fortunate in this life and the next.”

  “Grandfather,” Yudhishthira asked Bhishma,

  “being a king is such a heavy burden,

  so much responsibility. How can he

  avoid being continually anxious?

  With such opportunity for error,

  how can he ever sleep at night?”

  “My son,”

  replied Bhishma, “you should surround yourself

  with virtuous brahmins, and with ministers

  who are the wisest and best-qualified

  men you can find. In choosing them, be guided

  not by personal preference or love,

  still less by pressure to confer favors,

  but rather by your own considered judgment

  of their abilities and character.

  They should be men whose interests coincide

  with yours, men innocent of secret motives.

  Be ready to suspect your ministers.

  Beware of any person who would profit

  either from your misfortune or your death.

  “The brahmins you invite to live at court

  must be learned in the Vedas, and devoted

  to right action. Support them generously;

  their prayers and wisdom will console you daily.

  Surrounded by such men, anxiety

  will be kept at bay. In particular,

  your court priest will be a refuge for you.”

  But Yudhishthira was once again

  overwhelmed by doubt: “I have never yearned

  to be king, not for a single minute!

  I agreed because everyone around me

  persuaded me it was the right decision.

  But it seems that there is no ‘right’ in kingship.

  It is impossible to be a king

  without engaging in immoral actions.

  I’ll have none of it! I renounce the throne

  and the royal rod of force that goes with it.

  I’ll go to the forest, live on roots and berries,

  and live a life of prayer and meditation.”

  “But you are a king, Yudhishthira,”

  said Bhishma patiently. “If you retreat

  to the woods, renounce the world, to follow

  your own spiritual path, you will be

  a king reneging on his kshatriya dharma,

  behaving like a brahmin, or like someone

  in the final phase of life. I know you value

  gentleness, and shrink from the exercise

  of forceful authority. But the fact is

  nothing great has ever been achieved

  by gentleness alone. Your forebears knew this,

  they knew their duty was to protect their subjects,

  and what they knew should be good enough for you.

  The proper dharma of a king is action;

  for a kshatriya, nothing is more evil

  than inertia. Your parents’ greatest wish

  was always for you to embrace your duty.”

  “But is it never right,” asked Yudhishthira,

  “for a person to follow the life path

  of an order other than their own?

  After all, some brahmins become warriors.”

  “They do—but they are rarely right to do so,”

  replied Bhishma. “It is the king’s duty

  to correct brahmins who have veered away

  from their proper calling—those, for instance,

  who live as merchants or farmers. It may be

  that they do so out of hardship. Then the king

  should provide them with adequate support,

  so they return to their appropriate dharma.

  Brahmins who are ignorant of the Vedas,

  and make their living in a different way,

  should be taxed like other citizens.

  “It is the role of brahmins and kshatriyas

  to support one another. To that end

  the two orders should remain distinct,

  each pursuing its appropriate path.”

  “That sounds straightforward,” said Yudhishthira.

  “The Vedas tell us we should give to brahmins,

  but where does giving end? It seems the scriptures

  make no allowance for a king’s resources.

  What about periods of scarcity?

  The Vedas say, trust in the sacrifices

  the brahmins carry out on our behalf.

  But how can we trust, when all we can give

  is scraps and scrapings from our empty coffers?”

  “You should not have such disrespectful thoughts,”

  said Bhishma, “nor should you insult the Vedas.

  Gifts to brahmins are part of sacrifice;

  you give what you can.”

  “But aren’t those gifts

  merely a transaction, a form of payment

  for the merit the sacrifice produces?

  Rather than such ritual sacrifice,

  one’s body can be a sacrificial vessel

  in ascetic practice. In my view

  asceticism is better than sacrifice.”

  “Listen to me, O learned one,” said Bhishma.

  “Asceticism withers up the body—

  what merit lies in that? True self-denial

  consists in kindness, self-control, compassion,

  truthfulness—wise people know that these

  are true asceticism. Doubting the Vedas,

  our timeless spiritual authority,

  is to abandon any absolutes—

  that way destruction lies. No more foolishness!”

  Yudhishthira asked Bhishma every question

  he could think of, relating to the duties

  of a king. When his attention focused

  on the particulars of governance

  it seemed to steady him, and calm his doubts.

  They discussed strategies for protecting

  a great city, and how to make provision

  for possibl
e emergencies. “The city,”

  said Bhishma, “should be strongly fortified,

  and there should be capacious granaries

  and other stores inside the city walls.

  Life should be pleasant for all citizens,

  with shady courtyards, fountains and broad streets.

  The buildings should be gracious and strongly made,

  the markets well supplied, and there should be

  fairs, festivals and temples where the gods

  can be honored. Treasury and armories

  should be well stocked. Experts in every art

  coming from far and near should be welcomed in.

  The city is like a living organism

  with different parts working in harmony.

  The king should take a hand in everything,

  be aware of every activity,

  so no intrigue can flourish behind his back.

  “The countryside that lies around the city

  is its source of sustenance, and must be milked

  as if it were a cow—but not so much

  that it becomes exhausted. Country dwellers

  must feel fairly treated, their lives secure

  against marauders. As for paying tax,

  which no one likes, the king should make it clear

  that they are living under constant threat

  of aggression by invading hordes

  who will certainly lay waste to the land

  and rape the women if not beaten back

  by a strong army—for which tax is needed.

  Tax is the king’s wealth, but if the burden

  is felt to be oppressive and unjust,

  rich cattle owners may migrate elsewhere.

  A wise king encourages the wealthy

  since their wealth will benefit the kingdom.

  It is impossible to treat all alike.

  The king should cultivate the powerful

  and ensure the compliance of the rest.

  But the rich should not despise the poor,

  nor must the strong take advantage of the weak.

  “The kingdom must be run on moral lines.

  Taverns and whorehouses should be suppressed,

  and begging banned, except in times of famine.

  Robbery should not be tolerated.

  “A king should be impartial—never swayed

  by prejudice. Always observing dharma,

  he should live soberly, and shun excess,

  arrogance, falsehood and anger. Women,

  except his wives, are to be avoided.

  He should make certain that intermarriage

  between one social class and another

  does not muddy the waters of his kingdom;

  that will be the best way to ensure

  dutiful conduct within the family.”

  They talked at length about war: how to tell

  right from wrong action, how to discriminate

  between appropriately war-like acts

  and dishonorable trickery.

  “I hate kshatriya war,” said Yudhishthira,

  “so many lives are lost by it—for what?”

  “War can bring prosperity,” said Bhishma,

  “as well as rewards in the afterlife.

  A kshatriya is born for the battlefield.

  Suppose he goes to war to defend brahmins—

  a worthy cause, a response to evildoing—

  there could be no more glorious sight on earth

  than a brave warrior offering his body

  as sacrifice, his bright blood flowing freely

  over his limbs. The gods rejoice to see it.

  And when that kshatriya dies, washed clean of guilt,

  in the fullest flower of his manhood,

  he heads for heavenly bliss. It is most shaming

  for warriors to meet death in their beds,

  coughing feebly, moaning and shivering.

  “Nevertheless, a king should avoid rashness.

  If a stronger kingdom threatens his,

  he should bide his time, not start a battle

  he is bound to lose. He should be like

  the reeds that grow beside a swollen river

  which, bending flat with the powerful current,

  only stand up when the time is right.

  “But a flourishing kingdom does not spring

  from war alone. A king should first secure

  his base at home, by good governance.

  A strong base comes from contented subjects

  in both the city and the countryside.

  The people should be plump and prosperous,

  the army in good heart, and those at court

  busy and purposeful. This comes about

  when the king is mindful of right action,

  when he is solicitous for his subjects,

  is moderate, generous and energetic.

  Of life’s three goals—merit, wealth and pleasure—

  pleasure should come last for him. His people

  will see how he works hard on their behalf

  and will love and honor him.

  “Only then,

  when all is well at home, should the king think

  of reaching for the wealth of other kingdoms

  by well-planned attack. He should invite them

  to submit to his authority,

  promising that he will rule them fairly.

  If they are reluctant, he should seek

  to offer payments and conciliate.

  Only if they refuse should he make war,

  and then using the least possible force,

  with due respect for the rules of chivalry.

  Having conquered, he should pay attention

  to winning hearts and minds in his new lands

  through gifts and friendly speeches. Punishment

  should not be used on men whose sole offense

  is having fought against him. Treated well,

  his new subjects may not feel inclined

  to forge alliances with his enemies.

  “But do not discount humiliation.

  To be defeated is a bitter thing

  for a proud people; memory is long

  and there will always be brave young hotheads

  who wish to have revenge, and prove themselves.

  So the king must always be vigilant

  against conspiracy, and train his spies

  to be his eyes and ears.”

  “Revered Grandfather,”

  said Yudhishthira, “explain to me

  how republics work. Without a king,

  why do they not split apart?”

  “Quite often

  they do,” said Bhishma, “when they have become

  demoralized by greed and selfishness.

  A republic’s strength lies in the way

  an individual’s effort is amplified

  by being joined to that of the whole group.

  When collective loyalty is uppermost

  in people’s minds, when scrupulous attention

  is paid to justice, fairly administered

  by the wisest men, so corrupt influence

  does not take hold, well, then a republic

  will flourish. But when conflicting interests

  are not resolved, then fissures will appear

  and the weakened polity will fall victim

  to the predations of its enemies.”

  51.

  THE EDUCATION OF THE DHARMA KING (2)

  “How very many points,” sighed Yudhishthira,

  “have to be borne in mind by any person

  who sincerely seeks a virtuous life!

  Is there one precept, above all the others,

  one should not forget?”

  “In my view,” said Bhishma,

  “nothing is more important than honoring

  one’s parents and one’s teachers; they should always

  be obeyed and treated with deference.

>   Mother, father, teacher—they are the three worlds,

  the three sacrificial fires. Their needs

  should never be neglected. There is no one

  in the world more wicked than a person

  who harms any of these, by word or deed.

  Of these, the teacher is the most important.

  The two parents create the child’s body

  which grows, strengthens, withers and grows old.

  But one is born again through the instruction

  the teacher offers. That teaching is divine,

  timeless, and never decays with age.”

  Yudhishthira was struggling with confusion.

  Though Bhishma talked of honoring one’s parents

  above all others, the Dharma King remained

  angered and shocked by what Kunti had done

  in covering up the truth of Karna’s birth.

  “How can a man go on?” he cried to Bhishma.

  “I want to live virtuously, but how to tell

  right from wrong, when truth and falsehood seem

  so intertwined? What is truth, what is falsehood?

  And should one always speak the truth, regardless?”

  “There is nothing higher than truth,” said Bhishma.

  “But sometimes truth is false, and falsehood true.

  A simple person clings to the literal;

  wisdom brings deeper discrimination.

  The law on what is right is intended

  for the good of creatures, avoiding harm.

  So, on occasion, lying may be right—

  think of simple-minded Kaushika.

  “There are many circumstances when the truth

  may not be what it seems, and nor may lying.

  Someone who witholds the truth, while not

  directly lying, is committing falsehood.

  Someone who lives by dishonesty

  is a liar, and should certainly be punished.

  But one who lies in order to support

  a virtuous outcome is acting as they should.

  And one who kills a hypocrite acts rightly

  since, in fact, that sinner is already

  killed by their own behavior. Remember too—

  to act toward a person in the way

  that they themselves have acted is to choose

  right conduct.

  “You look downcast, Yudhishthira.

  All you can do is live as best you can—

  do your duty as you understand it,

  enjoy your pleasures, but in moderation,

  worship the gods, and devote yourself

  to Narayana above all others.”

  “But tell me, Grandfather,” cried Yudhishthira,

  “how can a king possibly be happy?”

  “He must cultivate his higher faculties,”

  replied Bhishma, “and act with energy,

  never opt merely for an easy life.