Section V

"Vaisampayana said, 'Having received the king’s permission, king Dhritarashtra of great energy then proceeded to his own palace, followed by Gandhari. With weakened strength and slow motion, that king of great intelligence walked with difficulty, like the leader, worn out with age, of an elephantine herd. He was followed by Vidura of great learning, and his charioteer Sanjaya, as also that mighty bowman Kripa, the son of Saradvata. Entering his mansion, O king, he went through the morning rites and after gratifying many foremost of Brahmanas he took some food. Gandhari conversant with every duty, as also Kunti of great intelligence, worshipped with offers of various articles by their daughters-in-law, then took some food, O Bharata. After Dhritarashtra had eaten, and Vidura also and others had done the same, the Pandavas, having finished their meals, approached and sat around the old king. Then the son of Amvika, O monarch, addressing Kunti’s son who was seated near him and touching his back with his hand, said, 'You should always, O delighter of the Kurus, act without heedlessness as regards everything connected with your kingdom consisting of eight limbs, O foremost of rulers, and in which the claims of righteousness should ever be kept foremost.^[1] You are possessed, O son of Kunti, of intelligence and learning. Listen to me, O king, as I tell you what the means are by which, O son of Pandu, the kingdom is capable of being righteously protected. You should always, O Yudhishthira, honour those persons that are old in learning. You should listen to what they would say, and act accordingly without any scruple. Rising at dawn, O king, worship them with due rites, and when the time comes for action, you should consult them about your (intended) acts. When, led by the desire of knowing what would be beneficial to you in respect of your measures, you honourest them; they will, O son, always declare what is for your good, O Bharata. You should always keep your senses, as you keepest your horses. They will then prove beneficial to you, like wealth that is not wasted. You should employ only such ministers as have passed the tests of honesty, (i.e., as are possessed of loyalty, disinterestedness, continence, and courage), as are hereditary officers of state, possessed of pure conduct, self-restrained, clever in the discharge of business, and endued with righteous conduct. You should always collect information through spies in diverse disguises, whose faithfulness have been tasted, who are natives of your kingdom, and who should not be known to your foes. Your citadel should be properly protected with strong walls and arched gates. On every side the walls, with watch-towers on them standing close to one another, should be such as to admit of six persons walking side by side on their top.^[2] The gates should all be large and sufficiently strong. Kept in proper places those gates should be carefully guarded. Let your purposes be accomplished through men whose families and conduct are well known. You should always protect your person also with care, in matters connected with your food, O Bharata, as also in the hours of sport and eating and in matters connected with the garlands you wearest and the beds you liest upon. The ladies of your household should be properly protected, looked over by aged and trusted servitors, of good behaviour, well-born, and possessed of learning, O Yudhishthira. You should make ministers of Brahmanas possessed of learning, endued with humility, well-born, conversant with religion and wealth, and adorned with simplicity of behaviour. You should hold consultations with them. You should not, however, admit many persons into your consultations. On particular occasions you mayst consult with the whole of your council or with a portion of it. Entering a chamber or spot that is well protected (from intruders) you should hold your consultation. You mayst hold your consultation in a forest that is divested of grass. You should never consult at night time.^[3] Apes and birds and other animals that can imitate human beings should all be excluded from the council chamber, as also idiots and lame and palsied individuals. I think that the evils that flow from the divulgence of the counsels of kings are such that they cannot be remedied. You should repeatedly refer, in the midst of your counsellors, to the evils that arise from the divulgence of counsels, O chastiser of foes, and to the merits that flow from counsels properly kept. You should, O Yudhishthira, act in such a manner as to ascertain the merits and faults of the inhabitants of your city and the provinces. Let your laws, O king, be always administered by trusted judges placed in charge thereof, who should also be contented and of good behaviour. Their acts should also be ascertained by you through spies. Let your judicial officers, O Yudhishthira, inflict punishments, according to the law, on offenders after careful ascertainment of the gravity of the offences. They that are disposed to take bribes, they that are the violators of the chastity of other people’s wives, they that inflict heavy punishments, they that are utterers of false speeches, they that are revilers, they that are stained by cupidity, they that are murderers, they that are doers of rash deeds, they that are disturbers of assemblies and the sports of others, and they that bring about a confusion of castes, should, agreeably to considerations of time and place, be punished with either fines or death.^[4] In the morning you should see those that are employed in making your disbursements. After that you should look to your toilet and then to your food. You should next supervise your forces, gladdening them on every occasion. Your evenings should be set apart for envoys and spies. The latter end of the night should be devoted by you to settle what acts should be done by you in the day. Mid-nights and mid-days should be devoted to your amusements and sports. At all times, however you should think of the means for accomplishing your purposes. At the proper time, adorning your person, you should sit prepared to make gifts in profusion. The turns for different acts, O son, ceaselessly revolve like wheels. You should always exert thyself to fill your treasuries of various kinds by lawful means. You should avoid all unlawful means towards that end. Ascertaining through your spies who your foes are that are bent on finding out your laches, you should, through trusted agents, cause them to be destroyed from a distance. Examining their conduct, you should O perpetuator of Kuru’s race, appoint your servants. You should cause all your acts to be accomplished through your servitors: whether they are appointed for those acts or not. The commandant of your forces should be of firm conduct, courageous, capable of bearing hardships, loyal, and devoted to your good. Artisans and mechanics, O son of Pandu, dwelling in your provinces, should always do your acts like kine and asses.^[5] You should always, O Yudhishthira, be careful to ascertain your own laches as also those of your foes. The laches also of your own men as also of the men of your foes should equally be ascertained. Those men of your kingdom, that are well skilled in their respective vocations, and are devoted to your good, should be favoured by you with adequate means of support. A wise king, O ruler of men, should always see that the accomplishments of his accomplished subjects might be kept up. They would then be firmly devoted to you, seeing that they did not fall away from their skill.'"