Chapter 100 - Shri Rama enquires Prince Bharata

[Full title: Shri Rama enquires of Prince Bharata concerning the discharge of his royal duties].

Shri Ramacandra saw Bharata lying on the ground, clothed in ascetic’s garb, his hair coiled on the crown of his head, his palms joined in supplication, resembling the sun bereft of splendour, fallen to earth, at the time of the dissolution of the world.

Taking hold of the hands of his brother, who was emaciated and weak, Shri Rama raised him up and smelling his head, embraced him, clasping him in his arms and tenderly enquiring of him: “O Child, where is your father, that you are come to the forest alone? Had he lived, you couldst not have come hither unaccompanied! Alas! I grieve that I scarcely recognize my brother, thin, weary and full of care. What brings you to the forest? O My Brother, is the king well and happy? Or has grief brought about his end? O Darling, you are yet a child, tell me, is ought amiss in that eternal kingdom? O Hero of Truth, hast you served the king well? Say, is that Sovereign of men, devoted to truth and to duty, the performer of the great sacrifice, in good health? Is that highly learned monarch, master of the ascetic brahmins, fully cherished? O Child, are Mother Kaushalya and Queen Sumitra, mother of an illustrious son, well? Is that highly exalted Queen Kaushalya, happy? O Friend, dost you sufficiently regard that humble, experienced, highborn, magnanimous companion of mine, he who is skilled in action, the son of Shri Vasishtha? Does the royal priest, highly versed in the Veda, who is wise and beneficent, inform you of the time of sacrifice? O Brother, dost you offer full reverence to the Gods, father, mother, Guru, thine elders, the physicians and brahmins? O Friend, dost you give due respect and honour to Sudhama, skilled in the science of arms and conversant with the mantra-driven weapons? Hast you made those your counsellors, who are trustworthy, patient, masters of ethics and who have transcended avarice? O Prince, the good fortune of kings is secret consultation with those versed in the spiritual laws. My Son, hast you overcome sleep? Dost you awaken betimes? Dost you in the late hours meditate on the methods of acquiring legitimate wealth? Dost you reflect alone on matters of moment and consult with your ministers in public? Do other monarchs know of your decisions before they are applied? When you have determined upon what must and should be done, dost you speedily accomplish it? Are lesser kings acquainted with your determined resolve after the event or before you have set it in motion? Dost you prefer the society and advice of a learned pundit to that of countless fools? In times of adversity, it is of infinite advantage to have the proximity of a learned man. If a sovereign surround himself with ten thousand ignorant persons, he will receive no help from them, but should a king be attended by a wise minister, thoughtful, studious, versed in the moral laws and government, he will reap a great advantage. O Brother, dost you employ men of exalted character in affairs of moment and lesser ones in unimportant events? Dost you appoint ministers who are pure of heart, full of integrity and of a noble disposition, whose ancestors have served the crown in positions of authority? O Son of Queen Kaikeyi, do the arrogant and proud, when incensed, offer you or your ministers insult? As a woman disregards one who has illicit connection with another’s wife or the priests condemn that man who has sinned while offering the sacrifice, so is a king despised who levies harsh taxes. That monarch who does not condemn a man to death, who has through avarice and deluded by ambition, accused others who are virtuous, and even threatened the life of the king, is himself destroyed! O Brother, art you attended by such persons? Has a commander-in-chief who is active, victorious over his enemies, skilled in arms, patient in adversity, devoted to you and experienced, been appointed by you? Hast you honoured with suitable rewards, those men who are valiant, distinguished, eminent in military sciences, resourceful and whose abilities have been tested? Dost you distribute remuneration and provisions in a fitting manner when they are due? Servants who are not paid at the proper season, become incensed and disregard their master. Dissatisfied retainers are a source of danger.

“Are the liege warriors and chieftains devoted to you? In time of need, are they ready to lay down their lives for your sake? Hast you appointed, as thine ambassadors, those who are citizens of your kingdom, who can divine the motives of others, who are of sound judgment, eloquent, and able to overcome their opponents in debate? Dost you employ three spies, each unacquainted with the other to master the secrets of the fifteen,¹ excluding your ministers, priests and the heir-apparent? Dost you set a watch over enemies whom you have driven from your kingdom and yet who have returned? Dost you deem them harmless? Art you attended by brahmins of atheistic opinions? Such persons deem themselves wise but, in fact, are fools, yet they may divert others from the path of virtue, being skilled in dispatching souls to the lower regions. They do not study the authorised treatises on the duties of men, but indulge in arguments against the Veda and becoming eminent in useless knowledge, discuss unworthy matters continually.

“O Friend, dost you carefully preserve the capital Ayodhya, the seat of our ancestors and great men, justly termed ‘Invincible’ having strong gates and being filled with elephants, horses and chariots, where brahmins engaged in spiritual duties dwell, also warriors and merchants, and superior men who have subdued their senses and are intent on various enterprises; that progressive city which is replete with temples of many forms, frequented by learned men. O Brother, ours is a capital which has been the site of many great sacrifices, which contains innumerable temples and lakes, frequented by cheerful men and women, where festive assemblies are held, where no portion of the earth is uncultivated, where elephants, horses and cattle dwell in large numbers, where no one lives in jeopardy, and which is irrigated by artificial means so that people need not depend solely on rain; which is delightful and where no dangerous beasts like lions abound, which is free from wicked men, which improves daily and which is protected by the spirits of our ancestors, tell me is that city prosperous? O Brother, art you satisfied with the husbandmen and those who live by tending their cattle? Dost you provide what they need and preserve them from harm? Dost you ever guard them and provide them with sustenance? O Brother, a king should ever protect his subjects by righteous means. Dost you propitiate the women of your realm? Are they duly safeguarded by you? Dost you put your confidence in them? Dost you communicate your secrets to them? O Prince, dost you, well adorned, show thyself to your people in the assembly hall ’ere noon? Do those who work for you approach you with assurance, or do they hold back on account of fear? Both these states are unprofitable. Dost you treat your subjects with moderation? Are your forts well supplied with wealth, food, arms, water, armaments, and furnished with archers and bowmen? O Prince, does your treasury contain more than is needed for thine expenditure? Is your wealth spent unprofitably on musicians and dancers? Is a part of your treasure devoted to the gods, your sisters, the brahmins, the uninvited guests, warriors and friends? Dost you condemn any through avarice, without regard for justice or subjecting the offender to closer examination by those eminent in law and who are of good conduct? Are those who serve you, just men, innocent of lying and theft, and not of ill-repute? O Noble One, those who are apprehended for theft, caught in the act and their guilt established on due examination, are they able to obtain release by bribing the officials? In a dispute between a rich and a poor man, do your experienced judges carry out justice uninfluenced by a desire for gain? O Prince of Raghu, the tears of those who are unjustly condemned by a monarch who lives at ease and is indifferent to justice being meted out, destroy his children and his herds! O Prince, dost you satisfy the aged, children and physicians by providing them with their needs, treating them with affection and granting them the benefits of wise administration? Dost you offer salutations on meeting your Guru or the aged, the ascetics, strangers, sacred objects, and the brahmins who are learned and enlightened? Dost you use the time reserved for the performance of your duty, for the acquisition of wealth, or dost you waste the opportunity of fulfilling your duty and acquiring wealth by partiality to comfort and dissipation? O Chief of Conquerors, O Knower of the significance of time, dost you divide thine hours between the observance of your duty, the acquisition of wealth and legitimate diversion? O Wise One, do the learned pundits and the citizens pray daily for your welfare? O Bharata, dost you abjure the fourteen failings a sovereign must eschew? Atheism, dissimulation, anger, inattention, procrastination, neglect of the wise, indolence, surrender of the senses to external objects, disregard of counsel, consulting those who advocate evil, the deferring of that which has been resolved upon, the concealment of counsel received, the abandoning of righteous conduct, the offering of respect equally to the low and high born, and the ruthless conquest of other lands.

“O King, art you acquainted with the results of the following and dost you constantly reflect on them? Hunting, gambling, sleeping during the day, slander, inordinate affection, vanity, concentration on dancing and music, lounging here and there to no purpose; the five fortifications; by moat, by high banks, by thickly planted trees, by waste land destitute of means of subsistence and by a waterless region; the four means to success; concluding peace, liberality, punishment and sowing dissension in the ranks of the enemy; the seven requisites of administration: the king, the ministers, government, treasury, territory, army and allies. The kinds of persons with whom one should not contract friendship; those who speak ill of others, the bold, the curious, the injurious, those who take other’s property, the abusive, the ruthless, and the eight objects which should be pursued; righteousness, acquisition of legitimate wealth, suitable diversions, the study of the three Vedas, treaty, stratagem, invasion, proper timing, and allying oneself with the powerful?

“Art you acquainted with the five kinds of suffering caused by celestial beings; by fire, water, disease, famine and plague? Hast you carefully considered the misfortunes occasioned by officials, thieves, enemies and the king’s favourites? Dost you reflect that it is not proper to be intimate with a child, one who is senile, one who has long been afflicted, one who has been excommunicated, a coward, a terrorist, one who is avaricious or who excites covetousness, one who is despised by others, one who is voluptuous, one who consults everybody, one who speaks ill of the brahmins, one who ascribes all to fate, or who is afflicted by famine, or who wanders from country to country without a purpose, one who has many adversaries, one who does not act at the proper season, one who is not devoted to truth, one who lives under foreign domination and one who is aggressive? Hast you given the following due consideration and found them to be in accord with you: your subjects, women, the kingdom, those who have lost their wealth, thine enemy, your friend, those unfriendly to thine enemy?

“O Wise One, art you acquainted with the preparations necessary for a journey, the methods of punishment, the drawing up of treaties, and who is to be trusted or distrusted? O Prince, dost you enter into consultation with your counsellors collectively or separately, and dost you treat each interview as private? Dost you conclude your study of the Veda with charitable gifts? Dost you employ your wealth in distribution of alms and legitimate diversions? Do your marriages become fruitful of progeny? Dost you practise what you have learned from the scriptures? Dost you approve of acts of benevolence, duty, and worship and regard them as productive of fame and longevity? O Prince, dost you follow the path of your predecessors, which promotes happiness and which all applaud? O Bharata, dost you partake of delicious dishes by thyself? When amongst your companions, dost you first present them with succulent food and then partake of it thyself? Know, O Brother, that monarch who is acquainted with the law and also knows how to administer justice and rules by righteous means, becomes Lord of the earth and enters heaven on his death.”