Kalidasa’s Ideal of Rajarishi

 

IN depicting the ideal of Kingship and the form of Government in his works, Poet Kalidasa refers to Sukra as a great exponent of Niti Sastra whose work in its original form has not come down to us. The extant Arthasastra of Kautilya is taken to contain the essence of the teachings of his predecessors. The resemblance of ideas and expressions between the. Arthasastra and the works of Kalidasa is so close and striking that we may not be wrong in taking that the Poet mainly followed the polity of Kautilya. But, we find that the polity of Kalidasa is a development of the Kautilyan polity because the Poet lived at a later period when different political conditions prevailed.

To Kautilya Artha is more important than Dharma and Kama, as the last two depend for their existence on the first. His ideal King is a Vijigeshu, always on the alert for making new acquisitions. His readiness for action, says Kautilya, is his vrata, his discharge of duties, his yagna; his impartial treatment of all subjects irrespective of caste and creed, his offering of dakshina; and his installation as a King, initiation into yagna. The conception of a King as Raja-Rishi is outside the pale of Kautilyan polity. Of course, the word Raja-Rishi, occurs once in the Arthasastra. But, this word has been proved to be an interpolation, as it is not supported by the ancient commentaries. In the scheme of a King’s life, Kautilya has no place for the practice of spiritual sadhanas in his old age and for throwing away his mortal coil by means of yoga. The old and ailing King is enjoined to leave his kingdom in favour of his son if he (the son) happens to be an atmavan, and if he is not an atmavan, to find out a successor who is so qualified. To Kalidasa the King is a Rajyashrama-muni,–a synthesis of spirituality and austere devotion to kingly duties. He is endowed with all the characteristics of a Muni. He has a calm and confidence-creating look; he gathers tapas for spiritual merit by self-sacrifice in offering protection. He is a Jitendriya, having kept his five senses under control. As soon as a King finds that his son is fit to rule he leaves his royal splendours in favour of his son and retires into the forests. Raghu, seeing his son well established in the heart of his people, became indifferent to the pleasures not only of this world but of heaven also. When his son Aja requested him not to leave the kingdom he discarded the royalty like the serpant that has cast away its slough. He had a cottage put outside the City where he practised concentration of mind and realised the Supreme Spirit within himself. The life of the King in Katuilya is regarded as highly precious. The Ruler is advised to take elaborate precautions for the safety and security of his person; while Kalidasa depicts his King as the noblest symbol of self-sacrifice. Dilipa offered to forego his sovereignty over the whole world; his youthful body, in exchange for the life of a cow, Both Kautilya and Kalidasa think that the king should be one possessed of atmasampath or atmavatta. King Aju was an atmavan and was able to keep off his pride by means of his wisdom, when he was in prosperity; he was advised to show the same atmavatta when pain had overtaken him. Pariyatra knowing that the career of a King was not suitable for the enjoyment of pleasures, installed his son Sila as Yuvaraja and plunged himself in pleasures. The man who is conversant with the ways of the world and desirous of getting a living under a King, says Kautilya, should approach the Atma-sampanna even though wanting in equipments of his sovereignty, but never one who is not an atmavan. It is also said that an atmavan makes his subjects healthy and prosperous and will conquer the whole world even though he rules only a small State.

Let us see what import Kautilya gives to atmavatta. Commentators explain Atmasampanna to mean Buddhisampanna or Satvasampanna. But according to Kautilya the expression embraces a world of meaning. He says that Atmasampanna is one born of a high family, a believer in God, possessed of valour, with a capacity to see men of wisdom, who is virtuous, truthful and grateful, and powerful to control his neighbouring princes. He must have thirst for knowledge, eloquence, keen mind, powerful body, and a majestic countenance. A commentator of Kautilya says that the number of these characteristics comes to eighty-seven. But the text of the Arthasastra is so corrupt that it is not possible to make out what exactly the eighty-seven characteristics are. Most of them can be traced to those of Sri Ramachandra, Narada, and Hanuman as depicted by Valmiki in Ramayana. Possessed of these characteristics, the kingship is raised to a high pitch of excellence, It is interesting to note that Kalidasa illustrated many of these, excellencies in his portraiture of the chief kings of the Solar Race.

A King in English means a chief or a leader, but in Sanskrit he who is pleasing to all is a Rajan. It is said that people loved Prithu so much that they called him Rajan. The people regarded him as their father, because he enforced on them moral and intellectual discipline, gave them protection. His subjects acted with a sense of duty and responsibility without budging an inch from the path trodden from the days of Manu. The King did not swerve from his duties; and his subjects, even of the lowest class, did not resort to evil ways. Between the King and the subjects there was a sort of personal relation so much that each one of them thought that he was the favourite of the King. When Dilipa after an absence of twenty-one days returned to his Capital, his subjects who could not bear his absence for so long were said to have drunk him in with their eyes, unsatiated.

The great sage Maricha blessed the son of Sakuntala that he should rule not only Bharata Varsha but the whole world. His universal sovereignty did not mean a strong ruler with a big army oppressing and exploiting the weaker people. Digvijaya or the triumphal march of the Vijigeshu was only a show of his prowess for the sake of fame. It showed itself in the form of Pillars of Victory being erected, or songs composed in honour of victory being sung by the bards. As the Dharmavijay or the Dharmic conqueror, he took away the royal splendour of the defeated but not his territory. To the common people it was a passing phase. It did not affect their life in any of its aspects. The peasants tilled their soil and the merchants carried on their trade as smoothly as ever. The office of the King admitted of no repose. Like the Sun and the Wind he worked day and night, ceaselessly for the good of the people.

To sum up, a constitutional monarch adorned with all the characteristics of the soul was the ideal of a King according to Kalidasa. For advice and guidance in all matters, spiritual and secular, he looked up to his Acharyas who were supermen,–towers of spiritual and moral strength. He had a ministry to assist him in his administration to whom he delivered, when occasion demanded, the responsibility of his kingdom. Ordinarily kingship was hereditary though, of course, it gave no chance for a weak and wicked ruler. The reins of government were not transferred to one until he had won the love of the people. When there was a fear of a break in the line of succession, as in the case of Agnivarna, the ministers with the help of Prakrithimukyas worked for the continuity of the monarchy. It was the duty of the King to see that each of his subjects adhered to his Dharma and to inculcate in them that the end of life is to know that life never ends, and the end of taking birth is to seek not to take birth again.