-->
The Teachings of
Bhishma
By Michael Dolan, B.V. Mahayogi
Levels of Meaning in the Mahabharata
The Mahābhārata conceals many
levels of meaning. It is saga and epic, history and holy writ. It is the story
of kings and heroes, of conflicts between empires, but it is also the story
spiritual journeys of quests for inner truths.
These levels of
meanings reveal themselves not only through the teachings of saints and sages
but also through the lives and stories of the hero’s journeys. Heros like Arjuna, Yudhisthira, and
Karna all have important stories to tell not only through their words but also
through their deeds and the examples of their lives.
At the center of
our telling is Bhishma, son of the Ganges, last of the old guard.
Bhishma’s Vow
Saved at birth by
his father Shantanu the Adi-Raja, Bhishma is bound by an oath to support his
father’s rule. His oath denies
him kingdom and companionship: He has sworn never to marry in order to support
the rule of his step-brothers, the puissant Chitrangada and the sensitive,
boyish Vichitravirya. When they die untimely, it is Bhishma’s half-brother Vyāsa who at the behest of the royal matriarch,
Satyavati, populates the line and continues the dynasty. In carrying out his
vow to this father, Bhishma supports the rule of his stepmother’s children and grandchildren. He lends his arms
to the blind Dhritarasthra and his sons while lending a hand to the sons of
Pandu. Bhishma’s word is
everything to him. His vow is sacrosanct.
Maintaining in the Dynasty
While the rivalry
between the sons of Pandu and their cousins grows, Bhishma does his best to
support harmony in the realm. His advice is to split the kingdom in half and
let the two sides of the dynasty rule in peace. But an easy peace is not
Hastinapura’s destiny. And
while Bhishma’s heart is with the
Pandavas, he has given his word to the Kauravas and must honor his sacrosanct
vow to protect Dhritarashtra and his sons.
Oaths of Loyalty
Covert ally of
Yudhisthira and the new order led by Krishna and the Pandavas, Bhishma is bound
by his old oaths of loyalty to Dhritarasthra and has tied his fate to that of
Duryodhana and the armies of the Kurus. He leads these armies as their general
until confronted by a face from his past: Shikhandi, the alter-ego of Amba, a
woman he had wronged. Unable to fight against a woman, he allows Arjuna to
pierce his body with arrows until he lies supine, pierced from head to toe,
unable to fight any longer.
Raja-dharma
Bhishma is a
kshatriya. His religion is raja-dharma. To fully understand Bhishma’s sense of honor we must look forward a number
of centuries to the Japanese code of Bushido and the honor of the Samurai. His
character is noble, his death, tragic. He gives his life to guard the old
social order, even knowing that it will soon end. The Battle of Kurukshetra
ushers in the beginning of Kali-yuga where the old feudal order of sages and
saintly kings will die.
Death of the Vedic Age
In the divine
tragedy of the Mahabharata, Bhishma’s death marks the
death of the Vedic age. In his time he fought the violent avatara of Parashuram
to a draw in their duel for the honor of Amba. If Parashurama’s avatar was intended to restore respect for
the brahmanas, Bhishma understands the need to protect the brahmanas and heed
their advice. He knows that proper raja-dharma means the enlightened king must
always rule with regard for the teachings of saints and sages.
Bhishma’s speech: The Shanti and Anushasana Parvas
At the end of the
epic, Bhishma recites the essential meaning of the poem while pierced by
thousands of arrows and suspended between the earth and sky on their points.
The old order of kings has been destroyed. The new order will be led by
Yudhisthira. But Yudhisthira is filled with doubts. Like Arjuna who loses his
nerve at the beginning of the war, Yudhisthira has no stomach for rule. He
wants to renounce the kingdom and go to the forest, to wash his hands of the
blood of his generation.
Yudhisthira’s Dilemma
Yudhisthira
approaches the dying Bhishma for advice: How to rule? What is the purpose of a
king? What is Raja-dharma? Bhishma is the model of raja-dharma, even though he
has abstained from taking the throne because of the oath he swore to his
father. In the family headed by a blind king, Bhishma’s word is law. He expounds the law of
raja-dharma to the young king Yudhisthira, and his teachings take up almost a
third of the entire Mahabharata, in the Shanti and Anushasana Parvas.
The dharma of kings and the yoga of
self-discovery
Bhishma’s teachings on life, rule, the dharma of kings,
and the yoga of self-discovery contain the essence of truth. Throughout the
conversation between the new and old order, Yudhisthira proves himself to be
worthy of the dialogue.
It may be argued
that Bhishma is a poetical character, and therefore that his teachings are not
worthy of discussion. But Bhishma’s character is
mythical or legendary matters little. Here we have a carefully preserved
historical record of political theory from the Vedic age and its argument for
raja-dharma. Close attention must be paid. While the letters of Cicero and the
diary of Julius Caesar may give us some insight into Roman, even Plato’s teachings do not explore the political views
of Homer. Odysseus does not pause on the plains of Troy to give us his view of
kings and their duty according to the ancient Greeks. And Bhishma’s political, social, and spiritual views are
valuable precisely because of their universality. His words have withstood
centuries of analysis because they strike at the core of human life.
Bhishma and the art of war
Sun Tzu’s the Art of War offers strategies not only for
warriors, but for deal-makers and entrepreneurs. In the same way, the teachings
of Bhishma are useful because they teach us to live as kings. Bhishma’s teachings on raja-dharma are useful
especially if we consider his teachings personally and take them as a form of
self-help literature.
Bhishma expounds
his views of kingship with the flexibility and wisdom of a veteran warrior and
general who has seen generations of rulers. His views on raja-dharma are not
only congruent with the ancient Vedic Laws of Manu, but tempered by the
experience of rulers on the cusp of the age of Kali. Any discussion of Bhishma’s views on kingship and social dharma is bound
to end in dispute, since so many schools of interpretation about his teachings
have arisen over the centuries. These schools have been influenced both by
scriptural dogma as well as by the Byzantine politics of India over the last 30
or so centuries. The fact that many of his ideas are still hotly debated gives
strength to his original teachings which are well worth discovering as we shall
see.
The old social order
The old social
order of varnas and ashrams had been challenged in Bhishma’s time. Despotic warlords saw no need to rule
as enlightened kings and shrugged off the advice of brahmanas. They even went
so far as to persecute the brahmanas, as we have seen in the story of
Parashurama and Kartavirya Arjuna. According to the evidence of Mahabharata,
the avatar Parashurama descended in order to chastise the warrior class or kshatriyas.
The Kurukshetra war ended the dominance of the kshatriyas. But with the
receding power of kings, what would replace the old order?
With the march of
time, the old feudal order would collapse and with its decay a new order would
rise, one based on capital, money, and exploitation. Banks would be more
important than kings. The thousand-year rise of the capitalist society saw the
destruction of guilds, social ranks, and caste systems. As social interactions
became monetized the social roles foreseen in Vedic society disappeared. Money
became the great equalizer. But at what cost? The decay of integrated social
classes and organization and the diaspora of citizens from one area to the next
based on economic advantage would destroy the old order completely.
The decay of civilization in Kali-yuga
Kali-yuga is the
age of iron, the descent of civilization. Manu’s ideal system decayed into a corrupt feudalism
of Zamindars and local chieftains and an iron-clad caste system with no social
mobility in India, choking social mobility. Was this version of the so-called “caste” system the true
social and political theory of Vedic antiquity? Or are many of these constructs
of recent invention, born from the need to provide a scriptural basis for a
corrupt social authority? A careful reading of the Mahabharata will reveal that
Bhishma’s teachings are
often much more profound and subtle than was previously thought, as we shall
see.
It is easy to
dismiss previous ways of life as primitive.
Primitive Civilizations?
But were the
ancient Greeks and Romans really so much more primitive than we are? The murals
found at the ruins of Pompeii celebrate all the seven arts: architecture,
sculpture, poetry, painting, dance, gourmet food, drama, literature. The
pyramids of Egypt hold secrets yet undiscovered. The ancient Vedic civilization
recorded in the Sanskrit of the Mahabharata reveals that Vyasa was
well-acquainted with all the refined meanings of grammar, logic, rhetoric,
arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. Why are we so determined to call
them “primitive?”
Proud of our
technology we dismiss the ancients. But if modern Western Civilization has
brought wealth, it has also brought misfortune. When Gandhi was asked what he
thought of Western Civilization, he famously responded, “It would be a nice idea.”
Modern Civilization and the prophecy of
Bhishma
One only needs to
glance at one’s favorite internet
news source to discover that money and the mafia of power have brought untold
plague and pestilence. From daily stress to the algorithms that control our
lives; from the identity politics of racism and discrimination, to fascism, and
despotism to the destruction of individual freedom and privacy, one hardly
needs to read science fiction to see the development of a dystopian society.
How prescient that an ancient warrior impaled by arrows on the battlefield
predicts the decay of society in Kali-yuga thousands of years ago.
Modern problems and ancient wisdom
Cicero’s Reflections on Old Age are as valuable to us
today as when he first wrote them; why not look into Bhishma’s reflections on royal duty? Unlike the
prescriptions of western religion, Bhishma’s dharma is not
simply a set number of rules--of sins, of “do’s and don’ts.” His conversation with Yudhishthira is a study
in reflection that demands an intuitive absorption of values, principles, and
practice.
What is dharma?
Dharma is the inner
theme of the Mahabharata. While the Mahabharata may be read on many levels, the
entire work is a study of kingship and of kingly rule. The Ramayana gives us
the godly Ram as the ideal king, but the kings and princes who move through the
pages of the Mahabharata are living and breathing human beings with all the
sins and foibles of earthly mortals. They may do their best to rule as saintly
or “godly” kings, but these royals are not god-kings in
the sense of the Egyptian pharaohs, the Roman Caesars, or even the Incan
Atahualpa. From Shantanu--whose romantic love drives his lust for Satyavati--to
the blind king Dhritarasthra, these are not absolute rulers and despots, but
mortals. Yudhisthira is certainly not a man-god, nor does he strive to be. He
is a philosopher king after the mold of Plato’s Republic--trained to rule by brahmanas and
warlords alike. His own chagrin at the tragedy of Kurukshetra makes him a
reluctant warlord--one who is eager for a rule based on peace.
Why does Yudhisthira want to hear from
his enemy Bhishma?
His reluctance to
rule, his sense of the tragedy of war and the human condition impels
Yudhisthira to seek Bhīma’s advice both as
patriarch of the family, as warrior, and as a great king who knows the true
meaning of raja-dharma.
Yudhisthira’s questions, of course, are not limited to
knowledge about raja-dharma. Their discussion is wide-ranging and
includes a number of different topics, but let’s focus for a moment on his advice to kings.
Yudhisthira is to
inherit a broken system. Bhishma’s father Shantanu
was called Adi-raja--the original king. But after his reign no one else in the
Mahabharata will be awarded such a title. No one can approach Shantanu’s ideal rule. Shantanu’s ancestors such as Bharata are idealized as
belonging to a golden past whose likes we shall never see again. The proper
rule of kings was broken by Duryodhana who has usurped the throne. While
externally dharmic, Duryodhana’s real-politik is
highly unethical, even Machiavellian. He does whatever is necessary through
whatever means--arson, sabotage, poisoning, lies and bribes--to maintain power.
But Yudhisthira is
not a cynical politician. He seeks truth, and if he is to wield power, his rule
must be in the service of truth. In the aftermath of the terrible slaughter of
the battle of Kurukshetra, Yudhisthira is ambivalent. How will he govern this
broken kingdom when all the noble kings and princes of the realm lie dead? It
is in this moment that he consults Bhishma, whose selflessness was seen in his
abdication. Bhishma is a man of his word, a man of truth. And yet he has held
command over all those allied to Hastinapura. What advice will he give?
Bhishma will
expound on dharma but even these teachings are esoteric and hidden.
Bhishma does not list the rules of dharma, but speaks in parables and stories
whose moral is left to the reader. His understanding of dharma is not
explicit, but implicit in the karmic unfolding of the tales he tells. His
meaning is not overt, but occult, especially since the inner sense of dharma
is vitiated by the dawning of kali-yuga. Bhishma’s words are cloaked in the Sanskrit artistry of
Vyāsa, the poet and
prophet who has given life to epic. The subtlety of both Bhishma’s narrative and Vyasa’s poetic power makes the Mahabharata a work of
essential truth and beauty, not a moral fable for children.
Bhishma’s discourse
Bhishma’s discourse from the bed of arrows, his dying
words to the grieving prince who must now rule the empire echo the teachings of
Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita and recapitulate the moral and spiritual meaning
of entire work. And so it is difficult to encapsulate in a short article.
But whereas the
Bhagavad-Gita addresses a hero and encourages him on his spiritual journey to
surrender, Bhishma addresses a king and admonishes him to duty in this world.
Here we are asked to be faithful to the ideals of kingly action and told how a
proper ruler can and should conduct himself.
Yudhisthira is
overwhelmed with grief, much as Arjuna at the beginning of the war. But where
Arjuna’s challenge was to
fight against all odds, Yudhisthira’s is to maintain
peace with dharma.
Dharma-Raja and raja-dharma
Yudhisthira is
often called dharma-raja. His conduct throughout the epic as well as his
conversation with the Yaksha shows that he knows all about dharma, at
least theoretically. And yet, their conversation is not a dry academic exercise
between two people who know all the answers. As a practical matter, the new
king needs to know “how does one rule
in dharma?”
Apart from his
personal interest in enlightenment and truth, Yudhisthira is interested in how
to maintain the balance of the cosmic order. This question forms the basis of
their dialogue. Bhishma points out that spiritual truth may not always form the
basis of political action. Maintaining a balance is no easy task. He often
speaks as an oracle whose truths are ambiguous and deep. While this world is
temporary and we must strive for spiritual perfection, Bhishma advises
Yudhisthira to be a king and play his role within the dharmic system until he
is no longer necessary.
Maintaining the
tension between social dharma and spiritual realization is one of the key
difficulties throughout the Mahabharata and Bhishma’s teachings. And so the old warrior, while
waiting for his own spiritual destiny to unfold at the moment of his death,
weaves the fabric of raja-dharma with his words. Telling fascinating stories
that avoid touching on the main narrative of Mahabharata, Bhishma speaks at
great length on how kings should think and act.
Kings must endure both victory and defeat
In the end, Bhishma
tells Yudhisthira eṣa rājñāṃ paro dharmaḥ sahyauh jayaparājayau, “It is the highest dharma of kings to persevere
both in victory and defeat.” MHB XII.107.27
Bhishma’s idea of kingship
is not Gandhian. As the Hegelian General Von Clausewitz once framed the
problem, War is the continuation of politics by other means.” When war is the inevitable resolution of a
conflict a true king will not shy from the battle. A king is often forced to go
to war. Bhishma understands the emptiness of politics and the futility of war
as does Yudhisthira. But he also knows the value of battle. He advises
Yudhisthira to be stoic and impartial, to conduct his rule with dharma,
but not to avoid conflict in the name of harmony.
Kingship and Karma
Yudhisthira is also
concerned with expiating the sins of battle, of washing his soul clean from so
much slaughter. Bhishma gives advise on the expiation of sin, but Yudhisthira
is doubtful about the use of so many rituals. The old warrior concludes that
the holy name of God is the most powerful way of becoming from from sin. Author
of the Vishnu-sahasra-nama, the one thousand names of Vishnu, Bhishma, son fo
the Ganges, calmly explains his arguments to Yudhisthira with a wealth of
illustrations and stories drawn from the Puranas as well as his own experience
with saints and sages throughout his long life.
Yudhisthira’s crisis at the end of war mirrors Arjuna at its beginning
One might think
that Yudhisthira would rejoice with his victory as do his brothers. But he is
crushed with melancholy, having discovered that their great rival in the fight,
Karna, is in fact their older brother, savagely killed by Arjuna in a moment of
helplessness. Yudhisthira is at a moment of crisis; he can either accept the
kingdom and rule, or turn his back on his brothers and renounce the world to
walk the path of truth.
It is within this
framework that Bhishma discourses on raja-dharma. He tries to convince
Yudhishthira that the path of truth may be pursued even as a king. Truth is not
merely a matter of keeping one’s word, but of
aligning one’s actions with the
principles of dharma. This is the true virtue of raja-dharma.
The kings duty is to rule in harmony with truth, but to avoid extremes
A king may
sometimes break promises in his political life, but he must live in harmony
with truth both in word and deed. Aristotle defined virtue in a similar
way, as a disposition towards “right living” avoiding extremes of deficiency and excess,
which he considered vices. Moral virtue should be seen through one’s example and practice more than through
argument, reasoning and instruction. Yudhisthira’s grief, his pacifism and melancholy are not
kingly in this sense, but extremes to be avoided and Bhishma tries to teach him
the right path.
The true king is impartial and avoids administering justice personally
The Kurukshetra war
has involved the Pandavas on a personal level; in part, the battle serves as
justice for the wrongs done to them by Duryodhana and company. But Bhishma
explains that kings must not apply justice for personal reasons. Family rule as
a model of kingship is no longer viable. In the golden age of kings, the nobles
may have been beyond reproach as in the case of Lord Ram. But the Age of Kali
will demand a model of justice that is impartial. Justice must be actively
pursued, not simply resorted to in case of emergency. With Kali-yuga begins the
long, dark, night of the soul. Kings must rule accordingly.
War, Peace, and Justice
Justice will ensure
peace. During peace time, the trumpets of war must be laid aside. The
demonstration of royal power, the pomp and ceremony of noblesse oblige may
entertain the public for some time. But the true test of proper rule will be
seen in the impartial meting out of justice. This will be the true test of
kings and Bhishma exhorts Yudhisthira to take this responsibility seriously.
For Bhishma, then,
rule involves walking the path of raja-dharma, following the pragmatic
and morally correct behavior and attitudes of monarchy. One must be prepared
for crisis and know how to act in the moment and lead with the courage of
conviction. And at the same time one must balance these principles with one’s own sincere spiritual journey, never
forgetting that this world is temporary and illusory.
Mahabharata and Dharma
We have seen that
Mahabharata is a profound argument on the nature of dharma. In all of epic
poetry there is nothing quite like the conversation between the ancient and
dying warrior Bhishma impaled on a bed of arrows and the melancholy king
Yudhisthira who has won victory over the Kurus at the cost of the destruction
of the entire dynasty. How kingly virtue or raja-dharma functions at
different levels--both socially and spiritually--is at the core of Bhishma’s teachings to the young king Yudhisthira. A
complete analysis of the stories and teachings that make up Bhishma’s long oratory is beyond the scope of this
short piece, but we shall take up the subject again later. I have included a
few exracts from Bhishma’s teachings below.
What follows is a
compilation and translation of some of the sayings of Bhishma extracted from
the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata,
Bhishma’s
Wisdom Aphorism and Quotes
1. Wherever there
is Krishna there is dharma, and wherever there is dharma there is
eternal victory.
2. One’s
predetermined karma and one’s personal effort complement each other—When fanned
into flames, embers become fire; so karma increases with effort.
3. One keeps himself light through the practice
of dharma, like a boat he crosses the ocean of material existence.
4. There is a
special place in eternal hell for the thankless and ungrateful.
5. A gift without sweet words is like a dish
without a dessert—such gifts give no satisfaction without flattery.
6. Heartfelt
connections are based on love and trust.Trust and confidence are bonds of the
heart-- hard to break, but once broken impossible to repair. Bonds of the heart
that are always broken and repaired lack love confidence, and trust.
7. A ruler may
achieve his objects and master his foes by showing both sides of his character.
He may be hard as steel but must also be soft as butter, according to the
situation.
8. Work should never
be done half-way. One should be always careful to do a job completely. Even a
splinter of a thorn left in the body may lead to infection.
9. Fire, debts, and
enemies should be dealt with quickly and completely. If any remainder is left,
they may keep growing.
10. The weak should
not be inimical to the strong, Engage not in barren hostility.
11. Kings have five
natural friends: Learning, courage, skill, strength and patience.
12. In man there is
nothing equal to intelligence.
13. O son of Kunti:
Love those who have no greed; love those who have no worldly attachment; love
those who who are situated in truth and simplicity; love those who do not
deviate from right conduct, them love.
14. Who, undeterred,
perseveres in his effort steadily, by God’s grace, shall soon receive what he desired.
15. Both rich and
poor, learned and fool, along with all their good and evil karma are all subject
to His will, for He is Time the Destroyer.
16. There is no
satisfaction for material ambition. When poor a man wants to be rich; when he’s
rich he wants to be king; when he becomes king he wants to be a god; when a god,
he wants to be Indra.
17. It is just as
impossible to fulfill lust as it is to fill the subterranean world of the dead with the
infinite souls of this world.
18. Whenever our
personal effort is successful, destiny and karma must be in the background.
19. O Bharat, happy
is the king, who is equal-minded, who always tells the truth, who is unattached to the things of this the world,
who is free from sin, and who avoids wasteful effort.
20. Detachmente is
a value: Without giving up attachments we cannot be happy; without such
renunciation we can’t reach God; without renunciation we can not sleep peacefully;
therefore give up everything, surrender to God and be happy.
21. O king, Just as
an oil fire cannot be extinguished with water, the fire of anger can’t be extinguished by scriptural wisdom, money,
punishment, or persuasion.
22. The faces of
friends and foes like clouds change moment to moment.
23. Never trust
anyone untrustworthy, nor put excessive trust in the trustworthy.
24. This world is a
world of exploitation. Everyone does what they do out of selfishness; there is
no such things as love.
25. In the end
there are no friends and enemies; there is only self-interest. There is no
relation without exploitation.
26. Timing is
everything. An ill-timed action has no gain; A well-timed action gains
everything.
27. One can never
return a true favor done in good will. The first gift was free and open, the return
only a response in kind.
28. A king who acts
carefully with deliberation chooses the right time and place for favors; by
planting well-placed favors the king gets the desired fruit.
29. For the wealthy
and honored, loss of status is worse than death
30. The iron law of
politics: The poor are weak; the wealthy are powerful.
31. Even the saints
and sages who live in forests and practice meditation have acquaintances,
friends, and enemies.
32. Howsoever pure
and fair a man be, he earns blame from others.
33. Whose good
deeds are not for show, whose words are sweet, whose wealth goes for good
objects, he sails safe over extreme dangers.
34. There is no
need to kill the evil; One who does evil is already among the living dead. To
kill him is to kill one who is already dead.
35. It may
sometimes be just to tell lies where lies are truth and truth is falsehood.
36. It is best to
speak the truth, since there is no dharma greater than truth.
37. The scriptures explain
dharma, but there is disagreement about their interpretation. The scriptures
speak only of dharma, but not everything that is dharma is there.
38. A true knower
of dharma is one who seeks truth in determining what is truth and what is
untruth.
39. For the sins of
hostility to friends, ingratitude, the murder of women, or the murder of one’s guru
there is no expiation, nor is any atonement known for these sins.
40. One’s father
and mother give birth to the body. But the second birth that one gets through
the guru’s teaching is uncorruptable, transcendental, and immortal.
41. Even in
democracies not everyone has the right to know the confidential secrets of
State.
42. In race and
clan all may be equal under the law, but in artistry, intelligence, beauty and wealth,
all are different.
43. A brahmana
without education is as useless as an elephant made of wood, a deer made of leather.
In the same way a king who cannot protect his citizens is is like an impotent
man, a barren field, a rainless cloud, or an uneducated Brahmin.
44. The Vedas hold
that all wealth belongs to the king except that of the Brahmins
45. Brahmins, O
King, who, forsake their duty and, engage, in lowly deeds, are no better than shudras.
46. Yajna, study of
Vedas, ahimsa, words of malice for none, reverent hospitality, control of
senses, austerity, truth and giving – these are the symptoms
of a true brahman.
47. Greed and
jealousy are the two enemies of democracies, families and kingdoms. These two
great faults fan the fire of dissension.
48. Democracies
have been ruined by internal dissension.
49. In battle aim
at victory as the dharma and root of all happiness.
50. As well wisher
of his kingdom, a wise king ever tries to avoid war, So long as some treaty can
be made, one must not go to war.
51. Surely, the
king should regard his subjects as his children and grandchildren, but in
discharge of his kingly duties, no partiality of affection he should betray.
52. Be, O King,
like the gardener, for like the charcoal-maker.
53. By mercy and
softness alone a kingdom cannot be governed.
54. The king should
be ever prepared like Yama, the Lord of Death, to punish the enemies.
55. If there were
no punishment in this world, all would have destroyed each other.
56. What is the
weakness in me? What attachment? Which fault persists? Why do I earn blame? One
should always ponder over these.
57. A righteous
king, on ascending the throne, should establish his lordship over all, subduing
some by gifts, some by force, and some by sweet words.
58. Between an
individual and a group the group should be preferred. But if an individual
exceeds many in merit, and a choice is to be made, the group should be forsaken
for the individual.
59. Too many cooks
spoil the broth. For one work only one person should be appointed, not two or
three, for they may work well together.
60. Agriculture,
cattle breeding and trade these are means of livelihood in this world;
supporting all beings’ birth and growth,
the triple knowledge sustains in higher worlds too.
61. The
fruit-bearing trees, O Yudhishthira, must not be felled.
62. Love all
creatures, O King, and conduct. Yourself with truth, simplicity, cool mind,
mercy and the like.
63. The learned,
the warriors, the rich the religious, the ascetics, the saints, the
truth-speakers and the wise they are the people’s protectors.
64. Seven qualities
the king’s envoy should
have: well-born, well-bred, clever, fluent talker, man of pleasant words,
endowed with good memory, exact in giving messages.
65. The members of
your court, O son, should be truth-telling, straightforward, masters of their
sense, humble, and men of apt words.
66. As chief
minister the king should choose one who is elegant in looks, is free of malice,
forgiving, soft-spoken, is of noble birth and noble conduct.
67. A king must
trust some chosen friends, but he should be alert at all times.
68. The man of
dharma is the king’s fifth friend, On
the side neither of one nor of two he goes where is dharma; he is with the king
who respects dharma.
69 Four kinds of
friends a king has; Friends for common purpose, family friends, natural
friends, and artificial friends.
70. Raising money
from just and fair taxes, taking care of the nation on right principles, for
the nation’s god the king
should work all the hours.
71. The protector
of the king’s treasury is the
target of all its looters, If not protected by the king, untimely death at
their hands he meets.
72. Seven things a
king must protect; himself, minister, treasury, sceptre, friend, nation and
city.
73. Protection of
all beings and compassion for them, this is the great dharma.
74. The protection
of his people, is the king’s foremost dharma.
75. Strong are the
roots of that king whose people are prosperous, wealthy and loyal, and whose
ministers and employees are content.
75. It is the king
who makes the satyayuga. Also the treta and the dwapara; He
is the cause of the kaliyuga too.
76. As pieces of
wood, floating on the sea, at times join together and then separate, so do
people in this world meet and separate.
77. In cycles man’s joys and sorrows move.
78. This body is
the cause of happiness, but it is also the cause of great sorrow.
79. Happiness or
sorrow, thing pleasant or thing unpleasant, the wise should gladly receive all
that comes, and never lose heart.
80. Do good deeds
today; Don’t let the moment pass through your hands.
81. Grief cannot
touch those who understand that loss and gain come and go.
82. Living free
from attachments and possessions is happiness in this world.
83. One who wants
nothing sleeps well, Loss of hope is the greatest happiness.
84. Lust and desire
leads to ruin. Whoever chases desires is ruined in the pursuit.
85. There are many
paths to dharma, no sincere effort is fruitless.
86. No truth is
higher than dharma, nor sin worse than lies.
87. There can be no
austerity like truth, no sorrow like passion.
There is no eye like wisdom and no happiness like self-abnegation.
89. The human form
of life can award death or immortality; through attachment to this world there
is death, by attachment to truth one may find immortality.
90. One attains success
in learning, self-control, and prosperity through constant practice, discipline
and effort.
91. Dharma, O King,
is the root of existence.
92. The message of
the Veda is dharma; dharma is the right path to spiritual harmony.
93. The inner
movements of the saints are unknown to us. Just as birds leave no footprints in
the sky, and fish leave no traces in their watery wake, so the inner lives of saints
are unknown and unseen to common men.
94. Self-control and
compassion are the basis of dharma; and yet forgiveness is often mistaken as
weakness.
95. While there are
many gateways to dharma and saints and sages have different opinions,
the basis of dharma is self-control.
96. The sages have
concluded that nonviolence, honesty in speech, self-restraint, and compassion are considered
proper austerity or tapa-- not the mortification of the body.
97. Untruth is
death, honesty is godly.
98. Narayana and
Nara are manifestations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna,
manifesting in dual form. Narayana is Vishnu, the awesome form of God, whereas
Krishna is “Nara” the human-like form.
99. In the conversation on the battlefield between Krishna and Arjuna, Vasudeva Krishna represents Narayana the Godhead and Arjuna represents all human beings who are his servants.
99. In the conversation on the battlefield between Krishna and Arjuna, Vasudeva Krishna represents Narayana the Godhead and Arjuna represents all human beings who are his servants.
100. Satyam—Truth--
means dharma, or proper adjustment with one’s duty, tapa or self-restraing, and Yoga,
living in harmony with spirit. Truth is the eternal Brahman, Truth is the
supreme sacrifice, Truth sustains reality.
