Then Rama cast his eyes on (Bharata) as clad in bark and wearing matted
locks he lay on the earth with joined hands, incapable of being gazed
at, like the Sun at the time of the universal dissolution. Then
recognizing him a little, he took by the hand his brother Bharata, lean,
with a pallid countenance. And smelling the crown of his head, and
embracing that descendant of Raghu, Rama took Bharata on his lap and
asked him affectionately, "Where was thy father, child, that thou hast
come to the forest? It certainly behoves thee not to come unto the
forest while he is living. Ah! I see thee come from far after a long
time. Why, my child, hast thou come unto this gloomy forest? Is the king
alive, my child, seeing that thou hast come hither; or, afficted with
grief, hath he suddenly gone to the other world? And, O mild one, child
that thou art, thy kingdom ever thine hath not been wrested from thee?
And, O thou having truth for prowess, dost thou, my child, minister unto
our sire? And is that truthful one, that performer of Rajasuya and
Acwamedha, ever devoted to righteousness, king Dacaratha, well? And, my
child, is that exceedingly effulgent and learned Brahmana ever steady in
morality, the priest of the Ikshwakus, duly honored? And, my child, are
Kaucalya, and Sumitra having a son, in happiness? And is the noble
Kaikeyi in spirits? And is that one, sprung from a mighty line, humble
and versed in various lore, thy priest, who performeth every ceremony,
who beareth no ill will, and whose gaze is ever fixed upon our
welfare,--honored? And do intelligent and sincere people cognizant of
the rules, look after the sacrificial fire? And do they regularly inform
thee of the proper seasons for performing the fire-sacrifice? A dost
thou regard the deities, the ancestral manes, the preceptors like unto
predecessors, the physicians, the Brahmanas, and the servants? And dost
not disregard the preceptor Sudhanwa, versed in excellent arms whether
inspired with _mantras_ or not, and accomplished in the knowledge of
polity? And, my child, hast thou employed as thy concillors, persons,
heroic, learned, self-controlled, well-born, and understanding signs,
who are like thy own self? O descendant of Raghu, counsel well kept by
clever councillors versed in lore, is the root of victory with kings.
And thou hast not come under the sway of sleep? And thou awakest at the
proper hour? And dost thou during the short hours revolve the means of
acquiring wealth? And thou dost not take counsel either with thyself
alone, or (on the other hand) with a multiplicity of counsellors? And
thy counsel doth not range the kingdom (i. e. doth not take air)? And, O
descendant of Raghu, having determined upon a course costing small
effort but fraught with a mighty result, thou setst about it sharply and
delayest not? And do the (auxiliary) kings know only those acts of thine
that have been accomplished or those that are well nigh so, and not
those that thou intendest to set thine hand to? And do others through
inference or appearances come at a knowledge of thy counsels, although
undivulged to others by thyself or thy counsellors; and (do thou and thy
ministers) attain to a knowledge of others' counsels? And passing by a
thousand dunces, dost thou set thy heart on having a single wise man? In
times of pecuniary stress, a wise man stands in excellent stead. And
although a king might be surrounded by a thousand or ten thousand fools,
yet he can count upon no assistance (at their hands). And a single able
counsellor, intelligent, heroic, and sagacious, bringeth great
prosperity upon a king or a prince. And, my child, dost thou employ the
best servants upon the best offices, the middling upon middling, and the
worst upon the worst? And dost thou employ upon the most worthy offices
counsellors who are above bribery, who have served thy father and
grand-father, and who are pure? And do the subjects visited with condign
punishment, as well as the ministers, disregard thee, O son of Kaikeyi?
And do the priests scorn thee like a fallen one, even as females do
those lascivious folks who use force towards the former? He that doth
not slay a physician skilled in ways and means, a servant given to
enlisting the sympathies of his fellow-servants against his master, or a
hero that covets riches, is slain (by them). And hast thou chosen for
thy general one that is confident, is endowed with intelligence and
fortitude, sprung in a respectable race, and attached and able? And dost
thou practically honor thy foremost warriors possessed of prowess, who
have already given evidence of their manliness? And dost thou at the
proper time grant thy soldiers what thou shouldst--provision and pay;
and dost not delay in doing this? If the proper time for granting
provision and pay be passed, the servants get wroth with their master
and tax him; and great is the evil that springs herefrom. And are the
principal descendants of our race attached unto thee; and are they, when
enlisted on thy side with concentrated minds, ready to lay down their
lives? And, O Bharata, are thy spies persons coming from the provinces,
and learned, upright, endowed with presence of mind, representing the
truth, and possessed of wisdom? And dost thou acquire intelligence of
the expedients, eighteen[176] in respect of others, and fifteen in
respect of thy own self,--by means of every three spies appointed in
connection with each of these expedients--men quite ignorant of each
other's counsels? And dost thou not contemn those weak ones that, O
destroyer of thy foes, having been expelled, have come again (unto
thee)? And, my child, thou dost not minister unto atheistical Brahmanas?
These childish persons proud of their learning are only fit for bringing
evils upon others. While there are excellent scriptures, these people of
subtle intellects, having acquired a knowledge of dialectics, speak
vanities. And, my child, dost thou protect the prosperous and renowned
Ayodhya, inhabited formerly by our heroic predecessors; bearing a true
name; having strong gates; filled with elephants, steeds, and cars;
thronged by thousands; with noble Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaicyas
breathing high spirits, and with their senses controlled, each engaged
in his own task; abounding in people learned in the Veda; and surrounded
with palatial mansions of various shapes? And, O descendant of Raghu,
are the flourishing provinces marked with hundreds of Chaityas, filled
with prosperous people, graced with abodes of deities, places for
distributing water, and tanks, with men and women in happy mood, gay
with meetings and festivities, having their outskirts well furrowed,
provided with beasts, void of ill feelings, depending on tanks for their
water supply, charming, renounced by fierce animals, free from all kinds
of fear, decked with mines, left by unrighteous people, and well
governed by my predecessors,-- having a good time of it? And do
agriculturists and cowherds find favor in thy sight? And remaining in
their respective vocations, do they enjoy happiness? And dost thou
maintain them by securing unto them what they wish for and removing from
them what they wish away? All the dwellers in his dominions should be
protected by the king. And dost thou conciliate the females; and are
they well protected by thee? And dost thou not regard them; and dost
thou not open unto them thy mind? And are the woods where elephants
breed, kept by thee; and hast thou kine? And dost thou not foster mares
and female-elephants? And dost thou show thyself daily in the court,
well robed? And rising in the morning, dost thou show thyself in the
high-ways? And do thy servants boldly present themselves before thee; or
do they all keep away? A middle course contributes to their good
fortune. And are all the forts furnished with wealth, corn, arms, water,
machines, artizans, and bowmen? And are thy incomings great and
outgoings slender? And, Raghu's descendant, thou dost not give away thy
coffers unto the undeserving? And dost thou spend thy wealth in the
interests of the deities, or the _pitrtis_, or the Brahmanas who have
come unto thee, or warriors, or friends? If any respectable,
pure-spirited and clean person happen to be accused by some one of theft
or other crimes, dost thou from covetuousness punish him without first
having him tried by persons versed in scripture? And, O best of men, is
a thief, that hath been caught, interrogated (as to his guilt), and
found with the stolen property on his person, set free (by thy men) from
motives of gain? And do thy counsellors, O descendant of Raghu,
accomplished in various lore, uninfluenced by greed, consider the
conduct of both the rich and the poor involved in peril? O son of the
Raghu race, the tears of those who have been falsely charged with any
offence, (and who have failed to obtain justice), dropping, destroy the
sons as well as the beasts of the ruler that minds his own comfort only.
And dost thou with these three--gifts, mind and word--try to win over
aged people, boys, physicians, and the principal ones? And dost thou
salute spiritual preceptors, aged persons, ascetics, gods, guests,
Chaityas, emancipated ones, and Brahmanas? And thou dost not oppose
righteousness by interest, or interest by virtue, or both by desire,
intent on gratifying the senses? And, O foremost of conquerors, dost
thou, O thou cognisant of time, in season resorting to interest, desire,
and virtue respectively, attain them, O bestower of boons? And do
Brahmanas versed in all religious lore and knowing interest, together
with the citizens and the inhabitants of the provinces wish for thy
happiness, O highly wise one? Atheism, untruthfulness, inattention,
anger, procrastination, companionship with evil persons, indolence,
gratification of the senses, consultation with a single person
concerning the needs of a kingdom, taking counsel with those that are
cognisant of evils alone, omission to take in hand a task that hath been
decided upon, divulgence of counsel, noncommencement of a course in the
morning, and marching against all the foes at one and the same time,--
hast thou eschewed these ten and four faults? And, O descendant of
Raghu, truly understanding the tenth,[177] fifth,[178] fourth[179] and
seventh[180] classes as well as the eighth,[181] and third ones,[182]
and the three kinds of learning,[183] and victory over the senses, and
the evils human and superhuman, six attributes,[184] and the (peculiar)
duties (of royalty), and the twenty classes,[185] and the kinds of
Prakritis[186] and Mandala,[187] and Yatra,[188] chastisement, and war
and peace having each two sources; dost thou with due order observe all
these? And, O wise one, dost thou, as laid down in the ordinance, take
counsel, severally and in a body with three or four men? And dost thou
observe the Vedas? And dost thou perceive the fruit of thy acts? And
have thy wives borne children? And has thy knowledge of scripture borne
fruit? And, descendant of Raghu, is thy intellect going the way that I
have indicated above? This course is conducive to long life, and fame;
and virtue, desire and interest. And, O child, art thou following the
course that was followed by our ancestors? And art thou maintaining the
conduct that is excellent and passes along pious ways? And, O son of
Raghu, thou dost not alone partake of sapid meats thyself alone? And
dost thou share them with those friends who expect it? The learned king
ruling (all) righteously--that chastiser of the subjects--the monarch
attaining duly the entire earth, going away from hence, acquires the
celestial regions."
[176] 1 Minister. 2 Priest. 3 Heir-apparent. 4 General. 5 Warder. 6
Gatekeeper of the inner-apartment. 7 Jailor. 8 Treasurer. 9
Conveyer of the royal orders. 10 Pleaders. 11 Judges. 12 Members
of the council. 13 Distributer of pay and provision to the army.
14 Journeymen. 15 Justice of the peace. 16 Protector of the
frontiers of the kingdom. 17 Magistrate. 18 Guards of rivers,
hills, forests, and fortresses.
[177] Hunting, gambling, sleeping in the day, calumny, addiction to
women, wine, dancing, singing, playing, and roving without
purpose.-- T.
[178] Five kinds of fortresses.--T.
[179] Four kinds of means adopted for the governing and maintaining of a
kingdom.--T.
[180] Seven pillars of a kingdom including the sovereign, counsellors
&c.-- T.
[181] Eight kinds of manifestation of anger.--T.
[182] Interest, desire and virtue.--T.
[183] The Vedas; agriculture and commerce ac. politics.--T.
[184] Peace, war. marching, halting, sowing dissensions, seeking
protection.--T.
[185] Twenty classes of men with whom peace should not be contracted.--
T.
[186] These five are called _Prakritis_,--minister, treasure, territory,
fortress, chastisement.--T.
[187] Twelve classes of kings, who are ready to enter into a treaty,
declare war or continue in a state of indifference.--T.
[188] A fivefold marching out for war.