"'Yudhishthira said, "The most trifling act, O grandsire, cannot be
accomplished by any man if unaided. What then need be said of the king
(who has to govern a kingdom)? What should be the behaviour and what the
acts of the king's minister? Upon whom should the king repose confidence
and upon whom should he not?"
"'Bhishma said, "Kings, O monarch, have four kinds of friends. They are he
that has the same object, he that is devoted, he that is related by
birth, and he that has been won over (by gifts and kindness). A person of
righteous soul, who would serve one and not both sides, is the fifth in
the enumeration of the king's friends. Such a person adopts that side on
which righteousness is, and accordingly acts righteously. With respect to
such a person, the king should never disclose such purposes of his as
would not enlist his sympathy. Kings desirous of success are obliged to
adopt both kinds of paths, righteous and unrighteous. Of the four kinds
of friends, the second and the third are superior, while the first and
the fourth should ever be regarded with suspicion. In view, however, of
those acts which the king should do in person, he should always regard
with suspicion all the four. The king should never act heedlessly in the
matter of watching his friends. A king that is heedless is always
overpowered by others. A wicked man assumes the garb of honesty, and he
that is honest becomes otherwise. A foe may become a friend and a friend
may become a foe. A man cannot always be of the same mind. Who is there
that would trust him completely? All the chief acts, therefore, of a king
he should accomplish in his own presence. A complete reliance (on his
ministers) is destructive of both morality and profit. A want of trust
again in respect of all is worse than death. Trustfulness is premature
death. One incurs danger by truthfulness. If one trusts another
completely, he is said to live by the sufferance of the trusted person.
For this reason every one should be trusted as also mistrusted. This
eternal rule of policy, O sire, should be kept in view. One should always
mistrust that person who would, upon one's desire, obtain one's wealth.
The wise declare such a person to be one's enemy. A person whose joy
knows no bounds upon beholding the aggrandisement of the king and who
feels miserable upon seeing the king's decay, furnishes the indications
of one of the best friends of the king. He whose fall would be brought
about by thy fall, should be trusted by thee completely even as thou
shouldst trust thy sire. Thou shouldst, to the best of thy power,
aggrandise him as thou winnest aggrandisement for thyself. One who, in
even thy religious rites, seeks to rescue thee from harm, would seek to
rescue thee from harm's way in every other business. Such a one should be
regarded as thy best friend. They, on the other hand, that wish one harm
are one's foes. That friend is said to be like thy own self who is
inspired with fear when calamity overtakes thee and with joy when
prosperity shines on thee. A person possessed of beauty, fair complexion,
excellent voice, liberality, benevolence, and good birth, cannot be such
a friend. That person who is possessed of intelligence and memory, who is
clever in the transaction of business, who is naturally averse from
cruelty, who never indulges in wrath, and who, whether regarded or
disregarded is never dissatisfied, be he thy priest or preceptor or
honoured friend should always receive thy worship if he accepts the
office of thy counsellor and resides in thy abode. Such a person may be
informed of thy most secret counsels and the true state of all thy
affairs religious or pertaining to matters of profit. Thou mayst confide
in him as in thy own sire. One person should be appointed to one task,
and not two or three. Those may not tolerate each other. It is always
seen that several persons, if set to one task, disagree with one another.
That person who achieves celebrity, who observes all restraints, who
never feels jealous of others that are able and competent, who never does
any evil act, who never abandons righteousness from lust or fear or
covetousness or wrath, who is clever in the transaction of business, and
who is possessed of wise and weighty speech, should be thy foremost of
ministers. Persons possessed of good birth and good behaviour, who are
liberal and who never indulge in brag, who are brave and respectable, and
learned and full of resources, should be appointed as ministers for
supervising all thy affairs. Honoured by thee and gratified with wealth,
they would act for thy good and be of great help to thee. Appointed to
offices connected with profit and other important matters they always
bring about great prosperity. Moved by a feeling of healthy rivalry, they
discharge all duties connected with profit, holding consultations with
one another when necessary. Thou shouldst fear thy kinsmen as thou
shouldst death itself. A kinsman can never bear a kinsman's prosperity
even as a feudatory chief cannot bear to see the prosperity of his
overlord. None but a kinsman can feel joy at the destruction of a kinsman
adorned with sincerity, mildness, liberality, modesty, and truthfulness
of speech. They, again, that have no kinsmen, cannot be happy. No men can
be more contemptible than they that are destitute of kinsmen. A person
that has no kinsmen is easily overridden by foes. Kinsmen constitute the
refuge of one that is afflicted by other men, for kinsmen can never bear
to see a kinsman afflicted by other people. When a kinsman is persecuted
by even his friends, every kinsman of the persecuted regards the injury
to be inflicted upon himself. In kinsmen, therefore, there are both
merits and faults. A person destitute of kinsmen never shows favours to
any one nor humbles himself to any one. In kinsmen, therefore both merit
and demerit may be marked. One should, for this reason, always honour and
worship his kinsmen in words and acts, and do them agreeable offices
without injuring them at any time. Mistrusting them at heart, one should
behave towards them as if he trusted them completely. Reflecting upon
their nature, it seems that they have neither faults nor merits. A person
who heedfully conducts himself in this way finds his very foes disarmed
of hostility and converted into friends. One who always conducts himself
in this way amid kinsmen and relatives and bears himself thus towards
friends and foes, succeeds in winning everlasting fame."'"