"'Yudhishthira said, "O grandsire, O thou that art possessed of great
wisdom, I have one great doubt that perplexes me. Thou shouldst, O king,
resolve it. Thou art an advancer of our family. Thou hast discoursed to
us upon the slanderous speeches uttered by wicked-souled wretches of bad
conduct. I desire, however, to question thee further. That which is
beneficial to a kingdom, that which is productive of the happiness of the
royal line, that which is productive of good and advancement in the
future and the present, that which is good in respect of food and drink
and as regards also the body, are topics upon which I wish thee to
discourse. How should a king who has been placed on the throne and who
continues to occupy it, surrounded by friends, ministers, and servants
gratify his people. That king who, led away by his affections and
predilections, becomes devoted to evil associates, and who pays court to
wicked men in consequence of his being enthralled by his senses, finds
all servants of good birth and blood disaffected towards him. Such a king
never succeeds in obtaining those objects the accomplishment of which
depends upon one's having a number of good servants about him. It
behoveth thee that art equal to Vrihaspati himself in intelligence to
discourse to me upon these duties of kings which are difficult to be
ascertained and thereby remove my doubts. Thou, O tiger among men, art
ever engaged in accomplishing the good of our race. For this reason thou
always discoursest to us on the duties of king-craft. Kshatri (Vidura)
also, possessed of great wisdom, always gives us valuable instruction.
Hearing instructions from thee that are productive of good to our race
and kingdom, I shall be able to pass my days in happiness like a person
gratified with having quaffed the deathless Amrita. What classes of
servants are to be regarded as inferior and what is possessed of every
accomplishment? Aided by what class of servants or by servants of what
kind of birth, is it advisable to discharge the duties of ruling? If the
king choose to act alone and without servants, he can never succeed in
protecting his people. All persons, however, of high birth covet the
acquisition of sovereignty."
"'Bhishma said, "The king, O Bharata, cannot alone rule his kingdom.
Without servants to aid him, he cannot succeed in accomplishing any
object. Even if he succeeds in gaining any object, he cannot (if alone),
retain it. That king whose servants are all possessed of knowledge and
wisdom, who are all devoted to the good of their master, and who are of
high birth and tranquil disposition, succeeds in enjoying the happiness
connected with sovereignty. That king whose ministers are all well born,
incapable of being weaned away from him (by means of bribes and other
influences), who always live with him, who are engaged in giving advice
to their master, who are possessed of wisdom and goodness, who have a
knowledge of the relations of things, who can provide for future events
and contingencies, who have a good knowledge of the virtues of time, and
who never grieve for what is past, succeeds in enjoying the happiness
that attaches to sovereignty. That king whose servants share with him his
griefs and joys, who always do what is agreeable to him, who always
direct their attention to the accomplishment of their master's objects,
and all of whom are faithful, succeeds in enjoying the happiness that
attaches to sovereignty. The king whose subjects are always cheerful, and
high minded, and who always tread in the path of the righteousness,
succeeds in enjoying the happiness attached to sovereignty. He is the
best of kings all the sources of whose income are managed and supervised
by contented and trustworthy men well acquainted with the means of
increasing the finances. That king succeeds in obtaining affluence and
great merit whose repositories and barns are supervised by incorruptible,
trust-worthy, devoted, and uncovetous servants always bent upon
gathering. That king in whose city justice is administered properly with
the result of such administration leading to the well known results of
fining the plaintiff or the defendant if his case is untrue, and in which
criminal laws are administered even after the manner of Sankha and
Likhita, succeeds in earning the merit that attaches to sovereignty. That
king who attaches his subjects to himself by kindness, who is conversant
with the duties of kings, and who attends to the aggregate of six,
succeeds in earning the merit that attaches to sovereignty."'"