Chapter 7

I will now declare the Dharma of Kings, how a king should conduct himself, how he came into being, and how he may attain the highest perfection. // Mn_7.1 //

A Kshatriya who has received the Brahmanical saṃskāra according to the rule must perform the protection of this entire world justly and according to the law. // Mn_7.2 //

For when this world was without a king, it was scattered in all directions out of fear; for the protection of this all, the Lord created a king. // Mn_7.3 //

Having drawn forth eternal particles from Indra, the Wind, Yama, the Sun, from Agni and Varuna, and from the Moon and the Lord of Wealth (Kubera). // Mn_7.4 //

Because a king is created from the particles of these lords of the gods, he therefore surpasses all beings in splendor. // Mn_7.5 //

And like the sun, he scorches both the eyes and the minds; and no one on earth is able to look upon him. // Mn_7.6 //

Through his power, he is Agni and he is the Wind, he is the Sun, he is Soma, he is the King of Dharma (Yama); he is Kubera, he is Varuna, he is the great Indra. // Mn_7.7 //

A king, even if he is a child, must not be despised as a mere mortal; for this is a great deity that stands in human form. // Mn_7.8 //

Fire burns only one man who approaches it carelessly; the fire of a king burns the whole family, with its cattle and store of wealth. // Mn_7.9 //

Having duly considered the matter, his power, and the place and time, he assumes various forms again and again for the accomplishment of Dharma. // Mn_7.10 //

He in whose favor resides Padma, the goddess of fortune, in whose valor resides victory, and in whose anger resides death—he is indeed formed of the splendor of all. // Mn_7.11 //

He who, out of delusion, hates him, he perishes without a doubt; for the king quickly sets his mind on his destruction. // Mn_7.12 //

Therefore, that Dharma which the king ordains for those he favors, and that which is not favored for those he disfavors, that Dharma one must not transgress. // Mn_7.13 //

For his sake, the Lord in the beginning created Daṇḍa, his own son, as Dharma, the protector of all beings, formed of the spiritual luster of Brahma. // Mn_7.14 //

Through fear of him, all beings, both movable and immovable, submit to their enjoyments and do not swerve from their own Dharma. // Mn_7.15 //

Having duly considered the place and time, his own ability, and the sacred learning, he should apply it justly to men who act unjustly. // Mn_7.16 //

He is the king, the man, Daṇḍa; he is the leader and the ruler; and he is remembered as the guarantor of the Dharma of the four āśramas. // Mn_7.17 //

Daṇḍa rules all subjects, Daṇḍa alone protects them; Daṇḍa is awake when others sleep; the wise know Daṇḍa to be Dharma itself. // Mn_7.18 //

When applied with due consideration, it makes all the subjects rejoice; but when applied without consideration, it destroys everything. // Mn_7.19 //

If the king did not, unwearied, apply punishment to those deserving punishment, the stronger would roast the weaker like fish on a spit. // Mn_7.20 //

The crow would eat the sacrificial cake, and the dog would lick the oblation; ownership would not remain with anyone, and the lower would usurp the place of the higher. // Mn_7.21 //

The whole world is kept in order by Daṇḍa, for a pure man is hard to find; through fear of Daṇḍa, the whole world submits to its enjoyments. // Mn_7.22 //

The gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Rakshasas, the birds, and the serpents—they too submit to their enjoyments only when oppressed by Daṇḍa. // Mn_7.23 //

All the varnas would be corrupted, all barriers would be broken, and there would be an uprising of all the worlds from a confusion of Daṇḍa. // Mn_7.24 //

Where Daṇḍa, dark and red-eyed, the destroyer of sin, moves about, there the subjects are not bewildered, if their leader sees rightly. // Mn_7.25 //

They declare the king to be its wielder, who is truthful, who acts with deliberation, who is wise, and who knows the three goals of Dharma, wealth, and desire. // Mn_7.26 //

A king who wields it rightly prospers in the three goals; but one who is lustful, perverse, and base is destroyed by Daṇḍa itself. // Mn_7.27 //

For Daṇḍa is of great splendor, and difficult to wield by those of unpurified soul; it destroys a king who has swerved from Dharma, along with his kinsmen. // Mn_7_28 //

Then it afflicts his fortress, his kingdom, the world with its movable and immovable beings, and also the sages and the gods who move in the celestial regions. // Mn_7.29 //

It cannot be wielded justly by one who is without assistance, who is foolish, greedy, of unformed intellect, and attached to sense-objects. // Mn_7.30 //

Daṇḍa can be wielded by one who is pure, true to his word, who follows the sacred treatises, who has good assistants, and who is wise. // Mn_7.31 //

He should be just in his own kingdom, and very severe towards his enemies; straightforward with his friends and allies, and forbearing towards Brahmanas. // Mn_7.32 //

The fame of a king who lives thus, even if he subsists by gleaning, spreads in the world like a drop of oil on water. // Mn_7.33 //

But the fame of a king who is the opposite, who has not conquered his soul, contracts in the world like a drop of ghee on water. // Mn_7.34 //

The king was created as the protector of all the varnas and āśramas, in their order, who are established in their respective Dharmas. // Mn_7.35 //

Whatever must be done by him and his servants in protecting his subjects, that I will now declare to you, in due order and as it is. // Mn_7.36 //

A king, having risen in the morning, should wait upon the Brahmanas who are aged and learned in the three Vedas, and he should abide by their instruction. // Mn_7.37 //

He should constantly serve aged Brahmanas who know the Veda and are pure; for he who constantly serves the aged is honored even by Rakshasas. // Mn_7.38 //

From them he should learn humility, even if his soul is already humble; for a king whose soul is humble never perishes. // Mn_7.39 //

Many kings, along with their retinues, have been ruined by lack of humility; but even those living in the forest have regained their kingdoms through humility. // Mn_7.40 //

Vena was ruined by lack of humility, and so was king Nahusha, and Sudas, the son of Pijavana, and Sumukha and Nimi. // Mn_7.41 //

But Prithu gained his kingdom through humility, and so did Manu; and Kubera gained his wealth and sovereignty, and the son of Gadhi his Brahmanhood. // Mn_7.42 //

From those learned in the three Vedas, he should learn the triple Veda, the eternal science of government, the science of logic and philosophy, the knowledge of the Self, and from the people, the science of economics. // Mn_7.43 //

He should apply himself day and night to the practice of conquering his senses; for he who has conquered his senses is able to keep his subjects under control. // Mn_7.44 //

He should diligently avoid the ten vices born of desire and the eight born of anger, which are difficult to overcome. // Mn_7.45 //

For a king who is addicted to the vices born of desire is deprived of wealth and Dharma; but one addicted to those born of anger is deprived of his very self. // Mn_7.46 //

Hunting, gambling, sleeping by day, slander, women, intoxication, the triad of song, dance, and music, and aimless wandering—this is the tenfold group born of desire. // Mn_7.47 //

Malice, violence, treachery, envy, calumny, misappropriation of property, and harshness of speech and of punishment—this is the eightfold group born of anger. // Mn_7.48 //

That which all the poets know to be the root of both these groups, that greed he should conquer with effort; from it are born both these groups. // Mn_7.49 //

Drinking, gambling, women, and hunting, in that order—one should know this foursome to be the most pernicious in the group born of desire. // Mn_7.50 //

The infliction of punishment, harshness of speech, and misappropriation of property—in the group born of anger, one should know this triad to be always the most pernicious. // Mn_7.51 //

Of this group of seven, which is ever attendant everywhere, a self-possessed man should know each preceding one to be more serious than the one that follows. // Mn_7.52 //

Between a vice and death, a vice is said to be more pernicious; a man with a vice goes down and down, but a man without a vice, when dead, goes to heaven. // Mn_7.53 //

He should appoint seven or eight ministers who are hereditary, learned in the sacred treatises, brave, skilled in arms, of noble birth, and well-tested. // Mn_7.54 //

Even an action that is easy to perform is difficult for one man alone to accomplish; how much more so a kingdom of great prosperity, especially without assistance. // Mn_7.55 //

With them he should constantly deliberate on ordinary peace and war, on his position, his revenue, his protection, and the pacification of what has been acquired. // Mn_7.56 //

Having ascertained the individual opinion of each of them separately, and then of all of them together, he should do what is beneficial for himself in his affairs. // Mn_7.57 //

But with a Brahmana who is distinguished among them all, a wise man, the king should deliberate on the supreme counsel connected with the six political expedients. // Mn_7.58 //

He should always, being fully confident in him, entrust all his affairs to him; having made a decision with him, he should then commence his action. // Mn_7.59 //

He should also appoint other ministers who are pure, wise, and steadfast, who are excellent collectors of revenue, and who are well-tested. // Mn_7.60 //

As many men as are needed for the performance of his duties, so many he should appoint, who are unwearied, skillful, and discerning. // Mn_7.61 //

Among them, he should employ the brave, skillful, and well-born in positions of authority; the pure in the management of mines, and the timid in the inner apartments. // Mn_7.62 //

And he should appoint an envoy who is thoroughly versed in all the sacred treatises, who understands hints, expression, and gestures, who is pure, skillful, and of noble birth. // Mn_7.63 //

An envoy who is loyal, pure, skillful, of good memory, who knows the proper place and time, who is handsome, fearless, and eloquent is praised for a king. // Mn_7.64 //

On the minister depends the infliction of punishment; on punishment, the establishment of order; on the king, the treasury and the kingdom; and on the envoy, peace and its opposite. // Mn_7.65 //

For it is the envoy who makes alliances and who breaks up those who are allied; the envoy performs that action by which men are divided. // Mn_7.66 //

He should, by concealed hints and gestures, understand in his affairs the king's expression, hints, and gestures, and what he wishes to do among his servants. // Mn_7.67 //

And having understood in truth all that the other king wishes to do, he should take such measures that he does not harm himself. // Mn_7.68 //

He should dwell in a country that is open and dry, abounding in grain, inhabited chiefly by Aryans, not troubled, pleasant, with its neighboring kings submissive, and where a livelihood is easy. // Mn_7.69 //

He should dwell in a city, having taken refuge in a desert-fort, an earth-fort, a water-fort, or a forest-fort, a man-fort, or a hill-fort. // Mn_7.70 //

But with every effort, he should take refuge in a hill-fort; for by the superiority of its many advantages, a hill-fort is distinguished among them. // Mn_7.71 //

The first three of these are inhabited by beasts, creatures of the holes, and water-animals; the latter three, in order, by monkeys, men, and gods. // Mn_7.72 //

Just as enemies do not harm these creatures who have taken refuge in a fort, so do enemies not harm a king who has taken refuge in a fort. // Mn_7.73 //

One archer stationed on a rampart can fight a hundred men; and a hundred can fight ten thousand; therefore, a fort is ordained. // Mn_7.74 //

It should be well-supplied with weapons, with money and grain, with beasts of burden, with Brahmanas, artisans, machines, fodder, and water. // Mn_7.75 //

In the middle of it, he should have a dwelling built for himself, well-provisioned, protected, suitable for all seasons, white, and provided with water and trees. // Mn_7.76 //

Having settled there, he should take a wife of his own varna, marked with auspicious signs, born in a great family, charming, and endowed with beauty and good qualities. // Mn_7.77 //

He should appoint a family priest and should also choose sacrificial priests; they should perform his domestic rites and his great fire-sacrifices. // Mn_7.78 //

A king should sacrifice with various sacrifices with abundant sacrificial fees; and for the sake of Dharma, he should give to Brahmanas enjoyments and wealth. // Mn_7.79 //

He should have the annual tribute collected from the kingdom by trusted men; and he should be devoted to the sacred law in the world and behave like a father to his people. // Mn_7.80 //

He should appoint various wise supervisors in different places; they should inspect all the affairs of the men who are performing their duties. // Mn_7.81 //

He should be a worshipper of Brahmanas who have returned from their guru's house; for this is called the imperishable Brahmanical treasure of kings. // Mn_7.82 //

Neither thieves nor enemies can take it, nor does it perish; therefore, an imperishable treasure must be deposited by a king with Brahmanas. // Mn_7.83 //

It does not diminish, nor is it wasted, nor does it ever perish; an oblation offered in the mouth of a Brahmana is more excellent than one offered in the Agnihotra fire. // Mn_7.84 //

A gift to a non-Brahmana is of equal merit; to one who calls himself a Brahmana, it is double; to a well-read student, a hundred thousand times; and to one who has mastered the Veda, it is endless. // Mn_7.85 //

For according to the special quality of the recipient and according to faith, one reaps the fruit of a gift, whether small or great, after death. // Mn_7.86 //