SRIMAD MAHABHARATA - SABHA PARVA - LOKAPALA SABHAKHAYANA (UPA) PARVA - CHAPTER 5(C) - MILITARY ADMINISTRATION OF A COUNTRY
“(Deva Rishi) Narada continued, ‘O slayer of all enemies (Yudhishthira), do you watch all your enemies with care
and attention, and unknown to them?
“Is the Purohita you
honour, possessed of humility, purity of blood, fame, and without jealousy and
illiberality?
“Has any well-behaved,
intelligent, and guileless Brahmana, well-up in the Shaastraas, been employed
by you in the performance of your daily rites before the sacred fire, and does
he remind you in proper time as to when your homa should be performed?
“Is the astrologer (Jyotisha in Sanskrit), you have employed skilled in reading facial
characteristics, capable of interpreting omens, and competent to neutralise the
effect of the disturbances of nature?
“Have respectable
servants been employed by you in offices that are respectable, indifferent ones
in indifferent offices, and low ones in offices that are low (meaning have you appointed employees
based on their merit and based the job requisite)?
“Have you appointed
high offices to ministers that are honest and of well conduct for generations
and above the common run?
“Do you not oppress your
people with cruel and severe punishment?
“O bull of the Bharata
race (Yudhishthira), do your ministers rule your kingdom under
your orders?
“Do your ministers ever
ignore you like yagna priests ignoring men that are fallen (and incapable of performing any more
yagnas) or like wives ignoring husbands
that are proud and uncontrolled in their behaviour?
“Is the commander of your
forces (Senapati in
Sanskrit) possessed of sufficient
confidence, brave, intelligent, patient, well-conducted, of good birth, devoted
to you, and capable?
“Do you treat with
consideration and regard the chief officers of your army that are skilled in
every kind of welfare, are forward, well-behaved, and filled with prowess?
“Do you give to your
troops their sanctioned rations and pay in the appointed time? Do you not
oppress them by withholding these?
“Do you know that the
misery caused by arrears of pay and irregularity in the distribution of rations
drives the troops to mutiny, and that is called by the learned to be one of the
greatest of mischiefs?
“Are all the principal
high-born men devoted to you, and ready with cheerfulness to lay down their
lives in battle for your sake?
“I hope no single
individual of passions uncontrolled is ever permitted by you to rule as he
likes a number of concerns at the same time appertaining to the army?
“Is any servant of yours,
who has accomplished well a particular business by the employment of special
ability, disappointed in obtaining from you a little more regard, and an
increase of food and pay (meaning is there anyone who despite having shown performance exceeding
normal, has not received appreciation from you and haven’t seen any incentive)?
“I hope you reward
persons of learning and humility, and skill in every kind of knowledge with
gifts of wealth and honour in accordance to their qualifications.
“O bull in the Bharata
race (Yudhishthira), do you support the wives and children of
men that have given their lives for you and have been distressed on your
account?
“O Paarthaa (Yudhishthira), do you cherish with paternal affection the enemy that has been
weakened, or him also that has sought your shelter, having been vanquished in
battle?
“O lord of Earth (Yudhishthira), are you equal to all men, and can every one approach you without
fear, as if you were their mother and father?
“O bull of the Bharata
race (Yudhishthira), do you march, without loss of time, and thinking
well upon three kinds of forces, against your enemies when you hear that he is
in distress?
“O
subjugator of all enemies (Yudhishthira), do you begin your march when the time
comes, having taken into consideration all the omens you might see, the
resolutions you have made, and that the ultimate victory depends upon the
twelve mandalaas (such as reserves, ambuscades, payment of pay to the
troops in advance, etc.)?
No comments:
Post a Comment