good governance - raamaa's style - post 5

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Post 5

 

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Continuing the topic of "good governance- raamaa's style", we saw in post 4,

about the selection of ministers. In this post we will see what a king has to do

and what he should not do.

 

The king's first and foremost duty is to safeguard or protect the kingdom and

the capital, his subjects or people of the kingdom.

That is spelt out here.

 

veerair adhyushithaam poorvam asmaakam thaatha poorvakai: |

sathyanaamaam dhruDadhvaaraam hasthi asva rathha sankulaam || 2-100- 40

[as stated earlier 2 is ayOdhya kaaNdam 100is sargam number 40 is slOkam number]

 

braahmaNai: kshathriyai: vaisyai: sva karma nirathai: sadhaa |

jithEndhriyai: mahaa uthsaahai: vruthaam aaryai: sahasrasa: || 2-100- 41

 

praasaadhai: vividha aakaarai: vruthaan vaidhya janaakulaam |

kachchith samudhithaan spheethaam ayOdhyaam parirakshasi || 2-100 - 42

 

thaatha: = my dear, father - as said earlier this slOka is addressed to bharatha

and hence literal meaning of father is not to be taken, but out of love an young

one is called thaatha, appa

spheethaam = prosperous

ayOdhyaam = the city ayOdhyaa or kingdom ruled from ayOdhyaa

parirakshasi = saving or safeguarding

asmaakam poorvakai: = our ancestors

veerai: = who were valiant people

poorvam adhyushithaam = lived comfortably earlier

sathya naamaam = having a truthful name

dhruDa dhvaaraam = having a strong entry gates

sankulaam hasthi asva rathha = a collection of elephants, horses, and chariots

sadhaa sva karma nirathai: = always doing their own duty

jithEndhriyai: = having controlled senses

braahmaNai: = braahmin people

kshathriyai: = warrior class of people

vaisyai: = people who handle commerce

mahaa uthsaahai: = great enthusiasts

vruthaam = many

sahasrasa: aaryai: = 1000s of great learned people

praasaadhai: = great temples

vividha aakaarai: = different kinds of places

kachchith samudhithaan = many happy people

vruthaan vaidhya janaakulaam = the great peace loving people

 

Meaning: oh my dear bharathaa, are you safeguarding the ayOdhyaa,

* the kingdom ruled by our ancestors who were of great valour,

* that city which has good strong entry gates,

* with numerous temples,

* a city having good collection of elephants horses and chariots,

* containing people who are doing enthusiastically their own duties of brahmins,

kshathriyaas, vaisyaas

* thereby having a contented life,

such a kingdom, are you safeguarding well.

 

Point: see the prince designate, who missed the coronation by a whisker, asks

his brother who has taken over the reins, about the safety of the capital city

or the power center as modern management experts put it. For, once the capital

is guarded well, it means that the kingdom is safe.

 

>From this it is clear, that, the first and foremost duty of a king is to

safeguard the kingdom and Capital City from attack by the enemy kings.

 

Now see another slOka, which indicts raavaNa the king of lanka, for not

safeguarding his kingdom. This attack is from his own sister, the close quarters

of him.

 

yE na rakshanthi vishayam asvaadheenaa naraadhipa: |

thE na vrudhDhyaa prakaasanthE giraya: saagarE yathaa || 3-33-6

 

naraadhipa: = the king

vishayam yE na rakshanthi = he who not safeguards the kingdom

yE a sva adheenaa = who is not self restrained

thE na vrudhDhyaa prakaasanthE = he shines not by advantage but a waste

yathaa saagarE giraya: = falls like mountains in the oceans.

 

Meaning: He who does not safeguard his kingdom, by remaining self-restraint, he

does not shine advantageously, like mountains submerged in the oceans.

 

Point: This is soorpanakaa's advice to king of lanka and her brother raavanan.

Since raavaNa is not having a grip on the protection of the kingdom in her

opinion, she starts advising raavanan. Ravana is no doubt like a big mountain

with his wealth and prosperity. But he is engulfed in the ocean called

indiscrimination, and as long as those waters of unrestraint tides rip over his

head, he cannot surface out of the ocean and shine for himself.

Also see the nature of the king while administering is also spelt out. He must

possess self-restraint on the individual side.

 

Further the result of "not governing properly" is also spelt clearly here, as

"will fade like mountain inside ocean".

 

Now see another slOkam - about dhasaratha - who ruled properly.

 

eedhrusai: thai: amaathyai: cha raajaa dhasarathO anagha: |

upapannO guNOpEthai: anvasaasadh vasundharaam || 1-7-20

[as stated 1 is baala kaaNdam 7 is sargam number 20 is slOkam number]

 

dhasaratha: = king dhasaratha

anagha: = blemish less, exalted

guna upEthai: = good-natured

upapanna: = administered

anvasaasath = ruled

vasundharaam = the Earth.

eedhrusai: = such, or like [that efficacious]

thai amaathyai: cha = those ministers also

 

Meaning: King Dasharatha, the exalted and a good-natured emperor, ruled the

Earth or administered the kingdom, with such ministers whose efficacy is

narrated so far [in previous slOkams].

 

Point: see along with the way of ruling the nature of the king is also pointed

out .

 

avEkshyamaaNa: chaarENa prajaa dharmENa rakshayan |

prajaanaam paalanam kurvan adharmam parivarjayan || 1-7-21

 

avEkshyamaaNa: chaarENa = spectator by spies

prajaa dharmENa rakshayan = people virtuously to protect

prajaanaam paalanam kurvan = to people good rule to do

adharmam pari varjayan = giving up entirely unrighteousness

 

Meaning: Thus becoming a spectator through his spies, to protect people

virtuously, and to give people a good rule, he, that King Dasharatha, by giving

up unrighteousness in its entirety, ruled the kingdom.

 

Point: see here, the governance is done through a net work of spies, who

reported to the ministers and the king was acting as a spectator, seeing the

ministers giving rulings on points where required. Also king oversaw the

ministers are not giving up the dharma. The wholesome aim or principle is to

give a good rule to people.

 

visrutha: thrishu lOkEshu vadhaanya: sathya sangara: |

sa thathra purusha vyaaghra: sasaasa pruthveem imaam || 1-7-22

 

sa purusha vyaaghra = he, the manly tiger

vishruta: thrishu lOkEshu = renowned in three worlds

vadhaanya: = generous

sathya sangara: = avowedly truthful

thathra = from there

imaam pruthveem = this Earth

sasaasa = ruled

 

Meaning: Dasharatha, the tiger among men, thus renowned in all the three worlds,

a generous and avowedly truthful king, ruled this earth from Ayodhya.

 

na adhyagachChath visishtam vaa thulyam vaa sathrum aathmana: |

mithravaan natha saamantha: prathaapa hatha kaNTaka: |

sa sashaasa jagath raajaa dhivi dhEva pathir yathaa || 1-7-23

 

na adhyagachChat = not encountered

visishtam vaa = a superior one either

thulyam vaa = equal one or

sathrum = an enemy

aathmana: = to him

mithravaan = has many friends

natha saamantha = subdued provincial kings

prathaapa hatha kantaka: = by valour eliminated the thorns

sa: sasaasa jagath = he ruled the world

dhivi dhEvapathi: yathaa = like Lord Indra ruling in Heaven

 

Meaning: Emperor Dasharatha has not encountered either a superior or an equal in

his kingship, and to him there are many friends. Subdued are his provincial

kings, and he eliminated the thorns by his own valour. He thus ruled the world

like Lord Indra would in Heaven.

 

Point: a king while ruling his own kingdom should strategically either keep

friendship with neighbours, or subdue the provincial kings by his valour, so

that he faces no thorns in his flesh.

 

To sum up the points coming out are-

1. The king should first and foremost protect his kingdom.

2. The king must be having full control on his administration.

3. He must be self - restraint.

4. He must be good natured, valiant, dhaarmic and where required use his

strategy to eliminate thorns in the flesh.

 

Let us continue more on the king in next post.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.