good governance - raamaa's style - post 10

[Guest guest]

Post 10

 

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Continuing the topic of "good governance- raamaa's style", we saw in post 9, the

points on financial management. In this post, how king must act 'in time' is

stressed.

 

A king should NOT indulge in long hours of sleep derelicting his duty of

governance. See here raamaa asks this question how long you are sleeping - to

bharathaa when they met in chithrakootam [from kaschith sargam]

 

kachchin nidhraavasam naishi kachchith kaalE vibudhyasE |

kachchimscha apara raathrishu chinthayasi artha naipuNam || 2-100- 17

 

kachchidh nidhraavasam = at times quite sleepy

naiShi = not indulging

kachchith kaalE vibudhyasE = when required you get up in time

kachchidh cha apara raathrishu = at times when required in the late nights

chinthayasi artha naipuNam = hold brain-storming discussions with experts in

administration

 

meaning: hey bharathaa, as part of your duty, I hope you are not sleeping too

much. Similarly when required, you are also getting up from bed correctly on

time. When required, I hope, you hold brain- storming sessions late in the

nights with your experts in administration.

 

Point: see here the advice to the youngster by the senior - a king should not

sleep too much, simlarly not keep awake too much - means enough sleep to keep

him alert and healthy. Just see the advice of soorpanaka to raavaNa her brother.

The youngster advising the elder - roles reversed.

 

nayanaabhyaam prasupthO vaa jaagarthi naya chakshushaa |

vyaktha krOdha prasaadha: cha sa raajaa poojyathE janai: || 3-33-21

 

nayanaabhyaam = by two eyes [closed]

[ya] pra suptha: vaa = [who] well slept

jaagarthi naya chakshushaa = [who is] of wakeful wariness in the eyes

vyaktha krOdha prasaadha: cha = also confidence grace evident

sa raajaa poojyathE janai: = he the king revered by people.

[in other meaning- vyakta krodhaH pramaadha: cha = also discarded the frenzy

fury]

 

Meaning: He who keeps his [mental] eyes of alertness wakeful while he slept well

[closing his physical] eyes, and, he whose gall and grace are made evident [to

people without any concealment or cunningness] he will be revered as the king by

his people.

Or

He who keeps his [mental] eyes of wariness wakeful, while he slept well [closing

his physical] eyes, thus discarded his fury and frenzy as well, he will be

revered as the king by his own people.

 

Point: the important point here is the king has to be 'alert' vigilant - ready

to react to demanding situations. If he is too sleepy, then it is useless.

Similarly if he is too wakeful also, it is uselss. See the king must

 

Kachchidh arthan vinischithya laghumoolam mahOdhayam |

kshipram aarabhasE karthum na dheerghayasi raaghava: || 2-100- 18

 

raaghava = hey bharathaa

kachchid arthan = certain works

vinischithya = decided to implement

laghu moolam = providing good results

mahOdhayam = religiously good to all

kshipram aarabhasE = starting action swiftly or deciding fast

karthum = to do

na dheerghayasi = not delaying

 

meaning: hey bharathaa, certain works which you think will produce good results

and beneficial to the good of all people in such cases I hope you are NOT

delaying to start these works.

 

Point: any decision in the opinion of the king should not be delayed - either in

passing on to the ministers for their due diligence and then taking a decision

collectively or in the reverse process - the ministers informing the king and he

does not give his decision but postpones. The timelyness of decisions and

actions is stressed here.

 

para avamanthaa vishayEshu sangavaan na dhEesa kaala pravibhaaga thaththva vith

|

ayuktha budhdhi: guNa dhOsha nischayE vipanna raajyO na chiraath vipathsyathE ||

3-33-23

 

para avamanthaa vishayEshu sangavaan = humiliating ravishes, hobnobbing with

others

na dhEsa kaala pra vibhaaga thaththva vith = not placed in time or well delved

up [apportioned] object is not cognisant,

a yuktha budhdhi: guNa dhOsha nischayE = not having the mind in deciding

[mindless] the rights wrongs

vipanna raajya: na chiraath vipathsyathE = not before long such a kingdom

imperilled / ruined.

 

Meaning: soorpanaka says to raavaNa - Humiliating others, you are hobnobbing

with your ravishes. You are incognisant of the object for apportionment of time

and place [for your activities, as to when and where and how the things are to

be dealt with, since you are not attending any soveriegn activity]. You are

mindless in deciding rights and wrongs even. Thereby ruined is your kingdom and

imperilled are you before long."

 

[Thus Shurpanakha declaimed or summed up her talk to him about his worthlessness

as a king.]

 

Point: here again the timeliness of decisions on the king's part is stressed.

See point on timeliness. Also added is that -However self-sufficient and

self-assured a king might be, he cannot under-estimate rival kings as trivial,

unilaterally. He should be on his guard lest he will be overthrown for he is

associated with many un-kingly attitudes.

 

kachchidh dharsayasE nithyam manushyaaNaan vibhooshitham |

uththaaya uththaaya poorvaahnE raajaputhrO mahaapathE || 2 - 100 - 51

 

kachchidh dharsayasE nithyam = are you exhibiting yourself daily

manushyaaNaan = to the people

vibhooshitham = well meant to be seen

poorvaahnE = in the morning times

uththaaya uththaaya = getting up

raajaputhrO mahaapathE = hey prince and great man

 

meaning: hey prince - are you showing up yourself to the people in the streets

daily in the morning times by getting up timely.

 

Point: as a king he must not seclude himself from people. So the elder advises

are you appearing before the people daily in the mornings. To do this the king

has to get up daily in the morning at the appropriate time and then do his

morning rites according to his varNa dharma viz. Kshathriya dharmam. Then he has

to go t the streets properly dressed after attending to the morning rajareega

kaaryam- administrative matters which requires king's attention first. So again

the timeliness is stressed. Now see another scene.

 

kim ayam kaama vruththa: thE luptha dharmaartha sangraha: |

bharthaa bhartruhithE yukthE na cha evam avabudhyase || 4-33-43

 

kim ayam kaama vruththa: = why he is inclined to lustfulness

thE [bharthaa] luptha dharma artha sangraha: = your [husband] is garnering

remiss of rectitude, riches,

bhartaa = husband;

bharthru hithE yukthE = in husband's prosperity you the associate [oh, thaaraa]

na cha Evam avabudhyasE = you also not perceive about him.

 

Meaning: lakshmaNa addresses thaaraa - Oh, the associate of husband's

prosperity! Why your husband is inclined to lustfulness alone, remiss in

garnering rectitude and riches, and you also do not perceive his dereliction.

Point again isthat a king should not be drelict and waste his time is lust

alone.

 

na chinthayathi raajyaartham sa: asmaan sOka paraayaNaan |

sa amaathya parishath thaarE kaamam Eva upasEvathE || 4-33-44

 

na chinthayathi raajya artham = he does not think about the kingdom's interests

sa: asmaan sOka paraayaNaan = he does not think about our anguish or need

sa amaathya parishath = [your husband] with the ministers retinue

thaarE kaamam Eva upasEvathE = oh, thaaraa, in savour of lechery alone.

 

Meaning: Without thinking either about the interests of the kingdom or about us,

who are in the servility of anguish, your husband with his retinue, oh, Tara, is

in the savour of lechery alone.

 

Point: see again lakshmaNa insists that the king should be attentive to his duty

first and the timeliness of action from the king - of arranging for the search

party to find seetha.

 

So the highlight of this post is the king MUST ACT in time for any thing and

every thing.

 

Dhasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.