From today onwards, I will be posting Subhashitas dealing with 'Rajdharma' i.e. duties and responsibilities of a Ruler towards the people ruled by him. This word has gained much currency, after Shri Atal Behari Bajpai, the ex-Prime Minister of India quoted it during the communal riots in Gujrat in 2002 and advised the Chief Minister of Gujrat to follow Rajdharma, the concept of ruling a Nation as enshrined in our scriptures. This concept has been very beautifully detailed in Mahabharata, the famous epic, through a discource between Bheeshma, the patriarch of Kaurava dynasty,and Yudhishthira, the seniormost among the Pandavas, the adversaries of Kauravas.
After winning the battle of Kurukshetra, in which all the Kauravas were killed, and Bheeshma was lying on a deathbed of arrows, waiting for the auspicious period of 'Uttarayaan' (when the Sun enters the Zodiac sign of Capricornus) to die peacefully, Lord Krishna advised the Pandavas to meet Bheeshma and learn from him the intricacies of "Rajdharma". This discourse is dealt with in chapters 55 to 58 of the 'Shaanti Parva' of Mahabharata.
I will post some selected verses from these, which will highlight various aspects of 'Rajdharma'. Here is the first one :-
आदावेव कुरुश्रेष्ठ राज्ञा रञ्जनकाम्यया |
देवतानां द्विजानां च वर्तितव्यं यथाविधिः ||
अर्थ - हे कुरुश्रेष्ठ ! राजा को सबसे पहले प्रजा का रञ्जन अर्थात् उसे प्रसन्न रखने की इच्छा से देवताओं और ब्राह्मणों के प्रति शास्त्रोक्त विधि के अनुसार व्यवहार करना चाहिये (अर्थात वह् देवतोन का विधि पूर्वक पूजन और ब्राह्मणों का आदर-सत्कार करे).
Aadaaveva kushreshtha raagyaa ranjanakaamyayaa.
अर्थ - हे कुरुश्रेष्ठ ! राजा को सबसे पहले प्रजा का रञ्जन अर्थात् उसे प्रसन्न रखने की इच्छा से देवताओं और ब्राह्मणों के प्रति शास्त्रोक्त विधि के अनुसार व्यवहार करना चाहिये (अर्थात वह् देवतोन का विधि पूर्वक पूजन और ब्राह्मणों का आदर-सत्कार करे).
Aadaaveva kushreshtha raagyaa ranjanakaamyayaa.
Devataanaam dwijaanaam cha vartitavyam yathaavidhih.
Aadaaveva = At first. Kurushreshtha = Seniormost among Kauravas i.e. Yudhishthira.
Raagyaa = the King. Ranjankaamyayaa= ranjan +kaamyayaa. Ranjan = to make happy.
Kamyayaa= desire. Devataanaam = Gods. Dvijaanaam = Brahmins. Cha = also.
Vartitavyam = to be treated or dealt with. Yathaavidhih = according to the merits of a case.
(Bhishma says to Yudhishthara) - O Kurushreshtha ! your first and foremost duty is to make the subjects of your kingdom happy and satisfied. And with this aim you should treat the Gods and Brahmins according to the procedure prescribed in the scriptures i.e. you should worship the Gods and treat the Brahmins with respect.
(In Hindu religion the society was divided into four categories namely Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shoodra. Brahmins were assigned the duty of teachers and repository of knowledge and religion, Kshatriyas as rulers and warriors, Vashyas as traders and businessmen, and Shoodras as artisans, farmers and servants. Brahmins were the most revered class and guided the King in ruling the country and provided various services relating to rituals of religion. So, in this Shloka the same philpsophy is propagated, treating Brahmins next to God in the order of reverence.)
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