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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00117 Aug 2003

 
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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 
theEarth 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 ruledthe world 
like Lord Indra would in Heaven. 

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




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