Bhisma said to Yudhisthira: My dear King, when a Kshatriya strictly executes his duties, he is rewarded with the goals of life that are attainable by members of all other Varnas & ashramas. For example, the merit earned by a king who protects his subjects is equal to that obtained by performing as many sacrifices as persons he has protected. You should not hesitate to take responsibility for ruling the world. The merit that a king earns simply by protecting his subjects is 100 times more than which is attained by ascetics living in their forest asramas
In this regard
Bhisma related an ancient history: Once, long ago, anarchy prevailed over the
earth, so that the stronger devoured the weaker, just like fish in the ocean.
The condition of life was so wretched that even thieves could not enjoy their
stolen wealth, fearing that another band of plunderers might snatch it. Finally,
a great number of men assembled & worked out a system whereby they hoped to
attain peace
The agreement was
that if anyone would speak harshly, steal, become violently angry, or abduct
someone else’s wife, he would be cast off from the society. This system soon
broke down & so these men at last went to Lord Brahma. In great distress
they pleaded: O Lord, because we are without a king, our destruction is near at
hand. Kindly arrange to save us from this great danger
In response Lord
Brahma requested his son Manu, to rule the earth, but he refused, being afraid
of taking responsibility for the subjects’ sinful activities. Understanding
this, the inhabitants of earth assured Manu by saying: O son of Brahma, let
responsibility of sinful acts rest only on the shoulders of the performer. If
you become our king, to increase your prosperity, we will give you 1/50th
of our animals & precious metals and 1/10th of our grains. In addition,
we will give you the most beautiful girls of marriageable age, and the
strongest men to serve your army. And, to ensure your future welfare, 1/4th
of the merit earned by all our pious acts will be credited to you, provided
that you agree to become our king
After hearing this-Manu
gave his consent. Thereafter, as he proceeded to rule the earth, because of his
prowess all men refrained from sinful activities & remained steadfast in
the performance of their respective duties. After being installed as emperor,
Manu toured all over the world & personally saw to it that everyone was
engaged in a particular occupational duty, according to religious principles
These are important details
of the huge responsibilities of a King. He has the most important role to play
in keeping the subjects and society in order. Krsna says in Bhagvad Gita:
yad yad ācarati
śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
Whatever action a
great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by
exemplary acts, all the world pursues
People in general
always require a leader who can teach the public by practical behavior. A
leader cannot teach the public to stop smoking if he smokes himself. A teacher
should behave properly before he begins teaching. One who teaches in that way
is called ācārya, or the ideal teacher. Therefore, a teacher
must follow the principles of śāstra (scripture) to teach the
common man. The teacher cannot manufacture rules against the principles of
revealed scriptures
The king or the executive head of a state, the father and the schoolteacher are all considered to be natural leaders of the innocent people in general. All such natural leaders have a great responsibility to their dependents; therefore, they must be conversant with standard books of moral and spiritual codes
Thoughts? #gameoflife
Comments
Post a Comment