Softer than rose & harder than a thunderbolt!

Bhisma said to Maharaja Yudhisthira: To follow the vow of truthfulness is the next great qualification of a king, for nothing else can inspire the citizens to have confidence in him. Indeed, simply by adhering to truthfulness of speech, one becomes very eloquent & achieves tangible fame

A king should be humble & should exhibit good behaviour. His passions should be subdued & he should not be too meddlesome. A king should be very straightforward in his dealings, but he should be very careful to conceal his weaknesses. If a king is too mild, people will treat him very casually. On the other hand, if he is too fierce, the citizens will be put into unnecessary anxiety

 

The most valuable assets of a king are his properly selected servants & the respect and spontaneous service attitude of his subjects. Therefore, the citizens should always be dealt with fairly & compassionately, although if a king is too mild, others will take advantage of him. For this reason, although the king should treat his subjects as affectionately as if they were his own children, he should nonetheless not mingle with them too freely or joke with them, for such familiarity breeds contempt. If one is too intimate with his dependents, they will hesitate to execute his orders, divulge his secrets, request things that should not be asked for, and appropriate the food intended for him

 

Such spoiled servants will practice deceit in state affairs & accept bribes. Ultimately, they will try to predominate over the king in so many ways. If one is too mild with servants, or jokes with them too informally, they will begin to speak disrespectfully of him even in his presence. They will laugh aloud at his mistakes & when he gets angry, they will not feel gratitude when he bestows favours upon them, and they will no longer feel anxiety if they are negligent in performing their duties.  Indeed, innumerable other evils spring up as soon as a king treats his dependents too mildly

 

A king must always be ready to act decisively, and not like a fickle & procrastinating woman. If a king discloses his plans & secrets, he invites the greatest danger. A king should never repose his confidence upon unknown persons, and indeed he should never even repose full confidence upon highly trusted servants. A king should administer justice like Yamarāja & amass wealth like Kuvera. He should always be careful to address others in a pleasing manner, avoiding a sour countenance. He should also dress very gorgeously

 

A king should bind to his service those who are brave, devoted, and incapable of being deceived by enemies, as well as those who are respectful, expert in all areas, coming from families noted for good behaviour, experienced in the affairs of the world, honest dutiful, steadfast, and disinclined to insult others

 

Great souls are sometimes softer than a rose & at other times harder than a thunderbolt. Here is a good advice for parents, teachers, husbands & all other kind of leaders. Bhisma’s advice can be followed by one who has a very mature understanding of good leadership. One who is too mild will be treated with contempt& one who is too harsh will be despised. A Leader can be compassionate towards his dependents, while at the same time maintaining his superior position

 

Huge lessons for all of us. Thoughts?

#gameoflife