Rajdharma in Shantiparva PDF

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LADY SHRI RAM COLLEGE FOR WOMEN

Indian Political Theory Assignment “Criticially examine the notion of Rajdharma in Shantiparva.”

By: Archisha Gupta Class: 3A Roll No.: 96

“Critically examine the notion of Rajdharma in Shantiparva”

Introduction The Mahabharata as called by its author's is an Itihas, a Purana, an Akhyana, a Samhita, a Kavya and the source and basis of all the legends. It is quintessential from the point of view of politics, providing a comprehensive account of ancient Indian Political thought, the highest watermark of which being reached in the Shantiparva and the Rajdharmanusasana chapters which deliver a synthetic and systematic view ancient Indian polity. Governance is an integral part of all societies and has been beautifully explained in Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. There are three parts of Shantiparva with one, the Rajdharamanussana, completely devoted to practicing and perfecting the art of governance. This parva deals with the duties of four varnas, the history of sovereignty, the superiority of truth to false-hood and the duties of the king. It exquisitely elaborates the reasons that contribute to the growth of an empire and build a strong and suitable kingship. Morality has been given high esteem and the king has been considered as the guardian of dharma. The concept of governance started with the inception of civilization and got transformed into an idea of good governance with developmental changes. The Greek philosopher Aristotle has rightly remarked that state came into existence for the sake of life and continued for the sake of good life. Good life here stands for that favourable atmosphere provided to all the individuals by the state in which one can develop his/her personality up to the best. With the development of civilization, the idea of good governance gained its pace and can be traced in the writings of various western as well as Indian writings. A close study of ancient Indian texts like Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Bhagwad Gita and Shanti parva in Mahabharata is required to understand the very concept of welfare state. The part of Mahabharata with the title ‘Shantiparva’ i.e., the book of peace, is a volume related to various dimensions of politics like origin of state, dandniti, rajdharma, duties of the King and good governance. With the above backdrop established, this paper is an attempt to delve into the carefully articulated ancient Indian teachings of governance while simultaneously comprehending how it is still contemporarily relevant. Essence of Rajdharma in Shantiparva The rajadharma, as the name suggests, in ancient Indian political speculation constituted mainly the duties of the king towards his subjects and his administrative activities. The details of rajadharma make it clear that the basic spirit behind rajadharma was to ensure peace and prosperity of the people and in doing so the state was also expected to maintain impartiality. It has been observed that the ancient Indian state was kind and helpful to the people to the limitless level. In fact, there can be no higher goal and duty of the state than what was proclaimed in yoga kshema in ancient Indian Political Thought. The rajadharma as enunciated in the past still holds good; beacons to a good, orderly, peaceful and prosperous corporate

life in a polity. Even today despite all changes in the tenor and norms of political life, the basic principles of rajadharma remain much the same as in the past. Rajadharma has been a subject of serious discussion in ancient works on politics in India. It has remained an integral part of dharma. Dharma is one of those Sanskrit terms that defy all attempts at an exact rendering in English or any other tongue. The term passed through several vicissitudes and after passing through several transitions of meaning, it came to mean "the privilege, duties and obligations of a man, his standard of conduct as a member of Aryan community, as a member of one of the casts, as a person in a particular stage of life". It is in the same sense that the Bhagavadgita uses the word dharma in the off quoted verse " svadharma nidhanam sreyen ". Rajadharma as spelt out by Kautilya implies that the state's authority is based on the principles of dharma. The fulfillment of their duties and responsibilities by rulers was of paramount importance to the stability and orderly development of society and to the happiness of individuals in the state and therefore one often finds that rajadharma is said to be the root of or the quintessence of all dharamas. Shantiparva (63.25) states 'Know that all dharmas are merged in rajadharma ; that rajadharma is at the head of all dharmas' and (141,910) the welfare, good rains, sickness, calamities and death among people owe their origin to the king. At the helm of Rajdharma lied the notion that it was the king's duty to see that the people in his kingdom acted according to the rules laid down in the Smrtis for the several varnas and asramas, to administer justice and to interfere when his help was sought for by a Parisad (assembly of learned men) in enforcing the Prayaschitta (penance) prescribed for various lapses. Therefore, it may be said (as done by the Mahabharata) that rajadharma was the highest goal of the entire world, that it comprehended within itself all rules of acara, vyavahara (administration of Justice) and prayaschitta(penance). Bhishma's theories of Rajdharma and Dandniti in the context of his remarkable development of the old Smriti concept of the whole duty of the King, Rajdharma is used in Mahabharata in two meanings, the royal duties and the politics (dandniti). Its later sense is confirmed by the fact that one whole section of the Santiparva, dealing with the rules, relating specifically to the art of government, is known as the Rajdharmanushasana Parva. There in it has been regarded as the most important science and as the refuge of all other branches of knowledge. Dandniti's full knowledge is indispensable for a ruler. If strictly followed by the rulers it leads to prosperity and well-being of the ruler. So Rajadharma is not only related to dandniti, but the performance of the former is wholly dependent upon the latter. Among his most notable and original contributions are his theories of Rajadharma and Dandniti, his theory of the king's authority, his theory of public rights of the social clases and the community, his view of the principles of government, his discussion of the moral standards of the king's policy in the exceptional circumstances. The functional importance of Rajdharma is supported by its ethical significance. Rajdharma that is the Kshatriya's dharma is the foremost of all dharmas and that without it, people would be ruined. Further, it is clearly suggested that the king who acts against rajdharma loses his legitimacy to govern and provides scope for rebellion. Polices contrary to and against rajdharma are considered to be unjust and unrighteous.

Origin of State The Shantiparva clarifies that in the state of nature; the institutions of state did not exist. There was no office of the king and the people thereof had no sense of thine and mine. This implies that the absence of the king coincided with the absence of private property. The disruption in peaceful living emerged with the advent of private property as an institution which in turn brought differences and lead to chaos in the pre state nature. Later on, because of the demand of peace and security, the need of authority was felt and led to the establishment of the office of the king. Shantiparva describes at one place that people went in search of a King in order to protect their property, family and varnas. The public was feeling so much insecure that they were also prepared to give him certain share of their property and others privileges. Under such circumstances Manu agreed to be the King and promised to protect their property, family and varnas as stated in verse 31-32 of chapter 67. The 67th chapter of Shantiparva describe the second aspect regarding the origin of Kinship. It states that there was a contract of people to get rid of sinfulness. It states that the state emerged on the grounds that when sinfulness prevailed in the world, men cannot enjoy his own property and family. It states that in the absence of King, inter-mixture of castes may also take place. Shantiparva also described that because of absence of authority Dharma will be replaced by Adharma and it is the duty of the King to maintain dharma which signifies the defence of social order based of family, property and caste system. This can be summarized that in the state of nature, the necessity to uphold dharma, protection of property, family and varnashram by the king lead to the creation of state. The essence of ruler ship lies in dharma, the king should realise that there is nothing higher than dharma and always abide by it. Kinship The genesis of the word ‘Raja’ relates with the origin of ‘Rajya’. To start with, Bhishma based the king’s authority in the first chapter of Shantiparva upon unbending interpretations of the King’s origin. In the second verse of chapter 67 Bhishma says that “the coronation of a King is the first duty of a kingdom. A kingdom in which anarchy reigns becomes weak and is soon attacked by robbers.” He further stated in fourth verse that “the Shrutis say that in crowing a king, it is Indra that is crowned in the person of the king.”6 It was a state of confusion and anarchy. Being fed up of this chaos, people prayed to God for King. So, the public approached Manu to be the king but he refused for the same. which is stated in the 21st verse of chapter 67. The reply of Manu has been stated in twenty-second verse of same chapter that “I fear all sinful deeds. To govern a kingdom is highly difficult, especially among men who are false and deceitful in their conduct”. 31st and 32nd verses of chapter 67 describe the willingness of Manu to be the king and to control everyone. Later on, seeing the power of Manu, the inhabitants of the earth became stricken with fear and began to follow their respective duties. Manu then went round the world suppressing everywhere all acts of wickedness and compelling all men to follow their respective duties, like a cloud surcharged with rain. Another theory states that in the beginning everyone adhered to righteousness (dharma), but with the development of society, people left dharma. This led to anarchy and Lord Vishnu designated one person to

command all and so the Kinship came into existence. The origin of kinship is desired from the divine ordination. The 144th verse of chapter 59 states that “the learned have begun to say that there is no difference between a god and a king.” Duties of the king The main duty of the King, according to Bhishma was to uphold ‘dharma’ and ‘prajahit’ i.e., welfare of the public. The 59th verse of chapter 68 states that “The king is the heart of the people; he is their great refuge; he is their glory; and he is their greatest happiness.” In Shantiparva, while discussing the significance of king’s authority, Bhishma tells that the king must give up his likes and dislikes. The king should act fearlessly and perform acts based on dharma and should always behave in an impartial manner. The king should have good command over dandniti and he should give utmost importance to dandniti. It is only through dand that the king can manage the affairs of the state in very smooth manner and can guide everyone to be on the path of dharma. In chapter 70 of Rajadharmanushasana Parva Bhishma has discussed about thirty-six virtues which a king should practise. These are the virtues like, the king should follow his duties without malice, he should earn wealth without persecution and cruelty, he should seek pleasure without attachment, he should be liberal, he should be pure, and he should never strike in ignorance and so on. The fact is that all the thirty-six virtues are such that will establish a rule based on dharma. According to this great discourse, the king should be charitable and pure and should never relinquish the performance of his duties towards his subjects. Another significant duty of the king is protection of people from internal and external dangers. The king is the fountain head of the administration and he should always perform such activities which strengthens the feeling of dharma in the mind of common man. At the time of emergency, the king should take some stringent steps to control the situation. During such times, the normal rules must be suspended and king should work in a very prudent manner. If the people are in distress, the king should always be prepared to help them by all means. In emergency, the king should take the public in his confidence and generate more revenue by means of extra tax. Dand and Dandniti The seventy-eighth verse of chapter 59 describes Dandniti as the science of punishment.It is the science of governance and the modes operandi to control the behaviour of all and to guide everyone on the path of dharma. It is a mechanism to destroy evil as the sun destroys the darkness. According to Bhishma, if the dandniti is destroyed, the essence of the three Vedas (Rig Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda) disappear and the social system based on four varnas will be disturbed. On the destruction of dandniti and instability in Rajdharma, all people will suffer from many evils. Therefore, it is the basic requirement for a person to be the king that he should be well versed in dandniti or the art of administration. When all are asleep, it is the dand and the fear of dand (punishment) which is awake and ultimately it is the concept of dand which regulates the behaviour of all in the society. The dand is the synonym of dharma. On account of fear of dand (punishment), one never involves himself in the sinful activities. If dand is not observed everything will be eclipsed by darkness. People can live happily only if they live under the law and abide by the rules and regulations of the state.

Government In santiparva Rajdharma is a compendious term to comprehend the duties and obligations relevant to political and administrative affairs. Through government peace, law and order can be maintained in the state. The main work of government is the happiness of the people, to provide justice is the another aim of the government. In the state the King is the head of the government. In good governments administration people sleep carefully, fearlessly. Executive was made of the combination of King, ministers and other officials. Besides executive, legislature and judiciary were two other organs of government. But importance was given to executive mainly. In Santiparva, there was a great emphasis on the above ministers. In the absence of the dutyful and able ministers, King cannot run government properly. In Santiparva King was advised to keep the intelligent, dutiful ministers. Bhishma's general attitude towards the standard of the Kings government, he not only defends it by reference to one his characterstic principles, namely, that the law of the Kshatriya order is above and beyond morality but he magnifies it as the highest of all such standards by virtue of another principle namely, that the Kings function of protection has the utmost ethical significance. In Sabha Parva, there is description about purohits. The duty of these Purohits was to bring King on 'Sanmarg'by these good sentences and speeches. These Purohits were intelligent, polite and belong to high family. The Rajpurohits were fearless, Dharma follower and guide the King. So, protection of the people, in wide sense, material and moral alike, was the chief function of the government. Analysis and Conclusion Aristotle, a contemporary of Kautilya, said that the less the area of his prerogative, the longer will the authority of a king last, unimpaired he will himself be less of a matter and behave more like an equal, and his subjects, on their side will envy him less. This is the reason he says, for the long survival of Molossians and the Spartan kings. In addition, he also went on to suggest that the state came into existence for the sake of the life and continues to exits for the sake of a good life. The details on rajdharma as explained above suggest that it contained some universal principles of governance. Rajdharma means a body of principles such as providing safety to the subjects of the state displacing matsyanyaya (the law of Jungle) by equitable law and Justice. But it was not limited to the safety alone rather it was extended to secure material prosperity to the people. Praja hete hetang ragah, Praja sukhe sukhag ragayah (the happiness of the king lies in the happiness of his subjects and their welfare lies in his welfare), reflects the highest ideals of the rajdharma in ancient political thought. Even today the basic duty of the state has remained the same as it was in the older days, i.e., the safety, prosperity and happiness of the subjects of the state. However, the dimension and verifications of safety, prosperity and happiness of the subjects no doubt, have changed to a significant extent in the modern era of democracy, marked by the assertion of liberty, equality and fraternity. In ancient times kingship was the most popular form of governance in most of the parts of the world, but some sections of society no doubt were privileged having state protection due to their birth. In India rajdharma enjoined upon the king the duty to protect

varnadharma providing special status and privileges to certain section of society. Aristotle's theory of slavery also reveals the same theory of special protection and privileges to some sections of society. Even in this democratic age rajdharma allows 'protective discrimination-' which consisting in giving special privileges to the unprivileged sections of society with a view to create an egalitarian order of society which is antithetical to what was sought to be promoted in ancient times by providing additional privileges. Today the concept of protective discrimination for weaker sections of society reminds us of the same thing. Therefore, it cannot be said that the concept of rajdharma has lost its meaning and relevance. The details of rajdharma, as explained above, make it clear that the spirit behind rajdharma was to ensure peace and prosperity of the people and in doing so the state was also expected to maintain peace and happiness has always been left to the state which is also subject to rajdharma . The state thus has never remained free to do whatever it likes to in the name of rajdharma. Bhandarkar (1974) has rightly observed that the ancient Indian state was kind and helpful to the people to the limitless level. He claims that even today no country of Asia or Europe can match the ancient Indian state so far as the performance of state duty is concerned. In fact, there can be no higher goal and duty of state than what was proclaimed in Yoga-Kshema in ancient Indian political thought. Thus, rajdharma as enunciated in the past still holds gook and beacons to a good, orderly peaceful and prosperous corporate life in a polity. Even today despite all changes in the tenor and norms of political life the basic principles of rajdharma remains much the same as in the past. References 1. Kumar, D. P. S. (2015). The Idea of Good Governance (With reference to Rajadharmanushasana Parva of Shanti Parva). Research Reinforcement, Vol 1. 2. Narayan, J. (2004). Relevance of Rajdharma of Ancient India. The Indian Journal of Political Science, 65(1), 21–28. 3. Garg, S. (2004). Political Ideas of Shantiparva. He Indian Journal of Political Science, 65(1), 77–86. 4. Hejjaji, V. (2020, June 26). Shanti Parva: On the “Burden” of Rajadharma. Indic Today. 5. Chutia, L. G. (2014, November 18). Shodhganga@INFLIBNET: Rajadharma in the Mahabharata. 6. Rajdharma - The concept of good governance in Indian Epics Issues and analysis @ abhipedia Powered by ABHIMANU IAS. (n.d.). Drishtiias.Com....