What are the tenets of Rajdharma in Mahabharata PDF

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Q. What are the tenets of Rajdharma in Mahabharata ? Ans. The concept of dharma must be clear in the midst of all misunderstandings before we talk about rajdharma. Dharma has always been translated wrongly as religion. The Mahabharata says dharma consist securing prabhava, dharana; upholding all living beings, and ahimsa; nonviolence, which are the foundation of good governance. Rajdharma as a concept constitutes the judicious duties of king towards his subjects. The basic concern of the rajdharma is welfare of the people. The king and kingship is associated with the concept and concern of the prajapalanah. In ancient Indian classics the spirit of rajdharma was to ensure peace, justice and prosperity to the people. Rajdharma is described as an essential element of state but it was expected from the king to perform his duties in such a righteous manner so that the state should be called as dharmarajya and the king as dharmrajah. Practice of Dharma and maintaining impartiality are the only means through which rajdharma may be practiced and dharmarajya is achieved. The concept of rajdharma as enunciated in the past still holds value as orderly, peaceful and prosperous life for society and good ethical conduct in polity. Society has changed much even then the norms of political life require the basic principle of rajdharma for better governance of the society. Unethical, unprincipled politics is reality of the political life to regulate the affairs of the governance and justice. The chief concern of dharmic political thought was power or bala; its sources, the purpose for which it is exercised; the limits; and the legitimacy of revolt against it when it became adharma, meaning when it creates conditions of oppression and violence. The greatest part of political thought in Mahabharata unfolds in the form of long conversation between Yudhidthira and the dying Bhishma. There was a time when there is neither kingship nor governor. People protected each other by means of dharma. It was in dharma that they grew and sustained together. But it didn’t take much time when there arose much confusion in their duties of mutual protection and losing their sense of obligations to each other. Then arose greed, to possess what they didn’t own, unable to distinguish what’s wrong and right. Thereby the need for external governing force arose. The king was invested with the authority of danda or governance. For it is out of fear of punishment that people do not engage in mutual killings. Without danda, the stronger would oppress the weaker. Governance is the name of the limits set to keep people from the confusion of anarchy and to protect the material conditions of life. It is governance that establishes this world onto truth; truth secures dharma; and dharma is established in those who have true knowledge of things. Purpose of governance There is no other justification for the king to exist than to protect every way the people. His practical goal is bound by that purpose; his discipline arises from the goal set for him and that discipline is the discipline of dharma, to which he is at all time absolutely subject himself. In other words, although the king is invested with the authority and power of governance, the true sovereignty belongs to dharma, not him. The protection of dharma is highest dharma of king. Governance is also to ensure that its people live free from fear for there is nothing more degrading than to human worth living in fear. This fundamental principle of governance is then applied by Mahabharata to all areas of public policy, always keeping freedom from fear, violence, as the main purpose of the states. By protecting the weak, poor and oppressed from the stronger. When king protects the poor and create happiness among the people, such conduct on his part is

called the kings’s dharma. Protection has wider concept including human flourishing, prabhava. Prabhava is possible only through ahimsa, another attribute of dharma. But non violence by itself is not sufficient to create conditions of happiness. It can’t create love by itself, rather it is by trust, friendship and care that we can make it to non violence. In Arthashastra of Kautilya speaks of that one supreme maxim to which king is subject, and to which all his actions shall be subordinate ‘in happiness of his subjects lies his happiness...’. Discipline of dharma is the discipline of king The discipline of dharma is the discipline of king. And the king’s discipline is to be derived from the purpose for which he was invested with the power of governance. The principles to which the exercise of political power shall be subject at all times are as follow; 1. Let the king first discipline himself. Only then must he discipline his subordinates. 2. The king who tries to discipline his subjects before disciplining himself becomes an object of ridicule in not being able to see his own defects. 3. In order to protect his subjects, let the king protect himself at all places and devote himself doing good to his subjects. 4. The interest of his subjects alone is his interest, their wellbeing his and so on. 5. Let the king protect his subjects from their fear of him, others, from their fear of each other, and of things that are not human. There’s no doubt that Mahabharata speaks of power, bala as that upon which ultimately everything depends for its existence, even dharma included. Self-discipline of the king Bhishma propounds thirty-six self-disciplines that the king should cultivate diligently. The principle underlying them all is –balance. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

The king should preserve dharma without harshness. Be a believer but not abandon affection for others. Secure wealth without cruelty. Enjoy the physical senses without excess. Speak pleasingly without being pitiable. Be brave without bragging. Give but not to the undeserving. Be fearless without being heartless. Have no alliance with wicked. Have no quarrels with friends. Employ spies, but not those who are not loyal to the state. Accomplish one’s work without hurting others. Avoid confiding in those who are wicked. Do not indulge in self praise. Do not deprive of their money those who are distinguished. Do not be dependent on those who are of low character. Do not punish anyone without carefully examining the facts of alleged offense. Do not share the secret advice given to him. Do not offer money to those who are greedy.

20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.

Neither trust those who had done an ill deed to him. Protect his wife but without jealousy. Remain pure but not hate others. Enjoy the company of women, but without excess. Enjoy eating food but not that which is harmful. Give up arrogance, and be hospitable and respectful to those deserve of respect. Serve the elders but without guile. Worship god but without pride. Seek material prosperity but not by questionable means. Love without being stubborn. Be competent and skilful, but not without knowing the proper occasion. Never give false assurance. Be kind but without being sarcastic. He must not attack anyone without warning. Do not be angry without cause; Nor regret after destroying the enemy. Be gentle but no to those whose conduct has been harmful.

However the idea of balance is carried in the later work as well for instance, Kautilya says severe or mild punishment become repulsive and contemptible respectively. Whereas whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable. The king has to have first a right relationship with his own self before he can fulfil his responsibility to others. The first element in his right relationship with himself is his own freedom from deviousness and cunning. Every other discipline comes from that freedom. Simplicity and straightforwardness are attitudes of the mind; courteous and sincere speech is their expression. The power of governance must at all times be exercised without anger and intolerance. That means also exercising self-control over one’s speech. The language of governance, of danda , need never be a language that offends the dignity of others, turning friends into enemies. Rather kindness and friendship to all beings sharing and speech that is endearing. Respect those who are worthy of it. Give to others but never ask for yourself. Impartiality, truth and trust in governance Mahabharata says protection of people is possible when governance is impartial. No one shall be exempt from the law, even the one dear to king, for no one is above the law, adandaniya. Though the king should look upon his subjects as his sons and grandsons, but in dispensing justice he shall display no partiality arising from any feeling of affection. Impartiality in the acts of the state is then related to truth. For the kings, no means are more effective than truth, no wealth greater than truth. For it is upon the trust of the people that the state is founded; when that trust is destroyed, because of the untruthfulness of the king, the state is destroyed, too. Trust as the foundation of republics Where trust is absent, nothing can survive. In order that the state may protect the people, it has to protect them first from their fear of each other, which must arise when there is distrust among them. For that, he has to be sensitive to what causes the feeling of distrust. If not, ‘the internal fears uproot the roots of a republic’.

Public wealth under the control of dharma One of the concerns of Mahabharata shows that lobha, greed is profoundly destructive of all relationships- of the self with the self, and of the self with the other. Principles to which the state earnings are to be subject; 1. A king must confine himself to his lawful sources of income. 2. The king shouldn’t attempt to collect wealth out of greed. 3. Taxes must be high or low according to the capacity of people, on no account must they be oppressive. 4. The capacity to pay must be carefully investigated before settling the amount to be called as royal revenue. 5. Royal revenues to be collected diligently but without harshness, must be spent, with equal diligence but with prudence, in protecting the people and in their welfare in every possible way- the two paramount duties of a king, his dharma. 6. The treasury as a source of power and to ensure that it was spent for the welfare of his people. 7. One should be free from greed. 8. Condemn cheating. 9. Surplus must be employed in charity and in public works. 10. Only the wealth earned through dharma is legitimate wealth. Fear as the basis of social order; The method of Mahabharata is to confront one reality with another reality, one truth with another truth, when the two are in evident conflict in the same context. The very first condition of social peace and of human dignity in Mahabharata, freedom from fear was argued by Arjuna. He said the danda or governance is the basis of social order, and the fear of punishment is the basis of governance. It is the fear of danda, in the sense both rule and punishment, secures the world from anarchy. As well as keeps the people on the path of proper conduct towards each other. Without fear the powerful would feed on those who are weak. It is in the nature of world that many men restrain themselves from wrongdoing for fear of punishment by law. There was no way in which that troublesome paradox could be resolved. And there was no attempt to it somehow either. It remains to be faced honestly. But it doesn’t paralyze the purpose of governance. Both Arjuna and Bhishma talking about the fear as basis of social order was the fear of adharma, not of the ruler. Therefore Bhishma places king himself who flourish danda more than anyone else, under fear of danda. He should fear the tears of poor, the weak and oppressed. Reconciliation or force? The other confliting truths both essential to every kind of human relationship, personal and social is the evident necessity of kshama. Through Yudhishthira, the Mahabharata places the utmost emphasis upon forgiveness and reconciliation. He said forgiveness is dharma, sacrifice, Veda, truth, purity and he who knows forgiveness can forgive everything. It is in reconciliation alone that world is sustained and keeps the world together. On the other hand Draupadi argued that it would be a great mistake to think that they are so always. Neither force, nor reconciliation is good always. He who always forgives invites several defects. He would be disrespected and considered weak. One should neither be always gentle

nor always forceful; rather according to different contexts and times, desha and kala, one should be now and then gentle and then forceful. In these lies the skill of governance. ‘One’s own self; one’s grasp of desha and kala; adequacy of means; clarity of purpose; reliable assistants; and honest but competent advice: these are the six elements of good governance. The law of abnormal times: apad-dharma In the context of governance more than even personal relationships, the Mahabharata develops a whole rationality of abnormal times or apad-dharma. When social and economic change so dramatically to the extend of anarchy, life itself is threatened, one must order, the Mahabharata says, one’s life and relationships with solely one aim- to preserve oneself. That is the law of abnormal time during which but only then, the requirements of normal ethical social behaviour are waived. In such circumstances whatever helps preserve oneself is dharma. ‘It is better to be alive than dead; alive, a person can order his life again.’ The king and people should in times of distress, protect each other: this is the abiding dharma of all times. The king creates historical condition, not they him Mahabharata takes up another question if historical conditions create the character of the state, or the character of the state create historical conditions. Bhishma said entertain no doubt whether it is Time that creates king or the king who creates the time. It is the king who creates the times. It is not some inherent telos of history that determines course of events but the logic of acts. a. The main characteristics of the four yuga revolve around the quality of one’s relationship with oneself and with the other. b. The quality of governance determine visibly the quality of the social conditions in which we human being enact the stories of our lives. The two are inseparable. All living beings have dharma as the foundation of their existence, and dharma exist over and above the king. Only he remains the king, who lives and governs in accordance with dharma. When dharma prosper so does all living beings; with the decline of dharma, they decline as well. It is with a view to enhancing, ennobling, providing more richly, and taking upwards, all living beings, securing their prabhava, that dharma was created; it is imperative for the king, so as to do good to the people, that he preserve dharma. For dharma is the highest; and he alone is king who governs with justice and truth. He should protect the material means of poor, blind and old. As Bhartrihari resonates with what Mahabharata has been saying constantly on the foundation of law and governance being in justice, truth and in the concern for the welfare of the people. ‘Let those learned in statecraft praise or blame: let the goddess of wealth come or goes as she pleases: let death come today or ages later: persons who are steadfast do not ever swerve from the path of justice.’ All the sayings of dharma are with the view to securing all living beings freedom from violence. Therefore whatever has the characteristic of not doing violence is dharma....