12.063
Library: Bhishma highlights the importance of kindly duties to sustain and govern four classes and four orders.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said:
jyākarṣaṇaṃ śatrunibarhaṇaṃ ca; kṛṣirvaṇijyā paśupālanaṃ ca. śuśrūṣaṇaṃ cāpi tathārthaheto; rakāryametatparamaṃ dvijasya ॥12-63-1॥
Bow-drawing and removal of enemies; agriculture, trade, and animal husbandry; service also, likewise for the sake of wealth—these are the supreme duties of the twice-born.
sevyaṃ tu brahmaṣaṭkarma gṛhasthena manīṣiṇā। kṛtakṛtyasya cāraṇye vāso viprasya śasyate ॥12-63-2॥
A wise householder should practice the six duties of a Brāhmaṇa; when his duties are fulfilled, it is commendable for a Brāhmaṇa to reside in the forest.
rājapraiṣyaṃ kṛṣidhanaṃ jīvanaṃ ca vaṇijyayā। kauṭilyaṃ kaulaṭeyaṃ ca kusīdaṃ ca vivarjayet ॥12-63-3॥
One should avoid royal service, agricultural wealth, livelihood by trade, crookedness, deceit, and usury.
śūdro rājanbhavati brahmabandhu; rduścāritryo yaśca dharmādapetaḥ। vṛṣalīpatiḥ piśuno nartakaśca; grāmapraiṣyo yaśca bhavedvikarmā ॥12-63-4॥
O king, a śūdra becomes a Brāhmaṇa's relative; one who is of bad conduct and has deviated from dharma; the husband of a śūdra woman, a slanderer, a dancer, a village messenger, and one who engages in wrongful acts.
japanvedānajapaṃścāpi rāja; nsamaḥ śūdrairdāsavaccāpi bhojyaḥ। ete sarve śūdrasamā bhavanti; rājannetānarjayeddeva-kṛtye ॥12-63-5॥
O king, whether reciting the Vedas or not, those who are like Śūdras or servants and are to be enjoyed, all these become equal to Śūdras; O king, these should be avoided in acts for the gods.
nirmaryāde cāśane krūravṛttau; hiṃsātmake tyaktadharmasvavṛtte| havyaṃ kavyaṃ yāni cānyāni rājan; deyānyadeyāni bhavanti tasmin ॥12-63-6॥
O king, in one who is without boundaries, cruel in conduct, violent in nature, and has abandoned righteous conduct, offerings to gods, offerings to ancestors, and other gifts, whether to be given or not, all become the same in that person.
tasmāddharmo vihito brāhmaṇasya; damaḥ śaucaṃ cārjavaṃ cāpi rājan। tathā viprasyāśramāḥ sarva eva; purā rājanbrahmaṇā vai nisṛṣṭāḥ ॥12-63-7॥
Therefore, the duty prescribed for a brāhmaṇa is self-restraint, purity, and straightforwardness, O king. Likewise, all the stages of life for the brāhmaṇa were indeed established by Brahmā in ancient times, O king.
yaḥ syāddāntaḥ somapa āryaśīlaḥ; sānukrośaḥ sarvasaho nirāśīḥ। ṛjurmṛduranṛśaṃsaḥ kṣamāvān sa vai vipro netaraḥ pāpakarmā ॥12-63-8॥
He who is self-restrained, drinks Soma, has noble conduct, is compassionate, endures all, is without expectation, upright, gentle, non-cruel, and forbearing—he alone is truly a sage, not anyone else who does evil deeds.
śūdraṃ vaiśyaṃ rājaputraṃ ca rājam; lokāḥ sarve saṃśritā dharmakāmāḥ। tasmādvarṇāñjātidharmeṣu saktān matvā viṣṇur necchati pāṇḍuputra ॥12-63-9॥
O son of Pāṇḍu, Viṣṇu does not desire those who are attached to caste and duties of birth, considering that all people—śūdra, vaiśya, prince, and king—have resorted to dharma.
loke cedam sarvalokasya na syā; caturvarṇyaṃ vedavādāśca na syuḥ। sarvāścejyāḥ sarvalokakriyāśca; sadyaḥ sarve cāśramasthā na vai syuḥ ॥12-63-10॥
If this were not so in the world, then the order of all worlds would not exist; neither would the fourfold order nor the Vedic doctrines. All sacrifices and all actions of all worlds, and immediately all those established in the āśramas, would not exist.
yaś ca trayāṇāṃ varṇānām iccheda āśrama-sevanam | kartum āśrama-dṛṣṭāṃś ca dharmāṃs tāñ śṛṇu pāṇḍava ॥12-63-11॥
O Pāṇḍava, hear about the duties prescribed for those among the three castes who wish to practice the āśramas.
śuśrūṣā-kṛta-kṛtyasya kṛta-santāna-karmaṇaḥ। abhyanujñāpya rājānaṃ śūdrasya jagatīpate ॥12-63-12॥
O lord of the earth, the Śūdra, having accomplished his duties of service and having performed the act of progeny, after obtaining permission from the king.
alpāntaragatasya api daśadharmagatasya vā। āśramā vihitāḥ sarve varjayitvā nirāśiṣam ॥12-63-13॥
Whether one has made little progress or attained the tenfold dharma, all prescribed āśramas are to be avoided except for one who is without desire for reward.
bhaikṣacaryāṃ na tu prāhus tasya taddharmacāriṇaḥ। tathā vaiśyasya rājendra rājaputrasya caiva hi ॥12-63-14॥
O king, the practice of begging is not prescribed for the follower of dharma; likewise, it is not for the Vaiśya or the prince.
kṛtakṛtyo vayotīto rājñaḥ kṛtapariśramaḥ। vaiśyo gacchedanujñāto nṛpeṇāśramamaṇḍalam ॥12-63-15॥
When a Vaiśya has fulfilled his duties, passed his prime, and completed his labors, he should, with the king's permission, retire to the circle of hermitages.
vedān adhītya dharmeṇa rājaśāstrāṇi ca anagha। santānādīni karmāṇi kṛtvā somaṃ niṣevya ca ॥12-63-16॥
O sinless one, after studying the Vedas and the treatises on polity in accordance with righteousness, performing duties such as begetting progeny, and partaking of Soma, (one attains the desired result).
pālayitvā prajāḥ sarvā dharmeṇa vadatāṃ vara। rājasūyāśvamedhādīnmakhānanyāṃstathaiva ca ॥12-63-17॥
O best of speakers, after protecting all the subjects by righteousness, you should also perform Rājasūya, Aśvamedha, and other such sacrifices.
samānīya yathāpāṭhaṃ viprebhyo dattadakṣiṇaḥ। saṅgrāme vijayaṃ prāpya tathālpaṃ yadi vā bahu ॥12-63-18॥
Having assembled as per the recitation and given gifts to the Brāhmaṇas, whether the victory obtained in battle is little or much, (it is to be honored thus).
sthāpayitvā prajāpālaṃ putraṃ rājye ca pāṇḍava। anyagotraṃ praśastaṃ vā kṣatriyaṃ kṣatriyarṣabha ॥12-63-19॥
O Pāṇḍava, having installed your son, the protector of the people, in the kingdom, or (if not possible) another approved Kṣatriya of a different lineage, O best of Kṣatriyas.
arcayitvā pitṝn samyak pitṛyajñair yathāvidhi। devān yajñair ṛṣīn vedair arcitvā caiva yatnataḥ॥12-63-20॥
He properly worshipped the ancestors with ancestral rites as prescribed, and also diligently worshipped the gods with sacrifices and the sages with the Vedas.
antakāle ca samprāpte ya icchedāśramāntaram। ānupūrvyāśramānrājan gatvā siddhimavāpnuyāt ॥12-63-21॥
O king, when the end time arrives, whoever desires to enter another āśrama, by proceeding through the āśramas in order, may attain perfection.
rājarṣitvena rājendra bhaikṣacaryādhvasevayā। apetagṛhadharmo'pi carejjīvitakāmyayā ॥12-63-22॥
O king, even a royal sage, having abandoned the duties of a householder, should live by practicing the path of mendicancy, if he desires to preserve his life.
na caitannaiṣṭhikaṃ karma trayāṇāṃ bharatarṣabha। caturṇāṃ rājaśārdūla prāhurāśramavāsinām ॥12-63-23॥
O best of the Bharatas, this is not the final action for the three. O tiger among kings, for the four, the dwellers in the āśramas say so.
bahvāyattaṃ kṣatriyair mānavānāṃ; lokaśreṣṭhaṃ dharmam āsevamānaiḥ। sarve dharmāḥ sopadharmās trayāṇāṃ; rājño dharmād iti vedāc chṛṇomi ॥12-63-24॥
I hear from the Veda that all dharmas, along with their subsidiary dharmas, of the three (classes) are dependent upon the dharma of the king, which is practiced by kṣatriyas and is the best among people.
yathā rājan hastipade padāni; saṃlīyante sarvasattvodbhavāni। evaṃ dharmān rājadharmeṣu sarvā; n sarvāvasthaṃ sampralīnān nibodha ॥12-63-25॥
O king, just as the footprints of all creatures merge in the footprint of the elephant, in the same way, know that all dharmas are comprehensively included in the royal duties in every situation.
alpāśrayānalpaphalānvadanti; dharmānanyāndharmavido manuṣyāḥ। mahāśrayaṃ bahukalyāṇarūpaṃ; kṣātraṃ dharmaṃ netaraṃ prāhurāryāḥ ॥12-63-26॥
Those who know dharma consider other dharmas to be of little substance and benefit; the noble ones declare that the kṣātra dharma, being of great foundation and much auspiciousness, is the true one.
sarve dharmā rājadharma-pradhānāḥ; sarve dharmāḥ pālyamānā bhavanti। sarvatyāgo rājadharmeṣu rājaṃ; styāge cāhur dharmam agryaṃ purāṇam ॥12-63-27॥
All dharmas are led by royal duty; all dharmas are preserved when protected. Complete renunciation in royal duties is for the king; and in renunciation, the ancient tradition says, dharma is the highest.
majjett trayī daṇḍanītau hatāyāṃ; sarve dharmā na bhaveyur viruddhāḥ। sarve dharmāś cāśramāṇāṃ gatāḥ syuḥ; kṣātre tyakte rājadharme purāṇe ॥12-63-28॥
If the science of punishment is destroyed, the three Vedas would perish; all dharmas would not exist in opposition. All the dharmas of the āśramas would disappear; when the kṣātra (warrior order) and the ancient royal duty are abandoned.
sarve tyāgā rājadharmeṣu dṛṣṭāḥ; sarvā dīkṣā rājadharmeṣu coktāḥ. sarve yogā rājadharmeṣu coktāḥ; sarve lokā rājadharmān praviṣṭāḥ ॥12-63-29॥
All forms of renunciation are found within royal duties; all initiations are described within royal duties; all disciplines are described within royal duties; all worlds are encompassed by royal duties.
yathā jīvāḥ prakṛtau vadhyamānā; dharmāśritānām upapīḍanāya। evaṃ dharmā rājadharmair viyuktāḥ; sarvāvasthaṃ nādriyante svadharmam ॥12-63-30॥
Just as living beings in nature are destroyed for the affliction of those who have taken refuge in dharma, so too, when dharmas are deprived of royal duties, in all circumstances, one's own dharma is not respected.
