It’s election season now and I happened to read the rhetorical questions the sage Narada asked of Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata stating the requirements of a righteous ruler. Yudhishthira of course met all these requirements but I don’t think too many of our politicians do. But maybe given time we can – as an educated electorate – put pressure on the candidates to act as the Mahabharata demands.
Circulate this article amongst your friends. Who knows, perhaps some politician will read it and decide to act accordingly.
Here are the questions:
- Are you not a righteous king?
- Do you not recognise learning and humility with suitable rewards of wealth and honour?
- Is your army not paid regularly? Do you not give sufficient bribes to important enemy officers?
- Before you declare war, do you not try the four arts of conciliation, gifts of wealth, sowing dissension amongst the enemy’s friends, negotiation not sword rattling?
- Your budget, is it not balanced?
Are not the four pursuits of agriculture, cattle raising, trade and usury run by honest men? - The women, are they not protected in your kingdom? I do not imagine that you are whispering state and military secrets in their delicate ears.
- Do you not sure diseases with potions and fasts, and mental distress with the counsel of gurus and elders?
- Are not your wise men and Brahmins respected and given gifts?
- Do you not stay away from the fourteen vices of kings: hedonism, anger, rashness, procrastination, not consulting the learned, sloth, irritability, following the advice of only one man, adopting the ideas of mercenary friends, vacillating over decisions, giving away state secrets, wasting money in fruitless projects, and acting on sudden impulse?
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