A new government has taken over at the centre. There is no doubt that in recent years the government has done much to improve the standard of living of the poor and the marginalised and to increase awareness of the basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma, but much more needs to be done. Let us look at some worrying and urgent tasks facing the powers that be. Apart from the well known lag in education and healthcare that has been haunting our nation for many years, there are many significant aspects of life that call for attention. Some of them are our justice system, our lackadaisical attitude to national waste of resources of all types, large gap between the poor and the rich, which keeps increasing, and general administrative inefficiency. In this context it is worth while remembering that our ancient texts of Sanatana Dharma have provided copious guidelines on duties of king. Shanti Parva in Mahabharata is well known for Bhishma’s advice to the Pandavas on all aspects of Dharma and therein are many passages on Raja Dharma. Similarly the ‘Kacchit Sarga’ in Ayodhya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana has many gems of advice given by Shri Rama to Bharata, couched in the form of questions. Let us first go through some of them.
Shri Rama’s advice to Bharata
Starting with human relations at home and Bharata’s personal conduct and self-discipline, the questions put by Rama cover his reverence and service to his parents, teachers and elders to ensure domestic harmony. It embraces all Departments of Government activity like Home Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Labour Relations, Agriculture etc.
“Are you rendering service to our father, oh my dear Bharata? Is the celebrated preceptor of Ikshvakus (Sage Vasishtha) being duly honoured by you?”
“Do you hold in high esteem Devatas and Pitrus, dependents, elders, kinsmen of your father’s age, the aged, the physicians as well as the brahmanas? Do you respect Sudhanva, your teacher of the science of Archery who is equipped with knowledge relating to the use of weapons, both direct and remote-controlled and well versed in political economy?”
“I hope the ministers you have appointed are valiant like you- full of learning, who have controlled their senses, who are born of high pedigrees (cultured family) and know the meaning of signs (discreet and shrewd).”
“The sound advice given by experienced ministers well versed in the laws of truth and virtues is the very foundation on which the prosperity of a King rests.”
“The learned in times of difficulty bring endless glory by solving knotty problems.”
“I hope you prefer learned men to thousands of fools. No help will come to a king if he seeks advice from thousands of evil advisers.”
“Even if there is a single minister if only he is wise, brave, clever and discreet, he will bring fame and prosperity to a King big or small.”
“He who does not get rid of a physician adept in means of aggravating a disease, a servant intent on bringing disgrace to his master and a gallant warrior seeking kingly power, is himself destroyed by these persons.”
“I hope the person appointed as your Commander-in-chief is ever pleased, full of resolution, is gallant and talented, is of spotless character and well-born and devoted and clever.”
“Are the foremost of your skilled warriors being recognised by bestowing suitable honours by you?” (gallantry awards).
“I hope you distribute (daily) provisions and the monthly salary due to them at the proper time in a suitable manner and do not delay their payment (to prevent discontentment). For, salaried servants surely and positively get enraged even at their master when the distribution of their provisions and the disbursal of their salaries are delayed and that itself is a very great harm done to the State.” (Labour Relations).
“Has a man of your own State, who is learned, clever, ready witted and capable of delivering messages correctly, who is able to distinguish between right and wrong, been appointed by you as an Ambassador, O Bharata?” (Foreign Affairs and Diplomatic assignment).
“Do you keep an eye on the eighteen functionaries of the enemies and fifteen functionaries of your side through three unknown, independent spies?”
[Note: The eighteen functionaries are : 1.The chief minister 2.The King’s family priest 3.The crown prince 4.The generalissimo 5.The chief warder 6 .The chamberlain 7 .The superintendent of jails 8.The chancellor of the exchequer 9.The herald 10.The government advocate 11.The judge 12.The assessor 13.The officer disbursing salaries to army men 14.The officer drawing money from the state exchequer to disburse workmen’s wages 15.The city Kotwal (mayor of the city) 16. The protector of the borders of a kingdom, who also performed the duties of a forester 17.The magistrate 18.The officer entrusted with the conservation of waters, hills, forests and tracts difficult of access. The fifteen functionaries of one’s own side are the last fifteen of this very list, omitting the first three, viz., the chief minister, the family priest and the crown prince.]
‘I hope you do not patronize atheist brahmanas, who, being ignorant and conceited, are skilled in perverting the minds of people.”
Next Rama instructs Bharata on the defence and protection of Ayodhya and enquires about the various aspects and measures designed for its prosperity (like water storage, well cultivated fields not depending on the vagaries of the monsoon (or rainy season), cattle wealth, peopled by highly delightful men and women, free from violence and fear etc.).
“Are the Vaishyas (who live by trade, agriculture and breeding and rearing cattle) loved by you? Are they thriving well in agriculture and animal husbandry?”
‘Are the women folks well protected?”
“Are the forests which are the homes of elephants preserved by you?” (Wild life preservation and ecology).
“Are the milch-cows in abundance with you?” (dairying).
“Are all your fortifications fully supplied with wealth and provisions, arms and water, mechanical contrivances and equipped with artisan sand bowmen?” (Defence installations in a state of readiness or full alert).
Regarding Financial management.
“Is your income sufficiently large to meet your expenses and your expenditure comparatively less? (Balanced budget without deficit financing). I hope your wealth does not go to undeserving men.”
“I hope the laws are administered justly and impartially. I hope the innocent do not suffer and the guilty are not let off without punishment due to greed (corruption).”
“I hope disputes between the rich and the poor are dealt with and judged impartially by the ministers. For, the tears from the eyes of those falsely convicted, destroy the sons and cattle of the king who rules the people for the sake of pleasures and not caring for equity and justice.”
“Do you seek to win over the elders, children and foremost physicians by gifts, a loving mind and polite words?” (Human Relations).
“Do you greet your teachers, and elders, ascetics, deities and unexpected visitors as well as the trees standing on cross roads (ecology) and the wise and learned brahmanas who have achieved the object of their life through character and austerities?”
“Do you avoid the fourteen failings of kings?”
[Note: Atheism, Untruth, Anger, Carelessness, Procrastination, Neglect of the learned, Laziness, Slavery to the senses, Obsession with wealth, Counsel with those who do not know the proper way (perverted insight), Non-commencement of the decided issues, Absence of caution in keeping secrets, Non-use of the auspicious, Showing respect to all and sundry without any discrimination (e.g. getting up from the seat to receive anybody and everybody)].
“I hope you deal properly, atter fully taking into account and knowing the evils born of lust, the kinds of fortifications, the expedients (recommended for kings), the important limbs of a state, the evils born of anger or the measures (conducive to the welfare of a state), the three worldly objects of human pursuits (Dharma, Artha, Kama) namely religious merit, material wealth and sensuous enjoyment or the three kinds of powers (namely energy or ‘Utsaha-Shakti’, the power of dominion or ‘Prabhu-Shakti’, and the power of counsel or ‘Mantra- Shakti’, the three branches of learning (viz., the three Vedas or ‘Trayi’, the knowledge relating to agriculture, commerce and other vocational pursuits, and political science, subjugation of the senses, the six strategic expedients (viz., coming to terms with the enemy, waging war against him, marching against him, biding one’s time to seek a favourable opportunity, causing dissension in the enemy’s ranks, and seeking the protection of a powerful ally; adversities brought about by diverse agencies (such as fire, excessive rains or floods, epidemic diseases, famine and pestilence) and human agencies (such as officials, thieves, enemies, a king’s favourite and the king himself when motivated by greed).
The stern duties of a king (as dictated by policy, such as to win over enemy’s men whose emoluments have been withheld, who are greedy, who have suffered indignity at his hands, who are irate or have been provoked by him for no reason, who are afraid or have been intimidated); twenty types of monarchs who are not worth negotiating with (viz., who is a minor, aged, suffering from chronic sickness, greedy, without character etc.); setting forth on an expedition for conquest against the enemy; drawing up an army in battle array.”
“O wise one! Do you hold consultation in accordance with scriptural injunctions with only four or three (selected) counsellors collectively or severally to guard against a split among them and to prevent the secrets from leaking out?”
“Has your study of the Vedas borne fruit and are your undertakings successful?”
“Has your learning borne fruit?”
Rama concludes thus: “Having obtained as his share and ruled in the right way over the entire globe, a wise king holds sway over the earth and administering justice to the people quite in consonance with righteousness, surely ascends to heaven when detached from his body.”
Our Priorities
As already mentioned, there is the need to expand and strengthen our education and healthcare systems. Many are the ills plaguing both these departments. Without good and affordable education and healthcare, there is no way we can achieve steady improvement in standard of living of the poor and aim at earning respect as a decent nation.
Our justice system is a relic of the British, very outdated and extremely slow. Cases pile up in all courts, hearings are adjourned at the drop of a hat and undertrials rot in prisons. A complete overhaul of the system is the need of the hour. Measures have to be implemented such that cases are closed within stipulated minimum time, appeals are disposed of quickly and the higher judiciary is not burdened with routine references and appeals. People have to see and be satisfied that culprits have indeed met their doom in a short time. Justice must not only be done, but also appear to the public to be done quickly. Politicians and large scale economic offenders should be dealt with at utmost speed. In fact, the very delay in administration of justice results in witnesses being manipulated, records disappearing, criminals even dying etc. In ancient times, punishment was speedy and severe and instilled fear among common people. We should bring that back.
National waste must be avoided at all costs. We often find that buildings, fully completed, are being demolished as they are found to be illegal. Costly natural resources, apart from human labour, which have gone into the construction of these buildings, go totally waste. On the one hand we find it difficult to source river sand for construction purpose; we often use crushed stone metal in lieu. And then, we demolish buildings. We also add to the solid waste disposal problem, which has been haunting cities and even small towns, without proper solution. All this can and should be averted by ensuring proper inspection and superintendence of all ongoing construction at all stages by the municipal officers, who hold their jobs for this very purpose. This is just one example. The way electricity and water are wasted on various fronts is another.
The unconscionably large disparity between the poor and the rich has always been a source of social unrest in all countries, leading even to revolutions. In our country, unfortunately, there is no attempt to check this trend. We assume that capitalist model, with unchecked income limits, is good for the nation in the long run. This cannot be true. Take the example of private companies offering shares in the companies to ordinary employees, not to promoters and owners. How can this be justified? How can uncontrolled superhigh levels of salaries be justified, that too in a poor country? Some control on all this is required. We cannot also permit the situation where powerful unions dictate terms to the owners with unhealthy consequences to the organisations.
Administrative inefficiency has been brought down in recent times by adopting many measures including computerisation and automation. But a lot more needs to be achieved. Red tapism, which used to be the bane of government offices, has spread also to large private sector organisations. Accountability needs to be fixed clearly at all levels in all organisations. In Uttarakhand, forest fires have caused not only ecological damage, but also financial loss. Medicines, which have been sold for long, are suddenly declared illegal. In Himalayan region, reckless construction has resulted in landslides and dislocations.
Let us pray to Bharatamata that we are able to effect improvements on all fronts soon by her grace.
