Simhasanadvatrimshika f5
English (machine translation) f5
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f5.p1
Many years passed after the burial. King Bhoja obtained the kingdom. While he was ruling, one day a certain brahmin, having turned into a field that place where the throne was buried, sowed sorghum and chickpeas and the like. That field yielded abundant fruit. Then, because the place where the throne was buried was an elevated spot, the brahmin, in order to scare away the birds, built a platform upon it and, sitting on it, kept scaring the birds away. Then one day, King Bhoja, accompanied by all the royal princes, was going near that field to take a ride. Just then, the brahmin standing upon the platform said: “O King, this field has borne fruit; come with your army and eat as much as you wish, and let chickpeas be given to the horses! Today my birth has borne fruit, because you have become my guest. For when will such an opportunity arise?” Hearing this, the king entered into the field with his army. The brahmin, however, climbing down from the platform to scare away the birds perched in a corner of the field, saw the king standing in the middle of the field and said: “O King, why is this unrighteous act being done? This brahmin's field is being ruined by you! If injustice is committed by others, it is reported to you; but if you yourself have set about committing injustice, who indeed will prevent it now? And it is said:
f5.1
When an elephant breaks into a grain-store, when a king becomes an adulterer, / and when learned men commit sins, what creature here can restrain them? || 1
f5.p2
And furthermore: you are knowledgeable in the treatises on righteousness; how can you destroy a brahmin's property? Property belonging to a brahmin is poison itself; for indeed:
f5.2
They say that poison is not [true] poison; property belonging to a brahmin is called poison; / poison kills only a single person, [but] property belonging to a brahmin kills sons and grandsons. || 2
f5.p3
Hearing what he said, as the king was departing outside the field with his retinue, [the brahmin], having scared away the birds, mounted the platform again and said: “O King, why are you leaving? This field has borne good fruit; let them eat the sorghum stalks; there are cucumbers, let them be enjoyed!” Hearing the brahmin's words again, as the king was entering into the field with his retinue, [the brahmin], climbing down from the platform to scare away the birds, spoke just as before. Then the king reflected in his mind: “Oh, wonder! When this brahmin mounts the platform, then the thought arises in his mind, ‘It should be given’; when he climbs down, then he becomes mean-spirited. So let me mount the platform and see.” As he mounted the platform, such a disposition arose in King Bhoja's mind: “Indeed, the suffering of the world should be removed, the poverty of all people must be dispelled, the wicked must be punished, the good must be protected, and the subjects must be guarded with righteousness; why say more? At this moment, if anyone were to ask even for my body, that too should be given!” Filled with bliss, he reflected again: “Oh, the greatness of this field, which of itself produces such a mindset! And it is said:
f5.3
Oil on water, a secret with a rogue, even a small gift to a worthy recipient, / and a learned treatise in a wise man, expands by itself through the inherent power of the object. || 3
f5.p4
Reflecting, “How can the greatness of this field be discovered?”, he summoned the brahmin and said: “O brahmin, how much profit do you make from this field?” The brahmin said: “O King skilled in all arts, there is nothing unknown to you. Do whatever is proper. And furthermore: a king is indeed an incarnation of Viṣṇu in visible form; upon whomever his glance falls, that person's misery and famine perish. A king is indeed a wish-granting tree in visible form. As such, you have come into the range of my sight; today an end has come to my misery, poverty, and the like. What is this field worth?” Then the king, having gratified that brahmin with wealth, grain, and the like, took possession of that field and began to have it excavated beneath the platform. When a pit of a man's height was made, a very charming stone slab appeared. Beneath that stone slab appeared an exceedingly lovely throne, made of moonstone and the like, studded with various kinds of gems, and adorned with thirty-two statuettes. Seeing that throne, King Bhoja, his heart filled with a wave of supreme bliss-nectar, went to lift the throne to take it to the city, but it became exceedingly heavy and would not move. Then the king said to his minister:
f5.p5
“O minister, why does this throne not move?” The minister said: “O King, this throne is divine and wondrous; without offerings, oblations, worship, and the like, it will not move, nor can it be mastered by you.” Hearing his words, the king summoned brahmins and had all the rites performed by them. Then that throne became light and moved of its own accord. Seeing that, the king said to the minister: “O minister, at first this throne was unmanageable for me; now, by the power of your intellect, it has come into my hands. Therefore, association with the wise leads to happiness and gain.” Then the minister said: “O King, listen! He who is wise himself, yet does not listen to the intellect of others, meets total ruin. You are not of that sort: though wise, you listen to the words of trusted counselors. Therefore, there is no obstacle in all your undertakings.” The king said: “He alone is a minister who averts disastrous consequences and accomplishes future welfare. And so it is said:
f5.4
For the accomplishment of an existing undertaking, / for the acquisition of future welfare, / and for warding off calamitous consequences— / he who gives such counsel is indeed the supreme minister. || 4
f5.p6
The minister said: “O King, a minister must perform actions that are beneficial to his master. And so it is said:
f5.5
Those whose counsel follows the business at hand, and whose business follows their master's benefit, / they are ministers to kings—not those who merely puff their cheeks. || 5
f5.p7
Moreover: kingdom without a minister, a fortress without stores of grain and the like, good fortune without youth, detachment without knowledge, calmness in the wicked, wisdom in heretics, love in courtesans, friendship in villains, independence for one under another's control, anger in a pauper, wrath in a servant, affection in a master, the home of a miser, a promiscuous woman's devotion to her man, the contrivance of thieves, and the course of fools—all these endeavors should be known to be fruitless. Moreover: a king must serve the great, listen to the counsel of trusted advisers, protect gods and brahmins, and walk in the path of justice. Furthermore: O King, all the virtues mentioned in the marks of a king are found in you; you are the highest of all sovereigns. Moreover, a minister must also be weighted with such virtues: one who has inherited the post through family lineage, who knows all the treatises on worldly wisdom such as Kāmandaki, Cāṇakya, and the Pañcatantra; and likewise the qualities: exertion for the master's business, fear of sin, protection of the subjects, surrounding them [with care], uniting them, conforming to the inclinations of the king's mind, understanding what suits the occasion, and keeping the king away from dangerous action. A minister endowed with such qualities is worthy of the office of minister, just as King Nanda was restrained from the murder of a brahmin by his minister Bahuśruta.” King Bhoja said: “And how was that?”
f5.p8
The minister says: “O King, hear the story.
Linked texts (1)
- Siṃhāsanadvātriṃśikā — Sanskrit