Agnipurana 220
English (machine translation) 220
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Contents
220.1
Puṣkara said: / Once consecrated, the best of kings, accompanied by his ministers, should conquer his enemies. / The king should appoint as commander-in-chief a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya,
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of noble birth and knowledgeable in the science of polity; and a chamberlain skilled in statecraft. / An envoy should speak pleasantly, be undaunted, and be endowed with great strength.
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The betel-bearer—a man or a woman—should be devoted, fond [of the king], and able to endure hardship. / The minister of peace and war should be appointed, who is adept in the six measures of foreign policy.
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The sword-bearer should be a protector; the charioteer should understand forces and related matters; / the superintendent of the kitchen, stationed in the royal kitchen, should be loyal and discerning.
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The court councillors should be knowledgeable in law; the scribe should be proficient in writing and loyal; / the attendants at the door should be loyal and knowledgeable in the proper times for summoning people.
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The treasurer should know precious gems and the like; the man at the inner gate should be loyal. / The physician should know Āyurveda; the superintendent of elephants should understand horses and related matters;
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the elephant-rider should be enduring of fatigue; the superintendent of horses should know horses and the like; / the superintendent of the fortress should be loyal and wise; the architect should know the science of site architecture.
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The master of weapons, skilled in missiles discharged from machines, hand-thrown weapons, / handheld non-projectiles, and retained-and-released weapons, as well as in hand-to-hand combat, should be loyal to the king.
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The overseer of the women's quarters should be elderly; women of fifty years [of age],
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and men of seventy years should perform duties in all affairs.
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The guard in the armoury should be alert; having assessed them, livelihoods are assigned. / Having understood high, low, and intermediate tasks, the king
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should appoint men to high, low, and intermediate [positions]. / Desiring to conquer the earth, the king, supported by his helpers,
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[should appoint] the most righteous to pious works, the valiant to duties of war, / the skilled to financial duties, and the pure everywhere;
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he should appoint eunuchs among women, the fierce to harsh tasks; / and whatever man is known by the king to be honest in a particular post,
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he should assign him to virtue, wealth, and pleasure, and base men to base tasks. / The king should assign appropriately those tested through secret tests.
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He should appoint counsellors, and, according to rule, elephant-trackers; / he should set overseers over them who are diligent in tracking footsteps.
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One should appoint a man to whatever work he possesses skill in. / One should employ hereditary servants in all duties,
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except in affairs concerning heirs, for there they have connections. / Those people who have arrived from another king's domain seeking refuge,
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whether wicked or virtuous, he should take into refuge with care; / knowing one to be wicked, he should not trust him, but should keep his livelihood under control.
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Having ascertained through spies those who have arrived from other lands, he should honour them at his side. / Enemies, a shower of fire, a serpent, and a sword, on the one hand,
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[…]
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1 "ripān anarthakṛtyeṣu" thus in kha
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2 "janān āśrayakāmyayā" thus in kha. / [Page] 303
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Subservient servants should be known, and likewise bad servants, all on one side. / The king should have spies for his eyes; he should always employ spies
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who are unobtrusive to the people, mild-mannered, and unknown to one another: / merchants skilled in consultation, astrologers, physicians,
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likewise those having the appearance of ascetics, who discern strength and weakness. / The king should not trust a single [spy]; he should trust [only] from multiple reports.
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The affection and disaffection of servants, and the virtues and flaws of the people, / and auspicious and inauspicious matters he should investigate for the sake of control.
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He should perform acts that produce affection and avoid deceitful acts that cause disaffection. / Endowed with the fortune of his people's affection, a king becomes truly a king by pleasing his people.
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Thus in the great Purāṇa of Agni, the two hundred and twentieth chapter, named "The Acquisition of Allies."
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Now, the two hundred and twenty-first chapter.
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Puṣkara said:
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A servant should obey the king's command like a disciple [serving] a master of true fortune.
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He should not disregard the king's speech; he should speak pleasantly and agreeably.
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When [the king] is in private, that which is disagreeable but beneficial should be spoken.
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When appointed, he should not steal wealth, nor should he disregard [the king's] honor.
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And he should not imitate the king's dress, speech, or conduct.
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An officer who frequents the inner apartments, with enemies and rejected persons,
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a servant should not associate; and he should keep the king's secret.
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Displaying some skill, he should distinguish the king.
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What secret is disclosed by the king, he should not reveal to the world.
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Or, when another is being commanded, he should say: 'What may I do?'
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And he should wear the clothing, jewel, and ornament given by the king.
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Without being instructed, he should not enter at the door, nor look at the king in an unsuitable place.
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Yawning, spitting, coughing, anger, reclining on a couch,
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frowning, breaking wind, and belching—he should avoid these in his presence.
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In proclaiming his own virtues, he should skillfully employ others instead.
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Deceit, fickleness, slander, atheism, meanness,
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and restlessness must always be avoided by one who depends on the king.
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Endowing himself through his own effort with learning, sciences, and crafts,
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one who enhances prosperity should then serve the king for the sake of prosperity.
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His sons, favorites, and ministers should always be greeted with respect.
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He should not place trust in the counsellors; he should act pleasingly to the king's heart.
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He should abandon one who is disaffected; from one who is favorably disposed, one who knows kings should seek his livelihood.
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And when not asked, he should not speak to him; yet he may do so in times of danger.
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He is pleased, he accepts words, and he does not suspect [one] in secret;
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[Notes]
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1. "One should not wear what is given by the king" according to manuscript kha.
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2. "nānirdiṣṭe" according to manuscripts kha, ga, gha, and ña.
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3. "vivarjayet" according to manuscripts ga, gha, ja, and ṭa.
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4. "niyojayet" according to manuscripts ga, gha, and ña.
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5. "bhūtivardhanīm" according to manuscripts ga and ṭa. / [Page 305]
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he inquires after health and the like, and he offers a seat;
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he is delighted by hearing stories of him, and even disagreeable things cause joy;
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he accepts even a small [gift] that is given, and remembers him even in other conversations—
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such service should be rendered to one who is favorably disposed; he should avoid serving another.
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Thus, in the Great Purāṇa of Agni, the two hundred and twentieth chapter, entitled “The Conduct of a Dependent [of a King]”.
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Now, the two hundred and twenty-first chapter:
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The Excellence of Fortresses.
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Puṣkara said:
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I shall declare the assets of a fortress: the king should reside in a fortified region,
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predominantly populated by Vaiśyas and Śūdras, inaccessible to adversaries,
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having a few Brahmins, and many laborers.
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A territory not dependent on rain, possessing well-distributed water, is praised,
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unharassed by enemies, endowed with flowers, fruits, and grain,
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impenetrable to hostile armies, free from beasts of prey and thieves.
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Having constructed one of the six [types of] fortresses there, the strong [king] should reside [there]:
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a desert fortress, an earthen fortress, and likewise a human fortress,
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a forest fortress, a water fortress, and a mountain fortress, O descendant of Bhṛgu.
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Best of all is the mountain fortress, impregnable and capable of defeating others.
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[Notes]
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1. "puṣpaphaladhānyadhanānvitaḥ" according to manuscripts ga, gha, ña, and ṭa. / [Page 306]
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There [should be] a city with markets and the like, sanctuaries of deities, and so forth;
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provided with machines and weapons, and endowed with water, it is an excellent fortress.
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I shall declare the protection of the king: the ruler must be protected from poison and other [harms].
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The śirīṣa with its five parts, ground in urine, destroys poison.
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Śatāvarī, chinnaruhā, and taṇḍulīyaka are poison-destroying,
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as well as koṣātakī, kalhārī, brāhmī, citrapaṭolikā,
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maṇḍūkaparṇī, vārāhī, and dhātryānandaka.
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unmādinī, somarājī, antidote [herbs], and gemstones.
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Living in a fortress endowed with the characteristics of proper site architecture, he should sacrifice to the gods.
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And he should protect the subjects, conquer the wicked, and cause gifts to be distributed.
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By stealing the property of the gods and the like, one would dwell in hell for a kalpa.
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A king devoted to the worship of the gods should build temples.
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Temples must be protected, and deities must be installed.
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A wooden [shrine] yields more merit than an earthen one; one made of bricks yields more than a wooden one;
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a stone [shrine] yields more merit than a brick one; and one made of gold and gems yields more than a stone one.
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Even while playing, one who builds a house for the gods obtains worldly enjoyment and liberation;
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likewise one who paints pictures and provides shows such as songs and instrumental music.
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Bathing the deity with oil, clarified butter, honey, milk, and other liquids, one goes to heaven.
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The king should worship and protect Brahmins; he should not confiscate a Brahmin's property.
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By taking [even] a single piece of gold, a single cow, or a single finger's breadth of land,
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one enters hell until the universal dissolution.
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One should not hate [a Brahmin] of wicked conduct, even if he is immersed in all sins.
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Nowhere is there any sin heavier than killing a Brahmin.
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They can make a non-god into a god, and make a god into a non-god;
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for Brahmins are illustrious; he must always bow down to them.
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A weeping Brahmin woman destroys family, kingdom, and subjects.
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And a righteous king should protect virtuous women.
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A woman should be cheerful, exclusively skilled in household duties,
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with well-maintained utensils, and not liberal in spending.
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She should always attend upon that husband to whom her father gives her.
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When her husband has died, a woman who remains in celibacy goes to heaven.
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She should have no desire for another's house, nor should she be quarrelsome.
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A woman whose husband is away on a journey should likewise abandon adornment;
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she should remain devoted to the worship of the gods, delighting in her husband's welfare,
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and she should wear a small ornament for the sake of auspiciousness.
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A woman who enters the fire with her husband also attains heaven.
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Worship of Śrī should be performed, as well as sweeping the house and other tasks.
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On the twelfth lunar day in the month of Kārttika, [she should worship] Viṣṇu and give a cow with its calf.
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A husband is protected by the Sāvitrī [mantra] and by the votive observance of truthful conduct.
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Having worshipped the Sun on the seventh lunar day in the bright fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa,
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a woman in this world obtains sons; here there is no doubt. //26//
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Thus in the great Purāṇa of Agni, the two hundred and twenty-first chapter, entitled 'Duties of the King'.
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[note]
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1. 'tānna hiṃsyādyadaiva tu' in manuscript ja.
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2. 'satyavān suvratena ca' in manuscripts gha and ña.
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Now the two hundred and twenty-second chapter:
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Duties of the King.
Linked texts (1)
- Agnipurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit