History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.102.3

v4.c62.102.3

24 liberality, truthfulness and valour are the three greatest qualities in a king, who, when endowed with these, acquires all other qualities. The Mānasollāsa (II. 1. 2-7) first enumerates 44 qualities such as truthfulness, spiritedness (which agree more or less with Kauṭilya's enumeration) and then states that the five most essential qualities in a king are truthfulness, valour, forbearance, liberality and capacity to appreciate the worth of others. The Agnipurāṇa (239. 2-5) enumerates 21 qualities such as noble family, character &c. In the Paraśurāmapratāpa 96 qualities are enumerated in the Rājavallabhakāṇḍa (Ms. 239 of Viśrāmaghāg collection II, folio 21b). The Sabhāparva 5. 107-109 and Rāmāyaṇa II. 100. 65-67 require the king to avoid 14 faults viz. atheism, falsehood, hot temper, carelessness, procrastination, not seeing the wise, laziness, addiction to five pleasures of sense, considering state matters alone (without *mantrins*), taking counsel with those who do not know politics, not starting to do what is decided upon, not guarding secret royal policy, not practising auspicious acts, taking up undertakings on all sides at one and the same time. Vanaparva 251. 5 says that subjects do not like a king who is very timid, very weak, procrastinating, careless and immersed in pleasures on account of vices. Sabhā 5. 125 states that sleep (by day), laziness, timidity, hot temper, softness and dilatoriness are six calamities in a king.