Raja Dharma

From Absolute Truth

Raja Dharma - The Duty of a Ruler

Materially, culturally or spiritually, the prosperity of a nation or society very much depends on the administrative class of it. The world went through the phases of royal kings and democratic rulers of whom communism, capitalism etc are different agendas. Though the current flow of globe is towards democracy, there are criticisms on its method of functionality like 'Democracy - Bye the people, Far the people, Off the people' due to the incapable & dishonest leaders elected by the less intelligent citizens of immature attitudes. However the ancient Vedic wisdom & culture of Bharath (India) emphatically glorifies the system of monarchial governance which is counseled by an authoritative committee of intellectuals of various divisions. This article attempts to give an insight to that highly successful ancient Raja Dharma of Vedic society.

Introduction

The word Dharma refers to one’s righteous occupational duty as per the scriptural injunctions that are enacted by the Supreme Lord – “Dharmam tu sakhsad bhagavat-pranitam”. [1] All of one’s duties must be performed to satisfy the Absolute Truth. [2][3][4][5]

According to Manu Samhita, execution of Dharma is broadly classified into Sanatana Dharma, Samanya Dharma & Visesha Dharma. Sanatana Dharma refers to the eternal occupation or constitutional position of a living entity in the form of servitorship to the Absolute Truth. Samanya Dharma is the universally applicable duty of a human in the form of moral & ethical conduct irrespective of one’s Varna, Asrama etc. Visesha Dharma constitutes the specific duty of an individual according to his position in the society determined by his qualities, tendencies & activities. [6]

Raja Dharma comes under the category of Visesha Dharma or Specific personal duty of a person, whose nature is to rule, administer & protect the subjects and dependents. Raja Dharma essentially deals with the duties, responsibilities & privileges of the king.

A detailed description of Raja Dharma is given in the third chapter of ‘Vishnu Dharma Sastra’ of Bharath Varsa. This scripture was compiled about 2300 years ago and is considered to be the most authentic summary and essence of many other Smruthis existed in ancient India.

Vishnu Dharma Sastra [Ch III]

The detailed explanations on the dharma of kings are discussed in this chapter. The roles of various ministers, their responsibilities, duties, the rules connected with taxes, dharmic rules and maintenance of dharma in the nation are the subject matters of this section. (The below content is the original text received on verse-by-verse basis from this Sastra.)

1. Now the Raja dharma will be described.

Prime Responsibilities

2. The most important role of a king is to protect the citizens of the nation.

3. Maintain the Varna dharma such as Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Sudra dharma and also Asrama dharma such as Brahmacharya, Gruhasta, Vanaprasta and Sanyasa dharma. And guide the people to practice the useful and important factors of the above dharmas.

4. Protect the forest wealth, the wild animals, the nation and also the human beings.

5. Protect all the men including the Vaisyas and Sudras.

6. Protect the army, the resources of the earth, forest and mountains. The king should protect his nation living in the palace protected by strong fort, which should also have protection by the soldiers.

Hierarchical Administration & Resolving Issues

7. The king should rule the nation through the help of Gramadhipas / village heads.

8. For ten Gramadhipas there should be one Dasadhyaksha / ruler of the ten Gramas / villages.

9. For ten of them there should be one Sathadhyaksha / ruler of hundred villages.

10. All the problems of the village should be solved by the Gramadhyksha / village ruler.

11. If the problem could not be solved there, efforts should be taken for solving the problem through Dasadhyaksha.

12. If it fails there, the common men’s problem should not go beyond Sathadhyksha.

13. But still complicated problem arises, the last solution should be reached from Desadhyaksha / the ruler of the nation who is like the chief secretary, below the king.

14. Whatever may be the problem and however complicated may that be none of the problem should cross beyond Desadhyaksha (chief secretary).

15. None of the problems should go beyond Desadhyaksha for solution.

Appointment of Suitable Officers

16. The king should appoint secretaries with appropriate qualifications for protecting the natural resources, forest resources and treasury and also for making coins.

17. The king should appoint suitable persons for all dharmic activities who are well versed in dharmic principles both in theory and practice.

18. The king should appoint persons with excellent qualification for handling each department, depending upon their taste, caliber and qualifications.

19. Courageous and strong men should be appointed to keep the law & order situation of the nation and also in the battlefield.

20. People with unquestionable courage should be used for controlling the most complicated problems connected with the law & order.

21. The impotent should be given the responsibility of dealing with the women.

Various types of Taxes

22. Six percent tax should be levied from agricultural products per annum.

23. The same tax can be levied from other agro products.

23. Taxes for animal products should not exceed 2%. The same is applicable for gold, clothing and textiles.

24. Honey, ghee, medicines and medicinal plants, spice, minerals, clay, all come under the 6% tax items.

25. For the scholars, tax-free land and housing should be given.

26. If and only if they serve the nation and the rulers free of remuneration, then only this tax free support need be given.

27. 6% of the income from the tax can be used as the remuneration for the king to maintain all his family and personal affairs.

28. Ten percent sale tax should be levied for all other inland produces.

29. For all the foreign articles and products 20% sales tax should be levied.

30. All the employees of the tax department should get enough protection and also the work of tax collection should be done with full security / support.

31. The masons, carpenters, sculptures and other service oriented workers should work for the government at the rate of one day per month. (Which is equal to 3.3 % per annum, which is considered as the service tax).

Loyalty of the Government workers & King’s approaches

32. Those who are undertaking the government work, doing the service in the government, protecting the fort and treasury, the police / law & order imposing authorities and the judges should prove their integrity and patriotism in each and every actions and missions.

33. Anyone who spreads rumors about them should be strictly dealt with.

34. Those who are working for the government, the well known / famous citizens, the foreign visitors are all subjected to stringent evaluation through the spies.

35. The king should protect the poor, the saints and the scholars at any cost.

36. All the peace breakers and problem creators should be dealt with mercilessly.

37. King should take appropriate actions against the enemies, friends, lazy men and so on through sama, dana, bheda and danda methods.

38. Towards some people the king should take the approach of friendship, towards some others direct war / fight, towards some others co-existence. Thus he should take different attitudes towards different people depending upon their merits and demerits (strength and weakness). The king should develop a charter for such type of functioning. These approaches should be followed carefully taking into consideration the place and time.

Spies, Squads & Experts to verify the National Missions

71. The king should examine all the commercial and social activities of the country either directly or through expert or with the help of experts.

72. Experts should be appointed as squads for evaluating different type of activities inside and outside the country.

73. The king should rule the nation as the mission oriented yajna bhava with the blessings of the forefathers and the God, without any prejudices, ego, anger, fear, and confusion. But keeping in mind that ultimate aim of a king is the prosperity of the nation and protecting the citizens. None of the negatives should influence the king while taking any positive or negative decision for the welfare of the people.

74. The king is fully responsible for each and every activity of the nation with full power.

75. He should always worship the scholars and the God.

76. He should also worship the old aged.

77. Also those who are doing great yajnas for the welfare of the common men.

Supporting Scholars, Charitable activities and Great men

78. No scholar should live in misery in his country.

79. None who does good for others should suffer.

80. The scholars and men of established caliber should be given land for the charitable activities.

81. The documents should be given after thoroughly measuring the land with all needed specification either in palm leaves, copper plates, or in papers in such a way that the land should be utilized by the future generations also for the same purpose. The document should have the signature with seal.

82. This type of land donated to the persons should never be allowed to go to wrong hands or other than the specified purpose.

83. Others also should be encouraged for donating the land and wealth for noble and charitable activities.

84. People should be encouraged for donating to spiritual activities and

85. For the propagation of patriotic visions.

Encouraging Donations for Good purposes

86. The donations should be made available for the doctors particularly those who are treating the patients affected by poisons (as they rarely take the consulting fees).

87. Even if the donation is given without examining the purpose of the charitable activities

88. For those who are doing the work with full devotion,

89. For those who are employing the prisoners for bringing them back to the normal stream of life should be encouraged for giving the donation.

90. King should punish those who are doing the mistakes/ crimes knowingly.

91. All support should be given to those who have undergone the path of purification after receiving the punishment, and for leading a normal good life.

92. Never, should the king give pardon for those who are doing the same mistake/ crime many times. Those who are not practicing Svadharma / dharmic life should also be punished. This punishment should be for bringing them back to good life.

93. Where the deserving punishment is given, there the people will lead a good dharmic life and wherever it is not given, the life of the people will be miserable.

94. There the king will always be worshipped, where the people will follow the law & order perfectly.

Deputing workers for Specific Purposes

95. Those who have satvic, rajasic and thamasic nature should be given appropriate work to perform as their duties in the government. Also the punishment and protection should be given depending upon the above three gunas they possess.

96. The king who enjoys and experiences the happiness when the people are happy and feels the pain /sadness when the people are sad, will remain in this world with name and fame. He will live a happy life in this world and in the other world.

Rules & Violation connected with Contract jobs

154. If a contract work has not been completed within the specified time and the contractor leaves, the contractor should give the loss to the owner and

155. 100 pana fine to the government.

156. If the workers of the contractor damages the property of the owner, the contactor / worker should give the equivalent amount

157. If, due to ignorance or health problem, the damage or loss occurred for the owner the above rule is not applicable.

158. If the worker is not given the work till the specified period, the owner is expected to give the salary for the remaining period also.

159. The owner should remit 100 pana as fine too for not employing for the sufficient period, after promising.

160. If the whole things happen due to the misbehavior or fault of the worker, none of the above rule is applicable.

Punishment for Lawbreakers

168. Those who are grabbing the government property, or the property given by the king for charitable work, should be sentenced to deport from the country.

169. Those who are violating the rules connected with protecting the government property should also be given the same punishment.

170. If the national property or the public property are damaged, the same punishment should be given.

171. If deposited or security materials are stolen, the cost of the materials/ the deposit with interest should be calculated as penalty.

172. Even if the rules connected with the deposits/ banking are not followed and the deposit is given based on the mutual trust, these rules are applicable.

173. If the boundary wall or the fences are damaged, the fine with reconstruction cost should be levied from the person.

174. Those who give poisonous drinks, or spoiled food items should also be treated as above.

175. Sales of any poisonous drinks, or foods and burglary of the houses or temples also call for the same penalty with higher intensity.

Punishment for insulting Government workers

176. If the high positioned government employees or workers are ill treated by the public severe punishment should be given.

177. If medium officers were ill treated, medium punishment should be given.

178. If carelessly behaves towards the government servants, minor punishment should be given.

179. If given as donation or sold, it is like sold forever and one cannot argue for getting them back and if by force grabbed back, it is a punishable crime by law.

Conclusion

Srila Prabhupada writes in his commentary for Srimad-Bhagavatam: “Raja-dharma is a great science, unlike modern diplomacy for political supremacy. The kings were trained systematically to become munificent and not merely be tax collectors. They were trained to perform different sacrifices only for the prosperity of the subjects. To lead the prajas to the attainment of salvation was a great duty of the king. The father, the spiritual master and the king are not to become irresponsible in the matter of leading their subjects to the path of ultimate liberation from birth, death, diseases and old age. When these primary duties are properly discharged, there is no need of government of the people, by the people. In modern days the people in general occupy the administration by the strength of manipulated votes, but they are never trained in the primary duties of the king, and that is also not possible for everyone. Under the circumstances the untrained administrators play havoc to make the subjects happy in all respects. On the other hand, these untrained administrators gradually become rogues and thieves and increase the taxation to finance a top-heavy administration that is useless for all purposes. Actually the qualified Brahmanas are meant to give direction to the kings for proper administration in terms of the scriptures like the Manu-samhita and Dharma-sastras of Parasara. A typical king is the ideal of the people in general, and if the king is pious, religious, chivalrous and munificent, the citizens generally follow him. Such a king is not a lazy sensuous person living at the cost of the subjects, but alert always to kill thieves and dacoits. Such thieves and dacoits were never meant for administration as they are now.

The taxation law was simple. The king had a right to claim a fourth of one's allotted wealth. One would never grudge parting with it because due to the pious king and religious harmony there was enough natural wealth, namely grains, fruits, flowers, silk, cotton, milk, jewels, minerals, etc., and therefore no one was materially unhappy. The citizens were rich in agriculture and animal husbandry, and therefore they had enough grains, fruits and milk without any artificial needs of soaps and toilets, cinemas and bars.

The king had to see that the reserved energy of humanity was properly utilized. Human energy is meant not exactly for fulfilling animal propensities, but for self-realization. The whole government was specifically designed to fulfill this particular purpose. The king was especially vigilant to see that the tapasvis, or persons who sacrificed everything for disseminating spiritual knowledge, were never disregarded. The king knew well that the Supreme Personality of Godhead never tolerates any insult to His unalloyed devotees. Such tapasvis were trusted leaders even of the rogues and thieves, who would never disobey the orders of tapasvis.” [7]

In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Sukadeva Gosvami explains to King Pariksit, “A person who is born into a responsible family—such as a ksatriya, a member of royalty or a government servant—but who neglects to execute his prescribed duties according to religious principles, and who thus becomes degraded, falls down at the time of death into the river of hell known as Vaitarani. This river, which is a moat surrounding hell, is full of ferocious aquatic animals. When a sinful man is thrown into the River Vaitarani, the aquatic animals there immediately begin to eat him, but because of his extremely sinful life, he does not leave his body. He constantly remembers his sinful activities and suffers terribly in that river, which is full of stool, urine, pus, blood, hair, nails, bones, marrow, flesh and fat.” [8]