The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Sabha Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Sabha Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
heaven? Are the agriculturists in thy kingdom wanting in either seed or
food? Grantest thou with kindness loans (of seed-grains) unto the
tillers, taking only a fourth in excess of every measure by the
hundred? O child, are the four professions of agriculture, trade,
cattle-rearing, and lending at interest, carried on by honest men? Upon
these O monarch, depends the happiness of thy people. O king, do the
five brave and wise men, employed in the five offices of protecting the
city, the citadel, the merchants, and the agriculturists, and punishing
the criminals, always benefit thy kingdom by working in union with one
another? For the protection of thy city, have the villages been made
like towns, and the hamlets and outskirts of villages like villages?
Are all these entirely under thy supervision and sway? Are thieves and
robbers that sack thy town pursued by thy police over the even and
uneven parts of thy kingdom? Consolest thou women and are they
protected in thy realm? I hope thou placest not any confidence in them,
nor divulgest any secret before any of them? O monarch, having heard of
any danger and having reflected on it also, liest thou in the inner
apartments enjoying every agreeable object? Having slept during the
second and the third divisions of the night, thinkest thou of religion
and profit in the fourth division wakefully. O son of Pandu, rising
from bed at the proper time and dressing thyself well, showest thou
thyself to thy people, accompanied by ministers conversant with the
auspiciousness or otherwise of moments? O represser of all foes, do men
dressed in red and armed with swords and adorned with ornaments stand
by thy side to protect thy person? O monarch! behavest thou like the
god of justice himself unto those that deserve punishment and those
that deserve worship, unto those that are dear to thee and those that
thou likest not? O son of Pritha, seekest thou to cure bodily diseases
by medicines and fasts, and mental illness with the advice of the aged?
I hope that the physicians engaged in looking after thy health are well
conversant with the eight kinds of treatment and are all attached and
devoted to thee. Happeneth it ever, O monarch, that from covetousness
or folly or pride thou failest to decide between the plaintiff and the
defendant who have come to thee? Deprivest thou, through covetousness
or folly, of their pensions the proteges who have sought thy shelter
from trustfulness or love? Do the people that inhabit thy realm, bought
by thy foes, ever seek to raise disputes with thee, uniting themselves
with one another? Are those amongst thy foes that are feeble always
repressed by the help of troops that are strong, by the help of both
counsels and troops? Are all the principal chieftains (of thy empire)
all devoted to thee? Are they ready to lay down their lives for thy
sake, commanded by thee? Dost thou worship Brahmanas and wise men
according to their merits in respect of various branches of learning? I
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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