"Yudhishthira said, 'By adopting that conduct, O thou that art conversant
with every kind of behaviour, can a king succeed in easily acquiring,
both here and hereafter, objects productive of happiness in the end?'

"Bhishma said, 'There are these thirty-six virtues (which a king should
observe). They are connected with thirty-six others. A virtuous person,
by attending to those qualities, can certainly acquire great merit. The
king should observe his duties without wrath and malice. He should not
abandon kindness. He should have faith. He should acquire wealth without
persecution and cruelty. He should pursue pleasure without attachments.
He should, with cheerfulness, utter what is the agreeable, and be brave
without brag. He should be liberal but should not make gifts to persons
that are unobserving. He should have prowess without cruelty. He should
make alliance, avoiding those that are wicked. He should not act with
hostility towards friends. He should never employ persons not devoted to
him as his spies and secret agents. He should never accomplish his
objects by persecution. He should never, disclose his purposes before
persons that are wicked. He should speak of the merits of others but
never his own. He should take wealth from his subjects but never from
those that are good. He should never employ or take the assistance of
persons that are wicked. He should never inflict punishment without
careful enquiry. He should never disclose his counsels. He should give
away, but not to persons that are covetous. He should repose confidence
on others but never on those that have injured him. He should not cherish
malice. He should protect his wedded wives. He should be pure and should
not always be melted by compassion. He should not indulge much in female
companionship. He should take food that is wholesome and never that which
is otherwise. He should without pride pay regards to those that deserve
them, and serve his preceptors and seniors with sincerity. He should
worship the gods without pride. He should seek prosperity, but never do
anything that brings infamy. He should wait (upon his seniors) with
humility. He should be clever in business but should always wait for the
proper time. He should comfort men and never send them away with empty
speeches. Having favoured a person, he should not abandon him. He should
never strike in ignorance. Having slain his foe he should never indulge
in sorrow. He should display temper, but should never do so when there is
no occasion. He should be mild, but never to those that have offended.
Conduct thyself thus while ruling thy kingdom if thou wishest to have
prosperity. The king that behaves otherwise incurs great danger. That
king who observes all these virtues that I have mentioned, reaps many
blessings on earth and great rewards in heaven.'

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing these words of Santanu's son, king
Yudhishthira, docile in receiving instructions, possessed of great
intelligence, and protected by Bhima and others, then worshipped his
grandsire and from that time began to rule according to that teaching.'"