"Bhishma said, 'The king, with an eye to both religious merit and profit
whose considerations are often very intricate, should, without delay,
appoint a priest possessed of learning and intimate acquaintance with the
Vedas and the (other) scriptures. Those kings that have priests possessed
of virtuous souls and conversant with policy, and that are themselves
possessed of such attributes, enjoy prosperity in every direction. Both
the priest and the king should have such qualities as are worthy of
regard and should be observant of vows and penances. They would then
succeed in supporting and aggrandising the subjects and the deities, the
Pitris and the children. It is laid down that they should be
possessed of similar hearts and should be each other's friends. In
consequence of such friendship between Brahmana and Kshatriya, the
subjects become happy. If they do not regard each other, destruction
would overtake the people. The Brahmana and the Kshatriya are said to be
the progenitors of all men. In this connection is cited the old story
about the discourse between Aila's son and Kasyapa. Listen to it, O
Yudhishthira.'
"Aila said, 'When the Brahmana forsakes the Kshatriya or the Kshatriya
forsakes the Brahmana, who amongst them should be regarded superior and
upon whom do the other orders rely and maintain themselves?'
"Kasyapa said, 'Ruin overtakes the kingdom of the Kshatriya when the
Brahmana and Kshatriya contend with each other. Robbers infest that
kingdom in which confusion prevails, and all good men regard the ruler to
be a Mlechcha. Their oxen do not thrive, nor their children. Their pots
(of milk) are not churned, and no sacrifices are performed there. The
children do not study the Vedas in kingdoms where Brahmanas abandon
Kshatriyas. In their houses wealth does not increase. Their children do
not become good and do not study the scriptures and perform sacrifices.
Those Kshatriyas that abandon Brahmanas become impure in blood and assume
the nature of robbers. The Brahmana and the Kshatriya are connected with
each other naturally, and each protects the other. The Kshatriya is the
cause of the Brahmana's growth and the Brahmana is the cause of the
Kshatriya's growth. When each helps the other, both attain to great
prosperity. If their friendship, existing from days of old, breaks, a
confusion sets over everything. No person desirous of crossing the ocean
of life succeeds in his task even as a small boat floating on the bosom
of the sea. The four orders of men become confounded and destruction
overtakes all. If the Brahmana. who is like a tree is protected, gold and
honey are showered. If, on the other hand, he is not protected, it then
tears and sins are showered, When Brahmanas fall away from the Vedas and
(in the absence of a Kshatriya ruler) seek protection from the
scriptures, then Indra does not pour rain seasonably and diverse kinds of
calamities ceaselessly afflict the kingdom. When a sinful wretch having
slain a woman or a Brahmana does not incur obloquy in assemblies of
fellowmen and has not to stand in fear of the king, then danger threatens
the Kshatriya ruler. In consequence of the sins perpetrated by sinful
men, the god Rudra appears in the kingdom. Indeed, the sinful by their
sins bring upon them that god of vengeance. He then destroys all, the
honest and the wicked alike (without making any distinction).'
"Aila said, 'Whence does Rudra spring? What also is his form? Creatures
are seen to be destroyed by creatures. Tell me all this, O Kasyapa!
Whence does the god Rudra spring?'
"Kasyapa said, 'Rudra exists in the hearts of men. He destroys the bodies
themselves in which he dwells as also the bodies of others. Rudra has
been said to be like atmospheric visitations and his form is like that of
the wind-gods.'
"Aila said, 'The Wind does not, by blowing, visibly destroy men on all
occasions, nor does the deity of the clouds do so by pouring rain. On the
other hand, it is seen among men that they lose their senses and are
slain through lust and malice.'
"Kasyapa said, 'Fire, blazing forth in one house, burneth a whole quarter
or an entire village. Similarly, this deity stupefies the senses of some
one and then that stupefaction touches all, the honest and the wicked
alike, without any distinction.'
"Aila said, 'If chastisement touches all viz., the honest and the wicked
alike, in consequence of the sins perpetrated by the sinful, why should
men, in that case, do acts that are good? Indeed, why should they not
perform wicked acts?'
"Kasyapa said, 'By avoiding all connection with the sinful, one becomes
pure and stainless. In consequence, however, of their being mixed with
the sinful, the sinless are overtaken by chastisement. Wood that is wet,
if mixed with wood that is dry, is consumed by fire in consequence of
such co-existence. The sinless, therefore, should never mingle with the
sinful.'
"Aila said, 'The earth holds the honest and the wicked. The sun warms the
honest and the wicked. The wind blows equally for them. Water cleanses
them equally.'
"Kasyapa said, 'Such, indeed, is the course of this world, O prince! It
is not so, however, hereafter. In the other world, there is great
difference of condition between the person that acts righteously and him
that acts sinfully. The regions that meritorious men acquire are full of
honey and possessed of the splendour of gold or of a fire upon which
clarified butter has been poured. Those regions also are likened to the
navel of ambrosia. The meritorious person enjoys great felicity there.
Death, decrepitude, and sorrow, are not there. The region for the sinful
is hell. Darkness and ceaseless pain are there, and it is full of sorrow.
Sinking in infamy, the man of sinful deeds wrung with remorse there for
many years. In consequence of a disunion between Brahmanas and
Kshatriyas, unbearable griefs afflict the people. Knowing this, a king
should appoint a (Brahmana) priest possessed of experience and wide
knowledge. A king should first install the priest in his office, and then
cause his own coronation. This has been laid down in the ordinance. The
ordinances declare that the Brahmana is the foremost of all creatures.
Men acquainted with the Vedas say that the Brahmana was created first. In
consequence of the precedence of his birth, all things that are good in
this world are vested in him. The rightful owner of all the best things
that have flowed from the Creator, the Brahmana is also, for such
precedence, worthy of the respect and the worship of all creatures. A
king, however powerful, should, according to the dictates of the
scriptures, bestow upon the Brahmana whatever is best and distinguished
above others. The Brahmana contributes to the aggrandisement of the
Kshatriya, and the Kshatriya to the aggrandisement of the Brahmana.
Brahmanas should, therefore, be especially and always worshipped by
kings.'"
