Lessons from Sri Rama's Raj Dharma

"We are the same people who pray to the flute-playing Lord Krishna, but we are also the same people who idolise and follow the same Lord Krishna who carries the Sudarshan Chakra," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing frontline soldiers during his recent visit to Leh. Critical of Modi's handling the Chinese advancement on the Ladakh front, Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal advised Modi to follow his Raj Dharma and reveal facts about the reality of Chinese incursions.

The party expressed serious doubts about Modi's statements regarding the China's role at the front and whether it encroached upon Indian territory or not. This kicked off a debate on the Raj Dharma. In this context, it may perhaps sound appropriate to know what Raj Dharma meant to Lord Sri Rama, while appraising his brother Bharatha discharging the duties of King during the Sri Rama exile in forests following dictum from his father. Incidentally, Narendra Modi is an ardent devote and admirer of Lord Sri Ram.

When Lord Rama was in Chitrakoota hermitage in the initial period of his exile, his brother Bharatha who was supposed to be the king designate of Ayodhya came to him to plead Rama to return from forests abandoning the exile and take over the reins of the empire.

During the conversation that took place later between the brothers, Sri Rama touched upon various aspects of Raj Dharma which holds cent percent good even till this day, especially in the context of Congress Leader Kapil Sibal demanding Modi to follow Raj Dharma. The appraisal of Bharata by Rama, whether being the king, he was discharging his duties in accordance with principles of Raj Dharma or not goes like this:

"Are you keeping the people happy by listening to what they want you to do? Are you offering your salutations to the elders who are equal to your father and are elders to you? Are you serving your teachers? Hope your Ministers are all knowledgeable. Have they studied the moral science? Are they equal to you in your IQ? Do they have control over their organs? Can they do the face reading? Will they be able to assess a person by merely seeing his face? The Ministers, who are supposed to be well versed in Shastras, hope they will not make public your opinions even before they act? Are they transparent when needed?"

"Do you discuss secrets with others or with only one individual? If you share a secret with one person, he will tell it to another person who is in agreement with him. If you share it with ten people, one of them may tell it to somebody else. If they are of different opinions, they may land in quarrel. Whatever may be your thoughts, don't express them before they take the shape of action. Don't delay the work to such an extent that it spoils the work itself. Your sub servant Ministers should not have any inkling about the work even before it is materialised. The thoughts that your Minister and you discuss should not be leaked to others. It is better to have one intelligent and efficient person with you than 1,000 fools. Do you have at least one such person with you?"

"Hope you have appointed as a Minister such persons who have a genuine love towards you, persons who have passed in all the tests, those who are serving for years together, those who practice truth in their talk, mind and actions, people who have clear and pure mind and those who can do superior tasks with superior quality. I hope you don't have in your team, people who have unclean minds, those who preach evils, who always complain about others, those who practice no dharma, those who have no fear of the King, those who are greedy about money. Hope your Chief of Army has all the virtues. Does he have the required valour? Does he have the required guts? Does he practice truth in talk, mind and actions? Does he have love towards the king? Are all the important leaders in your army are individuals with strength, vigour and valour? Hope they have enough experience and are experts in the wars".

"As far as other Kings are concerned, did you appoint 18 Tirthas? The 18 Tirthas are, Ministers, Private Secretary, Prince, Commander-in-Chief, Gate Keeper, Palace Controller, Superintendent of Jails, Revenue Collector, Judge, and Accountant General. Munsiff and Magistrate".

"Don't entertain the atheists even though they are Brahmins like Charvak. They will destroy both the material and spiritual world. They tend to give interpretations that are against the hard realities. Though they are not scholars, they claim themselves as scholars and destroy those following them with falsehood. It is harmful to have any association with those who never read the Shastras the way they should be read, they give crooked interpretation of the Shastras with their illogical, irrational and meaningless arguments. They interpret the Shastras with crooked minds and understanding. Be wary of them".

"Are you offering food grains to those who are tilling the lands, and those shepherds grazing the cattle? People are dependent on their daily essential commodities on these sections of people. Hope you are taking care of the people in trade and business. Are you helping the farmers, shepherds, trade and businessmen as they need the king's support? A king, according to the Shastras, should protect people from all the communities, are you doing that duty? Hope you are treating women with dignity? Hope you are not letting the secrets in their presence even when you are alone. They cannot keep a secret at a secret, as they are vulnerable".

"Are you present every day in the morning in the meeting for the people to have a glimpse of you? If you abstain yourself from the daily meetings, people may think that you are down with some ailment. If you are irregular to your daily meeting even your servants will take you non-seriously. But this does not mean you should not see them. Enquire about their wellbeing once in a while. Hope you kept adequate supply of food grains, arms ammunition safe in the godowns and forts. Hope you are protecting the army personnel and the specialised groups?"

"Hope your kingdoms income is more than the expenditure and spending funds less than the income. Hope you are not doing charity to those undeserving? Ensure that if there is a fight between a rich person and a poor person, your Ministers with selfish interests should not support the rich. Don't become stingy while doing charity. Do you know it is a sin to punish the innocent than letting off a criminal off the hook?"

"Hope you are governing in accordance with the Dharma. It is mental delinquency to utter lies, getting unnecessarily angry on those who have not deserved to be and in an unsuitable moment. There are fourteen flaws that a king should not have. They include, not meeting the scholars even when they come to meet the king, becoming slave to the mortal desires, thinking and taking decisions alone on several matters pertaining to the administration, waging war against several enemy countries at the same time, not executing the jobs already decided, having consultations with the undeserving, sharing every thought with the public, negligence in the auspicious ceremonies, etc."

"The works that should be done should be discussed with not less than three or more than four persons. Have individual meetings with them and then call for a group meeting. You separate evil from their opinions. If there is a difference of opinion, go with the majority. Whatever may others say, you should think all by yourself about the options and take a wise decision?"

Sri Rama, in his concluding remarks, told Bharata that he should never, even at the time of losing his life, deviate from the path of Dharma and Raj Dharma.