“He who rules with the affection and consent of his people, brings joy to his friends. My son, always conduct yourself with restraint.”
~ King Dasrath to his son Ram ahead of his consecration as Crown Prince
Prime Minister Narendra Modi fought the Indian election invoking the name of God King Ram, inaugurating a magnificent temple to India's archetype hero in the ancient city of Ayodhya, and by browbeating the Opposition, dividing communities, and slandering minorities.
Well, here's what Ram Rajya (the rule of Ram) looks like:
Conduct of an Ideal Ruler
Ram worked for the welfare of his subjects.
The ideal ruler is courteous to his teachers and elders when the occasion demands. His conduct endears him to his family, congregation and citizens.
The ruler is well-behaved, speaks calmly and gently, never allows a harsh word to pass his lips. He never grumbles, and conquers anger. He is neither proud nor envious. He insults no one. He is a master of his own destiny. He is the wisest among the wise and the bravest among braves. He is greatly respected everywhere because of his virtues which shine from him like sunrays.
He is learned and a patron of arts and sciences. He is a good judge of character.
The ruler knows when and how to be generous and invite generosity. He is skilled at mobilizing revenues and deploys them judiciously. He is not lazy and performs all his duties happily and well.
He is the best warrior and strategist of his times and a skilled commander of his troops.
Valmiki, the author of Ramayan, says, even if the gods and demons unite against the ruler in anger, he still remains undefeated.
Duties, obligations and privileges of the ruler
The ruler takes office in the presence of citizens and the prominent residents of his capital. The most powerful dignitaries from around the world grace his ascension.
The ruler is always courteous and keeps a tight rein on his passion, renounces craving and anger, pays heed to counsellors, both in public and private.
Pursuits of a good ruler
Upon receiving the news of his father’s death, Ram, in exile, advised his brother Bharat, who was king-designate, that he should return to the city and rule. He also asked Bharat to appoint ministers who were well-born, self-restrained, brave, trustworthy and skilled in the art of diplomacy.
He said it was very important for successful rulers to take decision after due consideration by ministers who were learned in polity as well as reliable.
As a king, he advised Bharat not to sleep too much, to wake up at the appropriate time, and spend the early hours of the morning thinking about how to achieve his ends.
The ruler must not to take advice from only one person, nor from many, and make sure that his innermost thoughts are not broadcast across the nation. The ruler must act with speed to achieve his ends by simple means. He must judge whether a subordinate must know of his plans only after they are implemented or while they are in process. No one should know about the course of the ruler’s deliberations unless a person has been taken into confidence.
The ruler must choose one learned and intelligent man as his adviser instead of a thousand foolish men, for the learned can do a great deal of good and achieve targets. “A thousand foolish men can do nothing for a king, but one adviser, who is skilled, observant, brave and intelligent, can bring great joy to the king.”
The ruler must give the most important tasks to the best retainers, less important tasks to the middling, and the least important to those at the bottom.
The significant affairs of the state must be entrusted to those who are pure in thought, to those who have been tested, and bureaucrats.
The subjects must not think poorly of the ruler.
The ruler must wake up early and be visible and well-dressed in office, public spaces, and on the main thoroughfare.
The ruler must ensure that the state’s income is more than its expenditure, and not waste money on vanity projects. He should be generous with allies.
The ruler must quickly get rid of a brave and skilled person who has conspired against him and aspires to power, or the ruler would be unseated by such a person.
The commander of the army should be brave, resolute, wise, skilled and noble-born. Leaders of the army must be strong, battle-hardened, and be honoured and praised appropriately.
All garrisons across the country must be well supplied with grain, water, weapons, machines, workmen and law enforcers. The army must be supplied with adequate and proper food and every soldier must be paid his due. The army must be bolstered without delay and at the appointed time, for, if food and wages are delayed the soldiers would rise in mutiny.
The ruler must bolster the defence of his capital so that it is impregnable. The capital must be well provided with a transport network and inhabited by thousands of worthy citizens, scholars, warriors and entrepreneurs who are enthusiastic, disciplined and devoted to their duty. He must have his food tasted before eating it himself.
The ruler must not be brought to grief by his second-in-command.
The ruler’s duty is to protect his subjects under the established order.
The ruler must reassure women about their safety.
All governors, ministers and retainers must be devoted to the ruler, and be willing to calmly give up their stations for the ruler’s sake. The ruler’s personal messenger should be eloquent, wise, skilled and learned. Important citizens in the country and in other countries must be kept under constant surveillance of three spies each who do not know one another. Exiled enemies must be kept under special watch upon return, and the ruler must never consider such people weak and ineffectual.
The ruler must distance himself from educated and acquisitive seekers, who are unworthy of consideration, for such people of twisted intellect reject the established order and depend on harsh rationality, prescriptive texts and do-good manuals.
The established order, economic prosperity and power must not be neglected out of a desire for pleasure. Each of these virtues must be pursued at the right time. He who pursues only pleasure and neglects the constitution and economic prosperity is like a person who goes to sleep in a tree and wakes only when he has fallen from it.
A ruler who destroys his enemies and is devoted to the welfare of his friends, enjoys the fruits of all the three goals of life. He lives in accordance with the established order.
A good citizen, if falsely accused of corruption by conspirators, must be investigated before his wealth is impounded by the state. A thief who has been arrested, questioned, and evidence found against him must not be set free for reasons of greed or favour. When a citizen is in trouble, be they rich or poor, the learned ministers must enquire into the matter. “The tears of a man unjustly implicated can destroy the progeny and wealth of a king who rules for selfish pleasure.”
The ruler must keep the elders happy by giving them what they desire, keep children happy by giving them affection, and scholars happy by speaking with gratitude. Elders, teachers, ascetics, gods, and guests, scholars and accomplished citizens must be honoured.
Scholars and common people should pray together for the ruler’s welfare.A great ruler must avoid the flaws that mar his personality, including atheism, untruth, anger, licentiousness, and procrastination. The ruler must be generous with friends and those who need help.
The ruler must always be courteous and keep a tight rein on his passions, renounce desire and anger, pay heed to counsellors in public and private. He who rules with the affection and consent of the citizens brings joy to his friends. The ruler must always conduct himself with restraint.
Glories of governance
“Kings rule for the sole purpose that their wishes never be denied. Behave such that the king never knows a moment of sorrow or displeasure.”
~ Ram to Sumantra, the chief minister of Dasrath
“A true king is one who divides his time proportionately between the affairs of the state and pleasure.”
~Ram to Sugriv, the king of satyrs
“A king gains global renown by being honourable, truthful, noble, self-controlled, compassionate and grateful to those who have helped him. There is no one more cruel and heartless than an unrighteous king who makes false promises to those who have helped him. If he does not fulfill his commitments after making use of his friends deserves to be killed by all creatures.”
~Lakshman to Sugriv, the king of satyrs.
“A ruler must be resolute and not succumb to bursts of passion. He must know the Constitution. He must not be indignant. He must be calm.”
~Tara to her son, Angad
Pitfalls of governance
Unlike Ram, Sugriv, the king of monkeys, wasted his early days of kingship chasing pleasure. He spent all day and night enjoying with his wives and concubines, with not a care in the world, just as with the gods wasting away in the glory of the apsaras in the garden of Nandan. Sugriv handed over all the affairs of the state to his ministers and without concern for supervision.
Ram as ruler
At the end of his exile, on return from Lanka, Ram mounted the throne to be a wealthy monarch. The guild system flourished under his rule and citizens excelled in their professions.Welfare state under a just ruler
The citizens of Ram’s capital, Ayodhya, were virtuous, they lived by the Constitution.Adapted from Valmiki, The Ramayana by Arshia Sattar
© Shubhrangshu Roy, DEATHSHIP: Readings from The Ramayana, 2024