Unit 4 Ved Vyasa (Shantiparva): Rajadharma

INTRODUCTION
 The Mahabharata as called by its author's is an Itihas, a Purana, an Akhyana, a Samhita, a
Kavya, and the source and basis of all the legends.
 Ved Vyasa is traditionally known as the chronicler and author of the epic Mahabharata
and also features as an important character in the epic.
 He is believed to have arranged the single eternal Veda into four parts — Rigveda,
Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda.
 In Mahabharata, he appeared to deliver enlightening thoughts on social, familial and
political life, like when he came to rescue the almost extinct Kuru clan by practicing
niyoga with wives of the late king Vichitravirya to bear future kings; and when Vyasa
counselled King Drupada to marry his daughter Draupadi to the five Pandavas for social
good.
 The main concern of Vyasa in Mahabharata was not only what men ought to do but also
the best way to create order that would facilitate pursuit of happiness for the individual
and finally lead to supreme bliss.

SHANTI PARVA
 The Mahabharata is quintessential from the point of view of politics, providing a
comprehensive account of ancient Indian Political thought, the highest watermark of
which being reached in the Shanti Parva and the Rajdharmanusasana chapters which
deliver a synthetic and systematic view ancient Indian polity.
 The Mahabharata, written as Poetry (Epic) by Ved Vyasa, contains 18 Parva or the books.
 Among these Parvas, Shanti Parva is the 12th and largest/longest Parva, including 353
chapters, 12,863 Shlokas (verses)
 Shanti Parva divided into three sub-parvas, 'Raja Dharma Parva', 'Apad Dharma Parva'
and 'Moksha Dharma Parva'.
 Its set up and context is after the war is over.
 'Shanti Parva' is about peace, after the Kurukshetra War is over and has sections where
Bhishma, lying down on his bed of arrows, teaches Yudhishthira. Rajan is a king and
Raja Dharma is about the dharma of kings.
 Hence, Shanti Parva is in the form of a dialogue between Dying Bhisma and
Yudhishthira- deliberation on Dharma and by Bhisma( to Yudhisthira. Later, Vyasa,
Krishna and Vidur also joins in the Dialogue.
 The part of Mahabharata with the title ‘Shantiparva’ i.e., the book of peace, is a volume
related to various dimensions of politics like origin of state, dandniti, rajdharma, duties of
the King and good governance.
 Governance is an integral part of all societies and has been beautifully explained in Shanti
Parva of Mahabharata.
 There are three parts of Shantiparva with one, the Rajdharamanussana, completely
devoted to practicing and perfecting the art of governance.
 This Parva deals with the duties of four varnas, the history of sovereignty, the superiority
of truth to false hood, and the duties of the king.
 Defense, war, administration, formulation of policies, and promotion and fostering of the
happiness of the people were the five spheres of activity of the good king according to
Shanti Parva.
 Shanti Parva of Mahabharat has its significance because of its political ideas. The
Mahabharat theorists appraise Bhishma’s discourses in the Shanti Parva as its most
authoritative exposition of rajadharma, Dandniti, and Shasanpadhiti, origin of the state.

Q. Examine the idea of 'Rajadharma' as mentioned in Shanti Parva of the

Mahabharata.
Q. Critically describe the notion of Rajadharma in Shantiparva with special
reference to the duties of the king.

Essence/Idea of Rajdharma in Shantiparva

 The rajadharma, as the name suggests, in ancient Indian political speculation constituted
mainly the duties of the king towards his subjects and his administrative activities.
 The details of rajadharma make it clear that the basic spirit behind rajadharma was to
ensure peace and prosperity of the people and in doing so the state was also expected to
maintain impartiality.
 It has been observed that the ancient Indian state was kind and helpful to the people to a
limitless level. Rajdharma is explained in many ancient Indian texts- Manusmriti,
Arthshastra, Mahabharat, Sukranitishatra, Puranas, etc.
 In fact, there can be no higher goal and duty of the state than what was proclaimed in
yoga kshema in ancient Indian Political Thought.
 Rajdharma is the biggest/ultimate dharma; only if the king follows Rajdharma, all other
dharma can be up-hold.
 At the helm of Rajdharma lied the notion that it was the king's duty to see that the people
in his kingdom acted according to the rules laid down in the Smrtis for the several varnas
and asramas, to administer justice and to interfere when his help was sought for by a
Parisad (assembly of learned men) in enforcing the Prayaschitta (penance) prescribed for
various lapses.
 Therefore, it may be said (as done by the Mahabharata) that rajadharma was the highest
goal of the entire world, that it comprehended within itself all rules of acara, vyavahara
(administration of Justice) and prayaschitta(penance).
 The functional importance of Rajdharma is supported by its ethical significance.
 Rajdharma that is the Kshatriya's dharma is the foremost of all dharmas and without it,
people would be ruined.
 Further, it is clearly suggested that the king who acts against rajdharma loses his
legitimacy to govern and provides scope for rebellion. Polices contrary to and against
rajdharma are considered to be unjust and unrighteous.
 Bhishma's theories of Rajdharma and Dandniti in the context of his remarkable
development of the old Smriti concept of the whole duty of the King, Rajdharma is used
in Mahabharata in two meanings, the royal duties and the politics (dandniti).
 Its later sense is confirmed by the fact that one whole section of the Santiparva, dealing
with the rules, relating specifically to the art of government, is known as the
Rajdharmanushasana Parva. There in it has been regarded as the most important science
and as the refuge of all other branches of knowledge.
 Dandniti's full knowledge is indispensable for a ruler. If strictly followed by the rulers it
leads to prosperity and well-being of the ruler.
 So Rajadharma is not only related to dandniti, but the performance of the former is
wholly dependent upon the latter.
Theory of Origin of State/ Kingship
 It is the semi-contractual origin of the state/kingship: based on the necessity for peace and
order in the society.
 The Shantiparva clarifies that in the state of nature; the institutions of state did not
exist. So, at first, there was no sovereignty, no office of the king, no punishment, no
discipline, and no one to punish, and the people thereof had no sense of thine and mine.
 Men led happy, harmonious, and contended life by following Dharma.
 This implies that the absence of the king coincided with the absence of private
property.
 In the course of time, society degenerated. The disruption in peaceful living emerged with
the advent of private property as an institution which in turn brought differences and led
to chaos in the pre-state nature. Lust and Wrath maligned human virtue.
 Men left Dharma and lost sight of right and wrong. Society Plunged into Anarchy. Might
is Right- Matasya nyaya.
 Later on, because of the demand for peace and security, the need for authority was felt
and led to the establishment of the office of the king. Shantiparva describes at one
place, that people went in search of a King in order to protect their property, family, and
varnas. Rajya, Rashtra, Janpad, and Pura are used for denoting the State.
 The genesis of the word ‘Raja’ relates to the origin of ‘Rajya’. To start with, Bhishma
based the king’s authority in the first chapter of Shantiparva upon unbending
interpretations of the King’s origin.
 The 67th chapter of Shantiparva describes the second aspect regarding the origin of
Kinship. It states that there was a contract of people to get rid of sinfulness. It states that
the state emerged because when sinfulness prevailed in the world, men could not enjoy
their property and family. It states that in the absence of King, inter-mixture of castes may
also take place.
 In the second verse of chapter 67, Bhishma says that “the coronation of a King is the
first duty of a kingdom. A kingdom in which anarchy reigns becomes weak and is soon
attacked by robbers.” He further stated in the fourth verse that “the Shrutis say that in
crowing a king, it is Indra that is crowned in the person of the king.”
 It was a state of confusion and anarchy. Being fed up with this chaos, people prayed to
God for a King. So, the public approached Manu to be the king but he refused for the
same. which is stated in the 21st verse of chapter 67.
 The public was feeling so insecure that they were also prepared to give him a certain
share of their property and other privileges
 The 31st and 32nd verses of chapter 67 describe the willingness of Manu to be the king
and to control everyone/ Under such circumstances, Manu agreed to be King and
promised to protect their property, family, varnas as stated in verses 31-32 of chapter 67.
 Later on, seeing the power of Manu, the inhabitants of the earth became stricken with fear
and began to follow their respective duties. Manu then went round the world suppressing
all acts of wickedness and compelling all men to follow their respective duties.
 Another theory states that in the beginning, everyone adhered to righteousness (dharma),
but with the development of society, people left dharma.
 This led to anarchy and then the sages and Gods approached Vishnu (the lord of creation
Prajapati) and requested him to choose one among mortals who deserved to have
superiority over the rest.
 Reluctantly Vishnu gave first King Virajas some of his powers. But in the dynasty of
Virajas, a corrupt ruler Vena came to be born. God removed Vena and made Prithu his
son as the king
 Accordingly, an agreement was reached between the King Prithu and rishis (the sages) in
the presence of Brahma King to maintain peace, order, discipline, and foremost the
Dharma. In short, Lord Vishnu designated one person to command all and so the
Kinship came into existence.
 The origin of kinship is desired from the divine ordination. The 144th verse of chapter
59 states that “the learned have begun to say that there is no difference between a god and
a king.’’
 Shanti Parva also described that because of the absence of authority, Dharma will be
replaced by Adharma and it is the duty of the King to maintain dharma which signifies
the defence of social order based of family, property and caste system.
 Therefore, the ruler was given the oath for governance- fearlessly accomplishing Peace
and Order and all those tasks in which Dharma evenly resides. Disregarding what is dear
and what is not so, look upon all citizens with an equal eye.
 Thus, the State originated, by divine intervention, to maintain Peace, order, Prosperity,
and Dharma. The state enables the achievement of individual and common Good by
ensuring each one performs his or her duties appropriate to his/her status and stages of
life following Dharma.
 This can be summarized that in the state of nature, the necessity to uphold dharma,
protection of property, family, and varnashram by the king led to the creation of the state.
 The essence of a rulership lies in dharma, the king should realize that there is nothing
higher than dharma and always abide by it.

Duties of the king

 The main duty of the King, according to Bhishma was to uphold ‘dharma’ and ‘prajahit’
i.e., the welfare of the public.
 The prime duty of the king is to maintain peace, order, and Dharma.
 Another significant duty of the king is the protection of people from internal and external
dangers.
 The king should have good command over dandniti and he should give utmost
importance to dandniti. It is only through dand that the king can manage the affairs of the
state in a very smooth manner and can guide everyone to be on the path of dharma.
 According to this great discourse, the king should be charitable and pure and should never
relinquish the performance of his duties towards his subjects.
 The king is the fountain head of the administration and he should always perform such
activities which strengthen the feeling of dharma in the mind of common man.
 At the time of emergency, the king should take some stringent steps to control the
situation. During such times, the normal rules must be suspended and the king should
work in a very prudent manner.
 If the people are in distress, the king should always be prepared to help them by all
means. In emergency, the king should take the public in his confidence and generate more
revenue by means of extra tax.
 King (Ranjan) is one who pleases (Ranj) and protect his subjects/people.

Q. “King is self-disciplined in Shanti Parva”; In light of this statement describe the

attributes of the ideal king as per Veda Vyas.

How a King should Behave: Kingly Virtues

 Considered having God’s part in him visible symbol of ‘Prajapati’ the chief of god on
earth.
 He should be truthful, trustworthy, and virtuous.
 He should be conscientious and simple, hospitable and merciful, yet pragmatic and
unbiased
 In Shantiparva, while discussing the significance of the king’s authority, Bhishma tells
that the king must give up his likes and dislikes.
 In chapter 70 of Rajadharmanushasana Parva, Bhishma has discussed about thirty-six
virtues which a king should practise. 36 virtues of 3 types: of inviting nature, of
intelligence/intuition, of enthusiasm, of self-restraint.
 These are the virtues like, the king should follow his duties without malice, he should
earn wealth without persecution and cruelty, he should seek pleasure without attachment,
he should be liberal, he should be pure, and he should never strike in ignorance and so on.
The fact is that all the thirty-six virtues are such that will establish a rule based on
dharma.
 King must subdue his senses self-control then only can he subdue enemies, and maintain
dharma in people
 He Should be efficient, enterprising, industrious, energetic, and enthusiastic
 his conduct should be different in different situations sometimes mild/hard, kind/cruel,
helpful/helpless etc. Like a peacock (colourful bird) exposed his various forms in the time
of capturing a snake.
 Should perform yajna, sacrifices for maintenance, expansion of the State and welfare of
the people
 Should keep virtuous advisers counsels, Ministers, and Councils
 Should become a role model for his people
 The king always should try to be good to his own subjects and destroy his
opponents/enemies by any means.
 He Should be like a Sun, like clouds/rain, his temperance should be like spring Sun
 He should follow the Dandaniti to maintain Dharma
 life of a King is a mission and he must always remind himself that he happens to be a
king only for fulfilling his obligations towards society and not for deriving worldly
pleasures.
 A King should be a seeker of good (sreya) and not the pleasurable (preya).
 he should always subordinate his own interests to the interests of his subjects. The king
should treat his subjects as his own family without an bias and should not avoid punishing
even the offences committed by his own sons and favourite persons.
 The king should act fearlessly and perform acts based on dharma and should always
behave impartially by punishing the evil, rewarding the virtuous, protecting the weak and
innocents all as per Dharma.
 Kings should collect wisdom from various sources, should so apply those wisdoms so that
moral laws are observed
 Above all, a king should be the follower of truth Ahimsa in spirit. A king following the
principles of Rajadharma does not despise the wea k, slight the enemies, hate any one, do
any work in haste or procrastinate.
Dand and Dandniti: art and science of Governance,
administration of force
 The seventy-eighth verse of chapter 59 describes Dandniti as the science of punishment.
It is the science of governance and the modes operandi to control the behaviour of all and
to guide everyone on the path of dharma.
 Meaning of Dandniti: in varying contexts, it may be translated as coercion, punishment, a
fine, or simply justice
 “For providing equal justice to all the members of the society, for peace, progress and
prosperity of the people, for the welfare of the state, for an efficient administration, to
protect the weaker from stronger one, to punish the offender and finally to keep everyone
within the limits of dharma, Dandniti was given by God to the king.”
 It is only through Dand that the king can manage the affairs of the state and can guide
everyone to be on the path of Dharma; following Dandniti to maintain peace, and order
and bring prosperity, happiness, and welfare to people is his highest duty.
 It is a mechanism to destroy evil as the sun destroys the darkness.
 According to Bhishma, if the dendritic is destroyed, the essence of the three Vedas (Rig
Veda, Sam Veda, Yajur Veda) disappear and the social system based on four varnas will
be disturbed.
 So, if the Dandniti is destroyed, the essence of Dharma will be destroyed leading to
anarchy; everything will be eclipsed by darkness
 On the destruction of dandniti and instability in Rajdharma, all people will suffer from
many evils. Therefore, it is the basic requirement for a person to be the king that he
should be well versed in dandniti or the art of administration.
 When all are asleep, it is the Dand and the fear of Dand (punishment) which is awake and
ultimately it is the concept of Danda that regulates the behavior of all in the society.
 The dand is the synonym of dharma. Dand maintains Dharma: on account of fear of
Danda (punishment), one never involves himself in sinful activities.
 Dandniti denotes dispensation of justice- punishment to evil, reward to righteous
virtuous ; it also denote relation of the individual to the state totality of social, political
and economic relationships and structure and functioning of the State.
 People can live happily only if they live under the law and abide by the rules and
regulations of the state.

Government or Rajdharma as Raj Shastra or Rajniti Shastra

 Rajadharma also denotes all kinds of (Policies), art and science of Governance and
administration and politics
 In santiparva, Rajdharma is a compendious term to comprehend the duties and obligations
relevant to political and administrative affairs. Through government peace, law and order
can be maintained in the state.
 The main work of government is the happiness of the people and to provide justice is
the another aim of the government.
 In the state, the King is the head of the government.
 In good government administration, people sleep carefully, and fearlessly.
 Saptang theory: 7 elements ( limbs) of State- Swami, Amatya, janapada, Durga, Kosha,
Danda, and Mitra. King can protect his kingdom by taking care of its 7 limbs.
 For maintaining the state, a king should righteously collect taxes from his subjects: tax
should be moderate.
 The executive was made of a combination of the King, ministers, and other officials.
 In Santiparva, there was a great emphasis on the above minister, therefore the king
should choose his ministers and advisors carefully. Should consult them individually and
in groups.
 In the absence of dutiful and able ministers, King cannot run government properly.
 He Should allow decentralization and autonomy to the village/town council.
 A king may adopt any means to maintain and expand his State.
 “A kingdom in which anarchy prevails becomes weak and is soon afflicted by robbers. In
kingdoms torn by anarchy, righteousness cannot dwell. The inhabitants devour one
another. An anarchy is the worst possible for the states.”
 In Sabha Parva, there is description about purohits. The duty of these Purohits was to
bring King on 'Sanmarg' by these good sentences and speeches. These Purohits were
intelligent, polite, and belong to high family. The Rajpurohits were fearless, Dharma
followers and guide the King.
 So, protection of the people, in wide sense, material and moral alike, was the chief
function of the government.

Q. Critically describe the nature of political obligation as portrayed in Shantiparva.

Q. Discuss the insights of Shanti Parva on political obligation

POLITICAL OBLIGATION(duty of citizens to obey laws)

 Dharma is supreme, sovereign NOT the king;
 political obligation only till the King follows Rajadharma and upholds Dharma
 The King is created for the protection of dharma and the world. By using dharma, a king
becomes a deity otherwise he becomes evil. So, a king is the form of dharma
 Living in anarchy could be the worst thing, hence people should obey laws and King’s
orders if he can maintain peace and order.
 People can live happily only if they live under the law and abide by the rules and
regulations of the state
 King is a visible symbol of god on earth, hence people should obey him for peace and
prosperity as he obeys God
 “Whatever laws the king promulgates for the good of the righteous and destruction of
evils- they should not be disobeyed”
 Fear of Dand: People obey laws for fear of punishment. Force becomes the ultimate
sanction of government.
 A delinquent ruler is criticized for his non-performance and he may also be punished for
his wrong doings.
 People may defect to King’s opponent, may not follows his orders, and may revolt and
leave the states if the King fails to protect them, is cruel and doesn’t follow Ra adharma

Analysis
 The details on rajdharma as explained above suggest that it contained some universal
principles of governance.
 Rajdharma means a body of principles such as providing safety to the subjects of the state
and displacing matsyanyaya (the law of Jungle) by equitable law and Justice. But it was
not limited to safety alone rather it was extended to secure material prosperity for the
people.
 Praja hete hetang ragah, Praja sukhe sukhag ragayah (the happiness of the king lies in the
happiness of his subjects and their welfare lies in his welfare), reflects the highest ideals
of the rajdharma in ancient political thought.

Q. Do you agree that the attributes of Rajdharma given in Shantiparva are relevant
in the modern context? Discuss.
Relevance of Rajdharma in Modern Context Today
 The rajadharma as enunciated in the past still holds good; beacons to a good, orderly,
peaceful and prosperous corporate life in a polity.
 Even today despite all changes in the tenor and norms of political life, the basic principles
of rajadharma remain much the same as in the past.
 Principles of Rajadharma are applicable not only to King but all ruler/govt. even in
democracies.
 The concept of governance started with the inception of civilization and got transformed
into an idea of good governance with developmental changes. Rajadharma denotes good
governane • Maintenance of peace and order, protection from internal eternal aggression,
happiness, prosperity and welfare of people are eternal principles of Good Governance.
 Dispensation of justice impartially, framing just laws, using state force judiciously to
maintain peace order and obedience to laws- Dandniti
 Modern political principles of Rights, equality, liberty, and justice is inherent in
Rajadharma.
 Even today the basic duty of the state has remained the same as it was in the older days,
i.e., the safety, prosperity, and happiness of the subjects of the state.
 However, the dimensions and verifications of safety, prosperity and happiness of the
subjects no doubt, have changed to a significant extent in the modern era of democracy,
marked by the assertion of liberty, equality and fraternity.
 In ancient times kingship was the most popular form of governance in most of the parts of
the world, but some sections of society no doubt were privileged having state protection
due to their birth.
 Rajadharma has been a subject of serious discussion in ancient works on politics in India.
It has remained an integral part of dharma.
 In India rajdharma enjoined upon the king the duty to protect varnadharma providing
special status and privileges to certain sections of society.
 Even in this democratic age rajdharma allows 'protective discrimination-' which
consisting in giving special privileges to the unprivileged sections of society to create an
egalitarian order of society which is antithetical to what was sought to be promoted in
ancient times by providing additional privileges. Today the concept of protective
discrimination for weaker sections of society reminds us of the same thing.
 Rajadharma as spelt out by Kautilya implies that the state's authority is based on the
principles of dharma.
 The fulfillment of their duties and responsibilities by rulers was of paramount importance
to the stability and orderly development of society and to the happiness of individuals in
the state and therefore one often finds that raja dharma is said to be the root of or the
quintessence of all dharmas.
 Dharma is one of those Sanskrit terms that passed through several vicissitudes and after
passing through several transitions of meaning, it came to mean "the privilege, duties, and
obligations of a man, his standard of conduct as a member of Aryan community, as a
member of one of the casts, as a person in a particular stage of life".
 It is in the same sense that the Bhagavadgita uses the word dharma in the off quoted verse
" svadharma nidhanam sreyen ".
 Shantiparva states 'Know that all dharmas are merged in rajadharma ; that rajadharma is
at the head of all dharmas' and (141,9- 10) the welfare, good rains, sickness, calamities
and death among people owe their origin to the king.
 Rajadharma is also applicable to anyone who heads- corporate, business, and political
leaders, departmental heads, heads of a town, village, family
 Therefore, it cannot be said that the concept of rajdharma has lost its meaning and
relevance.
 The details of rajdharma, as explained above, make it clear that the spirit behind
rajdharma was to ensure peace and prosperity of the people and in doing so the state was
also expected to maintain peace and happiness has always been left to the state which is
also subject to rajdharma. The state thus has never remained free to do whatever it likes to
in the name of rajdharma.
 Bhandarkar (1974) has rightly observed that the ancient Indian state was kind and helpful
to the people to a limitless level. He claims that even today no country of Asia or Europe
can match the ancient Indian state so far as the performance of state duty is concerned.
 In fact, there can be no higher goal and duty of state than what was proclaimed in Yoga-
Kshema in ancient Indian political thought.
 Thus, rajdharma as enunciated in the past still holds gook and beacons to a good, orderly
peaceful, and prosperous corporate life in a polity.
 Even today despite all changes in the tenor and norms of political life the basic principles
of rajdharma remain much the same as in the past.

Conclusion
 In Santi Parva of Mahabharat, we see the Indian soul and culture. Various political ideas
are discussed very well through the epic. The duties of kings, citizens, ministers and
rights of them also are discussed equally in Santi Parva. Origin of state, foreign policy
inter-state relations are discussed well in Santi parva. To conclude, we say that Santi
Parva in Mahabharata is considered unperishable treasury, history, religion, diplomacy,
polity, philosophy & and thought not only for us but for the whole humanity & world.