Kshatriya Dharma – Story
Kanika told Dhrithrashtra that a king should show no mercy to his enemies. To clarify his position, he related a story that explains Kshatriya dharma nicely:
In the forests lived a jackal who is wise, but selfish and master of the art of political rules, with his four friends, a tiger, a wolf, a mouse and a mongoose.
One day the friends saw a strong deer, but as the deer swift, they could not catch him.
So the friends met together, and the jackal suggested:
“O tiger, you have made numerous attempts to capture this deer. However, he is young, swift and intelligent. Hence, let the mouse bite the deer’s foot and eat it. Once the deer lost its foot, you (tiger) can go and seize it. All of us eat that deer sharing it.”
Accordingly, the tiger killed the deer. When the others came near the dead game, the clever jackal said:
‘I will look after the carcass; you go and clean your body and then come here’.
The tiger, wolf, mouse and mongoose went to perform their bathing, and the jackal stayed behind, with a big plan.
The tiger returned first and, seeing the worried jackal wondered what bothered him because it was the time for them to enjoy their meal.
The jackal replied, ‘Hear what the mouse said.. The deer was killed by me (mouse), not the tiger because he (mouse) cut the legs of deer and hence the tiger could kill the deer’.
The jackal said that the mouse had boasted like that, and his appetite died. The tiger’s pride was hurt, and he was incensed by what he heard. A tiger would only eat what has been killed by his arms. Then the tiger refusing to eat that dead deer, went into the forest.
Next, the mouse returned from his bath. The jackal told the mouse that the mongoose had said something. ‘The flesh of this deer is poisoned by the touch of the tiger, and I shall not eat it. If you give me permission, I will eat the mouse.’
Hearing this, the mouse got scared and quickly hid in its burrow.
Then came the wolf. And to him, the jackal said that the tiger was angry. The tiger would be returning with his wife shortly, and it would kill the wolf. The wolf, though would have enjoyed the meat, also went away.
At last, the mongoose came. The jackal addressed the mongoose:
“O great king, I have defeated the others with the might of my arm, and they fled away. Now you should fight with me, and if you win, you might eat the meat.”
The mongoose said that if the jackal could defeat the tiger, the wolf, and the intelligent mouse, they were all heroes; the mongoose should be a more incredible hero. Hence, he would be no match to the jackal and decided to withdraw.
Thus the clever and selfish Jackal sent all the other four animals one by one by telling something cleverly.
After the other four animals had gone away, the jackal was much pleased with his strategy and ate the meat all by himself to his heart’s content.
MORAL:
According to the Kshatriya dharma, a king should never allow his enemies to grow. He should defeat them before they grow in strength by following any tricks.
A king should rule with a firm hand, always ready to strike. All should fear the king. Ever watchful to avoid any pitfalls, he should ceaselessly lookout for the fault in others and take advantage of the same.
He should keep his purpose hidden as a tortoise hid its body. A thorn, if not removed immediately, would turn a festering sore. (Kanika is comparing an enemy to a thorn).
Killing a powerful foe was an act worthy of appreciation. The king should wait for the foe’s weak moment and kill him scrupulously.
However contemptible an enemy might be, he should never be scorned. A spark of fire would burn an entire forest down, as the fire could spread from one tree to another. If a king cannot strike, it was better to feign deafness and blindness.
An enemy should be shown no mercy, even when he sought protection. Even at the cost of wealth, an enemy should be killed so that the king might be at peace. Once the enemy was dead, the king should destroy his allies and supporters. If the enemy’s root was exterminated, he would not survive.
Though watchful, a king should gain the confidence of his enemy by keeping the sacrificial fire burning, with saffron clothes and matted locks. Once he gained the trust of his enemies, he should pounce upon them like a wolf. No mercy should be shown.
An enemy could be destroyed by the art of dialogue, spending money, or bringing discord amongst his partners. In short, any method could be employed to bring down an enemy.
The above tricks and tips are parts of Kshatriya Dharma and are applicable only for the kshatriyas, ie, rulers.
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