The Thirty-Six Qualities of a King

Verse 1 (12.70.1)

केन वृत्तेन वृत्तज्ञः वर्तमानो महीपतिः । सुखेनार्थान् सुखोदर्कानिह च प्रेत्य चाश्नुते ॥

kena vṛttena vṛttajñaḥ vartamāno mahīpatiḥ | sukhenārthān sukhodarkāniha ca pretya cāśnute

By what conduct does a king who knows right conduct, living by it, easily gain here and hereafter the ends that bring happiness in their fruit?

Note on the text: Wikisource वृत्तज्ञः (nominative) against CE vṛttajña (vocative) and चाश्नुते against cāpnuyāt; kept as printed.

Verse 2 (12.70.2)

इत्थं गुणानां षट्त्रिंशी षट्त्रिंशद्गुणसंयुता । यान्गुणांस्तु गुणोपेतः कुर्वन्गुणमवाप्नुयात् ॥

itthaṃ guṇānāṃ ṣaṭtriṃśī ṣaṭtriṃśadguṇasaṃyutā | yānguṇāṃstu guṇopetaḥ kurvanguṇamavāpnuyāt

Here is the set of thirty-six qualities, itself made up of thirty-six qualities; one who is himself endowed with merit, by practising those qualities, gains merit.

Note on the text: Removed two stray zero-width non-joiners (inside षट्त्रिंशी and षट्त्रिंशद्-; Wikisource typesetting). Wikisource इत्थं against CE iyaṃ is a variant, kept.

Verse 3 (12.70.3)

चरेद्धर्मानकटुको मुञ्चेत्स्नेहं न नास्तिकः । अनृशंसश्चरेदर्थं चरेत्काममनुद्धतः ॥

careddharmānakaṭuko muñcetsnehaṃ na nāstikaḥ | anṛśaṃsaścaredarthaṃ caretkāmamanuddhataḥ

He should practise dharma without harshness, and let go of attachment without becoming an unbeliever; he should pursue wealth without cruelty, and pleasure without arrogance.

Note on the text: Corrected न चास्तिकः → न नास्तिकः (probable misprint in Wikisource: च for न, which reverses the sense; 'without becoming a nāstika', CE na nāstikaḥ).

Verse 4 (12.70.4)

प्रियं ब्रूयादकृपणः शूरः स्यादविकत्थनः । दाता नापात्रवर्षी स्यात्प्रगल्भः स्यादनिष्ठुरः ॥

priyaṃ brūyādakṛpaṇaḥ śūraḥ syādavikatthanaḥ | dātā nāpātravarṣī syātpragalbhaḥ syādaniṣṭhuraḥ

He should speak pleasantly without abjectness, be brave without boasting, give without showering gifts on the unworthy, and be bold without being harsh.

Verse 5 (12.70.5)

संदधीत न चानार्यैर्विगृह्णीयाच्च शत्रुभिः । नानाप्तैश्चारयेच्चारं कुर्यात्कार्यमपीडया ॥

saṃdadhīta na cānāryairvigṛhṇīyācca śatrubhiḥ | nānāptaiścārayeccāraṃ kuryātkāryamapīḍayā

He should make treaties, but not with the ignoble; he should make war on his enemies; he should not use untrustworthy persons as spies; and he should carry out his aims without causing distress.

Note on the text: Wikisource विगृह्णीयाच्च शत्रुभिः and नानाप्तैश्चारयेच्चारं against CE vigṛhṇīyān na bandhubhiḥ and nānāptaiḥ kārayec cāram (the page's footnote cites विगृह्णीयान्न बन्धुभिः as another reading); kept as printed.

Verse 6 (12.70.6)

अर्थं ब्रूयान्न चासत्सु गुणान्ब्रूयान्न चात्मनः । आदद्यान्न च साधुभ्यो नासत्पुरुषमाश्रयेत् ॥

arthaṃ brūyānna cāsatsu guṇānbrūyānna cātmanaḥ | ādadyānna ca sādhubhyo nāsatpuruṣamāśrayet

He should not speak of his aims to the wicked, nor proclaim his own virtues; he should not take from the good, and he should not rely on a wicked man.

Verse 7 (12.70.7)

नापरीक्ष्य नयेद्दण्डं न च मन्त्रं प्रकाशयेत् । विसृजेन्न च लुब्धेभ्यो विश्वसेन्नापकारिषु ॥

nāparīkṣya nayeddaṇḍaṃ na ca mantraṃ prakāśayet | visṛjenna ca lubdhebhyo viśvasennāpakāriṣu

He should not inflict punishment without examining the case, nor reveal his counsel; he should not give to the greedy, nor trust those who have done him wrong.

Verse 8 (12.70.8)

अनीर्षुर्गुप्तदारः स्याच्चोक्षः स्यादघृणी नृपः । स्त्रियः सेवेत नात्यर्थं मृष्टं भुञ्जीत नाहितम् ॥

anīrṣurguptadāraḥ syāccokṣaḥ syādaghṛṇī nṛpaḥ | striyaḥ seveta nātyarthaṃ mṛṣṭaṃ bhuñjīta nāhitam

The king should be free from jealousy yet keep his wives guarded, pure yet not squeamish. He should not indulge in women to excess, and he should eat what is delicious but not what is unwholesome.

Verse 9 (12.70.9)

अस्तब्धः पूजयन्मान्यान्गुरून्सेवेदमायया । अर्चेद्देवानदम्भेन श्रियमिच्छेदकुत्सिताम् ॥

astabdhaḥ pūjayanmānyāngurūnsevedamāyayā | arceddevānadambhena śriyamicchedakutsitām

Free from stiff pride he should honour those worthy of honour; he should serve his elders without deceit; he should worship the gods without hypocrisy, and seek a prosperity that is blameless.

Note on the text: Corrected श्रियमिच्छेदकृत्सिताम् → श्रियमिच्छेदकुत्सिताम् (misprint in Wikisource: ृ for ु; 'blameless', CE akutsitām).

Verse 10 (12.70.10)

सेवेत प्रणयं हित्वा दक्षः स्यान्न त्वकालवित् । सान्त्वयेन्न च मोक्षाय अनुगृह्णन्न चाक्षिपेत् ॥

seveta praṇayaṃ hitvā dakṣaḥ syānna tvakālavit | sāntvayenna ca mokṣāya anugṛhṇanna cākṣipet

He should render service having set aside personal attachment; he should be skilful, not ignorant of the right time; he should not offer comfort merely for the sake of release, and while granting a favour he should not reproach.

Note on the text: Real variant: Wikisource सान्त्वयेन्न च मोक्षाय against CE sāntvayen na ca bhogārtham; kept as printed.

Verse 11 (12.70.11)

प्रहरेन्न त्वविज्ञाय हत्वा शत्रून्न शोचयेत् । क्रोधं कुर्यान्न चाकस्मान्मृदुः स्यान्नापकारिषु ॥

praharenna tvavijñāya hatvā śatrūnna śocayet | krodhaṃ kuryānna cākasmānmṛduḥ syānnāpakāriṣu

He should not strike without understanding; having slain his enemies, he should not cause grief; he should not be angry without cause, and he should not be gentle towards wrong-doers.

Note on the text: Wikisource शोचयेत् against CE śeṣayet (the page's footnote glosses न शोचयेत् as removing the grief of the enemies' kin); kept as printed.

Verse 12 (12.70.12)

एवं चरस्व राज्यस्थो यदि श्रेय इहेच्छसि । अतोऽन्यथा नरपतिर्भयमृच्छत्यनुत्तमम् ॥

evaṃ carasva rājyastho yadi śreya ihecchasi | ato'nyathā narapatirbhayamṛcchatyanuttamam

Act thus, established in your kingdom, if you desire your good here; a king who acts otherwise meets with the gravest peril.

Verse 13 (12.70.13)

इति सर्वान्गुणानेतान्यथोक्तान्योऽनुवर्तते । अनुभूयेह भद्राणि प्रेत्य स्वर्गे महीयते ॥

iti sarvānguṇānetānyathoktānyo'nuvartate | anubhūyeha bhadrāṇi pretya svarge mahīyate

He who follows all these qualities as they have been described, having enjoyed good things here, is honoured in heaven after death.

Verse 14 (12.70.14)

इदं वचः शान्तनवस्य शुश्रुवा । न्युधिष्ठिरः पार्थिवमुख्यसंवृतः । तदा ववन्दे च पितामहं नृपो । यथोक्तमेतच्च चकार बुद्धिमान् ॥

idaṃ vacaḥ śāntanavasya śuśruvā | nyudhiṣṭhiraḥ pārthivamukhyasaṃvṛtaḥ | tadā vavande ca pitāmahaṃ nṛpo | yathoktametacca cakāra buddhimān

Having heard these words of Shantanu's son, Yudhishthira, surrounded by the foremost kings, bowed then to his grandsire; and the wise king did as he had been told.

Note on the text: Wikisource पार्थिवमुख्यसंवृतः against CE pāṇḍavamukhyasaṃvṛtaḥ is a variant, kept. The page ends with this verse and prints no colophon; the lines शुश्रुवा / न्युधिष्ठिरः are one word broken at the pada boundary (शुश्रुवान् + युधिष्ठिरः), kept as printed.