[162] His counsellors, assembled in court,
openly indulge in such speeches as: 'This is beyond thy power. This is a
wicked attempt.' If the king becomes angry, they laugh; nor are they
gladdened if favours be bestowed upon them, though they may express joy
for other reasons. They disclose the secret counsels of their master and
bruit his evil acts. Without the least anxiety they set at naught the
king's commands. If the king's jewels, or food, or the necessaries of his
bath, or unguents, be not forthcoming, the servants, in his very
presence, do not show the least anxiety. They do not take what rightfully
belongs to them. On the other hand, without being content with what has
been assigned to them, they appropriate what belongs to the king. They
wish to sport with the king as with a bird tied with a string, And always
give the people to understand that the king is very intimate with them
and loves them dearly. If the king becomes mild and disposed to jest, O
Yudhishthira, these and many other evils spring from it.'"
SECTION LVII
"Bhishma said, 'The king, O Yudhishthira, should always be ready for
action. That king is not worth of praise who, like a woman, is destitute
of exertion. In this connection, the holy Usanas has sting a Sloka, O
monarch. Listen to it with attention, O king, as I recite it to thee:
'Like a snake swallowing up mice, the earth swallows tip these two, the
king that is averse to battle and the Brahmana that is exceedingly
attached to wives and children.
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