'"
SECTION LXXV
"Yudhishthira said, 'Tell me, O grandsire, that conduct by which a king
succeeds in aggrandising his subjects and earning regions of felicity in
the other world.'
"Bhishma said, 'The king should be liberal and should perform sacrifices,
O Bharata! He should be observant of vows and penances, and should be
devoted to the duty of protecting his subjects. Righteously protecting
all his subjects, he should honour all righteous persons by standing up
when they come and by making gifts unto them. If the king regards it,
righteousness becomes regarded everywhere. Whatever acts and things are
liked by the king are liked by his subjects. Unto his foes the king
should always be like Death, with the rod of chastisement uplifted in his
hands. He should exterminate robbers everywhere in his kingdom and never
pardon any one from caprice. The king, O Bharata, earns a fourth part of
the merit that his subjects earn under his protection. By only protecting
his subjects the king acquires a fourth part of the merit that his
subjects acquire by study, by gifts, by pouring libations, and by
worshipping the gods. The king acquires a fourth part also of the sin
that his subjects commit in consequence of any distress in the kingdom
arising from the king's neglect in discharging the duty of protection.
Some say that the king earns a moiety, and some say the full measure, of
whatever sin is caused by his becoming cruel and untruthful in speech.
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