Prime minister & his qualities -

PM and the question of foreign origin.

 

A STORY FROM HITOPADESA.

 

Hitopadesa meaning good advice was written about 1500 years ago. The author himself says that he has taken most of the stories from  Panchatantra.  All situations are given in the form of stories using birds and animals as characters.

 

In the country of LANDBIRDS a peacock named CHITRAVARNA was the king.  He had a visitor named DIRGHAMUKHA, a crane from the country of WATERBIRDS. Chitrvarna's PM was a vulture named DUURADARSHI.

 

The king enquired from the visitor who the king and PM were in his country. He replied giving their names as HIRANYAGARBHA, a swan and CHAKRAVAKA a goose.  DUURADARSHI the vulure, the PM of landbirds opined that it was proper that CHAKRAVAKA was the PM as he was born in the same country of waterebirds.

 

He supported this by saying –

 

swadeshajam kulaachaara-vishuddham upadhaa-shuchim /

mantrajnam avyasaninam vyabhichaara-vivarjitam //

adhiita-vyavahaaraartham maulam khyaatam vipaschitam/

arthosyodpaadakam chaiva vidadhyaat mantriNam nripah //

 

vidadhyaat mantriNam nripah  - The king should appoint a Prime Minister who should have  the following attributes –

 

swadeshajam – born in the same country,

kulaachaara-vishuddham – correct in observing the traditions

of the family/community/country.

upadhaa-shuchim – of tested loyalty.

mantrajnam – a good adviser.

avyasaninam – not addicted to any vice.

vyabhichaara-vivarjitam – not deviating from the right course.

adhiita-vyavahaaraartham – well versed in administrative matters.

maulam – of god family

khyaatam – a celebrity

vipaschitam –learned

arthosyodpaadakam chaiva – and a generator of wealth.

 

Hitopadesha – Section 3 – shlokas 17 and 18.

 

knr

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