Understanding Rajdharma

Rajdharma or the duty of the king has been a much talked about subject in ancient historical and scriptural texts of India. However, it has often been found missing in the character of many kings from the ancient times to the present ones. Usually, there is much of sermonising about the duty of the praja or the subjects who are supposed to observe the laws laid down by the kings. From ancient Indian kingdoms to the modern state, the story has not changed much and the rulers tend to lose track of what their duty is. In the Indian philosophical thought, the kings were supposed to be representatives of God in this world and had a very obligatory role to play in the well-being of their subjects. Legendary kings from history like Vikramaditya or Bhoj have proved what a king was supposed to do for his subjects. Our ancient Indian accounts of the polity of those times were rich treatise on basic principles of statecraft that aimed at good governance.

The clichéd jargon Minimum Government, Maximum governance was actually the avowed principle those days which the kings practised. In Manusmriti, there is elaborate discussion on relationship between dharma or righteousness and ruler of the State. The execution of right duties was the king’s basic responsibility and his duties were defined under the concept of Rajdharma. According to Manu, the law giver, God created the king to protect the subjects from anarchy and exploitation of the powerful people. Thus, it was the king’s duty to protect the weak from the strong who broke the law. If the verdict of a king is unjust it would be a great sin. A king should be very careful while executing the laws which were supposed to be based on dharma. It was to be correlated with morals and ethics. Ideally, the king was seen as a person who would always speak the truth, be a realist, and be well versed in duty and work.

If a king is abusing and violating the law, he is punishable. He is supposed to be transparent, duty bound and must follow the code of the Shastras, the book of dharma. Humility was supposed to be a desired skill. Manu held that the king should behave like a father towards all citizens and keep them happy. He was repulsive to the idea of king imposing his will on the subjects unscrupulously and ruthlessly. In the Ramayana, the essentials of Rajdharma are also imparted to Bharat, the younger brother of Rama when the former goes to meet him during the early period of exile. The discussions between the brothers in the “Ayodhya Kanda” is an enriched discourse on how the king should rule. It details all aspects of a king’s duty towards the subjects as well as the State. But the best example of Rajdharma is the story of king Rantideva as narrated in the Mahabharata. He was so responsive that anybody with any problem would run to him for help and the king would happily serve him. His belief was that by serving his subjects, he was serving Shri Vishnu, the Lord. Legend goes that he became a favourite with God because of the service he rendered to his subjects. In ancient India, Rajdharma was the welfare of the people or moral duty. Its spirit was to ensure peace, justice and prosperity to the people. The modern day rulers need to take a leaf or two out of the chapter on Rajdharma.