igion based on the three Vedas and practised by men
who have gone before thee? Dost thou carefully follow the practices that
were followed by them? Are accomplished Brahmanas entertained in thy
house and in thy presence with nutritive and excellent food, and do they
also obtain pecuniary gifts at the conclusion of those feasts? Dost thou,
with passions under complete control and with singleness of mind, strive
to perform the sacrifices called Vajapeya and Pundarika with their full
complement of rites? Bowest thou unto thy relatives and superiors, the
aged, the gods, the ascetics, the Brahmanas, and the tall trees (banian)
in villages, that are of so much benefit to people? O sinless one,
causest thou ever grief or anger in any one? Do priests capable of
granting thee auspicious fruits ever stand by thy side? O sinless one,
are thy inclinations and practices such as I have described them, and as
always enhance the duration of life and spread one's renown and as always
help the cause of religion, pleasure, and profit? He who conducteth
himself according to this way, never findeth his kingdom distressed or
afflicted; and that monarch, subjugating the whole earth, enjoyeth a high
degree of felicity. O monarch, I hope, no well-behaved, pure-souled, and
respected person is ever ruined and his life taken, on a false charge or
theft, by thy ministers ignorant of Sastras and acting from greed? And, O
bull among men, I hope thy ministers never from covetousness set free a
real thief, knowing him to be such and having apprehended him with the
booty about him? O Bharata, I hope, thy ministers are never won over by
bribes, nor do they wrongly decide the disputes that arise between the
rich and the poor. Dost thou keep thyself free from the fourteen vices of
kings, viz., atheism, untruthfulness, anger, incautiousness,
procrastination, non-visit to the wise, idleness, restlessness of mind,
taking counsels with only one man, consultation with persons unacquainted
with the science of profit, abandonment of a settled plan, divulgence of
counsels, non-accomplishment of beneficial projects, and undertaking
everything without reflection? By these, O king, even monarchs firmly
seated on their thrones are ruined. Hath thy study of the Vedas, thy
wealth and knowledge of the Sastras and marriage been fruitful?

"Vaisampayana continued,--After the Rishi had finished, Yudhishthira
asked,--"How, O Rishi, do the Vedas, wealth, wife, and knowledge of